I'm not perfect, ... But i'm enough.

It's hard to think seriously about grace until you understand that you've failed morally and will someday stand accountable before a holy God.

But C. S. Lewis made the point that we hate sin but love the sinner all the time — in our own lives. In other words, when we're judging ourselves, we always love the sinner despite our sin. We accept ourselves, even though we might not always like our behavior.

My sin in the past: forgiven. My current struggles: covered. My future failures: paid in full all by the marvelous, infinite, matchless grace found in the atoning work of the cross of Jesus Christ.

We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.

We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.

God doesn't work through us because we're flawless; rather, He works through us in spite of our imperfections.

Only when you accept the bad news of the gospel does the good news make any sense. The grace, restoration, reconciliation, forgiveness, mercy, patience, power, healing, and hope of the gospel are for sinners. They are only meaningful to you if you admit that you have the disease and realize that it is terminal.

Sin's self-centeredness cuts us off from God and others

Because of the coexistence of sin and grace, we all shift between denying and affirming our humanity.

To the degree that you forget you are a sinner, you will underestimate your daily need for Christ and the relationships in his body that are his tools of change.

I was good at helping other people see and own their sin. But I was not willing to believe that my need was just as desperate. Maybe I was blinded by my theological knowledge or my pastoral skill. But