You find out if you understand the gospel when you fail. Approach the throne of grace with confidence? Or go away to “clean yourself” before going back to God? If we don’t approach the throne of grace boldly after sinning, we don’t understand or we forgot the Gospel.   Matt Chandler Newsflash:  you can't get clean enough before approaching God.  You can't.  So don't even try.  Just go. And go BOLDLY. Hebrews 4:16 tells us we can.  Actually Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us why we can go as dirty as we might be before God - because God gets it.  He's experienced all that we have but stopped at the point of sinning.  (He had to or else he couldn't be our Savior.)  So he gets the temptations, the doubts and fears that lead us down roads we didn't think we would ever travel, the moment of insanity in which we do something that leads us down a spiraling staircase.  He gets it and he doesn't condemn us for it...when we come to him.  But we can'...

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.    Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!   Hebrews 13:1-2 NLT Loooooong story short * ...In 2007 my life changed yet again forever.  God plopped me, through a trip to Kenya, into a community - a family if you will - of people who have impacted Lanny, the redheads and I in deep and profound and wonderful ways.  We are family.  We cheer each other on, we fight and make up, we challenge each other, we plan each others weddings, we take each other in during major life changes, we become caretakers when sickness or a physical  disability  hits.  We have traveled far and near together.  We have gone months of one not speaking to another due to misunderstandings, only to make up and continue through life together in a different way.  We lovingly and obsessively call each other "the fam" and we read each o...