daddy4ms

Have you ever thought about how grace and the ocean have a lot of similarities? Check out this post which was originally written following the Liberate Conferences 4 years ago.  I am sharing it again today because I have just been to the Here We Still Stand Conference in beautiful San Diego and definitely made a few trips to the beach while I was there. Be reminded of what Christ has DONE for you. Grace is like an ocean because: It is deep .  When we think we have understood its depths, there is always more and more. It is far reaching .  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you. It is free . Isn't it amazing that you can go to the beach for free?  No admission fee. It draws you in .  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us to Himself. It is rest . Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful. Living by grace is rest and freedom. It is unpredictable . You cannot predict th...

Maybe selfishness is not a generational thing.  Maybe it is something that started in the Garden of Eden. Luther described this as “curved in on himself”  For Luther, the book of Romans is what wrecks his life.  This leads to 95 theses. Romans was essential to his understanding of Jesus. Luther lectured on the book of Romans in 1515-1516. He lectured on law/gospel, sinners/saints, justification by faith. Romans exposes us.  It is not just about exposing us, but pointing to Jesus.   The Bible does a great job of not hiding the mess. The Christian life is the battle between the old man and the new man. The way you become a new man is by gift not your efforts or intentions.   Grace is the pronouncement that you are a son/daughter and it has nothing to do with what you do. Theology of the Cross-The cross alone is our theology. It’s time to get back to forgiveness of sin. The abuse and misuse of the law is bad and it is prevalent....

Today, I am on my way back to San Diego for the Here We Still Stand Conference.  I attended last year and loved my time in beautiful California along with some great messages and great people.  This year's theme is the "Theology of the Cross."  I look forward to hearing from my favorite speaker, Elyse Fitzpatrick and one of my new favorites, Chad Bird. Check back over the next few days for quotes and pictures from the conference. Here are a few pictures from last year.

I had the opportunity to attend Here We Still Stand in San Diego organized by The 1517 Legacy Project and Christ Hold Fast on October 19-21.  Today, I would like to share some reflections from the conference. These are in no particular order. 5 Solas -Faith Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, To the Glory of God Alone.  The speakers focused on these Solas and they were a great reminder to me that often as a Christian I can get distracted from the most important thing.  What am I going to focus on?  Humans and our ability to do and to be or on Christ the One who has done it all for me. Thanks Doug Klembara for the banner picture! The Gospel -As I was glow paddleboarding in the bay in San Diego, I talked with Elyse Fitzpatrick about the difficulty in finding a conference focused on the gospel.  What do I mean?  The gospel is what Christ has DONE.  It is Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension.  So, often we as Jared C. Wils...

I just returned from beautiful San Diego for the Here We Still Stand conference.  It was a great 4 days of good news.  As I was at the beach looking at the ocean with my new friends, Blake and Evan, I mentioned a post I had written several years ago on the similarities about the ocean and grace.  So, I decided to repost it this morning.  I wrote this 3 years ago following the Liberate conference.  Be reminded of what Christ has DONE for you.   Grace is like an ocean because: It is deep .  When we think we have understood its depths, there is more. It is far reaching .  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you. It is free . Isn't it amazing that you can go the beach for free?  No admission fee. It draws you in .  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us. It is rest . Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful. It is unpredictable . You cannot predict the pattern of w...

I am so excited!  As you read this, I am headed to beautiful San Diego, California for Here We Still Stand.  This conference is a celebration of the Reformation that occurred 500 years ago.  Some of the speakers include: Jared C Wilson, Elyse Fitzpatrick, and Steve Brown.  I will be sharing quotes from the event on the blog over the next few days so check back to read what I have been hearing. I will also be spending time at the beach, at the pool, participating in a live recording of Front Porch with the Fitzes podcast (maybe even glow paddle boarding), and enjoying being with brothers and sisters in Christ from around the country. Check back for quotes from the speakers and workshops from Thursday-Saturday!