Hello everyone and welcome to the Graceology with Gwen Smith podcast. I'm Gwen Smith and I am so glad you joined me today.

Around here we have fun, faith-focused, grace-filled conversations, all to help you know and trust God more.

Our discussions are honest, often humorous, and always practical.

And they're going to encourage you in meaningful ways to live out and lean on the grace

of Jesus in the midst of cluttered messy days.

You got any of those?

I know I do.

And I can't wait to get to today's conversation, which is all about the surprising

power of relationships.

We all want meaningful relationships, and we want to know that our lives are making a difference,

that we aren't insignificant.

The ultimate invitation for relationship is, of course, given to us in the Bible by God.

What began as good in the garden became fractured by human rebellion, damaging the relationship

between God and man. But God's love for you and for me is so great, the word tells us that

he sent his only son Jesus to take on the darkness of rebellion with the

perfect light of hope that paved the way for you and me to have a restored relationship

with the one true Holy God. Jesus showed us how to live and love. He said we should love God most

of all and others as ourselves. He cared and cured, served and sacrificed, showing us time and

time again the power of relationship and the power of compassion. You're probably sensing by now

that this episode's a little different. I'd venture to say it's one of the most powerful

discussions we've ever had in the history of Graceology. It's venture to say it's one of the most powerful discussions we've ever had in the

history of Graceology. It's both unique and it's special and here's why. Today you're going to hear

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