The Westminster Confession

"My whole life was an elaborate scheme to keep God at a distance." Jack Miller

Sometimes it feels like Christmas everyday. There are days filled with awe and wonder because of Christ. Sometimes they begin with coffee and CBR. Today one evolved during our reading of the Larger Catechism. He overwhelms me. The fact that I can never be more justified than I am right now... My justification rests on Jesus Christ, and His righteousness is full and complete everyday. Even on my worst day. Even on my best day. "...so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

It's more than a thank You. It's more than an I love You. It's an I-need-You-more-than-air-kind-of-thing. And He gives! He gives Himself.

"Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

Q. 70. What is justification?

A. Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in His sight; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.

"Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy..."

A Week (ish) in Review, Again.

Living healthy and being safe... So far, so good. Eating well isn't that difficult. Wogging around the lake is actually fun. And I've abandoned my daily melanoma coma (napping in a tanning bed after work). Our YMCA is awesome for opening at 5am, and it's great to do some actual running on their treadmills. Which brings me to this photo. I recently bought a lock to use on a locker at the Y. While removing the combination lock from the packaging one morning, I noticed this statement typed on the left side in bold letters-- WARNING: This product contains one or more chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other harm... Wash hands after handling. So, there it is. The lock I handle for when I go running is dangerous.

Walking downtown always results in a good time. A few weeks ago, our Discipleship by Grace group had ditched the lesson and decided to convene for dinner instead. We were seated near a giant window at the Chop Shop and suddenly had the most amazing view of a woman going for a walk. With her pet rabbit. On a leash. With a harness. She was just eccentric enough for me to not worry about asking if I could take their picture. This, of course, is after I bolted out of the building with my camera phone ready and aimed at Bugs.

I walked in on dancing Dave and Stormy in the kitchen. We were all waiting for the strawberry shortcake, made with a scone recipe, to finish cooking. The plan is to do an entire blog on Dave one of these days, much like I did with Stormy's bio a few months back. This will take time to develop as, most of you know, Dave is an amalgam of unbridled humor, energy and depth.

This is a picture of Leeloo, my journal. Shut-up. My mind is a dangerous neighborhood and I wish I could move out. This week I realized something very important. The flesh, the world and the Devil are all in opposition to me. For a long time I've stared almost solely at the flesh. Wow. Here's to being blindsided.

Happy Endings

In God's order for life there is

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance (Eccl. 3:4)