There’s a section in Soul Weathered devoted entirely to grace. Not grace as a theological idea. But grace as something lived. Patsy Folk, my mom. Something seen. Something experienced in ordinary moments that quietly change the way you see people forever. One of those moments happened when I was a teenager. My mother worked at a Bible bookstore in Hickory, NC , and one day I was in the store looking through music when I started hearing raised voices. I looked over and saw an

There’s a word I never really liked growing up as a Christian: Wretched. Maybe because most of my early understanding of the Christian life revolved around one thing: Sin management. Trying harder. Doing better. Getting control of myself. Read the Bible more. Pray more. Try harder next time. And I did all of it sincerely. But the cycle usually looked the same: I would fail.I would sin again. I would feel ashamed.I would question myself. Then I would start over determined to “