Real Life Reflections

voice 1. the sound or sounds uttered through the mouth of living creatures 2. the faculty or power of uttering sounds through the mouth by the controlled expulsion of air 3. a range of such sounds distinctive to one person   May 8 marked the 34th year since I and my siblings have heard our father's voice. I still miss him terribly. I often call to mind some of his favorite expressions ("crime-in-etely" - I have no idea what it means, but he used it as a curse word or "oh my aching back" - an expression of disgust or impatience with a given situation). I remember his jokes (that he told over and over and over). I miss his laugh. I miss the sound of his voice. No one else in the world has the exact same tone or timbre. No other voice sounds just like his. I miss the sound of my mom's voice too, and my mother-in-law's, and my brother-in-law's. I can't wait to hear them all again, but there's

I was asked the question the other day, "what do you believe about God but don't really comprehend?" My answer was easy: grace - the undeserved favor of God. Grace is altogether outside the human experience. Everything in this life is about rewards, punishments, and consequences. All of our decisions and choices shape our lives - for good or bad, ease or hardship. There are natural consequences to our actions, choices, words, and decisions. That's just the way it is, and it helps us navigate through our time on earth, but grace isn't about any of that, and I, for one, all too often confuse the two. Over and over again, I slip into works-mode where I live as if God's favor depends upon my actions, choices, words, and decisions. Several years ago, our pastor pounded grace into our heads. He taught on it Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. His teachings were never boring. I never thought, "oh brother, I see where this is going - grace again ." On the