“Fall to Grace” By Jay Bakker

Newsletter out!

Prayer

Discussion

Have you ever been disinterested by grace?

• Bakker defines grace as “unmerited favor” and uses that as the foundation for his book
• Its hard not to be disinterested with grace and the form some people make it in to be.
• “With grace comes the freedom to fall short.” Meaning grace is endless.
• What is the point of grace? Why is it important? “Grace is that simple. Grace is that complicated”
• Grace as revolutionary.
• People dont like the baggage that comes along with being a Christian, Bakker responds to that by saying the “for some people grace is the answer.”
• Trust that Bakker opens grace up more than we’ve seen it before. Its a much bigger picture than what we immediately think of when i think “grace”. 
• “Galatians is the roadmap…” 

What did you like about Chapter 1?

• We got Jay’s “side of the story”, not the media, or someone else poor interpretations. 
• “We are punished by our sins, not for them.” Elbert Hubbard
• “You sin, you go to hell”
• Consequences (punished for our sins) and condemnation (not by them) are two very different things. 

What did you think of his personal childhood story being included?

• It was necessary to understand where he came from and why grace is so important to him. (The story is important)
• Master’s Commission Camp in Arizona. Am i your friend to change you? Am i your friend to see what God does in your life? Am I to see your friend see grace in each other?
• “If there was one thing i was sure of, it was that God was through with me. I had even failed at the burnout-and-misfit church.”
• God loves us…and we’re learning how to deal with it; how to live with and through that fact.
• At this point in the book Jay is reacting to the God he has been presented with.

What did you like about Chapter 2?

• D.E. just made sure I didn’t hurt myself. 
• “Grace sounded like a cop-out to me, an excuse to sin. I didn’t realize that I had a living, breathing example of grace in practice right in front of me in the form of D.E.’s patient friendship.”
• He still hasn’t let grace happen. He’s still so angry.
• He still believe he has to do good to be on God’s “good list”.
• I became a “grace-fiend”.
• “Jesus loves us even if we’re drunk. Isn’t that awesome? Let me get the next round…”
• Before he dealt with his alcoholism, he dealt with the fact that God loves him no matter what happens. 
• “Bit by bit, my guilt started to bleed away…”

How do we promote grace within The Brewery?

• By being exactly who we are, and loving each other.

Next week at The Mathews Casa!

Prayer

See y’all next week!