I tend to think about words quite a bit. Considering I make my living preaching, teaching and writing this shouldn’t come as a shock. The struggle comes in trying to live out the words that I teach and preach and calling people to live those words out.

Words like forgiveness, confession, compassion, brokenness, humility and contrition don’t find easy expression in our lives. These words strain against our sinful nature. Words like these demand fearless self-inspection and that’s never easy. I know its much easier to “be who I am” rather then be formed into the image of Christ.

So how do I live out these words that supposedly define who I am as a Christian but to often define what a failure I am? How do these words become reality in me and the people I preach to? How do these becoming the defining words of the church rather then words like pride, self-righteousness, fear, anger and division? How do we as Christians grow up?