The Impartiality of God

"Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience,
not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" Romans 2:1-4

I have to tell you, God has been teaching me a lot this past week. What is above is just a snippet of it. The more that I understand, like truly, deep down in my heart understand, the kindness and gracious favor of God towards me... Well, it should completely change how I think, interact, love on others. I realized that I really need to love more and to not judge. I have found that my attitude (at work especially) has been alarmingly more negative. I have so much patience and grace for myself and not for others. Other areas have been brought to light were where I could certainly expand my capacity to love people more. All that said, this is not meant to be a confession, (though I'm certain I could be helped by more confession), I'm just really excited and grateful about growth and learning, and seeing God move in our lives. This topic of grace and judgment was certainly not a main theme of the past few days, but God used a few words here and there to leave a profound impact on me. You see, Joaquin and I had the immense privilege of attending an Acts 29 Boot Camp in San Diego this past Tuesday and Wednesday. So you know our little secret. We are looking into church planting in the near future. (Near being a few years perhaps). And to prove that God is at work, the idea of all that, change included, terrified me a little a few weeks ago. Ok, more than a little. And while this conference was sobering, and proved to us both that a lot of work lies ahead, it was also very confirming and encouraging in the process. Because while we were sobered, we were not scared off. We deeply desire to live lives that matter for God. To be involved in His work. The word picture that keeps sailing through my thoughts is to "be poured out like a drink offering." That's what we want because we know it is where we will find our greatest amount of contentment and real joy. And it is there where God will be most glorified. That is our ultimate goal after all, isn't it? GLORY. So, the future looks a lot uncertain. There are many question marks hanging in the air. But in our hearts, we are at peace with it all as we seek to make the best decisions we know how to make, and trust that God will lead and provide. Its a gloriously exciting life, that which is lived with God. There is nothing like it. I feel that I cannot adequately describe the joy and freedom that reigns in my heart right now. I wish I could give it to all of you.

I am challenged. I am full. I want to love more. I want to learn more. I want to give more.

PS. We got to meet Mark Driscoll at the conference and were impressed by what a cool and nice guy he was. We thanked him for his ministry and for his great encouragement to us.