Confused Catholic

It was 3am on Monday morning when my wife and I finally went to bed. We had spent the past four hours talking with my mother-in-law Pat about our faith in Jesus Christ. Raised in the Catholic Church Pat had innumerable misconceptions of eternity, grace, and faith. Throughout the conversation she spoke of faith but no foundation on which to build it. She saw the Bible as written by men and imperfect at best. She tossed around concepts of reincarnation and relativism. From Pat's perspective there was no ultimate truth and therefore no assurance of anything. Ironically Pat was sure of one thing. "I know I'm going to hell", she said. She truly believed she had too many bad things and could go nowhere but hell. She had no understanding of the grace of God seen on the Cross of Jesus Christ. I spoke of Christ taking the wrath of God in our place (propitiation) and the complete holiness we receive when we accept the grace Jesus Christ offers us (expiation). My wife and I spoke of the peace offered through Jesus Christ. I'd like to say Pat believed us and agreed that Christ was her only hope but I'd be lying. What I can say is that God the Holy Spirit was moving and was breaking some new ground for Pat. We'll continue to pray for her to be open and that someday God the Holy Spirit will not only convict her of her sin but also open her eyes to how much Christ loves her.

Dark Times

The God of ALL grace continues to prove himself worthy of ALL praise. I continue to be amazed at the sovereign grace of God and his willingness to allow us to go through tough times in order that our faith would be refined and strengthened. To truly use us for His glory we must be crucified and then resurrected by Jesus Christ in the power of The Holy Spirit. He wants our complete dependence on Him and nothing else will result in our victory over sin, the joy for our salvation, and gracious love of the lost. No matter how hard life is, always remember that Jesus went through it. He is there for you and will someday wipe every tear from you face (Revelation 21: 4 but you should really read 1-4). That day cannot come fast enough for me.