The Redeemed Rose

  When was the last time you spread the good news?  What an odd time to think about spreading things!  News sources speculate that COVID-19 is about to hit its peak in the United States. “Slow the Spread” hashtags abound on social media. People are thinking about social distancing, not disciple making.  But as I read my children their Bible story about how the first century church grew, I saw these words on the page:  “As the good news of God’s kingdom spread, still more people repented and believed. The good news spread and spread and spread! The word that was preached in Jerusalem went out all across the land. It spread to people in Judea. It spread to Samaria too. Later the apostle Paul spread it as far away as Rome. Far and near, people from every nation were beginning to follow Jesus as their King.” ( The Big Picture Story Bible ) During a time when the globe is thinking about slowing the spread of a virus (and rightly so!), Christians need to be speeding t...

  A salvation story doesn’t have to be R-rated to be powerful. We may not all be saved from a life of crime, drugs, or persecuting Christians (like the apostle Paul). Sometimes it is what God  protected   you from doing that testifies to His glory and grace.  I grew up as an only child in a half-Christian home. My mom was a believer; my dad was not. I can count on one hand the number of times my dad went to church (a last ditch attempt to save his marriage).  My mom took me to whatever flavor of church she was into at the moment. When she was feeling in touch with her Catholic roots, we did our fair share of kneelers, making the sign of the cross, and dabbing ourselves with holy water on our way out the door. I even made my First Communion and baptism (at age seven – I was a latecomer) in the Catholic church and started Confirmation classes. We went to a Lutheran church for a short stretch when she worked at their daycare. We also frequented a non-denominational...

  Ever heard a gospel presentation that went something like this: “We are sinners and our sin separates us from God. But Jesus died on the cross and rose again so we could be forgiven. If you ask him to save you, He will. Would you like to pray and ask Him to come into your life?” Most of us probably have. We have probably even said those things. I know I have. While there is not anything wrong with those statements in a stand alone sense, in a gospel presentation they are incomplete.  “What?!” you may ask.  “But they mention that sin is what separates us from God!” “They mention forgiveness!” “They mention Jesus dying on the cross and rising again!” “They even asked them to pray!” “What’s the problem?!” I have one word for you.  Propitiation.  Without this word, the gospel message falls flat – in fact, it is downright wrong.  So what does propitiation mean? Propitiation is a sacrifice that takes away wrath. More specifically, a substitute payment made in t...

  Have you ever wished for a “Redo” button? Have you ever had a day that started off so completely on the wrong foot that you wish you could just push a button and start over? You woke up tired because you didn't get enough sleep the night before, or the night before that, or the one before that! The stresses of the upcoming day are already pressing down on you. You are grumpy. The kids are running around wild. Not listening. Again. And then your sin rears its ugly head and you blow up. At the kids. At your husband. At anyone within sounding distance. That was my Monday morning. And there I was, trying to pick out my clothes so I could take my shower, and all I could do was cry in my closet. I already hated how things were going and it wasn't even 9AM. I hated my tiredness. I hated my grumpiness. I hated how I had sinned again by lashing out in anger (a sin I am constantly fighting). And I wished I could just back up the clock and start all over again. All of this is e...