Grace for the less than perfect

Ran across a quote in another blog (Andrew Sullivan's on the The Daily Beast) that I thought was profound.  It speaks to the complicated process of loss, closure and grieving.  Here is the post...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2012/06/ran-across-quote-in-another-blog-andrew.html

Paul's letters to the Romans has some pretty deep and theologically challenging passages. Grace and works., why the Jewish people of his time of which Paul was one didn't respond as he hoped to t...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2012/02/so-you-thought-romans-was-just-too.html

Psalm 42 has some beautiful imagery. The thirsting soul who is like a deer wandering in the desert seeking water. The thundering river cataracts calling to the deep loneliness of the soul. The ov...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-are-you-cast-down-my-soul.html

Psalm 98 tells us to sing a new song to the Lord! The first day of the year brings all sorts of plans in the lives of many for changes and new beginnings. Each morning can even bring hope for a n...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-beginnings.html

It's a good season to pray for peace. Those of us who call ourselves Christian serve the one who came to bring peace. Heard recently on an NPR report that research shows that the percentage of li...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2011/12/praying-for-peace.html

I am not by nature a patient person. And yet there it was in one of the lectionary passages this week (2 Peter 3:8-15a) -- God waits on judgement because God is patient and awaits the changing of...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2011/12/patient-advent.html

I was reading an Advent devotional last week when I ran across a question that is commonly asked but it struck in the setting of preparing for Advent. "What would you do today if you knew Jesus w...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2011/11/advent-bucket-list.html

Brian McLaren shared some thanksgiving prayers on his blog: I particularly liked this one: 3. God of my grandparents, I thank you for them. God of my parents, I thank you for them. God of my ch...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-prayer-by-brian-mclaren.html

Advent approaches. It is the season of anticipation and waiting the 4 weeks before Christmas. William Brown says that "'Waiting for God' is no passive endeavor; it involves painful longing and bo...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-are-you-waiting-for.html

David spent several of his younger years on the run from King Saul. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel as a replacement for Saul, when Saul displeased God. Early on Saul actually had him serve...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-leaving-it-up-to-god.html

Hello to my followers. I was on vacation last week and actually did very little on the computer. Probably a good thing. Oh, I did insure my fantasy football team was up to date and for a change I...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-back.html

Will you behave yourself if no one's watching? The psalmist doens't think so. Psalm 53, ascribed to David, puts it bluntly. Fools say there is no God and so they do whatever they want. Atheism an...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-accountablity.html

Psalm 73 brings us face to face with that most human of emotions - jealousy. The psalmist checked out all the rich people and found himself jealous of their status, comfort, and their apparent fr...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-i-am-jealous.html

Psalm 72 is what is called a royal psalm. It is all about the king (I know I have blogged about this kind of psalm before.) Basically the psalm asks God to bless the king and make everything (and...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-your-basic-leader-worship.html

If you thinking talking to yourself is a sign of being crazy well then the psalmists were one loony bunch. Take Psalm 42. It's a running dialogue between the writer and himself about why he is ha...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-talking-to-yourself.html

Today's psalm, psalm 35 which is one of David's, raises an interesting question. Is it ever okay to pray for God to bring vengeance on your enemies? Certainly it is an an honest psalm. We have al...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-get-em-god.html

Psalm 34 is another psalm of David's. He begins with an out there kind of statement. "I will bless the Lord at all times. . . " So now that just sounds like an invitation to trouble right? Can we...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/todays-psalm-are-you-sure-about-all.html

Even slugs get grace, right? So this past week I was laid up with the flu. H1N1 I presume, although I was never sick enough to require a doctor's care. I have been plenty sicker in my life but th...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-week-as-slug.html

The first line of this psalm is known to many - "The earth is the Lord's and all that it is in it." That doesn't mean we always act like it. From abuse of the earth through pollution to acting as...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/todays-psalm-identifying-landowner.html

It's still playing on the Jerusalem top 40. Thousands of years and it has maintained it's number one spot. That's right. It's Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, etc. All of us have days when we ...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/todays-psalm-davids-number-one-hit.html

Psalm 21 is one of those sometimes called a royal psalm. The psalm is a conversation with God about the king. And it's pretty good to be the king. (Which coincidentally is a line from a Mel Brook...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/todays-psalm-its-good-to-be-king.html

Remember the last two day's of psalms have David at a low point. Surrounded by the deceitful and really wondering if God was ever going to listen. But it would appear a new day has dawned. David...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/todays-psalm-i-told-you-so.html

Yesterday, David spoke of being surrounded by the deceitful. He felt alone. In today's psalm (Psalm 13) he asks, how long will God forget about David's plea? Will it be forever. Each psalm was l...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/todays-psalm-from-bad-to-worse.html

In Psalm 12 David laments the world is filled with deceitful, godless people who are just interested in flattery but not honesty. Hmm, anyone remember junior high? Many of the psalms carry the th...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/todays-psalm-help-i-am-surrounded.html

October 8, 2009 Job 23:1-9, 16, 17 Job is having a bad day, week, month, year. Read the first couple of chapters of the book if you forgot the story. And he is angry. For good reason. His life h...

http://gracelessperfect.blogspot.com/2009/10/yob-where-is-god-when-you-need-help.html