grace Archives - Keith Shields

With God’s Help

Psalm 108 says in part, Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies?Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless.With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. The mournful cry of people asking if God has rejected them sometimes resonates…

Grace and Truth

Grace and truth, effort or earning, works or faith, justice or mercy, these are the conundrums of my life. I know that Jesus came into this world full of grace and truth and ever since, we who follow his example have desired to be people of grace and truth. I can never seem to find…

Grace and Effort

As I prepare a sermon for this Sunday on New Wine, I know I need to meditate upon this quote by Dallas Willard. “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins…

Fool for You

In 1 Corinthians 4:10, Paul, the Apostle for Christ, states that his dedication to Christ makes him appear to be a fool to those who consider themselves wise. This is a common theme for many today. On the one hand, we often demand physical proof for the statements of others and, on the other hand,…

Happy, Blessed, Grace

Poems and songs are always a work-in-progress and never feel quite complete. But then, I guess that is especially appropriate for poems about grandchildren – they are definitely a work-in-progress. This one is for Gwyneth Anna Mitchell born 2016-09-14. Happy, Blessed, Grace She is Blessed to be a Blessing True Happiness guides her ways…

Am I Being Offensive?

I have been thinking a lot about how Christians can speak of their faith in a pluralistic culture that views truth-claims as suspect. Some Christians would say that if we are not offending anyone we are merely being “nice Canadians” who want to stay on good terms with everyone. These Christians believe that we are…

Sacrifices

I had lunch with a friend recently and he was wrestling with some difficult things in his life. (I will change some of the details so that you will not know who he is.) His wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer and they were in the midst of a significant transformation in their knowledge…

What is Church?

As we enter the year 2016, some will consider attending a gathering of the church as a resolution for the new year. Some may decide to attend a church gathering more regularly. In this post I am assuming that there are many valid forms of church gatherings. Jesus Christ, who is the head of…

Rest in the Grace of the World

I have been sensing a tendency toward fear and depression both in my own soul and in the words of those around me. I am considering these words by Wendell Berry and what they might mean to all of us at this point in history. “When despair for the world grows in me and I…

The Mercy of the World

“The mercy of the world is you don’t know what’s going to happen.” ― Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow As children, and then young adults, we start out into this world without a very good sense of who we are. The older we get, the more we realize our capacities, our strengths, our weaknesses, our gifts from God, and…