Darkened Glass Reflections

Category: Spiritual reflections

  • Cheap Grace or Transforming Grace?

    German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined a phrase for such a distorted understanding of grace. He called it “cheap grace.” In his classic devotional, The Cost of Discipleship, he spoke of it as preaching “forgiveness without requiring repentance,” offering “communion without confession” and “absolution without contrition.”

  • For Future Generations

    Our society is so self-centered that most Americans—including mature, committed Christians—have a hard time thinking beyond what they can see. We think in a short term, but God thinks long-term…. God, however, sees a much bigger picture. He sees generations yet unborn and calls me to seek blessings for them, as well as for the…

  • Faithfulness in Hard Times

    We serve an eternal God who created infinite space and a vast universe. Yet, we often have the audacity to think we can dictate or define the outcome of our obedience when we go through trials.

  • Lent

    Lent is a season when we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s triumph over sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection. It is a time when we remind ourselves that we are sinners in need of redemption.

  • New Year’s Day sermon

    This is a sermon and article I wrote several years ago, but the message is worth coming back to every year. I considered that the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, was referred to as the “Feast of Trumpets” in the Old Testament. Reflection on how trumpets were used in the Bible, especially the Old Testament,…

  • New Year’s Day: A Time for Change?

    “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17). “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the…