{"id":1442,"date":"2011-02-16T01:18:46","date_gmt":"2011-02-16T01:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/a-deeply-moving-story-through-pain-and-grace-toward-redemption.html"},"modified":"2011-02-16T01:18:46","modified_gmt":"2011-02-16T01:18:46","slug":"a-deeply-moving-story-through-pain-and-grace-toward-redemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/a-deeply-moving-story-through-pain-and-grace-toward-redemption.html","title":{"rendered":"A Deeply Moving Story: Through Pain and Grace Toward Redemption"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I read a deeply moving story<\/a> and I want to commend it to you. It was written by Gordon Atkinson, a former pastor and engaging author who used to blog as the Real Live Preacher<\/a>. It is a story that will touch your heart and challenge you to think about how you are living your own life. It’s a story about real faith in real life. <\/p>\n

Here’s how Gordon’s story begins: <\/p>\n

\n

\nIf I was talking to you instead of writing, I’d probably begin this
\nstory with my standard disclaimer, which sounds something like this:<\/p>\n

\n

\nI know a lot of people have it harder than I do, so I’m not saying this is the worst thing that’s ever happened, but…<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"atkinson-gordon-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

Even if I tell myself I’m not going to say that, I often do anyway. I
\nopen my mouth to speak and a cloud of shame descends on me. I start
\nthinking about all the people who have it worse than I do. And then it
\nseems like Jesus is rolling his eyes while I talk. Somehow I feel that
\nif I can just squeak out a small apology, I’ll have somehow earned the
\nright to speak about my own pain.<\/p>\n

\nI’m not sure why I do that, but I suspect it may be a sign that I’ve
\nnever fully accepted the grace that I preached all those years when I
\nwas a pastor. I suspect that down inside I think it’s fine for other
\npeople to fall apart but not me and not my family. That’s a pretty sad
\nand arrogant way to think and be, but I might as well admit the truth of
\nit. Because this story is about failure and shame and grace and
\nredemption. And you can’t really talk about those things unless you
\nbegin by laying your cards on the table.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What was the incident that sparked this story? It began when Gordon received a phone call from his wife: “You need to come home right away. I think Shelby might be pregnant.” <\/p>\n

What follows is a gutsy, vulnerable, honest, and faithful account of a family’s movement through pain and grace toward redemption. <\/p>\n

Gordon’s story appears on The High Calling<\/i> website. It is contained in four installments. You can find the first one here<\/a> and then read through all four. I am thankful to Gordon and to everyone involved in his story for their willingness to open their lives so that others might benefit. It takes courage to tell the truth about ourselves in the context of genuine faith. This is something Gordon has done for years, and continues to do as he writes for The High Calling<\/i>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, I read a deeply moving story and I want to commend it to you. It was written by Gordon Atkinson, a former pastor and engaging author who used to blog as the Real Live Preacher. It is a story that will touch your heart and challenge you to think about how you are living…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommendations"],"yoast_head":"\nA Deeply Moving Story: Through Pain and Grace Toward Redemption - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/a-deeply-moving-story-through-pain-and-grace-toward-redemption.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Deeply Moving Story: Through Pain and Grace Toward Redemption - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Today, I read a deeply moving story and I want to commend it to you. It was written by Gordon Atkinson, a former pastor and engaging author who used to blog as the Real Live Preacher. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1442\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}