This week, with the Rev Kevin Logan, of Christ Church, Accrington

SHE was a prostitute. Drink had also brought her low. A friend whispered, "Try church."

"CHURCH!" the poor lass exclaimed. "Last thing I need is more condemnation."

"Go on," persisted the friend. "They were there for me."

Here, in a cameo, is a dilemma for the Church, and even this column.

We have two great, seemingly conflicting, 'offers' - Grace and Grit.

The first is a supernatural kind of loving; free, amazing grace for undeserving self-lovers everywhere.

The truth is: God loves prostitutes. He saved enough of them when He came in Jesus. Sinners flocked to him, rounded up by those warm eyes. This amazing grace, 1,700 years later, inspired John Newton to abandon a vicious slave trade and compose a hymn about how it 'saved' a wretch like him.

Secondly, there's grit.

God's beautiful humans are on a slippery slope, and he commands his followers to be grit -- the salt that brakes the slide.

Trouble is -- thank you very much -- we quite enjoy our downhill ski-ing towards our own Olympic appetites. Quite frankly, our enthusiasm for grit is rather less than that of a toboggan team out for a record run.

So, here's the dilemma: Grit is bad

news. Grace is good news, and bad news always steals the headlines.

Nitty gritty headlines top the pages - Church raps lapdancers... Gays not God's design... Sunday trading gets thumbs down.

Consequently, our prostitute friend above equates Church with judgment.

So, just for once, this column tells it as it is: God's grace embraces gays. He loves to embrace Sunday traders. Amazingly, he even loves me!

He doesn't like what we do on occasions but, incredibly, He offers gracious forgiveness and a never-say-die love.

Any takers?