What’s So Amazing About Grace | Episode 003

Episode 003 show notes

In this episode, OCF Managing Editor Karen Fliedner chats with Col Art Athens, USMC (Ret), about amazing grace—specifically, the four-part message Col Athens shared at a weekend retreat at White Sulphur Springs in 2004.

During this episode, Col Athens tells listeners to look out for spiritual torpedoes, a term he borrowed from author Oswald Chambers, who wrote about spiritual mines in his book Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Col Athens recounts times when these spiritual torpedoes hit during various retreats at either OCF’s Spring Canyon or White Sulphur Springs conference centers.

When discussing the life of John Newton, who penned the ubiquitous hymn Amazing Grace, Col Athens mentions two books—Amazing Grace and The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer.

Col Athens also talks about living as a Christian in the military and spoke of the Book of Daniel as context. He mentions these four points:

1. Have a right view of God. Daniel was utterly confident in where God had put him, what God wanted him to do, and that God would provide.
2. Be gracious but uncompromising. An examination of the life of Daniel reveals that he followed the rules of the king, but did so without compromising his walk with God.
3. Be professionally excellent. Let God take care of promotions and such. Focus instead on being a Christ-like leader.
4. Commit to spiritual disciplines. Daniel was continually in prayer and gave God credit for all things in his life.

When discussing being a 50 denarii debtor or a 500 denarii debtor, Col Athens says Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ series on Romans had a profound impact on how he saw himself and how sinful we really are.

Finally, Col Athens talked about his series “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” which can be viewed here.