Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/653157
restored.' It was like He was promising me that I will see my father again in the way I was meant to see him—just not on this side of glory." This word from the Lord has given Billy a picture of resurrection glory to associate with his father instead of the soul-sucking alternative of withholding forgiveness from an unrepentant man. Billy clings to that hopeful picture of eternal redemption, and it allows him to offer genuine grace to his father. "Seminary allowed me to keep my head in what is true," said Billy, "but the situation with my father has allowed me to give my heart to others with grace." "It was like He was promising me that I will see my father again in the way I was meant to see him—just not on this side of glory." When you truly understand God's truth—that we are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God— and grasp the joy of His grace—the bestowal of undue honor, which is beyond mere restoration— then, and only then, can we truly appreciate the forgiveness that He has won for us and extend it to others. Billy summed up his journey in this way: "I'm learning to hold fast to the truth and yet minister with grace, because that is where the power of transformation lies and that is what allows you to forgive." ChamilleWhite/iStock Billy Waters MASTER OF DIVINITY Billy Waters is senior pastor and priest of Wellspring Church of Englewood, Colorado and is an alumnus of the MDiv program at Denver Seminary (1999). He is the husband of an "epic" wife, the father of six kids, and a mediocre ping-pong player.