I’m a believer in radical honesty. Only by being honest with ourselves about ourselves can we begin the fight against the father of lies. What this means for art is that honest artists will have much difference experiences and familiarities with particular evils, and that will necessarily effect their portrayal in art. I think that because of this, some artists are called to create messier worlds than others.
There are at least hints that there is meaning and purpose to our lives, and these come in flashes that indicate there is a reason, a purpose to our existence. I’ve called these “everyday” because they happen to ordinary people all the time, but “wonders” because they clearly seem too extraordinary to be just coincidences, though they may fall short of being characterized as “miracles.”
“All this means that grace is not merely an idea about God’s forgiveness in Christ. It is not a change in God’s ‘attitude’ toward a person. It is not a mere release from ‘guilt.’ It is the very life-giving, transforming, divine power and uncreated energies of God Himself.”
Earlier this year, I was visiting with family in Arizona and offered to hang out in the Sunday school rooms at an Orthodox church in Northern Scottsdale. I often do this when I travel, so I can meet new Orthodox kids and do one of my favorite things—share books with them.
Grace is not a concept or a declaration of innocence; rather, it is the uncreated life of God that flows from Him naturally and eternally. It is a real and concrete participation in the divine life that God has desired to share with us from the beginning.