Teapot Theology » grace

review: captured by grace

Johnny Douglas — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:42:54 +0000

Encountering God’s grace changes lives forever, and this beautiful three-part volume is truly a keeper as it consistently initiates a fresh experience of God’s grace on almost every page. It tracks the dramatic stories of John Newton, Paul and the author himself in the freeing power of permanent forgiveness and unending mercy. Captured by Grace drives home that none of us, no matter what we have done, are beyond the reach of grace and forgiveness.

Dr. David Jeremiah’s writing challenges the typical human reaction to the trials and hardship in life. He presented the message of God’s grace in such a way that, the reading of it stirred a longing within me to live a life more deeply immersed in grace, mercy and thanksgiving. He presses this potently in translating our oft asked “Why is this happening?” questions into, “What is God teaching me?” Inspirational and insightful. This is a historically and scripturally deep and challenging read. Grace remains impersonal till it happens to you! This book will undoubtedly will speed that journey on….., a truly compelling read!

*This was a Zondervan, Booksneeze gift! This and all other review of mine are posted on Amazon.

old hurt and fresh healing

Johnny Douglas — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:37:14 +0000

Matthew 18:21-22 is really clear!

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

,….. so Lord Jesus, I come to you right now with joy in my heart and knots in my gut! This mix and paradox is real in me;- The joy is about the never-ending forgiveness I have in you. The knots are about the costly implications of that same forgiveness. As I pray for myself, I pray for others with the same struggle to love well in broken stories that don’t easily go away.

As you well know Jesus, I ran into someone recently with whom I’ve shared some of life and no small angst. That run-in was kind of like bumping a previously-broken-leg into the corner of a low-sitting coffee table. I winced with pain and wanted to shout out loud. Even worse, I did harm to him in my heart. And that’s just as foolish as kicking the low-sitting coffee table!!

Precious Saviour, I thought I was over the hurt. I thought I’d already forgiven fully from my heart. Ouch! I thought I was already healed!! I thought I’d dealt with this thing a while ago. That’s just not entirely the case. Out of sight might be out of mind but it’s not out of the memory bank of betrayal and loss.

So I come to you today for 77-times grace! For without this, I’ll be held hostage by my own unforgiveness. Certainly the gospel is big enough and powerful enough to set me free. So I humble myself before you, Jesus. I may never enjoy the gift of others repentance, at least this side of heaven… but there’s no justification for me connecting my healing to theirs. Conditional is not how you tick!

I am to forgive as you have forgiven me. It’s as simple and as costly as that. No, I’m not to be a doormat, but I am to be a doorway to the miracle of reconciliation. By the work of the Holy Spirit, I ask you to show me what you would have me do. Some estranged relationships are less complex than others. Some are no-brainers, in terms of living out the grace I’ve been granted……. and yes, there are NO but’s!!

Jesus, you’ve promised me all the wisdom I need, and I’ll take it. I need it! But I also ask you for a great measure of determination, strength and follow-through. Low-sitting coffee tables can hurt especially when they’re translucent and unseen! More than this, the venom of unforgiveness is just too toxic to ignore. Untie and heal the knots in my gut with your liberating, forgiving grace, precious Jesus. This I pray in your redeeming and restoring name. Amen.

almost complete….?!

Johnny Douglas — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:54:05 +0000

but never quite…..!
Somebody told me recently about being a few pieces short of a 1000 piece jigsaw: ouch! Throughout my life there have been moments when I looked at myself and felt as if there were more pieces of me missing than pieces in their proper places. How much energy has been expended compensating, explaining, finding excuses for those absent pieces. And how much time has been spent repairing the consequences of things I’ve done because pieces were missing.

Eugene O’Neill, who would not necessarily be numbered as a most obvious Christian voice, describes my (and our) situation so clearly in these words: “Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.”

While most of us like to be gracious to ourselves over the problem of missing pieces, yet lack charity, grace or good-old-fashioned generousity towards others! Jesus, using another word picture, spoke of the ease in spotting a speck in another’s eye while ignoring the log in our own. I love and treasure the grace of God so very much….. despite never wanting to attempt a large-numbered jigsaw!! How about you…..?

what love….says?

Johnny Douglas — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:37:01 +0000

These words, from 1 Peter 4:8, fairly cover a blanket of life’s stuff !

“Love covers a multitude of sins.”

Have you ever heard anyone gossip about someone you know? . . . What do you have to say? or want to say,…. or scream inside!?

Here is what love says: Love says nothing. Love stays silent. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” Love doesn’t expose. It doesn’t gossip. If love says anything, love speaks words of defense. Words of kindness. Words of protection.

I love that,…. I need that,….. I want to be that,……

* respect to Jonny Baker for the great Gormley photo.

quoteable quote: wonder

Johnny Douglas — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:12:47 +0000

“The wonder of grace is that God meets our infidelity with friendship; our shame with love.”
Pete Greig

quoteable quote: if

Johnny Douglas — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:50:15 +0000

“If people judge me hate me and despise me, they are just. If people are kind loving and forgiving, that’s grace” Ted Haggard

sheer grace!

Johnny Douglas — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:41:34 +0000

Tim Keller tells a powerful story of a woman who had visited his church but was fearful of gospel of grace. When asked to explain, she said:

“If I was saved by my good words then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with ‘rights’–I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if I am a sinner saved by sheer grace– then there’s nothing he cannot ask of me.“*

and as another prophet sings it,……

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things…..!

*Reason for God, Tim Keller

don’t want to….

Johnny Douglas — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:19:15 +0000

I prayed this, at the weekend…..
‘I don’t want to gripe about others, half-as-much as I want to grow in the grace of God….’

How about you…?
* griping or growing?

* whining or worshiping?

* troubled or trusting?

lent 5

Johnny Douglas — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:12:46 +0000

these words from Sara Groves, are part of my pondering today…

‘this is grace: an invitation to be beautiful!’

openess, grace and change

Johnny Douglas — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:31:25 +0000

God gives grace by using whatever comes our way to shape our lives. Progress in life and following Jesus, depends greatly on our openness. Discipleship means opening our lives to God and to others. For if we believe that God is compassionately sovereign, then we can be confident that nothing will obstruct His loving plan for our lives.

Simply put, God is never surprised. Never. In a sense God stands invisibly between us and all the circumstance we ever face and uses them as tools for renovation, never wishing or willing them to be instruments of destruction. God will use all things especially those things we see as coincidences to strip us down and build us up!

Underneath the rotten siding of life is pure oak, but we’ll never know that until we let God renovate our lives. The process of stripping down is as necessary as the process of building up. Jesus calls it pruning. The level of our openness will determine whether we inflate the power of circumstances beyond what they deserve or deflate their power by submitting all things to the reign of God. Let your will be done! By God’s grace circumstances, all situations, are the means to maturity; by our resistance they are the way to ruin. Eitherway they will drive us toward our destiny.

Daily and hourly we are saying yes or no to God, by how we handle everything that lies in front of us. So how about it. Will you and I let all things today, all things in the now of our lives, serve God’s purpose in our life?

For every atom in the quadrillion-mile universe and ever chance event in its history is deliberately and perfectly planned by God for the ultimate end of our good and our heavenly joy. Galaxies revolve, animals breed, rain falls, seasons change, people fall in love, uncles smoke bad cigars, parents can make their grown-up children feel awkward, people lose their jobs and we all die – all for our good, the finished work of the God is the Kingdom of heaven. God’s grace is everywhere, it embraces us and forever changes us; if we will but yield to it. There is nothing outside of heaven, except hell. Earth is not outside heaven; It is heaven’s workshop, heaven’s womb. It’s all here for us to know, enjoy and be transformed by.

Key to it all is God’s grace!

Gods grace in you and me, changing everything.

Key to it all is our hunger to be changed!