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August 23, 2024
“My Sin’s Not That Big of a Deal”
In 1 Timothy 1 Paul says that “though I was a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.”
At first blush it may sound like Paul was saying, “I was shown mercy cause I really didn’t know what I was doing, so it’s not that big of a deal.” It’s actually quite the opposite.
Dr. Jeremy Grinnell joins the team to answer bible questions, starting with the one above. Jeremy earned his PhD in Systematic Theology from Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI, and taught graduate level theology for 15 years.
Then, have you ever felt painfully aware of your sin, repented, received God’s forgiveness and after some time found yourself feeling painfully aware of the same sin all over again?
Jeremy says, “that happens because over time we become more aware of how our sin wounded us and others which leads us to deeper repentance and gratefulness for mercy!”
Then, Ronda a Perry and Shawna listener asks, “What’s all this talk about deconstruction of the Christian faith?” We talk about 2 paths of deconstruction: A path that leads to deeper faith and a path that well, leads off the path.
Then Stephanie says, “In 2nd Kings 24:1-4 God’s says he wouldn’t forgive King Manasseh for his many sins. Manasseh repented of his sins. I thought God forgives those who repent??”
Last, as our kids head back to school it’s a great time to remind them of who they are and WHOSE they are! As God’s kids they don’t walk into school alone, but with God.
And in 2 Timothy 1:7 we are told that God didn’t give us a spirit of timidity but of power, love and self-control. You might want to slip that verse into their lunchbox.
IN THIS EPISODE
Dr. Jeremy Grinnell
I earned my Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI, and taught theology at a local seminary for nearly 15 years. I was also the preaching pastor at a growing non-denominational evangelical church in the area. My life was good, and I had everything a person could reasonably want.
Then through a hideous cocktail of bad choices and clinical depression, I threw it all away in the most public way possible – complete with criminal charges and my mug in the newspaper.
In the fewest words possible (a fuller account is given in the book), in 2013, I became entangled in a consensual ten-month emotional affair with a woman Denise and I were helping through a home foreclosure and legal battle. I quickly lost track of personal boundaries and became fixated on her family’s needs … and then on her. It nearly destroyed my marriage and my health.
A few months in, I was clinically depressed, suicidal, and living a double life—trapped in a relationship I could not find a way to escape … and didn’t want to. By the time the obsession had run its course, I would find myself standing below her bedroom window, reduced from a rising star in the community to little more than a peeping-tom.
The fall out was swift and public in the form of felony invasion of privacy charges. I resigned from my pastoral position at the church. Then the press got ahold of the story, and I was publicly shamed. I then resigned my professorship at the university as well. In the end, rather than prolong the agony for my family in a useless legal defense, I took a plea deal, and the judge gave me a good long probation. The public record remains and is ugly.
But God is good.
Now nearly a decade later, my marriage and family have been restored. I’ve been through a formal restoration process in the very church I blew up, and in October 2022, my record was expunged and the judgement against me set aside.
I’ve come to realize this is the gap in which I’m now supposed to stand. Few voices speak to people with self-inflicted wounds, and fewer books exist to help them. Few can do so. Few are willing to stand up and say, “Let me tell you about the worst thing I’ve ever done …” Further, publishers might love such a book, but not the author who could credibly write it. Such an author is a publicist’s nightmare.
Despite these challenges, we are now able to make The Bellowing of Cain available to those who need it – those bent double with regrets. I hope my story will be of help to others. I hope that in its pages, you find hope as well.
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Perry LaHaie
Perry LaHaie's passion is to know Jesus and make Him known. “I’m all in with Jesus but not all put together. I need Jesus right now as much as I did when I first started following Him!” Perry says. In addition to co-hosting Perry and Shawna Mornings, Perry is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, and advocate for those who haven’t yet heard the gospel, especially those in the Muslim world. Born and raised in northern Michigan, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a graduate degree in Cross- cultural Communications. Perry also serves with Frontiers, a worldwide ministry to Muslims. Perry and his bride, Teresa, call Holland, Michigan home. They have two adult children, Kali and Taylor, and Taylor’s bride, Bri.
Shawna Beyer
Shawna Beyer has a way of telling stories that create personal connection— to her, to one another, and to God. She has been a homeschool mom, church planter, project lead for a consulting company, and church staff member. Though she’s been involved in ministry with her husband (Dan) in Iowa, Arizona, and now Michigan, she was born and raised in Southern California and as they say, “You can take the girl out of California . . .” She is mom to four grown kids (Bryn, Drayson, Eden, and Haven) who no longer need her but humor her anyway. Shawna is passionate about the rhythms we weave into the fabric of our lives to fall more in love with God each day. Healthy foods are her go-to, but she will abandon that whole track in a heartbeat for a homemade cinnamon roll like Grandma used to make.
Perry and Shawna Mornings
The Perry and Shawna Podcast: Real life conversations reminding you that you’re Abba’s child and that you’re blessed to be a blessing and loved to share Jesus’ love.