In his book, Inexpressible, Michael Card explores the multifaceted definition of the Hebrew word for God's grace or loving-kindness. In Hebrew, it's hesed. Card says God's hesed "has an over-the-top quality about it." After ten years of studying the 169 words and phrases used to translate hesed, Card defines it this way: "Hesed: When the one from whom you have the right to expect nothing gives you everything." Grace is what Jesus offers us when he invites us to follow him. Grace is what he … [Read more...]

I was watching Olympic track events in 2021 when, in one evening, two British runners were disqualified for false starts. Normally athletes train for four years before their Olympic performance. This year, because of the pandemic, they had five! And in a split second, the runner does what he's not supposed to do, and it's all over. There's no mulligan or just joking or "Can I get a do-over?" He's just done and disqualified. And I'm just betting that's how Peter felt after Jesus died. In … [Read more...]

Years ago, late-night comedian Jay Leno used to do a segment he called "Jay Walking." He'd walk around New York City and ask the "man on the street" random questions – questions the average person should be able to answer like, "In what month do we vote for President?" or "Who is the Vice President of the United States?" Leno's audience would laugh and roll their eyes while grown-up American citizens searched their memories for the correct answer that they knew they should know! Kurt and I … [Read more...]

It's been one month since we emptied the contents of our home into a dumpster. After our house fire, a friend texted to see how I was faring and to find out how she could pray specifically. She asked, "Are you grieving the loss of any particular thing?" I wanted to answer honestly, but I could not think of one lost item that had caused me more grief than another. The truth was, I was heartbroken and sick to my stomach over the loss of it all. For twenty years, we've worked to make a … [Read more...]

On a gorgeous May evening, the night before our middle son Spencer's high school graduation, our house caught on fire. Our family and our pets are all safe. Uprooted, but doing well overall. In the past two weeks, our family, church family, friends, and community have absolutely bent over backward to anticipate our needs and meet them. We have been first-hand witnesses and beneficiaries of the body of Christ working together, each member doing its part (1 Corinthians 12:26-27). It has been … [Read more...]