Cold, Hard Steel...

Pat Sullivan is in jail. He’s behind bars in the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Center, less than a mile from my office. The building that was named in honor of Pat and his long history in law enforcement is now his prison.

The details of his arrest are unsettling and sad. Trapped by procedures he helped implement, snagged by officers he trained, accused by a legal code that he once enforced, Pat Sullivan’s story raced across airwaves around the world.

As Pat discovered, an unbridled ego leads to destructive action. When strengths go unchecked and gifts remain unguarded, any one of us can become an inmate in a prison of our own making.

Competence without accountability intoxicates...

Intense focus can lead to blind spots...

The desire for godly living morphs into legalism...

Deep relational commitments foster an unhealthy reliance on the affirmation of others... We preach grace but become careless...

Discernment turns into judgment... Creativity gives way to competition...

The Evil One applauds as we tread paths of self¬destruction. He’s all too willing to hand us another piece of lumber as we construct the prisons that will confine us.

It’s time to get serious about our gifts.

Flee. Pursue. Fight. Take hold. Only the Gospel sets us free.