The grace of Jesus doesn’t give us license to go on sinning and being stubborn, but it does mean that when we cry out to God for forgiveness, we can be made right before God through the sacrifice of Jesus; in this righteousness, we are made more holy through the power of the Spirit.
In the immediate aftermath of Warren’s piece, it appeared that Christian women were falling into two camps—rather than Jen vs. Angelina, we had Jen vs. Tish. But instead of taking sides, it might be more useful for us to realize that we are all, like them, products of historical and cultural forces that define our experiences and constrain our choices in ways we often fail to realize.
One theme of questions regarding authority struck me: Who has the authority to tear down others and to pit women against each other as enemies?Who gives us the right to shame, blame, and accuse fellow believers?
There are many beautiful worship songs about God's glory and faithfulness, but the lyrics in this particular section of Deuteronomy 32 probably won't be found in the typical Sunday worship songs of today.
In our journeys of faith, we have the opportunity both to encourage others and to be encouraged by others as we think about God's faithfulness and provision.
The stories of The Refugees do not follow one single thread, save this: leaving one world and entering another is not a zero-sum game. For the figures of Nyguen’s stories, travelling over the ocean does not mean that the past resides in family homes; the present is a constant act of integration, bricolage performed over and over again, carving out space for the past.