Grace Journeys

My grace journey has helped me see through a more loving lens than one of judgment, condemnation, or eternal punishment. So, I do my best to love God, people, and myself, realizing we are all in the one that redeemed ALL. We are a community willing to put everything on the table, hold everything up to the light, and discard anything untrue, unhealthy, or unhelpful as we continue to ask questions. Please share your story with those who may need to hear a word of hope, comfort, and peace on their journey. Please share if you want your name used or stay anonymous. Thank you!

For me, my journey to Grace began about the same time I started in ministry at 20. I began preaching in a small church as the youth director. I listened to ministers like Benny Hinn, Ken Copeland, etc…I would have classified myself at that time as a Word of Faith person. I preached it hard. In the middle of that, someone who I respected told me that I was self-righteous. I didn’t know what that meant, but if I found out, I was sure I would be upset. So, I decided to go and look and ask myself some really honest questions about what we taught and believed in church. I found myself as I was preaching the stuff I had learned in church asking myself if it made sense. I’d try to put sermons together, but it just seemed that the message we were preaching was double minded. We told people in alter calls to come down and pray to accept him as Savior, freely…He did it all...but then I heard preachers talk about all the things you needed to do to be saved and keep your salvation. It was all very confusing for me, so I began to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand the truth. I didn’t care if that meant messing with the theology I had known my whole life…if it was the Truth, I wanted to know it. I started a year long journey of studying Grace & Righteousness in the Bible. Along the way, I asked to meet with elders in my church on the subject. I would ask things like, “if the definition of Grace is God’s unmerited favor…how can I get out of that favor? If I didn’t earn it by my performance…how can I lose it by my performance or lack of it?”…Well that line of thinking got me in a lot of trouble in church. I was told I was teetering on some dangerous doctrine, and to stop studying and stop asking questions. One minister in church even told me to stay out of the book of Romans because “it’s an intellectual book” and I wasn’t qualified to interpret it. They did everything to keep me from it...mainly by trying to scare me from it with fear. Even though I had to push through all those that tried to scare me away from studying, I did come to the Truth. We are righteous, not by what we do, but what was done and finished for us by the Son of God, Jesus Christ. In Him, we live move and have our being. He is our position of righteousness, and our lives are hidden with God in Him…not our performance or lack of it.  

I continued to believe and study on this journey for several years while trying to remain active in the local church. It was really hard though because I didn’t know a church or minister that didn’t preach an inconsistent message. They all seem to lean heavily on performance for salvation. As I’ve been studying Grace over the years, so many of our traditional church doctrines have struck me as being very wrong or at least seem to focus or be done for the wrong reasons.  

Before Jarrod and I married, he knew exactly what I believed about Grace and in fact believed very much the same after his studies. One big church doctrine out there that kept coming back up to me was the doctrine of belief. That it was your act of belief that sealed your position in right-standing with God. I kept asking myself if you could be such a part of your own salvation. Why would Jesus have all this wasted Grace for those that wouldn’t believe? What about those that never heard? Jarrod and I began to study the subject for several months and both came to the conclusion that Jesus died for all sin…that included the sin of unbelief. If He died for all sin…how did he leave out the sin of unbelief? Sure Jarrod and I both remember our salvation experience, but we asked ourselves if that was truly the point at which God redeemed us or bought us back? What we came to was that Jesus paid the redemption price and bought us back at the cross and resurrection…and he did one time, for everyone. Not just those that would believe or act right….we realized that if One died, then All died. It’s like we were in Him when He died & was buried…and then we were in Him when He rose again. God had reconciled the world to Himself without our help or our belief. In John, it was clear to see that everyone failed this belief thing…all were concluded to be in unbelief according to Romans. Now you might ask about salvation? Yes, we believe strongly in the salvation experience…it’s the beginning of your understanding of your journey with God. We truly believe that people should believe in Jesus…it does bring salvation to the heart and mind. When you realize that God loves you right where you are at, regardless of your lifestyle, messed up choices in life, past, present, future….it will save you. It will save you from a life of feeling condemned and judged by God.  

One other thing this Grace does is free you from feeling you have to judge or condemn anyone else. That is why Jarrod and I want to pastor a Grace-based church. We want to re-present Jesus to a generation that has only been presented with a very biased view of our Redeemer. We want to challenge this generation to look for themselves at our Savior and what he said he came to accomplish…and not what our evangelical traditions have told us to believe or else.  

GraceLife was born in our hearts when we realized God’s finished work for humanity. We knew and believed in our hearts that we wanted to be a part of body of believers and people who weren’t sure yet, but were searching for the Truth. We wanted to be there to cheer them on in their search and journey, and offer inspiration and genuine friendship along the way. We want Grace to be this kind of community that Jesus would smile at and say we were a little closer to “getting it” than the church as been to in a really long time.

So, welcome to GraceLife. Join us on the journey.  

In Christ

Kim & Jarrod Morse 

I want to share my grace journey, how it all started, and the dream of a GraceLife community. Many have called a similar journey deconstruction from their bad theology. For me it was an revelation of who I have always been in Christ that opened my heart to see all in Him and walk away from my toxic religion.

Colossians 1:17 KJV.                                                                                                                    And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Acts 17:28 KJV                                                                                                                               For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

My journey through grace and peace began with a change of heart and breaking free from bad theology. My wife, who had known Michael Lilborn Williams since the late 80's early 90's when he pastored in Southern Illinois gave me a tape to listen to in 2003 called "Redemption of the world" which would be the starting point of my grace and peace journey and my fall from grace, as many Christians thought. I had even more questions after listening to that tape. It all sounded great, but how could it be true that Christ redeemed the entire world at the cross without our help, choice, faith, or even belief? All the things I thought we had to do to be redeemed and saved were now all about Christ's work and not our involvement in saving ourselves from a angry God. I knew we had to ask for salvation to receive salvation, as I was taught to believe. I was trained and schooled that we are all sinners until we choose to make Jesus your personal Lord and Savior, and then at that moment of asking, your sins would be forgiven, and you would become redeemed, born again, a new creation and saved from hell. But to stay out of hell and to keep God on your good side, you had to jump through religious hoops, work hard, give a lot of time and money, and so on, and repent, repent, repent, repent. I was taught that you could also lose your salvation. Basically I was taught a mistaken identity of who I had always been in Christ. Born righteous, holy and blameless in the heart of God.

This message of grace and peace placed everything on the work of Christ to redeem ALL humanity which He did. I listened to more teachings on grace and peace from Michael Williams and didn't just sit this good news on the shelf as others have because of their deep roots in the law, as I also was taught in the law. Even Paul said he was the best of the best when it came to the law. Michael Williams has a way of teaching grace and peace that is simple yet profound and heart-opening. He lets the word of God speak for itself without adding or taking away content from the context of the scriptures which is being studied. My wife had known Michael Lilborn Williams for a while and followed his ministry. I even had the opportunity to meet Michael Lilborn Williams twice. Once at one of his grace conferences in Indiana, and the other, we had him hold a grace meeting with us at GraceLife in So. Illinois. I have not heard grace and peace as pure as Michael teaches it. He understands that you can't mix law and grace and have any hope of pleasing God. His book "ONE" "The Gospel According To Mike" was a grace book that wasn't like the others I've read as I began studying grace and peace. Michael was different from the other grace teachers that taught grace mixed with the law to be righteous. It was the pure grace and peace message of the good news of Christ within ALL humanity. You can check out gospelrevolution.com for his material.

In my experience in searching out this message of grace and peace, I heard it was dangerous, saw anger, felt rejection, experienced judgment, kicked out of church, and even lost friendships that I thought were strong, just because I began to search for myself if Jesus could have or was powerful enough to redeem the whole world at the cross by himself. I began to ask myself questions you dare not ask in the church even though the church is supposed to be there to help, comfort, encourage, love, and support you. I can say that listening to this message and many more since then has caused me to rethink God, rethink what I was taught and search for the truth because I want to be free. Is there any grace, peace, comfort, and hope if there is still condemnation towards humanity from God, if God is still angry, if God's wrath is still coming someday? If God will punish His very own creation in a fiery pit. Is there any peace? Humanity is still condemning humanity through the law of old and believing this is God's will. You will never enter the promised land of grace and peace in Christ if you are still following Moses. Never stop growing in grace and peace.

Romans 5:18 KJV                                                                                                              "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for ALL men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for ALL men." 

This passage couldn't be more explicit. Christ's death will justify everyone who was condemned by Adam's sin. If the word "ALL" means "all mankind" in the first part of the verse, it means "all mankind" in the second part. But somehow, we must believe that Adam's disobedience is greater than Christ's obedience. All can die in Adam but can't live in Christ unless you do something for it. I don't know about you, but I was not asked if I wanted to be born a sinner, nor did I choose to be born a sinner. I was never asked to make Adam my personal sin leader or raise my hand to accept what Adam did for everyone. Adam made that choice for humanity in the garden, but Jesus chose to draw all at the cross and, in doing so, redeemed all that day without our choice. It makes sense that Jesus' act of obedience was greater than Adam's disobedience. If not, Adam won because more would be lost in the end. I believe God would have a hard time sending His Son to die for just a few to be saved. The work is finished, and that's some good news for all. 

The Gospel of Peace has so changed everything that all hostilities between God and humanity have ceased, whether anyone knows it or not, where there is no such thing as an angry God anymore, and that should bring great peace to our hearts. Many people don't see ALL humanity in Christ redeemed, so they condemn those they think deserve God's wrath because Christ didn't take sin out of the way as they believe. People are born sinners as they believe until they repent and ask the world's Savior to save them.

After I began to search the scriptures and research words in Greek and Hebrew, meanings and interpretations began to change. I began to see a more loving God than an angry God. I began to see that Jesus was powerful enough to defeat all the Father required and win. I began to see that Jesus loved humanity enough to finish the work at the cross and pay the price once and for all. I wondered if when Jesus said, "it is finished" it was really finished, and that day at the cross, things changed forever for everyone without our choice. I know this may not be the most popular journey to take, but believing God loves all people and everyone, someday in their journey, they make it back into God's loving arms. I questioned things and my thinking about how we could all be welcomed home in the end because I was always taught if a person doesn't look the part or act the part, they must not be a part of the kingdom of God, and we must do our part to get them saved. I looked at people's outward appearance and actions and wondered how God could love people like that. I might do the same thing if I knew God loves me one day and is dissatisfied with me the next day to throw me into a fiery pit forever. I thought they deserved everything that God would pour out on them in the end. I began searching my heart to see how much love I have for people, the people I was told needed Jesus and saved. Did I have the same love for people as I thought God had for people, because in the end, if they have not asked Jesus into their lives, they are all going to hell? 

The word says God is love, so it doesn't make sense. I began asking myself if I didn't care if people went to hell because most deserved it, right? God's love must be more compassionate than mine, I thought. I believe God is love and couldn't think of being separated from His kids forever; that's why Jesus had to come to redeem us all. I believe that all judgment, wrath, requirements, and prophecy were fulfilled at the cross. If Jesus finished the work at the cross, I'm still determining what else needs to be completed. I had to rethink some things about God and what I have always been taught and decided I wanted to know the truth for myself, not because someone told me. I wanted to rethink God's love and search out how God can simultaneously be a God of love and then a God of hate. I know this message has helped me see all people the same in God's eyes. But I see the church rejecting people because of their actions, looks, and deeds. The church says they will accept all people and come as you are, but the church doesn't accept us just as we are. Although the church is there to lead people to Jesus, they also lead people from Him, with all the rules and regulations that can please God. I believe God is already pleased with us because of the finished work of Jesus for us.

Wouldn't it be amazing if everyone made it to Heaven? 

That question is not popular with Christians and makes them angry. They have worked hard to maintain their salvation, so everyone else should do the same. We forget it's all about Jesus and what He did, not what we do, but it makes us feel better. Some Christians want people to pay for their mistakes in a fiery pit, which is shocking because I thought a person deserved to go if they didn't ask Jesus to come into their lives. I have learned that a person must keep so many different beliefs, rules, and regulations to please God and make it into Heaven, but who's right, who's wrong, what's true, or what's false? 

I have decided that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and Jesus did it all for all. Keep working for God's approval if that will make you feel better or closer to God, but it's all free; you don't have to buy or work your way to Heaven; it's a done deal through Christ, and that's the good news. Jesus told Peter that you don't have God's things in mind but of man. We can't comprehend the riches of God's grace towards all people; because we see what God says is already forgiven. We all see the flesh, but God sees in the spirit. 

There are still things that I'm still learning on this journey, and I don't have all the answers about God or the events to come. But I love God with all my heart and believe I love Him more today than ever. This message is off, wrong, and even dangerous to many Christian standards. It has touched me to see a loving God more than ever before. I want to share that love with other people who the church has rejected, judged, abused, and kicked out. They deserve to hear the good news. God loves all and even loves them right where they are. Not everyone will be happy with what we are saying, but they must love us anyway if they were real Christians. They should be doing their best to save us if we're wrong. They should be willing to sit down with us and show us where we are wrong in scripture. But I have seen the opposite of real Christian love, which is sad. I am now an outsider to the Christian world because I believe Jesus did more at the cross than we could ever think or imagine. That's fine with me. I haven't felt better about myself and God in a long time. The grace journey continues