It wasn’t exactly an epiphany. It was more of a dawning. But one day I realized, God is asking me to be a writer—an artist with words.

I had already written a lot. As an undergraduate studying ancient history, most of my classes required three or four papers, written just so, that followed a prescribed formula. First-person pronouns—I, me, my, myself—were not allowed. My profs hammered into us, “What do you know? I’m interested in whether or not you are able to research, understand, digest, and regurgitate on paper what you have discovered others believe.”

But when it dawned on me that Father God was asking me to look into my heart and write, it was also clear that He believed there was something in me He wanted me to express about us—Him and me and our life together.

I knew about scholarly writing, but this was a different assignment. God wanted me to be a writer-from-my-heart.

One of the first books I consulted about the art of writing was by William Zinsser. I never met Mr. Zinsser, but he was so generous with his insights that I feel a close affinity to him. One concept of his that ruminates often in my soul is: “Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.”

After composing perhaps a million words by this point in my life, and only publishing a few of them, there have been occasions when the words pour out of me. Hemingway once said, “The story was writing itself and I was having a hard time keeping up with it.”

But the norm for me is that writing is hard work and publishing is like giving birth to a horned beast. Churchill said of his authorship: “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public.”

That’s where you enter the writing process and publishing phase.

May I introduce you to: Rigorous Grace: Practicing the life of Jesus. The ebook is coming soon, and it will be cheaper, but I suspect Rigorous Grace is a book you will want to mark.

If you read my words closely, you recall that this book was scheduled for publication mid-February—ten weeks ago. What an ordeal this book’s birth has been. Now you see why I find perspective in Mr. Zinsser’s counsel about “hard writing.”

Eighteen months ago, I published Swagger: Keeping your wits when others are not. I felt that book was for such a time as this—and I still do. But as Rigorous Grace unfolded from my head and heart, I have the deep conviction that it too is for such a time as this.

Just this morning, I read an article in Vox disparaging the Christian community, which was never referred to by the three authoresses as Christian without the modifier “right-wing” attached.

The church and Christians were disregarded for a time in Western culture. Then vilified. Now we are despised.

I sat with a group of friends the other night, all of whom are atheists. At one point, one said, “The Christian people I can sort of tolerate, but I absolutely hate those who are born again.” By this, he meant he can tolerate those for whom faith is cultural, familial, or hereditary, but those for whom faith is a vibrant reality, he has nothing but hatred—hate born of resenting Christianity’s influence in secular society.

In another sense, society senses that our schisms are engendering hopelessness and leading us into ever-increasing darkness. From society’s point of view, Christianity purports to have an answer to what ails us. Christianity and the church are stewards of light, hope, peace, and dignity for all who fall short of God’s ideal. Society’s resentment toward Christianity and the church is also because they sense we can help heal our land… but we remain cloistered within the four walls of our brick and mortar at the corner of First and Main. Society resents us because we claim to know God, but when tasked with influencing society with the savor of Christ, it is evident that we know about God, we do not actually know God personally.

How has this travesty of irrelevance transpired? What is the remedy for what ails us?

To answer these pressing questions, I took pen in hand and Rigorous Grace is the outcome. If I am correct in thinking that this book is written from the mind of God through my fingers, it makes perfect sense why its birth—its publication—has been an ordeal.

The first and primary calling of the church is to know God personally. The second mandate of the church is to reincarnate Jesus Christ within society by being the people of God living within all corners of culture. Jesus said to go and be salt and light. At Pentecost, we were endowed with the indwelling Spirit to, a) reassure us, guide us, and counsel us in Jesus’ teaching and life, and b) to empower our going, our enlightening, and our influence in the world.

We are called and equipped, yet we aren’t going, we aren’t bringing light into dark places, and it is we who have lost our savor.

That we are failing in these fundamentals indicates that what ails us is fundamental in its diagnosis. Thus, the remedy must be fundamental. Indeed! You solve a fundamental problem with a return dedication to the fundamentals of the faith and life in Christ.

Rigorous Grace explores the fundamentals of Christianity and our lives as the family of God. Over the centuries, these fundamentals have been termed the spiritual disciplines.

In short, the twelve practices I write about in this book are twelve habitual ways of living that Jesus demonstrated during His tenure on earth. These twelve patterns of habitual behavior, thought, and choice were utilized by Jesus to help Him understand, know, and foster relationship with His heavenly Father.

The logic of Rigorous Grace is simple: If these twelve practices were the way Jesus lived, then these twelve practices should guide the way I live in order to realize my heart’s desire: to know my heavenly Father as Jesus knew our heavenly Father.

There are a number of good books on the spiritual disciplines. You will see in my footnotes that I reference several of them.

So, why should I write a book on the subject? What’s not said in the other books that I say in Rigorous Grace?

Perhaps no other aspect of church teaching and Christianity has been more abused, mis-taught, and misused than the spiritual disciplines. Many presentations of the spiritual practices are used to motivate via shame, guilt, and admonitions to try harder. The constant being, the way to gain favor with God is by acting more like a Christian tomorrow than you did today. Not only is this poor teaching and bad theology, this is heretical teaching because it diminishes the completed work of Christ and puts upon you the onus—and possibility—that you can gain God’s acceptance apart from Christ via your performance.

As you know from following the ministry of Lifetime and reading my regular writings, it is our conviction that through the work of Jesus Christ we are made right with God, accepted by Him completely, and taken into His life, family, and nature. The finished work of Christ means there is nothing left for God to even chide us for. Those who are in Christ and in God’s family are totally accepted.

Thus, there is nothing you can do that will cause God to love and accept you more than He already does. And, there is nothing you can do that will cause God to love and accept you less than He already does.

You are accepted by God because you are in Christ.

So, if you are good with God and God is good with you, why practice your spiritual life?

In short, you practice the disciplines of the faith because it is through these practices that your faith is interlaced with representative performance and your knowledge about God becomes a deep-seated knowing of God personally. If you think about it, it is good news that your sins are forgiven and heaven is your destiny, but if you consider your deep desire, I think you will find that your heart longs to know your heavenly Father in a vibrant, robust relationship right now.

First, Rigorous Grace infuses into the spiritual practices the theology of the finished work of Christ by which you are fully accepted by God. Second, Rigorous Grace guides you into practical living where your theological position in God’s family is powerfully demonstrated in the way you live each day.

The Apostle James wrote that faith without performance is useless. By this, he meant that unless your faith influences and guides your daily life, then your faith does you no good day in, day out. Bluntly, unless you know what to do with your faith each moment of each day, then your faith is irrelevant to your earthly life.

Rigorous Grace guides your understanding and application of the spiritual practices. Yes, the book tells you what the spiritual disciplines are, but in my writing I devoted my text to exploring the why of the practices and the how of the practices.

Obviously, I hope you will read my book. It is available now via Amazon by clicking this underlined link. My additional hope is that you will share the book.

Not to beat a dead horse, but my online voice continues to be throttled. Clearly, I’m on high tech’s naughty list. Any mention of my name is resulting in more and greater degrees of throttling of my content. So, if you appreciate Rigorous Grace, I ask you to let others know of its existence. In this way, we minister together. I appreciate your partnership. Thank you.

Before I let you go, two things:

First, my friend in Finland, Dr. Päivi Räsänen who is a member of the Finnish Parliament and who was unanimously acquitted of all charges related to freedom of speech and freedom of religious belief, will be subjected to another series of charges—false charges of things she never said and doesn’t believe—another trial, another risk to her personal freedom, etc. The Prosecutor has decided to appeal Päivi’s unanimous acquittal to a higher court, the Court of Appeal, and do so on all counts. Dr. Räsänen anticipates her case will probably go all the way to the Supreme Court, so a long and arduous legal battle ensues. But as Päivi has said, as long as this trial is making news, so is the case for the Bible.

This trial, which has been ongoing for three years now, is an utter absurdity, based upon documented falsehoods by the Prosecutor. It is a complete waste of time and is an unabashed attack on freedom of speech and religious expression. Päivi believes the process and outcome of her trial will have bearing on the trial of religious expression throughout the world. As her trial unfolded, I read a number of media sources indicating the same view she expresses.

So, please continue to pray for my friend and now yours, Dr. Päivi Räsänen. Of course, if you want to know more, a simple search of her name will present a cascade of worldwide stories on the case and her situation.

Second, Tony Clark and I continue to discuss important matters on his video podcast at VineLife.us. I encourage you to tune into Tony’s program. Our most recent visits have been about Rigorous Grace.

Thanks in advance for reading Rigorous Grace.

May I Introduce You