The objective is not to build communities appearing to have sin under control. The objective is to nurture a place where people can stop faking they have sin under control. Where they can come out of hiding and let others into their sin and failure. There, sin loses power, and we can be healed-trusting Christ’s redemption, forgiveness and repentance. It’s messy, but utterly healthy. Those who live in it become free. ...And as they learn to receive love...they sin less.”

Grace is the absolute and unforced favor gained by Christ’s death and resurrection, allowing God to be completely for us and endlessly in love with us, apart from anything we must prove. Grace is an actual realm, a way of life, in which we no longer strive for acceptance. We mature, heal and are released into His intentions by trusting that Jesus and all His power is fused into us, creating an entirely new person; Christ in me.

Grace is not to free us from obeying the heart of God. Grace is the nutrient-rich soil that seeds of truth drop into, so they’re not choked by the self-condemnation of failure. Instead, no longer afraid of God’s disgust, we can obey God from the heart rather than from compliance. And we grow into a beautiful, healthy tree, giving shade and safety to others.