One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors; for to dwell upon them is to add to the offense.

Such a sinning, repenting ''easy believeism'' dishonors the blood and prostitutes the altar.

The knowledge of my forgiveness washed over me again. I was free. Free from my sin. From my wretched past. I could see it in his eyes—and then he spoke my name.

Sincere biblical repentance is as much a work of grace as not sinning in the first place. To err is human, to make progress is divine.

Be a sinner and sin strongly, but more strongly have faith and rejoice in Christ.

There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel no one else has a right to blame us.

Sadly, we do a much better job of making people feel guilty than we do of delivering them from the guilt we create. We need to confess this and change our ways.

I sometimes wonder how people like Bart, who no longer believe in the grace of God, handle their guilt. Perhaps, as Sigmund Freud suggested, they repress it by burying the memories of past sins deep within themselves. But Freud went on to explain that such repression doesn't really work in the long run, and that guilt always emerges from the subconscious, sometimes as phobias and sometimes as neurotic behavior.

I'm no preacher, but I do know that God doesn't strip away His love when we make mistakes.

Sitting in a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than being in a doctor's office makes you a doctor. It's more than that. The Good Book says it's about believing and confessing.

She didn't want to. She loved you. She loves you now. Yes, she hurt you and she made a terrible mistake in leaving you. But your father made mistakes, too, and you will, as well. We all make bad choices - decisions that would better be left to rot in the bottom of the barrel. But we can't undo them. We can only move forward.

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I have been attempting to find significance in an inappropriate way. As a result, I have sinned against You. Thank You for dying on the cross for me and forgiving my sins. As an act of faith, I invite You to come into my life and direct me. Take control of my life, and make me into the kind of man You want me to be. Amen.