Edgewood Edge-U-Cation (Part 4) Grace for All

To read or listen to the previous entries in this series: 

• Part 1 - Person NOT Program
• Part 2 - Body Member NOT Church Attender
• Part 3 - Expository Preaching

Grace, Grace, God's Grace

In the Old Testament, when the children of Israel were camped around Mount Sinai, their leader, Moses, was on the top of the mountain, receiving instructions from God, including, but not limited to, the Ten Commandments. While up there, Moses asked the Lord if he could see the Lord. Specifically, he said, "Please, show me your glory." (Exodus 33:18 ESV). 

Judge Not the Lord by Feeble Sense

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm. 

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sov’reign will. 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head. 

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face. 

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow’r. 

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

William Cowper, 1774

There is no Kryptonite for God's Grace.

It is so natural and so easy to get bogged down in the idea that what we've done or what we've been through is simply too much for grace to overcome. We declare ourselves untouchable, unreachable, or un-healable. Remember Paul's words: "Forget what is behind." 

 Refusing to forget these things, in the end, this is just a subtle form of pride. In doing this we assume that we're the one person who is too much of a problem for Jesus. We're the one nut He can't crack. We've got the one situation for which the cross of Christ is inadequate.  

Oh sure, He can save Paul, He can deliver Peter, and He can make all things new. But not me! I've got grace's kryptonite. And this is how refusing to forget what lies behind is prideful.  

On the flip side of that, because of the cross and because salvation is from Christ alone, we can actually come to boast all the more in our dark pasts. No, we do not boast as a way of glorifying sin or championing ourselves, but instead to magnify the wonders of the grace and mercy of Christ.  

~ Matt Chandler in To Live is Christ

Resist the Impulse to Pay For It

“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
(Isaiah 55:1-2 ESV)

The Gospel Transformation Bible's notes for this passage include this wonderful thought:

His bounteous goodness is only for those who resist the impulse to pay for it. His love and grace come to us not because we have been so good but because he has been so gracious. 

Tomato Time

I have A.D.D.

We could argue about the realities of this "disorder" but that wouldn't get us anywhere.  I could tell you about the behavioral studies that have been done.  I could redirect you to the medical reports that go in conjunction with the diagnosing of this particular problem.  I could even point you to the somewhat new diagnostic methods that even include brain scans that will clearly point to this issue.  You, of course, may be able to offer rebuttals to any of these evidences that I could present to you, but as my final piece of evidence I could present to you anyone who actually knows me.  They would be happy to vouch for me... I have issues with attention.

I remind many people of the quintessential dog with the squirrel.  I have stopped typing this blog at least 8 times already because of things like noises out the window, the cat walking through the room, there are books on my shelves with words, etc.  My students all know this about me.  I just spent 30 sec. thinking about how my students have distracted me in the past and how I could be distracted in the future.

I have had this all my life.  My earliest memories of school involve spending hours looking out the window at school and having my teacher literally grab my head and turn it back around to the front of the room.  But thanks to my "old school" parents, medication was never an option.

I haven't regretted that at all.  I have learned to cope with this little challenge in my life.  On a broader scale, I believe that A.D.D. displays itself, not only in those little distractions, but also in a general lack of focus in one's life.  I spent 10 years getting my 4 year college degree, mostly because of big-picture life distractions.  But that's another story.

Ok.  End the intro to this blog post.

Now I want to tell you about the Pomodoro Technique.  To save time and energy, I will direct you to their website to read the details of the technique, but I will give you a brief description.  From their site:

"The Pomodoro Technique® is a way to get the most out of time management. Turn time into a valuable ally to accomplish what we want to do and chart continuous improvement in the way we do it."

Basically, it is a method that involves breaking down your time into increments.  This is something that I have done for years, but not always successfully.  The Pomodoro Technique breaks it down into a more systematic method that I am finding to be quite useful.

Please check out the Pomodoro Technique website.  They offer their book for free as a downloadable pdf.  There are also some cheatsheets and other forms that are useful in integrating this technique into your life.

I also found a nice little Chrome Web App that works well with the technique.  The web app is also available as a web page.  [tomatoi.st]

I don't want you to misunderstand me though.  I am not one who will tell you that a technique is everything. More than that I have learned that God has a purpose in our weaknesses.  More than a technique, having A.D.D. has taught me about Grace.  Many of my sinful struggles have been a result of the fact that I am so easily distracted and pulled away.  I am not a strong person, but God's grace is sufficient.  I wanted strength of will and more focus, what God has given me is grace.  I believe that this is so I might say with Paul,

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

II Corinthians 12:9

If you have a child with A.D.D. (or if you have A.D.D.) and have any questions about how I have learned to cope by leaning on into God's grace and using methods like the Pomodoro Technique and other self-made remedies, please feel free to contact me.  There is a contact page at the top of this blog.