Jay Bakker’s Fall to Grace

51q38KLoDBL._SX352_BO1,204,203,200_I am reading a book called, Fall to Grace, by Jay Bakker. You may remember Jim and Tammy Bakker, the founders and host of “PTL- Praise the Lord” show or club. You may not remember that they had a son and a daughter. The son’s name is Jay, and he has had his share of problems, just like the rest of us.

It may not surprise you that he is in ministry, but, if you knew a little bit more of his life, you might be. I’m not about to write a review of the man. I do want to tell you about the book that he wrote. It’s called, Fall to Grace.  It is quite good, and, he s quite good at getting his point across. He has a first-hand understanding of pain, difficulty, and grace.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book, and he is quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” (Bakker 140).

And I would add to this, that, violence cannot wipe out violence; only acts of peace can do that. As Christians we are supposed to reflect the nature of God, but, there is a problem. God is not hateful, intolerant, or violent. Every time an election year rolls around us “Christians,” so-called conservatives, evangelicals, show our true colors. And this year has been most frightening with the rise of Donald Trump. I’m not about to write about politics and the church either. That would take more time and space than I am willing to give at this moment.

I just want to remind people of who Jesus really is. The Bible says God is love. So here are some characteristics of our God.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1Corinthian 13:4-8).

Fall to Grace is a great book. I think every one of you should read it, whether you call yourself a Christian or not. And if you’ve been a Christian for a while, you can learn something from this book, and a man who knows something about guilt and shame and pain.