Luke 18:13

Come on, now, let's just admit to the truth! Rubel Shelly confronts our tendency to make excuses for our sins, mistakes, and errors and then try to use softer words to make them not seem so bad.

Jesus came for the good, the bad, and the ugly Jesus wants to remind us that performing a series of religious acts doesn't make us right with God. Our attitude matters. What the Bible calls "the heart." While men look at the outside, God looks at the heart.

Will you still follow? I have decided to follow Jesus and though I don't do it perfectly, I won't quit

"Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: "Two men went to the Temple to..."

What in the world has Mildred gotten herself into this time? Mildred Budge, church lady personified, faces another set of misadventures, this time with a truck driver, a Hummer, and an ambulance at Wal-Mart.

We all want to know where we rank compared to everyone else. So what about God? Does he have a list? The problem with making a list of who is most likely to get to heaven is that we compare ourselves to other men and not to God.

"Dear Believer, Have you noticed how people sometimes ask the wrong questions? Those questions reveal their assumptions about reality and their place...."

Are you righteous enough to get close to God? Bill Denton reminds us that the Pharisees' problem wasn't their love for Scripture, but their willingness to condemn others and justify themselves.