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There are things in life that are unbearable. Things that shake you to the core. Things that reveal the truth about what you believe. A chronic diagnosis, the death of a daughter or son, the betrayal of your spouse. Things like loneliness, depression, fear, or hopelessness that seem to linger through the night and greet you in the morning all over again. What do you do when you come face to face with your worst imaginations in real time? When the thing you thought would do you in shows up on your doorstep, walks right in, pours a cup of tea and snuggles up next to you on the sofa.

Twelve years ago, our family spent a year in Spain sharing the good news of Jesus. There were so many things we learned from the people and culture. Things like slowing down to grab coffee with a friend on his way to work or talking for an hour with the woman selling fruit and vegetables below our apartment. One of the lasting cultural impressions we took away with us from Spain was something called “sobremesa”. The literal Spanish meaning is “upon the table.”

When it comes to salvation, grace was pounded into my head for years. Verses like Ephesians 2:8-9, “by grace you have been saved...not by works, so that no one can boast,” were some of my earliest scripture memories. Grace as the foundation for my salvation was reiterated by pastors and Sunday school teachers and youth leaders.

This year’s focus on personal evangelism has been fruitful for me, and I sense it has been fruitful within our body at Grace. To spread the good news is, after all, our great mission.

My mind created a small frame to behold the glorious Autumn-scape. The wind gave movement and the leaves brought beauty and color to my eyes. Five minutes…ten minutes…I sat and stared out my window. I was intentionally quiet, contemplating the few verses I had just read, asking the Holy Spirit to speak…