Living life with steps of faith

Please take time to watch this video: http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html What story do you tell?

"... we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15b) I read this verse and I think, "there is a difference between temptation and sin," and "I don't feel as though I am tempted much." If Jesus, who was holy and perfect, was tempted, why don't I feel as though I, an imperfect person, is tempted often? Is it because the areas where I give into temptation are areas where I don't even acknowledge that I am being tempted? Have I become so comfortable with certain sins in my life that I no longer acknowledge them as sin? Perhaps even as we mature in our faith the temptations become different. Perhaps the temptations are to put other things before God, so that we don't set aside time to worship God? Perhaps the temptation is to worry, when we know that God has our back? Perhaps the temptation is to advocate for ourselves when we already have an advocate in heaven? Perhaps my motivations need to...

"Anytime we have any encounter with God we are reminded of two simple realities: People are meant to be loved and things are made to be used, but too often we love things and use people. And every time we encounter God we are challenged to put things back into perspective, to put things back in their proper order." -- Matthew Kelly in a September 30, 2009 speech at the Orange County Catholic Prayer Breakfast

Here is an interesting article written by a friend of mine: http://ebireflections.net/index.php?vol=001_vol&iss=009_issue&section=04_culture&item=01_culture.html#id04_culture

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/opinion/18bono.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

http://www.beatitudessociety.org/articles/256-the-unfamiliar-thrill-of-national-pride This blog entry made me wonder if it isn't premature to give our President the Peace prize. To get people who usually speak negatively about our country and would typically feel shame to feel "national pride" to feel "national pride" does create a level of internal peace. To have a President who pushes war forward yet has a progressive audience supporting him... a bit confusing.

I've been pretty silent when it comes to the discussion of Global Warming. The reason - it always seems that there is some new scientific concern that enlists people to change their habits to prevent the end of the world. In many ways I think arguments in both directions are inconclusive. I agree we should change our habits to better take care of the earth which God has stewarded to us, but I don't think this change in habits must be associated with a form of doom-prevention. We need to change our habits for the foremost because we care and our called to be good stewards. A co-worker recently passed on this article to me that I thought I would share here. I am not sharing it to enforce its position, but rather to demonstrate that we can throw our analysis of scientific fact back-and-forth and that our position is largely based upon our interpretation. Yes, I believe that we either are or are not experiencing global warming. Yes, I believe that whichever condition is true there ...