A PK's view from the pew...

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. 

But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. 

When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. 

All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. 

Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, 

invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. 

-Romans 5:20 & 21 (the Message) 

Pretty much all week I've been talking about the lives of pastor's kids..

I thought it may be appropriate to end this week by sharing with you one of my most favorite pastor's kid stories. 

It happened when I was in the Jr. High. There were very few girls my age in the church where my dad was the youth minister, so very often I found myself surrounded by boys. We were a motley crew. We ran wild in the church basement, teasing each other, yucking it up during Sunday school & playing tag after church in the large grassy area behind the church.

One night in particular, we found ourselves sitting in the balcony during the Sunday evening service. Unchaperoned. I must say, considering what followed, it's a wonder that my parents allowed me up there with those guys at all.  We will just chalk it up to a momentary lapse of judgement on their part. 

Anyhoo...

As the service began we found ourselves peeking over the banister & onto the heads of the people below. Directly below us was a sweet little old man who always fell asleep during the service. It's no wonder really, he was a sheep farmer & had to be up very early in the morning. Almost as if on cue about ten minutes in, he fell asleep, head tipped back, mouth hanging open. I'm not really sure whose bright idea it was to try dropping something into his mouth but soon enough we were balling up tiny wads of paper, torn from the bulletin & taking aim. Each 'drop' sent us into violent (yet silent) fits of laughter.

& then... to our surprise... the pastor stopped teaching... he looked up into the balcony & said, "Lisa Miller & the boys in the balcony. You need to stop what you are doing." 

Oh the horror! 

I can't begin to tell you of the fear I felt creep into my heart. Then.  & when I heard my dad's feet on the balcony stairs. I hung my head in shame & followed him down the narrow stairway... forever to be banished to the second row with my mom & my two baby sisters. 

I tell you this today, partly because it is horrible & hilarious & partly because it reminds me that despite how ridiculous I was behaving on the outside, I was learning & growing on the inside. Slowly, I was becoming a teeny bit more like Jesus every day. It may very well surprise you, that it wasn't the teaching I was receiving... quite honestly, I don't remember much of what we were being taught in Sunday school or church or even youth group during that time. What I do remember is that Doug, our Sunday school teacher loved us. That he prayed with us & he laughed with us. That despite our wild ways, he gave us grace. That in itself impacted me more than anything he ever could have said. 

Grace is a crazy thing. 

We don't have to be perfect to gain it... it creeps up on us when we are running wild, stops us in our tracks & changes us forever.

 “Legalism says God will love us if we change. 

The gospel says God will change us because He loves us.” 

-Tullian Tchividjian