A few thoughts from our recent youth gatherings: This whole grace concept, what is it's long-term impact on our lives? Our generation has often used grace as God's bail-out plan.. so we can continue to make bad choices and screw up our lives, but because of God's incredible grace, none of that matters, our ticket is still punched for heaven, and God really doesn't care how we live our lives. So, if we make bad financial decisions, we can always file for bankruptcy... if we aren't happy in our marriages, we discard them and start over.... even our government is into this bail-out mentality. But that isn't the grace the Bible speaks of, that's a man-made version that serves our selfish mindset. The evidence of God's grace in someone's life is ALWAYS life transformation, the freedom to choose something besides myself, the ability to love other people for their good, not so they will serve my wants... a genuine desire to know and love the God who did forgive my sins freely, that is grace at it's entry level in my life, but that's not it's finished product at all.     One thing I know as I think about all of this... I know that I love you guys deeply, that if I could I would choose for you all to avoid the pain of the cross of Christ... but I can't. It's the only place where grace keeps becoming alive. So because I want your lives to be lived in the joy of a ragamuffin, I will keep telling you these truths: That there's no healing without brokenness, no new life in you, without dying to yourself, and no freedom without the cross of Jesus Christ. You guys have tasted that! Keep embracing these simple truths, they will change your life profoundly!!