l'amour de Dieu est folie!

I am sad to say I have finished the book, The Ragamuffin Gospel. It's okay though, I savored it a good, long time and will revisit it probably forever. (If you haven't yet, I highly suggest getting your own copy! I have cherished so many truths from this book and, as a result, marked my own copy up pretty royally!) 

If I were to share each bit that I loved, I'd end up rewriting the whole book on here... that's not the best approach, so I'm going to share with you the last bit that I found so wonderful. 

If you know me very well at all... you know I'm not a big fan of being told what to do, and generally don't respond very well in those situations. Somehow, with that quirk, I do appreciate step-by-step instruction and guidance. (Don't worry if it doesn't make sense, I don't get it either.) The last chapter of Brennan Manning's book The Ragamuffin Gospel gives excellent practical application to an exercise of the heart. 

Again, I suggest reading the book in it's entirety, but this is something I think anyone would benefit from.

The chapter is titled, 'A Touch of Folly'. Life is difficult and the truth of God's word doesn't always make sense. Oftentimes, we need a touch of folly to wrap our minds around the overwhelming truth and beauty of His love for us!

The first step toward rejuvenation begins with accepting where you are and exposing your poverty, frailty, and emptiness to the love that is everything. Don't try to feel anything, think anything, or do anything. With all the goodwill in the world you cannot make anything happen. Don't force prayer. Simply relax in the presence of the God you half believe in and ask for a touch of folly.

Such a suggestion seems easy enough: Accept where you are. Surrender yourself to love. 

(Trickier than it sounds!)

...gently close your eyes and assume any position that is comfortable so long as you keep your spine straight -- standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying on your back with your knees bent. Imagine Jesus glancing at you either the way He glanced at the apostle John in the Upper Room when, in an incredible gesture of intimacy, he laid his head on Jesus' chest, or the way He looked at the sinful woman washing His feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. For ten minutes pray over and over the fist strophe of Psalm 23: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing'.

For the next ten minutes pray over this passage from Hosea and wherever you see the word Israel, replace it with your own name:

So I would say:

Lauren, how could I give you up?

My heart turns against it.

When Lauren was a child I loved her, 

I myself taught her to walk, 

I took her in my arms; 

Yet she has not understood that I was the one looking after her. 

I led her with reins of kindness, 

with leading-strings of love.

I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek;

stooping down to her I gave her her food.

How could I treat you like Admah,

or deal with you like Zeboiim?

My heart recoils from it, 

my whole being trembles at the thought. 

I will not give reign to my fierce anger, 

I will not destroy Ephraim again

for I am God, not man;

I am the holy one in your midst

and have no wish to destroy.

(Hosea 11:1a, 3-4, 8c-9, NAB)

Finally, for the last five minutes of this faith exercise read aloud slowly these three texts:

This is why I am going to lure her and lead her into the wilderness and speak to her heart. I am going to give her back her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a gateway of hope. Then she will respond to me as she did when she was young, and she did when she came out of the land of Egypt (Hosea 2:14-15).

The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named me my name... Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these I forget, I will never forget you. See I have branded you on the palms of my hands, your ramparts are always under my eye (Isaiah 49:1, 15-16).

In face of all this, what is there left to say? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not hesitate to give what was most precious to himself -- gave as a matter of fact over into our hands -- can we not trust such a God to give us, with him, everything else that we need? (Romans 8:31-32).

The reminders and revelations I had through the journey of this book have been so invaluable. Absolutely priceless. To realize the furious, passionate love of God for me is unreal. It does take a dose of folly to accept this truth. 

I was particularly drawn to this paragraph for nostalgic reasons:

Should you ever have the opportunity to celebrate Easter in France, whether it be a large metropolis such as Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, or Dijon or a small village such as Saint-Remy (where I lived for six months), you will see one phrase written on the walls of buildings or the sides of buses in script or black print. You will hear the one phrase sung, chanted, and recited in the churches; you wil hear it exchanged as an Easter greeting as people pass on the street: 'L'amour de Dieu est folie!' -- The love of God is folly.

Whimsical when you come right down to it. 

It's possible that there will come a day when I am not reading through the writings of Brennan Manning and I will then return to sharing my own thoughts on here... until that day comes, I don't want to taint his words.... so I'll leave you with them. :)

Enjoy the refreshing truth of God's crazy love for YOU!

Freedom From Fear

It's been nearly four years since I first cracked open this sweet book, The Ragamuffin Gospel. I may have said this before, but it's so true, I feel the  need to say it again -- Brennan Manning has a way of portraying truth that is raw and vulnerable. It's hard not to relate to it. There is such weight with the concepts and topics he covers and they're all so relevant to this life we lead that I have yet to make it all the way through his beautifully painted picture of grace; the words that make up the pages of this book.

Today I read through chapter 8 for the third time... I've marked it and taken my notes to the best of my abilities and in attempts to not share the chapter in it's entirety with  you... but it may come close... so, I apologize in advance for that!

The basis of this book is to convey to it's reader that the truth of grace can be a reality lived out in our lives. Oftentimes we claim to grasp the concept of grace and are willing and able to portray it to others, but don't fully understand it and truly believe it's power and liberation in our cores.

While we profess our faith in God's unconditional love, many of us still live in fear. Nouwen remarks: 'Look at the many 'if' questions we raise: What am I going to do if I do not find a spouse, a house, a job, a friend, a benefactor? What am I going to do if they fire me, if I get sick, if an accident happens, if I lose my friends, if my marriage does not work out, if a war breaks out? What if tomorrow the weather is bad, the buses are on strike, or an earthquake happens? What if someone steals my money, breaks into my house, rapes my daughter, or kills me?

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but these past few years has been one of the most difficult seasons of my life. Currently, I feel like every compartment of my life is up in the air: hanging in a juggling act, a holding pattern of sorts. I can just see all these possibilities floating among the clouds. I want to be able to grasp them, to rely on something, to commit to a 'plan'... but I feel that each time something comes up. I can only say, 'It really just depends...'

Depends on what, you ask? (Sometimes I do too.) Depends on everything! A job prospect, a possible friend, location, salary, motives, community, vibe... Seriously. I'm that girl.

I feel like Henri Nouwen in these moments. I raise so many questions that I fail to see what's going on right here, right now. I do everything within my means to 'make' something happen out of my own efforts and fail to acknowledge that God's the one in control. Without trusting Him I'll be in this blasted season for the rest of my life. Tough lesson. Tough love? I'm not exactly sure just yet.

Back to the text:

Once these questions guide our lives, we take out a second mortgage in the house of fear.

Jesus says simply, 'Make your home in me, as I make mine in you' (John 15.4). Home is not a heavenly mansion in the afterlife but a safe place right in the midst of our anxious world. 'If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him' (John 14.23).

Home is that sacred space -- external or internal -- where we don't have to be afraid; where we are confident of hospitality and love. In our society we have many homeless people sleeping not only on the streets, in shelters or in welfare hotels, but vagabonds who are in flight, who never come home to themselves. They seek a safe place through alcohol or drugs, or security in success, competence, friends, pleasure, notoriety, knowledge, or even a little religion. They have become strangers to themselves, people who have an address but are never at home, who never hear the voice of love or experience the freedom of God's children.

I realized that this is my life. I am a vagabond. I even named my attempts of a company after the concept. This blog is titled 'girl with a gypsy heart.' I, at my deepest being, in my core, am a wanderer. Constantly in flight, in fear of slowing down and facing myself.

Jesus says: 'You have a home... I am your home... claim me as your home... you will find it to be the intimate place where I have found my home... it is right where you are... in your innermost being... in your heart.'

I know these things to be true. Why is it so difficult to claim them as my own and let them be my reality?

Here is the root of Christian joy and mirth. It is why theologian Roger Hotchkins at the University of Chicago can insist: 'Christians ought to be celebrating constantly. We ought to be preoccupied with parties, banquets, feasts, and merriment. We ought to give ourselves over to the veritable orgies of joy because we have been liberated from the fear of life and the fear of death. We ought to attract people to the church quite literally by the fun there is in being a Christian.' Unfortunately we sometimes become somber, serious, and pompous. We fly in the face of freedom and grimly dig deeper into the trenches. In the words of Teresa of Avila, 'from silly devotions and sour-faced saints, spare us, O Lord.'

I'm sure this is one of my biggest struggles with the church or organized 'religion/faith'. There are so many contradictions! We preach freedom, but have expectations of near perfection. We claim that we're not perfect, but are to walk in a manner worthy of Jesus. Jesus is worthy of perfection... yet, He knows we're not perfect - at least, not here, not now.

We must choose either Christ or the Law as author of salvation.

The other day I was having a conversation with someone about the Blue Zones Project and they were saying how they want to create events and opportunities for the community to come together and unify that is open, inviting, and welcoming to everyone. Why do I bring this up? I bring this up because the next thing she mentioned was that these events won't be happening at churches because not everyone feels welcomed or invited in a building with a purpose to house the public worship of one belief. I have been attending church my whole life and I still feel that way. I was overwhelmed with sadness, just this past Sunday, at the realization that sitting in the huge congregation, surrounded by literally hundreds of other people, I felt more alone than I do on my own at home. How am I supposed to satisfy my need for community? So, that conversation about the Blue Zones caught me off guard at first, but then rang just a bit too clearly. It's horrible.

We have undoubtedly heard that freedom is not license for lust. Maybe that's all we've heard -- what it isn't. 'Such an approach, whatever its limited truth, is defensive and afraid. Those using it wish above all to warn us of the dangers of thinking about freedom, of yearning for freedom. Such an approach generally ends up by showing us, or at least attempting to show us, that freedom actually consists in following the law or in submitting to authority or in walking a well-trod path. Again, there may be some truth in these conclusions but there is lacking a sense of the dark side of the law, and of authority, and of the well-trod path. Each may be and has been turned into an instrument of tyranny and human suffering.'

Some of the words used in that past paragraph make me cringe. They're often very good things, but after experiencing them in an unhealthy manner, they create an unsettling effect in my heart.

Re-focusing on FREEDOM:

What does freedom in the Spirit look like? 'Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom' (2 Corinthians 3.17).

Freedom in Christ produces a healthy independence from peer pressure, people-pleasing, and the bondage of human respect. The tyranny of public opinion can manipulate our lives. What will the neighbors think? What will people think? The expectations of others can exert a subtle but controlling pressure on our behavior.

In Christ Jesus freedom from fear empowers us to let go of the desire to appear good, so that we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are.

How beautiful is that?! Because of Jesus, our all-powerful Savior, we have the freedom to move in the beautiful mystery of who we really are, the unique and wonderful being the Triune God and Creator of the universe created us to be! Hallelujah!

This is encouraging:

Disgruntled and disgusted, The Prince of Darkness slinks up to the chalet of bummed-out disciples who have made their home in Jesus and nails a legal document to the door:

EVICTION NOTICE!

You are hereby banished from

the House of Fear forever.

With malice aforethought, you have

flagrantly withheld the monthly rent

Of guilt, anxiety, fear, shame,

and self-condemnation.

You have adamantly refused to

worry about your salvation.

Already I overheard one dismal tenant say,

'There goes the neighborhood!'

Your freedom from fear is not only

dangerous but contagious.

Real estate values have plummeted;

gullible investors are hard to find.

Why?

Your callous and carefree rejection

of slavery!

A pox on you and

all deluded lovers of liberty!

-The Prince

Oh, how I pray that would be the reality of my freedom. I pray that I would realize the joy and liberation at hand. I really think I do, often even. But sometimes I get so bogged down by what others might think or perceive of my actions or situation. I become more concerned with their view of me than I do of my sweet Jesus' view of me. Ugh, how quickly I lose sight of His unending love for me. How can I miss His constant pursual of me? I need perpetual reminders that in Christ I am free. Apart from Him, I'm hopeless.

Living by grace inspires a growing consciousness that I am what I am in the sight of Jesus and nothing more. It is His approval that counts. making our home in Jesus, as He makes His in us, leads to creative listening: 'Has it crossed your mind that I am proud you accepted the gift of faith I offered you? Proud that you freely chose Me, after I had chosen you, as your friend and Lord? Proud that with all your warts and wrinkles you haven't given up? Proud that you believe in Me enough to try again and again?

Are you aware how I appreciate you for wanting Me? I want you to know how grateful I am when you pause to smile and comfort a child who has lost her way. I am grateful for the hours you devote to learning more about Me; for the word of encouragement you passed on to your burnt-out pastor, for your visit to the shut-in, for your tears for the retarded. What you did to them, you did to Me. Alas, I am sad when you do not believe that I have totally forgiven you or you feel uncomfortable approaching Me.

Whoa. There's an eye-opener. It seems I need to work on my creative listening, relying on the grace He's always provided.

This is an example that rang so true to me. My heart is hard-wired to be drawn to children. They are fascinating and wonderful. They bring me joy and make the deepest parts of my heart shine through.

A little child cannot do a bad coloring: nor can a child of God do a bad prayer. 'A father is delighted when his little one, leaving off her toys and friends, runs to him and climbs into his arms. As he holds his little one close to him, he cares little whether the child is looking around, her attention flitting from one thing to another, or just settling down to sleep. Essentially the child is choosing to be with her father, confident of the love, the care, the security that is hers in those arms. Our prayer is much like that. We settle down in our Father's arms, in his loving hands. Our mind, our thoughts, our imagination may flit about here and there; we might even fall asleep; but essentially we are choosing for this time to remain intimately with our Father, giving ourselves to him, receiving his love and care, letting him enjoy us as he will. It is very simple prayer. It is very childlike prayer. It is prayer that opens us out to all the delights of the kingdom.

Isn't that freeing?! Not to say that maturity is something to be overlooked or even not sought after, but at the end of the day, we are His. We are children of God, loved regardless of what we're up to. I once had a boyfriend who was very... tight-laced? He was great, there's no doubt about it, but the two of us had some major differences and our view on how we can approach God was one of them. I think the first red-flag for me was when he tried to correct me after we had prayed together. He was quite a bit more knowlegeable than me on Biblical matters and I trusted him in most of these things. I admit that I don't take correction well, but I think that my conversations with God are a very precious, yet vulnerable thing. Something that is not to be taken lightly and something that I should be free to approach Him no matter where I'm at. *sigh* This tid-bit about the child and her father I just shared with you was the first recognizable thing to help me conquer the insecurity and confusion that I've been wrestling with from that dilemma for the past 5 years. Praise Jesus for breakthroughs. :)

If we have made peace with our flawed humanity and embraced our ragamuffin identity, we are able to tolerate in others what was previously unacceptable in ourselves.

How easy is it to judge others of things we, ourselves are all too capable of, and have even probably struggled with at one time or another anyway? We're all broken. We're all imperfect. What do you think would happen if we came together and rallied for compassion? :) How do you think we could impact this world if we chose love rather than judgement. What if we had a revolution of healing rather than constant war. It's true, I'm a dreamer, but I am encouraged by David's words in Psalm 20 verse 4: May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! We were meant to be dreamers! And hear me now, believe me now: I'm not the only one!

The gentleness of Jesus with sinners flowed from his ability to read their hearts. Behind people's grumpiest poses and most puzzling defense mechanisms, behind their arrogance and airs, behind their silence, sneers, and causes, Jesus saw little children who hadn't been loved enough and who had ceased growing because someone had ceased believing in them. His extraordinary sensitivity caused Jesus to speak of the faithful as children no matter how tall, rich, clever, and successful they might be.

'Assured of your salvation by the unique grace of our Lord Jesus Christ...' is the heartbeat of the gospel, joyful liberation from fear of the Final Outcome, a summons to self-acceptance, and freedom for a life of compassion toward others.

This is my prayer. That I will be able to love others as Jesus does. That I will be able to overlook the hurt and offenses and see the child within. That by loving people, Jesus will reach peoples hearts through me. That through my relationship with Him, others will come to a place of joyful liberation, self-acceptance, and a life of compassion towards others.

In a Catch-22 situation, the way of gentleness brings healing to ourselves and gentleness toward ourselves brings healing to others. Solidarity with ragamuffins frees the one who receives compassion and liberates the one who gives it in the conscious awareness 'I am the other.'

What a beautiful cycle.

With all that said... :) I challenge the 2.4 people who will read this to take a closer look at the fears that are keeping you from living a life of freedom and liberation. What are some things that you need to address today that would enable you to see others as the children of God they are? What are the things you can forgive yourself for and heal from? What are the specific flaws that you've been holding against yourself?

What are some steps that you can take today to make peace with your flawed humanity? How can you fully embrace your ragamuffin identity? We've all got things we'd rather not have. We've all got scars, baggage, hurts... think about some things that were previously unacceptable in yourself -- that had someone known and tolerated, would have resulted in a moment of healing. 

Go and be that person.

Love those you encounter.

pit-stop on my way to my most favorite place to sit with Jesus - a place where liberation was always a guarantee.

**All the excerpts from this post came from the eighth chapter of the book The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning.

...most attractive man I've never met.

I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think he was the most attractive man I've never met.

Because I do. 

This is a photo of my favorite male author, Brennan Manning. His words have had quite an impact on and through my life lately. 

'When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer [tequila&lemonade].

To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God's grace means. As Thomas Merton put it, "A saint is not someone who is good but who EXPERIENCES the goodness of God."

The gospel of grace nullifies our adulation [obsequious flattery; excessive admiration or praise - blarney] of televangelists, charismatic superstars, and local church heroes. It obliterates the two-class citizenship theory operative in many American churches. For grace proclaims the awesome truth that ALL is gift. All that is good is ours not by right but by the sheer bounty of a gracious God. While there is much we may have earned--our degree and our salary, our home and garden, a Miller Lite and a good night's sleep--all this is possible ONLY because we have been given SO much: LIFE itself, eyes to see and hands to touch, a mind to shape ideas, and a heart to beat with love. We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh. We have the power to BELIEVE where others deny, to HOPE where others despair, to LOVE where others hurt. This and so much more is sheer GIFT; it is not reward for our faithfulness, our generous disposition, or our heroic life of prayer. Even our fidelity is a gift, "If we but turn to God," said St. Augustine, "that itself is a gift of God."

My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.'

— Brennan Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out) with a couple extra notes and emphasizations.

Knowing that the man in that picture wrote those words makes you reconsider not thinking he was the most attractive man you've never met too, don't they? Isn't it crazy how we over look one's true self for so many other things, even good things... can distract us from really knowing someone and what they stand for. 

That's not actually what I wanted to share though. Just a sidenote.

I wanted to share with you how God's used this man's words through my life recently. This book, The Ragamuffin's Gospel, has always stood out to me. It's of highest quality, utmost truth, and has a raw authenticity that is hard to not identify with. As a result of how my heart responded to this book, I wanted to share it with others. 

So, I sent it to my friend in jail. His response has been so beautiful. He said there are many things in this book that he feels in his heart and has learned recently that are reinforced in this text; particularly God's infinite Love. How cool is that? :)

I posted that excerpt above on facebook. People were encouraged by the reminder of the beauty of grace and shared that with me publicly and privately as well. Manning has intricately woven the good news of God's love and Jesus' outpouring of His love on every single page of that book. I am reminded by my friends and family's response how much our world needs the HOPE of our Savior. This isn't anything new, it's not anything I didn't know before, but it's taken brief moments of me being intentional with very small steps where I trample my pride and reach out to those I expect to be ridiculed by because God loves them just as He loves me. 

And, in the whole big picture... isn't that more most important?

I guess to wrap this up, there were a handful of things I wanted to share:

• God loves you more than you'll ever imagine or be able to comprehend, even though you have done nothing to deserve it and more than likely a lot of things to make you not deserve it (...in case you were wondering, everything I'm writing here, is directed toward me too... I am just as guilty, if not more.)
• Brennan Manning is an incredible author with the ability to connect with the reader in a very real way that communicates God's all consuming love for His creation, and I strongly suggest you pick up one of his books to experience these truths for yourself.
• By pushing your natural, humanly desires and instincts to the side (pride, fear, laziness... to name a few) you can impact someone's life for GOOD, for eternity. By being obedient to the calling God's Spirit leads you to, He will work wonderful things in and through you. (That's a whole different entry in and of itself!)

Reminders from Einstein

This season of my life has been a real challenge. I am generally a chronically optimistic individual. As a result of a lot of unfortunate, irrevocable events, I have found myself discouraged and these past few days, it's been hard for me to see my dreams as reality -- NOT OKAY. 

I recently came across some quotes from one of my favorite thinkers, Albert Einstein. His words have encouraged me to press on and trust that God has a bigger, better plan than I could ever have imagined... it is my responsibility to stay sensitive to the desires he's placed on my heart and recognize those dreams for what they are: beautifully inspired by the Creator of the universe... for me. :)

Okay, so here's what I discovered from Einstein's thoughts: 

1. Believe in your dreams.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Mt. Blanc 2009 -- I had always dreamed of going to Europe. 

Just one example of my imagination proving more important and accurate than my knowledge.

2. Trust your instinct.

“The only real valuable thing is intuition."

My best friend, Hannah, and I at the Garden of the Gods. God has given me a gift of intuition, I always describe it as, "I'm just a 'feeler'." However you describe it, it's good to be convicted of things and be able to recognize and understand truth in unfamiliar situations. Hannah has the best intuition of anyone I know, probably why I don't always go to her first, because she seems to always know best... and the fool that I am is not always initially interested in what's best.

3. Think outside the box.

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

I've always been a believer in non-traditional, non-conventional education. I think there's so much value in experiencing information and drawing your own conclusions from those experiences. 

4. Be compassionate towards others.

"A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."

My brother and his son -- 

it's been so much fun to watch him sacrificially love and care for his family.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

5. Focus on the present.

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

6. Fail until you get it right.

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

I failed at line-dancing a good two years before I could dance to a whole song in confidence -- and then I was so excited I danced everywhere I went.

7. Be open to all possibilities.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

You can find some pretty remarkable things when you let curiosity take the lead!

8. Change your mindset.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Sometimes changing your mindset requires being resourceful!

9. Have no fears.

"The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."

I'm not entirely sure there's a direct correlation between fears and me shooting a gun, but there is a sense of empowerment and capability after an afternoon at the shooting range!

Face life with courage and say, "I will not fear, because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

10. Have faith in something bigger than yourself.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

^"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." --Paul, messenger, ambassador, and author of Ephesians 2.4-10

 "The gospel of grace calls us to sing of the everyday mystery of intimacy with God instead of always seeking for miracles or visions." --Brennan Manning, author of 'The Ragamuffin Gospel'

"You are saved, not because of what you do, but because of what Christ did. And you are special, not because of what you do, but because of whose you are. And you are his. And because we are his, let's forget the shortcuts and stay on the main road. He knows the way. He drew the map. He knows the way home." --Max Lucado, author of 'In the Grip of Grace'