Michael Lewis, the author of “Moneyball” and “The Blind Side”, once said, “Unless you have a story, you don't have a way to persuade people”. Stories are powerful. They help us see and understand what we previously missed. Sadly, some take the beautiful story of scripture and turn it into lists to memorize and rules to follow. Fortunately, Colossians 1:21-23 corrects that mistake by retelling the gospel story. As many good stories do, this one starts with a big problem: “Once you were alienated from God” (verse 21). Alienated means to be separated or to lose connection. That is what sin does. It comes between us and God and destroys the relationship. Our incorrect thinking and actions cause us to run away from God (also verse 21). Left to our own devices, our story ends here. We have no way home. Fortunately, the next phrase is, “But now”. Something has changed. “But now, He (God) has reconciled you” (v...