Harmony of Grace

My wife and I welcomed two new members into our family in December. Frankie and Cooper are two lively labrador puppies that love to play. They keep us entertained for hours on end, constantly demanding our attention with their playful nature. Richard Rohr speaks about our relationship with God as a divine dance. I love this analogy. It implies that our relationship with Christ can and is meant to be playful. As Christ-followers, we are able to be playful with God just as our labrador puppies are with us. We try to take our puppies to a field near our house on most evenings for them to stretch their legs and play fetch with us. They are usually well-behaved and return to us when we call them. However, this past week, while we were playing at the field, a group of people cycled past and our dogs got completely distracted from us. They chased after the cyclists and no matter what we tried to get their intention, they would not listen. Within seconds, they were not only out of ear...

I have been truly blessed by the friendships that I have been a part of over the course of my life so far. Incorporated into this post are a few photos of some of the friendships that have meant the most to me through the years. It would be impossible to include everyone that I would like to, but if you are reading this and you have ever considered yourself to be my friend in any way, please know that God has blessed me richly by our friendship. Friendships are a powerful way that we can experience God's grace in our lives. Through the love, forgiveness and joy that we experience from our friends, we are reminded of the same traits that we experience when we live in relationship with God. Some friends come and go; others stick around. I have friends who I haven't spoken to in years; others that I still communicate with regularly. Each one has a special place in my heart, good or bad. Not all friendships are great. I have experienced friendships that have been unhealth...