Grace or Tolerance?

Last week I attended the National New Church Conference in Orlando, Fl. At this conference one of the speakers presented the idea that Tolerance is a cheap alternative to Grace.

Tolerance is such a popular phrase today. It seems that the only thing that isn’t tolerated in many circles is intolerance. But is tolerance just a watered down version of Grace? Tolerance seems to say that I accept you where you are. Grace says I accept you where you are, but for your own best interest I will not leave you there. Tolerance can often enable destructive behavior. Grace tolerates people with destructive traits, but doesn’t allow those traits to be kept around.

How can we be people who give grace without just giving tolerance?

Update

I have written a few posts, but for some reason I cannot post them on my Mac. I think I am eating my words of adoration for Mac's.

I am going on a ride along tomorrow with my friend who is a cop in downtown Jacksonville, FL. I am sure that I will have a good story to tell soon.

Worry

Worrying is like a rocking chair.
A whole lot of commotion with no movement.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Forgiveness

Here is a quote form Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner

Then I realized something: That last thought had brought no sting with it. Closing Sohrab’s door, I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.

What do you think? Forgiveness- is it a momentary epiphany or is it a slipping away unannounced experience?

Fathers be good to your daughters.

While we sat in the theater at an otherwise unmoving movie, Lindsay grabbed my hand and placed it upon her stomach and I was moved. For the first time I felt my daughter kick and squirm. And I am now not the same because of it.

I have been working on my Dog Whisperer skills walking my dogs with choke collars. I am fine doing that with my male dog. But the first time I pulled on the collar of my female dog, she looked up at me with her big eyes shocked that I would discipline her and I almost stopped. If my female dog can do that to me, what is that little kicking girl going to do to me when she grows up?

The Last Lecture

Here is Randy Pausch's story who was on ABC last night. Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with a prognosis of six month left to live. Check out this speech he gave over his life.

Mac

Just got a new Mac laptop and I am officially loyal to the brand. With one firewire cable I transfered my entire old mac onto my new one. If only this whole world was as simple as a Mac....

Dogs

A lady from church informed me of one way to tell that your dog and not your wife is your best friend-

Lock your dog(s) and your wife in the trunk of your car and then leave them there for an hour. When you come back and open the trunk who is going to be more excited to see you?

I haven't tried it yet.
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The other day one of my furry best friends crossed the line and stole my deer jerky that he had been drooling over for a week. The next day The Dog Whisperer sold another book. Caesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, makes the observation that most dogs in America are not happy because they are forced to be more than they were created to be. Owners expect them to be four legged, hairy humans, instead of letting them enjoy life as just a dog. I think Caesar is on to something with not just dogs, but with people too. Dogs, like most of us, appreciate life more when life is lived as it is intended to be.

Spiritual Memory

A few months ago I stood fatigued after a workout before my Gold’s Gym locker trying in vain to remember the combination to my lock. I could remember the year the Cowboys selected Demarcus Ware, my first home phone number, and my dog Chief’s body weight but I couldn’t come up with the same three-number combination that I used almost daily. So I closed my eyes, stopped trying to remember with my brain and let my hands remember the numbers. And somehow feeling the clicks on the lock made something click. Muscle memory is a funny thing. If you do something enough times your body remembers how to do it, even if your mind might not.
There are a few prayers that I say almost daily- The Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner) and the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father who art in Heaven…”). As I stand before an all-present and powerful God sometimes I try in vain to come up with a combination of words that connect me to Him. Its in moments like this I am glad that I have spiritual memory, even if my mind cannot conjure up the right words, my lips have said them enough that it just clicks.

Any prayers that have been particularly meaningful to you?

Slow down.

The beauty of life is never grasped when rushed past.