UR 111: Stewarding our Scars — Chad Bird

It is often tempting to hide who we really are to the outside world and project that we have it all together. We have many seemingly valid reasons for why we do this — to be a good witness to the world around us; to pretend the Christian life produces nothing but happiness and joy; and often, simply because we fear that no one could relate to who we really are. But God has never called us to a pretend life where we cover up the truth about ourselves. As we see throughout scripture, it is often our past blunders that provide rich redemptive material for Him who is "working all things together for our good." Author and speaker Chad Bird joins Tray and Mel for this episode of the show to courageously share his own undone/redone story and to help us understand that, instead of icons of shame, our scars can become emblems of God's grace and mercy toward us. Chad is devoted to honest Christianity that addresses the raw realities of life. As he eloquently proclaims in this interview, the Gospel is for broken, messed up people. Chad has served as an assistant professor of OT theology, contributed hymns to the Lutheran Service Book, and cohosts the podcast "40 Minutes in the OT." He holds Master's degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. In addition to writing two books, Christ Alone and The Infant Priest, he has contributed articles to Modern Reformation, The Federalist, Concordia Pulpit Resources, Mockingbird and other publications. His book with Eerdmans, Night Driving: Notes from a Prodigal Soul, is now available for pre-order at Amazon. His book, Your God Is Too Glorious, will be published by Baker Books in 2018. He is also a regular contributor to christholdfast.org and 1517legacy.com. Chad and his wife, Stacy, enjoy life together in the Texas Hill Country. Connect with Chad on Facebook, Twitter, and on his website at chadbird.com.