MY FAVORITE HYMN

This week I've been thinking about all the times I have let loose and tried through human arguments and at times anger, to change someone else's mind. Number of times the clouds parted and rays of light descended upon the other person's face... maybe once.

Oh those heady days as a new Christian. You see a fellow pilgrim near you enmeshed in the depths of sin. It hits you -- hey, that's WRONG! I've got the chapter and verse right here! And you pounce with full force. "Hey bro, don't you know that unless you repent you're going to hell? The hot place? Turn away from evil!"

Pretty soon your list of friends is a lot shorter than it used to be.

Yes there are times when we must stand for truth. We must shun those habits of sin that trapped us before our hearts and minds were changed by God's grace, and some folks' whole identity is wrapped up in their rebellion and addictions, and won't be able to tolerate a Christian no matter how sweet-n-lovely they are.

But Lord help me to think before I grab my brother by the lapels and preach hellfire to him, while all the while the Spirit is trying to convict me of my own selfish and destructive ways.

Grace. Unmerited favor. Substitutionary atonement. Grace. Christ's sacrifice, the propitiation for all my wrongdoing and lawbreaking. Grace.

God let me look upon all those around me, whose sin and rebellion appears so loud and clear to me, with eyes of love, a heart of servanthood, and words of grace. Thank you for opening Your floodgates of grace upon me. Finish your work of sanctification in me.

I Stand Amazed in the Presence
by Charles H. Gabriel

1. I stand amazed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene,
and wonder how he could love me,
a sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful
is my Savior's love for me!

2. For me it was in the garden
he prayed: "Not my will, but thine."
He had no tears for his own griefs,
but sweat-drops of for mine.
(Refrain)

3. In pity angels beheld him,
and came from the world of light
to comfort him in the sorrows
he bore for my soul that night.
(Refrain)

4. He took my sins and my sorrows,
he made them his very own;
he bore the burden to Calvary,
and suffered and died alone.
(Refrain)

5. When with the ransomed in glory
his face I at last shall see,
'twill be my joy through the ages
to sing of his love for me.
(Refrain)

MADISON SQUARE BLOGGERS

If you're like me, you're very interested in the GOP convention in NYC this week. No there won't be a knock-down-drag-out over the platform and there will be barely a peep from the podium from any true social or fiscal conservatives. I will be listening closely anyway!

Also if you're like me and you have responsibilities that keep you away from the idiot box during prime time, RNC Bloggers is the place to go. The site is "aggregating" posts from folks attending the convention from lots of different blogs around the web. I can't wait to hear Guiliani and McCain, or at least read their speeches.

For the record I'd also like to complain about the supposedly "right-wing" Fox News Channel. For every show like Brit Hume's Special Report, which I adore, there are ten which force you to suffer through segments on 3 or 4 different sordid and trials. And good luck hearing rational defenses of the pro-life philosophy or criticism of Bush's record budget deficits. Thank God for TiVo. I actually more am more and more enjoying Joe Scarborough's show on MSNBC. He stays away from the tabloid stories and seems to be keeping his show's momentum going longer than folks like Donahue and Keyes were able to do.