The Good Portion

Sad Stories from Life in the Absence of Grace Middle Eastern women who, for whatever reason, have lost their virginity prior to marriage face danger and difficult choices . _____________________________ Tea Time? Here's some food for thought: What if the Tea Party Movement was black? _____________________________  An Unexpected Tear-jerker Yes, the anthropomorphism of a plastic grocery bag can break even this jaded heart. Have a go... ______________________________________ A link found between depression and chocolate consumption Now that you're all teary-eyed, read this before heading for the chocolate comfort. Did I really need a study to tell me this? Let's hope the next study will prove causality....

I really wish sometimes that I could just pull a William Lobdell and turn my back on the whole thing...but I can't. I can't not be a Christian. I can't not hope in the Gospel. But sometimes it feels like that's the only thing Christian about me. If the Gospel is true, then my hoping in it should be enough. But from the church at large I often get the strong sense that it's not. Though I don't live a lifestyle which would invoke church discipline - not even close - I often feel that I'm not Christian enough for those around me. Oh how I long to be able to say, "We are saved by grace alone, not by works" without the person I'm speaking to immediately saying, "Well, yes, but...." I know the "but". I don't deny that Christ changes His people. Of course He changes people. He's changed me, but apparently not into what others seem to expect or want. It's an odd thing, how that little "but" ch...

In my life I've been burdened, often to the point of complete hopelessness, with the guilt that comes from legalism - that idea that I gain God's favor by my good behavior, and lose it by my sin. I've often felt alone in this struggle, seeing so many people who seem to have it all together, who "do" the Christian life so well, who, even when they will admit to struggling make the struggle sound so spiritual that I feel I can never even sin as spiritually as they do. The truth is, I know for a fact that nothing I do is ever good enough, or pure enough, to measure up to the standard Christ set in His Sermon on the Mount . In my efforts I've ended up swinging like a pendulum between the twin sins of hopeless antinomianism and prideful legalism . I've tortured myself with second-guessing; I've agonized over conversations, worrying that my speech may not have been edifying; I've lived in fear that every wrong decision was my fatal error, the on...

My dear husband urges me to keep on writing. He says it's what God has given me, and that I should use it.  I, on the other hand, seem to have run out of juice. These last few months have taken a lot out of me. As you may have noticed, it's been all I can do to keep up with our study of Charity and It's Fruits, and the new blog I'm doing together with Paul. I'm a plodding thinker, and a painfully slow writer.  I hope you, friends, will be patient with me during this "dry" time. 

Charity and Its Fruits Lecture VII, part two (This week we continue our discussion of the Jonathan Edwards' classic, Charity and Its Fruits. We have just concluded reading the second part of Lecture Seven beginning with Roman Numeral Two. We will begin Lecture Eight next week, reading through Roman Numeral Two. The notes below follow Edwards' outline directly, with all direct quotes from the text in italics. My goal is to make each post edifying on its own, even for those who are not reading along with us. I will welcome your questions or comments in the form below.) "Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly." 1 Cor. 13:4 , 5 II. The spirit of charity is an humble spirit. 1. A spirit of charity, or divine love, implies and tends to humility. First, It implies humility . Simply put, humility is part of what Christian love is. As we discussed last week, it is perfectly possible to acknowledge God, as God, a...