I live in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Some might say I’m located in the ‘Redneck’ territory of Cherokee County, Ga. I love my rural setting and the good country folk that live here. As rednecks, we sometimes get a reputation for being a little crazy or extreme. A popularized slogan from these parts is … “Hold my beer, watch this!” Famous last words of many a redneck before they attempt to do something that seems unlikely to succeed.
In my quiet time lately, I’ve been mediating on the word ‘redemption.’ It’s one of those words that we casually toss around in our Christianese vocabulary without giving much thought to its actual meaning and significance. What is redemption, and what is it not? Redemption is not simply adding good things to a bad situation. Redemption is not simply a shift in direction…we were headed one way and now we are turning to go another. Redemption is the Jesus version of “hold my beer, watch this!”
Now hear me out…Redemption is a miracle. It is the unlikely and impossible being done in our life every day. It is God taking the bad and making it into something good. He doesn’t just add good things to a rotten situation — He literally can bring beauty from ashes, turn trial to testimony, take a prison and make it a pulpit. Who ...
