I'm here at last! I'm the wife of ozziepost. That ozzie of mine spends too much time at your place. He always tells me what's happening and shows me interesting threads. Sometimes I give him some ideas!
Maximus, this is a very good topic to talk about but I was surprised that Ozzie didn't tell you about the book that meant a lot to me on our road to freedom.
It is a wonderful book called What's So Amazing about Grace by Phillip Yancey (Harper Collins Zondervan)
It is written in an easy to read style and is full of great stories teaching the meaning of grace (or as we know it, "undeserved kindness"). It is such a healing to read it as it shows how hurting people (or people who have been made to feel they are wicked) are more likely to see Jesus as a refuge. The down and outs who flocked to Jesus when he was on earth felt Jesus's compassion. The prostitute was forgiven even though her sins were many "because she loved much, but he who is forgiven little, loves little." It looks at grace, we speak about it, but do we really understand it, do we really believe in it.. and do we show it in our own lives?
It has great quotes, such as,
He who cannot forgive another, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.- George Herbert
Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue. Eugene O'Neill.
This book was the beginning of my mending, it helped me to see things in a completely different way from the Borg. To see that there is a loving way to cope with our trials. God's grace is so needed by us all. We are all going to make mistakes as we are all imperfect, but the way we handle these situations can destroy us or those we love.
There's a great chapter entitled "Grace Avoidance" that discusses legalism. He writes: "Jesus proclaimed unmistakably that God's law is so perfect and absolute that no one can achieve righteousness. Yet God's grace is so great that we do not have to. By striving to prove how much they deserve God's love, legalists miss the whole point of the gospel, that it is a gift from God to people who don't deserve it. The solution to sin is not to impose an ever-stricter code of behavior. It is to know God."
I really recommend this book to everyone. I am sure many sisters would really find it encouraging and helpful. Much of what is wrong about the Borg is the lack of grace. The failure to understand, receive and live out God's unconditional grace and forgiveness. Also the failure to give out unconditional grace, forgiveness and unconditional love to brothers and sisters who have made mistakes. The books and magazines say they do, but in practice they don't. The good news of the gospel of grace has not penetrated the elders' emotions.
I think that's enough from me now and I hope you will get as much out of this book as I did when I read it two years or so ago.
Bye,
Mrs Ozzie
There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.
There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.