The Tentmaker from Tarsus

When I was a kid anything having to do with the Apostle Paul seemed dry as dirt.

The guy's letters were so hard-core and unyielding in their conviction that Paul came across a tiny bit like the Gospel's traveling salesman, but more often like heaven's union boss and enforcer. Which made him seem dogmatic and out of touch with the world. What was even worse was that Paul probably knew what we thought, and didn't much care about our opinion.

Paul knew what the message was all about.

Remember Paul was first Saul ... well-known for persecuting Christians ... and sometimes his admonitions to the early churches seemed so angry you half-wondered if Paul didn't occasionally wanna dust off his sword and pick up right back where he left off.

Reading Paul's letters today ain't even close to being the same thing. I mean, Dude knows stuff and gets right on top of it. He knows what it's like struggling with sin and temptation and means to be encouraging in our faith. He knew God's awesome power real up close and personal ... and intends to keep reminding us of it.

He'd been there, done that the worst of all, and knew forgiveness only came from faith in Christ. Paul's not only seen Christ's love but was consumed with the joy of God's grace ... and can't be stopped from sharing the gospel, no matter the risk or danger.

The crotchety old guy I'd pictured as a kid vanished ... replaced by a humble servant who's on fire with Christ and passionate about letting us know our faith can't grow when we're trusting man-made rules to tell us No.

If you've never read Philippians (or haven't tried recently) then please take a look ... and see what the excitement's all about.