When Grace Happens

The year was 1986. I sat on the concrete floor of a classroom in Hong Kong where a group of students had gathered for a Bible study. As if it were some ancient Chinese proverb, the passionate speaker energetically etched these words into my heart for good: “He who walks on fence gets shot two times.” He was expounding on the challenging words of Jesus, “He who is not with me is against Me. He who does not gather, scatters.” (Matt. 12:30) John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible

If I speak with the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong, or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Cor. 13 “Raleigh…MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!!!!” I wanna get up to the microphone one Sunday morning, my guitar around my neck, fist high in the air and shout that out like all those artists do as they begin their concerts before thousands of fans. Then again, maybe not. (I don’t even play guitar) I sat in the back of a crowded church recently and began recording the music

The woman flops down on the bench and drops her trash bag between her feet. With elbows on knees and cheeks in hands, she stares at the sidewalk. Everything aches. Back. Legs. Neck. Her shoulder is stiff and her hands raw. All because of the sack. Oh to be rid of the garbage. Unbroken clouds form a gray ceiling, gray with a thousand sorrows. Soot-stained buildings cast long shadows, darkening passageways and the people in them. Drizzle chills the air and muddies the rivulets

Most of us are accustomed to barcodes on everything ranging from magazines and toasters to soup cans and bottled water. However, there’s a newer code that you see just about everywhere nowadays. These cube-shaped barcodes are called QR Codes. “QR” stands for Quick Response. They are specific matrix barcodes, readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and many smartphones. Interestingly, there’s a sign on the gas pump at our Walmart that says to put away your cell

Comedian Jimmy Fallon announces each week that a certain portion of his show was “Trending” on Twitter. If you’re reading this and aren’t sure what “Trending” means, or even what Twitter is, then stay with me. If you Google “Trending”, you get all sorts of definitions. One “old school” definition is “bending” or turning away in a specific direction.” If that’s the case, then I have a plant in my house that’s “trending.” It’s the longest lasting greenery I’ve ever owned.

The other day I heard a frazzled mom in a restaurant say to her son,”Timmy…does someone need a time-out?” I don’t recall Timmy’s response, but I do remember thinking, “Why didn’t they have time-outs when I grew up?” Seriously. I think “Time-outs” were invented later and definitely not in my neighborhood. When I got in trouble, I heard terms like, “Go get me the belt” or “Boy get over here” and “Wait till your father gets home.” When we were behaving badly, a “Tim