Ignorant Grace

If you're part of The Wesleyan Church you most likely heard a sermon on grace and sung some version of Amazing Grace in church this past Sunday. This was a denominational thing stemming from the soon release of the movie Amazing Grace. The movie is about the pivotal role William Willberforce and John Newton (the authour of the first version of the hymn Amazing Grace)played in the abolition of slave trade in Europe, which paved the way for the emancipation of slaves in the US less than half a century later. Those of you who know my passion for the civil war know why I'll be seeing it opening night.

Keeping with the theme of grace I'd like to address what I'll call ignorant grace, the unmerited favor we have no idea we have. Whether you prefer the term common grace or prevennient grace, ignorant grace includes them both.

Ignorant grace comes from a perspective that all humanity is depraved of any ability to do good, without God, and consequently is capable of horrific acts and left to ourselves we would and possibly could be far more depraved than we are. What I'm calling ignorant grace is God's active involvement in the affairs of the world through which he sustains humanity and guides us away from the path of destruction we would dispositionally follow, if it were not for God in his grace luring us away from it. Without God's active involvement, which is unknown to man, it is my belief that our world would have long ago become reminiscent of the 70s and 80s nuclear fallout movies and would lead to the ceasing of life on this planet.

As my msn tag said a few weeks ago: Man has only scrapped the surface of his depravity and merely glimpsed the Glory of God's Grace.

A Bifurcated Blog

It's been....well...A LONG TIME since my last post. I've most likely lost the majority of my readers, but hopefully they will find their way back. This is my first blog since arriving in B.C. and it comes as a result of two rather impacting moments in my life this week, hence the title of the post. One blog divided by two unrelated events, other than they both occurred this past week. For the sake of alliteration we'll call these two events "The Epiphany" and "The Empathy".

The Epiphany
I was at a party this weekend, which has become the tradition since arriving in B.C. annd some where between the lounging in hot tub and the "smores" around the fire I had this epiphanal moment. I realized the true reason I am loving my time in B.C. so much. It is the people I have met and who have adopted me as their own. Sure I'm still an East Coast Boy, and the plush toush of jokes, but I am considered one of them. A community of 20 somethings did not see me as the new guy who had to earn his stripes into their "clique". They simply accepted my UNIQUE personality and made every effort to include, rather than exclude, me.
As beautiful as the B.C. landscape is and as awesome of a program the MTS cap is, I think the luster of B.C. would have been dulled by loneliness if it were not for these friends who welcomed me into their lives.

The Empathy
This past Sunday Heather, another ACTS student from NB, and myself went into Vancouver to attend Jazz Vespers. In order to do so though we had to drive down East Hastings, which is the part of the city you're suppose to avoid. In fact when I was moving out to B.C. a former TWU student told me, "When you get there find out where East Hastings is, and NEVER Go there." Driving to Jazz Vespers we got a since of the reason for this advice. As we progressed along East Hastings the buildings became increasing run down and the amount of people living on the street became more plentiful.
After Jazz Vespers we made our trip down East Hastings, with dusk giving way to night. Seeing the people lining the street at the various shelters hoping to find a place to sleep for the night my heart grew more and more unsettled. At the point in which one might cry, not me though, I turned to Heather and said , "The only reason for me being on this side of car door is the family I was born into and a few life choices". The sobriety of the moment broke my heart as I realized I did not deserve the fortune of my family, nor did those lining the street deserve the misfortune of the streets.