Saturday, December 30, 2006

What the World Needs Now...

...is grace, grace, grace.

Bigtime.

Not only do we need grace for ourselves, we need to extend grace to others. I was shocked at the undercurrent of frustration and anger as I shopped this holiday season. It seems like people went shopping mad and only got madder if things weren't moving fast enough, or if they couldn't get exactly what they wanted right away, or if the clerk was new and made mistakes.

In fact, it isn't just shopping. It's everywhere. An undercurrent of anger, lurking just below the surface. Look around on your morning commute - road rage waiting to happen. And I am not immune to it, either, I am afraid.

We have got to slow down and get gracious.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Advent

I am leading worship this week at my church. I am doing some fun stuff with the "prepare" theme - Prepare ye the Way of the Lord; O Come, O Come, Emmanuel; My Hope is You; Rescue; I Know My Redeemer Lives; Joy to the World. It is a list meant to make the progression from expectation and preparation to the fact that Jesus has come, and will return. I enjoy linking Christmas and Easter songs together, because even while we celebrate the Child in the manger, we celebrate the eternal, risen, and returning King.

I think it will be fun.