I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.†(Psalm 16:2)
It’s been almost two weeks since I posted–and not a particularly positive two weeks, either. I’m not sure what season of life I’m in, but I do know it’s been a test. Perhaps I’ve been having what some call a “wilderness experience”; I have felt at times as if I were circling the same thing over and over, much like the Israelites circling that mountain for forty years. It’s hard for me to imagine: to think at 42 I might have spent my entire life in the desert!
In the past few days, though, some things have changed–or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I have changed, am changing. Instead of having only a mountain of problems constantly in my view, I am heading toward something better; the Promised Land is in sight. read the complete post
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Yesterday, I read the story of Asa, king of Judah, in 2 Chronicles 14--16. I like reading about the kings in the Old Testament, because their lives so clearly show the long-term consequences of obedience and disobedience to God. Their stories also show the impact of one generation upon another as sons follow in the footsteps of their fathers or choose to go in another path.
The first thing that caught my attention is that during part of Asa’s reign, “the land had rest.” The writer of 2 Chronicles hammers this point, starting Asa’s story thus in chapter 14:
Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.†So they built and prospered.
In seven verses, rest and peace are mentioned five times; this suggests to me that Asa’s story and actions contain a key to living in rest and peace. read the complete post
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Charis means grace, and that’s what this blog is about: grace, in all its—sometimes messy, always magnificent—manifestations. I’m Dan Butcher, and I invite you to join me in learning to lead a Christ-centered, grace-filled life. 
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.