Jonathan Shradar

I have been really enjoying the new album from Austin Stone Worship , This Glorious Grace . Here is a taste. May the words be ours, that we surrender all, that we give God control and trust him for everything. [embed]https://youtu.be/C3WzznP3QKQ[/embed]

Today I had the pleasure of buying four new tires for the family minivan. Don't judge me for the minivan, it is practical! It seems that over time the alignment on the van devolved into "unalignment" and the tread of the tires had unusual, and unsafe wear. Paired with some age-induced cracking, it was clearly time for new tires. Tires with full tread and a corrected alignment. I now need to wrap the tires in a bow and act surprised when they are what I get for Christmas! As I sit here thinking about those tires, of course I see some correlation to my Christian life and the things I need to make the trek. Very much like my tires on the minivan, Scripture has given us something key to our journey and the thing that actually brings us all the way home. It has some gnarly tread, meaning it can get us exactly where we need to be with undeniable traction. Go ahead, guess what it is. Its the gospel! The news of Jesus' life of obedience in our place, his sacrificial death in

Striving to control things? Yeah me too. Well I have some good news for you, God is in control. [audio https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/fmfn/FMFN+ep7.mp3]

Resonate Church , a multi-campus college town church, is releasing a new album of worship music to support their newest location in Cheney, WA. Worship along with them and pray for gospel fruit in Eastern Washington. And buy the album! [embed]https://youtu.be/rYeJEYk8N3k[/embed]

[embed]https://flic.kr/p/z8oV9i[/embed] This week I am preaching on a brief doxology. It is a few verses of worship after a long section of difficult doctrine. Paul, having laid out how God works out his mercy and specifically for Israel, pauses to worship. To be struck by the awesomeness and otherness of God. He is struck by wonder. Paul does that a lot in the New Testament and I find it a helpful example. We go through life, living often in our purpose and plans and we are surprised by grace and the work of God, and then hopefully we have no choice but to worship. Like Moses unable to do anything but fall on his face in God's presence, we are so struck by the wonder of God that we are in awe. Sadly, we get too distracted by our own strategy and desire to gin up experience in the right moment that I think we miss the always and forever wonder of God that is ever-present, waiting for us to respond. We live struck by the occasional vista, quick to snap a photo but invited to dwell i

Love redefined by God's love. Unexpected, mind-blowing, love in Christ. It is really good news. Get yourself some. [audio https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/fmfn/FMFN+episode+6.mp3]

As you wind down from the week... enjoy these few seconds on us. [embed]https://vimeo.com/142654938[/embed]

I am a slow runner. Running is my preferred exercise, I have never been too excited about the gym and I can take my kids on runs with me. But I go really slow. I suppose I am moving faster than if I was sitting on the couch, but my average time per mile is nowhere near impressive. But I keep adding a few mile here and there hoping to one day be fit as a fiddle. This morning as I logged a couple miles while on vacation I pondered how my slow running was also an image of my spiritual progress, How sanctification is working in me. I greatly desire to get there faster and I find myself pushing as hard as I can only to breathe heavy and feel strained. It is as if all I can see ahead is hills and more strain. But this morning as I turned around to head back to the lodge I was struck by the beauty of what I had passed. A coastal town and the cliffs on the ocean. I think growing in Christ can be like that. Some days if seems like we are running hills until we reach infinity. But when we get to

We constantly try to justify ourselves before God. But the fantastic news is that it is God who justifies us! Because he justifies us through Christ's work, we can be free. No more earning, just liberty. [audio https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/fmfn/FMFN+episode+5.mp3]

[embed]https://flic.kr/p/yEn6EK[/embed] One year ago today Stacy and I were waiting on late planes to bring us to San Diego where we would meet some wonderful people and I would preach to see if the Lord would have us come to Grace Church as a pastor. It was a weekend of wondering what could be. I don't remember much of the nerves but I do remember the conversations and settings. The hopeful resilience of people that felt battered and worn down by months of difficulty. The hospitality and kindness of strangers attempting to discern if I was the man God was calling to serve the church. The message of Jesus' preeminence and central place in the church and his call to be agents of reconciliation. One week later these people would show great trust in the Lord and vote to call me as their pastor. It has been quite the year. And as one church member said this week, "one down, 39 to go!"

After years of biblical study and conversations with others trying to answer the question, I have decided to compile and post the complete list of each and every thing you might regret when you meet Jesus face to face as a believer. The list is as follows:

Someone once told me that couples that make it to year 8 of marriage are statistically secure; divorce rates plummet after year 8. So today Stacy and I are statistically significant. Eight years ago, the sweetest gal from Dallas, Oregon and I took vows for life and we have been living them out with gusto since. Six addresses, two dogs, two amazing kids, six jobs, two mortgages, six cars (one scooter), and more meals of Ethiopian food than we can count. God really worked miraculous grace in providing such a wonderful partner for me. Stacy is kind, giving, and funny. She supports my leaning into God's sovereignty with her own resilient trust. She manages the lives of two little cuties and keeps our whole family sane. You can only imagine what it is like to be married to me! But Stacy does it with grace. Here is to our forever together.

Do you have enough? Isn't life all about striving for enough... maybe even for more? Well for the Christian, life is the gift of enough from God, our provider. Romans 8 provision. [audio https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/fmfn/FMFN+episode+4.mp3]

A little something to help us worship on a Thursday. [embed]https://youtu.be/f8TkUMJtK5k[/embed]