forgiveness

The first time I met Catherine Larson, we were sitting in the back seat of a van full of journalists. We discovered almost instantly that we both had a heart for Rwanda. The husband of one of my students had lost six family members in the genocide, and Larson had landed her job at Prison Fellowship writing a story about the war-torn country.

This past weekend my husband and I joined two other couples for a weekend away.  We live in different cities now,  but became friends a number of years ago when we all lived in Wheaton, Illinois.  Our assignment for the weekend was to read Unchristian by David Kinnaman and be prepared to discuss the book during the weekend.

Kinnaman’s conclusions based on extensive research reveal how younger generations tend to perceive christians as judgmental, unloving and too involved in politics.  These younger generations believe christians are hypocritical and inauthentic.

Jonathan Safran Foer, a Jewish New Yorker in his twenties, collected memories of his family—photos, cards, false teeth, handfuls of dirt—all sealed in individual plastic bags and mounted on a wall. Eager to know more about his family roots after the death of his grandparents, Jonathan embarks on an elusive quest to Ukraine, specifically to explore what happened to them during World War II.

In II Cor 5:18-20 Paul reminds us that God has taken care of the problem of sin for the whole world and calls us to be ambassadors of that message to our world. To be honest, I tend to focus more on the prevalence of sin in the world rather than on the message of reconciliation I am to represent.   With a 24-hour news cycle there is always something to be alarmed about. I find it easy to slip into a critical and judgmental

A few months ago I shared some of my favorite Christmas traditions including our family "Christmas Candles." Well, just in case the title didn't give it away, we also have Easter candles!

Something was wrong. I love to teach the bible, it is one of my favorite things. I enjoy diving into the text and context breathing a prayer that the Teacher will teach me, enlighten me, as to what the women I teach need to hear.   But this day, I began preparation of the week’s lesson and sensed in my spirit an inner resistance.  It was a hard message, an unpopular one, and a painful one. 

At this beginning of another new year I am reminded how I delight in new beginnings.  From crisp clean sheets, to soft new stationery, to a clean page, to a new dress or just a new discovery.  A fresh start fills my heart with hope.