If I read this book 5 years ago, I may have never finished it.
I would have been disgusted.
I would have judged Serena.
I would have said “grace costs more than that”
I would have been completely uncomfortable with how many loose ends her story holds.
However, today is a completely different story. Today, I AM Serena (save a few minor differences). I need grace. I’m completely aware that God may have allowed me to fall as far as I did so that I could understand and accept His grace. Which also leads me to believe that I may have been living as a “Christian” yet fully REJECTING His grace before all this.
So, in a very warped way… I’m thankful for the fall so that I could experience restoration.
In this autobiographical book, Serena writes about her experience navigating through life in search for who Jesus is. In the good and in the bad. As Christians, we are taught to flee from evil. We are supposed to hate sin… but somewhere in all that teaching, we have confused “hating the sin” with “hating the sinner”.
We are supposed to flee from evil, but we end up fleeing from those who trip into it instead. The only problem? In this, we end up abandoning those who need community and the Church the most… the one’s Jesus came for.
In this book, Serena bravely speaks up from the “fallen’s” point of view. Not only does she speak from our side (yes, I said “our”) but she backs it up FULLY with scripture. Most church leaders use scripture to cast out sinners and alienate them… but Serena uses God’s words to remind us of God’s love for the sinner and His desire to restore us.
Serena said it best this way: “Jesus wasn’t the atonement in case you accidentally sin. He was the atonement because you hopelessly sin. The freedom that the Bible is talking about is not something you earn by making the right choices; the freedom is the lack of punishment when you don’t make the right choices.”
Here’s another one of my favorite excerpts from chapter 17:
“Grace, by definition, is undeserved authentication of restoration and sanctification. That is a thesaurus-assisted way of saying that grace is an unfair gift of a new beginning and a clean slate. It’s unfair because it goes to the undeserving. Simply put, grace is for sinners.
A person can follow the rules and busy themselves with the work of ‘furthering the kingdom’ and figuring out more ‘relevant’ ways to ‘spread the good news’ but how can they ”grow in grace”? (2 Peter 3:18) How do you grow in something you are a part of only by failure? If grace exists only as a result of failure, then what good does it do to try to be good and follow a religious formula? When you cease to need grace because you’ve reached a place where you can maintain on your own then that is when you have fallen from grace.”
I could quote her forever… because her book is JUST THAT GOOD. But don’t just take my word for it. It’s a must read.
If you haven’t entered to win GRACE IS FOR SINNERS yet, you can HERE. But seriously… if you don’t win this ONE copy I have to give away… go and buy it HERE or HERE.
Jenni,
Thank you for letting me take up four days of your blog.
It’s humbling, yet still makes me feel hopeful. Humbling because I’ve told all my dirty secrets. Hopeful because that’s exactly where my purpose comes to life. I get to see a glimmer of how my own pain is helping others.
Your readers have been gracious and encouraging.
Thank you, so much.
s
Oh, and exactly five years ago was ‘Hell ’05′.
of course! i’m so glad you let me share your story in this small way.
God is using you in huge ways. and will continue to. this is what the good stuff is made of
I have read Serena’s book four times. Everytime I read it I find something new that speaks to me. My first time through I can honestly say that I missed the most important messages but the more times I read it the more I can relate to the messages that the book speaks to. Even if you can’t relate peronally to Serena’s story you can still relate to the need for grace. What an AMAZING book and what an AMAZING, much need message!
absolutely agreed!
I’ve not read it yet, but I will. I hope I win (lol) but I’ll definitely try to get it if I don’t. My heart still stings from the pain of abandonment, when the church kicked me out because I started back talking to the girl I had an emotional connection with…. At least, I THINK that’s what it was for, because no one actually explained it to me:
“We are supposed to flee from evil, but we end up fleeing from those who trip into it instead. The only problem? In this, we end up abandoning those who need community and the Church the most… the one’s Jesus came for.”
I so felt abandoned…so much… even NOW I feel unworthy to even pray or come into God’s presence. I know “Come boldly to the throne of GRACE” still applies to me, but I feel like – I just CAN’T. And so I run the other way, seeking fulfillment in other things other than God… knowing I shouldn’t but feeling so lost….
I realized today that my wife has talked to a lawyer about divorce, because she told me that there’s a process… when I asked her what she meant she said that you would have to wait a year… I asked her to explain it further but she snapped at me and said, “Go find a lawyer and ask them!”
I have NO idea what this year long wait is – whether we have to be separated for a year before divorce papers can be filed or what… but the fact that SHE does means that she has researched it.
Please continue to pray for me…. and pray that somehow I find the grace that is extended to me through the death of Christ on the Cross….
so, finished reading it tonight. and now I need to read it again. I posted some thoughts up on my blog…but I may have heard God speak to me tonight – the first time in a long time. I was reminded of the scripture where Jesus says in Matthew 11, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” I just heard the words “Come. I will give you rest.”
for some reason posting has gone strange for me, so I’ll reply to my reply! all of that to say this – I feel like I have turned a bit of a corner. this book came to me at the right time.