{"id":457,"date":"2016-12-22T13:32:05","date_gmt":"2016-12-22T21:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=457"},"modified":"2017-07-07T17:35:03","modified_gmt":"2017-07-08T00:35:03","slug":"grace-is-a-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/22\/grace-is-a-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Grace is a movement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Five boxes, fifteen years.  There they sat.  What had once adorned the shelves of my library now rests in an indistinct corner of my overflowing garage.  It came suddenly, but it was inevitable, as most things of God are.  The subtlety of divine humor didn\u2019t go unnoticed: A move of God into moving boxes stuck in a garage.<br \/>\nThe traditions of man make the word of God noneffectual.  Doctrines are the traditions man have made to explain the mysterious nature of an immense Creator.  Prosperity, faith and divine healing became a doctrine that now resides in the box it feared.<\/p>\n<p>The truth you know makes you free.  Structures of belief never make you as free as when you know they can\u2019t contain you in the half-truth box they fabricate around you.  Spiritual warfare, authority of the believer, and praying against an enemy who was defeated 2,000 years ago, now resides on cold concrete just as it should have all these years.<\/p>\n<p>The church is not the ideal place to encounter transcendence, or what should be known of as the state of grace.  Churches are too stiff and cumbersome to deal with the delicate flow of grace.  Books, even well written ones, have the same issues.  A conglomerate of words trying to convey the vastness of the universal truth known as love filtered through a myopic world view.  Take all the myopic views, bind them individually between glossy pictures and raving reviews from the camp it caters to and you have five boxes over fifteen years. <\/p>\n<p>Thousands of dollars to realize a truth of how bankrupt my understanding had become. Sure, I fit in with the crowd, eager to press the palm of the apostle du jour with the newest revelation and sign up for all the latest\u2026wisdom is the principle thing, right? It is if you tow the party line.  But when deep calls unto deep, you suddenly become very aware that shallow people don\u2019t like those who skinny dip. <\/p>\n<p>While it might be tempting to say that the space created in the departure of dogma can now be used for more artistic and decorative beauty, I must recall that it is a library, not the museum it had become.  The space of a fifteen-year assembly has only taken an 18-month journey to fill in ten minutes. As libraries go it now challenges you to read through the diversity.  It commands you to find the flow of grace in multiple thoughts spanning millenniums.  It squashes any notion that God, the true living God, creator of the universe, could be contained in any binding or box.  I am\u2026 once again drawn by curiosity\u2026 and in awe of what little I know to how vast I see the potential laying before me.  To be on the move again is as exhilarating as it is liberating\u2026 <\/p>\n<p>So, what book are you stuck in?  Maybe it\u2019s time\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five boxes, fifteen years. There they sat. What had once adorned the shelves of my library now rests in an indistinct corner of my overflowing garage. It came suddenly, but it was inevitable, as most things of God are. The &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/22\/grace-is-a-movement\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ITDy-7n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3165,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/15\/sons-of-god-jesus-and-i-in-shared-divinity\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":0},"title":"Sons of God: Jesus and I in Shared Divinity","author":"mike","date":"November 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A pivotal belief that has evolved in my spiritual path is that Jesus is the Son of God, just as I am. This equalizes the divine inheritance, challenging exclusive claims and inviting all into a shared sonship. Grace, in this context, serves as the great equalizer, awakening us to our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3182,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/18\/communion-beyond-church-walls-personal-paths-to-the-divine\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":1},"title":"Communion Beyond Church Walls: Personal Paths to the Divine","author":"mike","date":"November 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"My conviction is that communion with God need not be confined to church gatherings; it thrives in personal, solitary moments anywhere. This liberates grace from institutional structures, honoring individual journeys over collective norms. It challenges ego-centric leadership models, promoting authentic encounters that reflect diverse spiritual expressions. Through my explorations, this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3152,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/14\/the-souls-fractal-essence-a-mirror-of-divine-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":2},"title":"The Soul&#8217;s Fractal Essence: A Mirror of Divine Light","author":"mike","date":"November 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In the vast tapestry of spiritual exploration, one belief stands out as a cornerstone for me: my soul is a fractal of God, designed to display His light to all creation. This idea isn't just poetic; it's a transformative lens that redefines our purpose and connection to the Divine. Drawing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2660,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/revolution-refines-a-revelation-an-ending\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":3},"title":"Revolution Refines a Revelation &#8211; An Ending","author":"mike","date":"February 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Can world events change a revelation about God\u2019s character? In this final installment\u00a0to a series of articles where I've been briefly examining history and how the American Revolution restored the gospel of grace to the world I'm going to uncover the deception we've been living under through our ignorance. A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2023 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2023 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2023\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3196,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/21\/sin-as-ignorance-redefining-traditions-labels\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":4},"title":"Sin as Ignorance: Redefining Tradition&#8217;s Labels","author":"mike","date":"November 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"What tradition labels as sin, I view as ignorance of our true Christ identity. This reframes flaws not as moral failings but as unawareness, where grace enlightens rather than condemns. It shifts spirituality from judgment to compassion, aligning with mystical reinterpretations that emphasize growth over punishment. My journey through critical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4086,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/27\/cultural-deceptions-obscuring-divine-flow\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":5},"title":"Cultural Deceptions Obscuring Divine Flow","author":"mike","date":"January 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Week 4: Dispelling Deceptive Distortions Day 6: Cultural Deceptions Obscuring Divine Flow Today's Veil to Pierce Nearing the end of Week 4, extending from eternal grace beyond temporal comforts, we now address cultural deceptions\u2014the pervasive illusions woven into societal norms, traditions, or values that obscure the divine flow. These deceptions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2026-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piercing-the-veil-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":458,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457\/revisions\/458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}