I have lifted and adapted a short piece from our most recent Shovel Audio for this newsletter.

The reality of our holiness as an ongoing thing is found in as simple a truth as having passed from death to life or walking in newness of life. This is where we have been living since having first come to Christ … even if we have been struggling to understand what that could possibly mean. We need to reject the fleshly mindset of religious Christianity that would have us imagine that our degree of understanding or even our choice to do so determines whether or not we’re actually walking in newness of life. Do you know why it all sounds so logical? Because it’s built upon the only truth that makes sense to the natural mind, which is what Solomon wrote thousands of years ago:

That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Well, I’m here to tell you that Jesus did what he did in order to confound the imagination of this world by making a totally new thing. As citizens of this new creation, we are holy! And that’s something that cannot be contained or understood by those whose life is defined as under the sun. Everything the apostles encouraged the believers in at that time was built upon that amazing reality of grace that totally undid every perception they ever had. And if we were to reject the religious perceptions that have attached themselves to their messages, we would hear them telling us the very same thing: Stand firm in this new life that is Christ, and don’t let any human wisdom or effort convince you otherwise!

Okay, so here we are … 4 weeks and counting! Yes, Adam and I have yet another new Shovel Audio that should stir your new hearts and minds so that you rejoice in the grace to which you have been called! This new audio is the fourth in the series, Regarding Choice, and in it, we deal with how having been freed from sin has actually rescued us from the desperate struggle that so many of us still regard as the pursuit of holiness. The truth is that when you beg God to remove your ongoing sin, you are basing it upon the demand that Jesus Christ hasn’t already done it!

This week’s Shovel Audio: HELP ME HELP YOU!

Uganda Trip Update

As already announced, I’ve scheduled a trip to visit a group of believers in Kampala, Uganda, Africa.. After hours of online searching back and forth between Priceline, Travelocity, and Orbitz, I got an amazing price for round-trip tickets. There may be some baggage fees, but I nabbed the flight for $1163! That means that I’ve got enough so far to cover food and lodging … or at least enough to put a major dent in it. Donations are still appreciated.