May 17
The only things condemned are your shame and guilt. They are condemned to the bottom of the ocean. So, let’s stop putting on our scuba gear and revisiting what God has forgotten and buried. Let’s stay on the beach of His grace, soak in his Son-rays of mercy, and sip on some ice-cold compassion. (Gray, Derwin “The Good Life” pg. 151-152)
Day 83 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. There have been a lot of developments since I last posted. Ukraine is reportedly mounting efforts to rescue the remaining soldiers from the embattled steel mill. AP News continues to cover all the atrocious war crimes Russia has committed, like targeting schools and other civilian safe havens. Click here to read more of the updates, including Sweden and Finland’s bid to join NATO.
I had training all weekend, spent some time in the wood-line, but I had my phone on me, so I received all the heartbreaking news updates from the mass shooting in Buffalo. When is this country going to actually do something about the epidemic of gun violence? I saw a post on Sunday from a social media account that I follow that accurately reflects my views on gun ownership. The post read: “Freedom isn’t owning twelve guns, freedom is being able to go to the grocery store without being afraid of being killed by one of those guns.” But even with common sense gun control, the killer from Buffalo’s shooting would have still carried out his evil plan. His motives are being viewed as a racially motivated attack targeting a specific race of Americans. Unbelievably, after committing a mass shooting and still having a gun in his hand, he was not shot by responding police officers, so this depraved deplorable will spend the rest of his life rotting in his cell. Perhaps he will find Jesus in his confinement and realize the depth of his sin and the height of his evil. Perhaps he will find some new friends in prison. Perhaps somehow he can learn to heal the racial divide in his heart. Perhaps I will send him a copy of Dr. Derwin Gray’s new book “How to Heal Our Racial Divide” once he gets a permanent living arrangement.
Until then, we are focusing on our final two weeks of reading “The Good Life.” This week, I will be pulling excerpts from Chapter Seven and Eight. In Chapter Seven, “Happy Are The Pure”, Dr. Gray focuses not on trying to live a pure life, but on surrendering to the fact that we are not perfect, but Jesus is.
A lot of new music came out last Friday, so much so that I have barely had a chance to preview a quarter of them. This new single by Mr. Tauren Wells is one of my favorites of these releases.
Common Sense Reborn 