Both on my Blogspot, and on Facebook, I'm changing my bio/about me. I'm almost finished with This Far by Grace: A Bishop's Journey Through Questions About Homosexuality by the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander. I started it last night and have ten or so pages to go, which I'll finish this afternoon (after I finish my children's sermon for tonight). However, last night I read part of a paragraph that I completely identified with, so I'm owning it (and giving credit). Here's the text for those of you who read neither on my blogspot nor on my Facebook.
I used to believe that the purpose of being a Christian was to learn to live a good and righteous life. I now believe that I am good and righteous, not of my own doing, but as a gift of grace by faith in Jesus Christ. I used to believe that if I said my prayers and lived an obedient life, when I died I would inherit eternal life. Now I believe that eternal life begins at the font and goes on forever. My experience of God has shifted from fear to love, from conditional to unconditional, from judgment to mercy. I used to believe that being a Christian was about me. That's idolatry. I've discovered, thanks to the witness of the Episcopal Church, that being a Christian is about God. That's grace.
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