To give or recieve?

Is it easier to give or recieve grace?

What do you think & why?

What IS Grace?

Here's a quick summary of grace & justice, just in case you don't want to read the previous blog.

Justice = Getting what I deserve
Mercy = Not getting what I deserve
Grace = Getting what I don't deserve

Understanding Grace

Here's a summary of the concept of Grace from Wikipedia In Western Christianity, and especially in the view of the Catholic Church, grace is God’s benevolence toward humanity. The essence of grace is that it is a freely offered gift. We do not earn or deserve or merit grace. We cannot claim it as our right. Grace in general, is a supernatural gift of God to humanity and angels for their eternal salvation. Eternal salvation itself consists in heavenly bliss resulting from being in the presence of God. Christian grace is a fundamental idea of the Christian religion, the pillar on which, by a special ordination of God, the edifice of Christianity rests in its entirety. Among the three fundamental ideas -- sin, redemption, and grace -- grace plays the part of the means, indispensable and Divinely ordained, to effect the redemption from sin through Christ and to lead men to their eternal destiny in heaven.
First and foremost, grace is God’s supernatural gift of all that we need to reach eternal salvation, including sanctifying grace, the infused virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and actual grace, all of which we need to be in the Divine prescience. Second, grace includes miraculous gifts of healing or prophecy. Grace is divided into two forms, Actual Grace and Sanctifying Grace.
Actual Grace is God’s temporary enlightenment of our mind or strengthening of our will to perform supernatural actions that help us obtain, retain, or grow in sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace is a supernatural state of being infused by God into our soul that gives us participation in the divine life. The participation in the divine life is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Sanctifying grace is a permanent part of our soul as long as we cooperate with its beatific effects. When we have sanctifying grace in our soul we are said to be in the state of grace. When we commit a mortal sin, the Holy Spirit departs from us and we lose our sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace is sometimes called habitual grace or justifying grace. There is a whole lot more at their web site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_grace t

What does this picture mean to you?

Does this picture bring to mind any ideas or thoughts of Grace?

Check out the Grace for Life Blog!

"Slaying the Dragon of Legalism. Because Grace Didn't End With Salvation." This is the tag line off the Grace for Life Blog. I like it. If you have the time and inclination Terry has some interesting thoughts. http://www.graceforlife.com/

Grace in the classroom

OK, here's a simple story of a teacher learning grace in the classroom.
http://missmark.stlouisblogs.org/archives/000986.html

How can grace be scandalous?

How can grace be scandalous - isn't it sort of a religious word?

Simple story about Grace

OK in addition to picutes of Jesus on the cross, does anyone have any suggestions of contemporary pictures that would express the idea of grace?

Grace

OK, as we plan for this conference the 2 questions that keep going through my head:
How do you teach grace to teen agers? And...
Do you have to teach the law before you teach grace?

Anyone have any thoughts?

tom

What does it mean to be Scandelized by Grace?

Is it only the heavy boot of “godless culture” that does harm to the cross?

How about the boot of selfishness?
How about the boot of greed?
How about the boot of self justification?
How about the boot of hate?
How about the boot of selfish love?
How about the boot of self preservation?

Can any of these boots do damage to a cross of death? The death of Jesus?

You have not tasted the grace of God unless you have been offended by that grace.
As you experience God’s grace, God wants others to experience that grace through you.

“For the grace of God that saves us is experienced by everyone. It teaches us to deny selfishness and lust so that we might live righteously in this present world, looking forward to the time when Christ will appear and establish His Kingdom forever.”

The cross looks like weakness and death yet is the source of Glory and Hope for us all.It is the power of God.

Cure Winter Conference 2006

December 27-30, 2006
Clarion Hotel, Davenport, Iowa

www.cureconsulting.org