<p>Why is it, James Moore asks, that we try to justify anything and everything we want to do? We use words, scapegoats, blaming other people, circumstances, past events, even evil spirits (-the devil made me do it!-) to attempt to excuse bad choices we make with our own free will. What does the Christian faith have to say about all this? The author reminds us of what our faith tells us about excuses: first, that God sees through them; second, that God is more interested in forgiving us than in hearing our excuses; third, that God wants penitence - not excuses - from us. In his warm, embracing style, James Moore encourages us to seek forgiveness. After all, we are justified, not by our eloquent excuses but by the grace of a loving, caring, forgiving God.</p>