Living life with steps of faith

Why is there suffering in the world? A.       God created a beautiful world and gave humans volition (the power of using one’s own will). ( Genesis 1 & 2 ) B.       God gave us instructions on how to live well.  We can choose to follow God’s advice or choose to go our own way. (The book: The Bible .) C.        Problem is that when we choose to go our own way we create brokenness.  That brokenness impacts everything and everyone! ( Genesis 3 & 4 ) D.       There is suffering in the world because people choose to disobey God’s wise advice and the earth, our bodies, and our relationships have suffered as a result. ( Romans 8:18-22 ) So how do we find Joy in the midst of the suffering? A.       Recognize that Joy flows from God & we become conduits of this Joy when we worship God. ( Psalm ) B.    ...

Imagine your family has its own mission statement.  It has been written up in an elegant type placed in a frame that was hand chiseled by your great-grandfather and it hangs over your fireplace mantel.  When you look at the statement it gives you the warm fuzzies because you know it is true.  Your great-grandfather (actually several "greats" ago) claimed that it was a mission statement given to him by God and your family tells stories of its fulfillment in each generation. You are a small and very close-knit family.  When you gather for a holy day of remembrance there are only a few in each generation.  Yet you laugh together, enjoy a meal, and take time to worship your God.  Actually taking the time to worship God is the reason that you gather, but it doesn't appear the same as it does for other families.  First each generation gets their chance to tell their own story of God's faithfulness and their incredible encounters with Him.  Then your...

A passage that addresses all my questions and fears that I now claim as my own: Exodus 23:25-26, "Worship the LORD your God,  and his blessing will be on your food and water.  I will take away sickness from among you,  and none will miscarry or be barren in your land.  I will give you a full life span." Amen!

One of the things I am realizing about the fertility struggle in Christian circles is that there is a lot of focus on "getting right" with God.  Underlying this notion is the idea that one can "earn" her fertility or the idea that God is "waiting" until the person learns some important lesson or draws nearer to God.  I first heard it when a friend shared how if her husband just got closer with God, then they would become parents.  Then I read a book written for Christians struggling with fertility and the overall mood was that this time of infertility has the purpose of drawing us closer to God.  But this logic doesn't work for three reasons: 1. Not everyone who has kids has a close relationship with God!  People everywhere have children and they are not all believers.  There are many very strong, devout Christians who have not been blessed to become parents.  The evidence doesn't support this logic. 2. Much of the time, this isn't how God...

A young man sits dreaming out his window, looking out across the sky at the beautiful sunset and the painted sky.  He dreams of another life and as his mind wanders he dreams of receiving recognition, just once, through the attention of the man his people honor with the title of "emperor."  He realizes that it is just a title, and the man is an ordinary man, but the title still makes this man special and revered.  So special, in fact, that they are willing to move walls and structures in order for people to honor this man.  The boy sits and dreams and imagines this "emperor" as weak and dying and in the midst of his great weakness the "emperor"sends a message to this Chinese boy who sits at the edge of the empire.  To the boy, he recognizes the reality that a thing like this would never happen, but in his fantasy he also realizes that a message like this would never make it to him, because he is too unimportant and too far off and there are too many peopl...

We all have passages of Scripture that we find difficult to understand and wonder about its meaning. There are two passages that stand out to me as confusing and other worldly. The first is Romans 5:12-21. Like so many passages, one of the reasons this section of Scripture is difficult for me is because of the various interpretations that I have heard of this text and the different theological beliefs that influence how one interprets this text. Some use this Scripture to explain original sin. They point out that through Adam we all have sinned. They look at the power of Christ's one sacrificial act and point out how the sin of the original human being could have such a universal appeal. But then I look at this passage and wonder, if this passage is used to justify or explain original sin, then wouldn't it also stand to reason that there is universal salvation. Because if all have sinned and all have gained death as a result of that sin, a parallel reading would mean tha...

For the past few weeks I've been reading through the Pentateuch. I'm excited that in the next week I'll probably finish! As I reflect on the detail to which God called the writers to record the genealogies and the details of the temple and the law, I realize that God was establishing His boundaries with the people. God was revealing Himself as awe-inspiring and worthy of respect. Imagine with me wandering in the wilderness. No, imagine with me wandering through a dessert that includes cities and interactions with other nomads. Imagine with me being 600,000 people wandering through that dessert together! What keeps you together? A promise from God? The glory of a movable temple? The miracles? The presence of God in your midst? I think that during this time God was teaching His people how to have reverence for Him. He wants His people to be set apart and holy and so He gives them laws and orders to follow, so that they might show their faithfulness through obedience and...

Imagine this: Israel's two arch-enemies worshipping God alongside Israel! Imagine this: The wholeness of God's people being illustrated by Israel and Israel's oppressors! Imagine this: God using the same language to identify Egypt and Assyria that God uses to identify His chosen people Israel! Check out this passage, and see the amazing long-term reconciling plan of God: "On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun." Note: language of Canaan is a language that worships God. "On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them. The LORD will make himself known to t...

Even though I was very much opposed to Sarah Palin being the Republican choice for President... er, I mean Vice President, I would be a huge supporter of her starting her very own talk show. The release of Palin's new book, "Going Rogue" and her much (too-long) awaited appearance on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" seem to have appropriately gained U.S. Americans attention as well as my own. I agree with both Jeff Simon, from "the Buffalo News" and Oprah, Sarah Palin would be a great talk show host. (See Simon's article: http://www.buffalonews.com/494/story/864456.html ) Palin would be a draw for conservatives and Christians and perhaps she could still end up being the "magic" the disillusioned Republican party needs. She may not be President, but we all know how influential talk show hosts and media personalities can be -- just look at "O." Perhaps McCain wasn't too far off course - Palin perhaps is the key to his party's futur...

Recently, my husband and I visited Mars Hill's main campus in Seattle, Washington. While there, I picked up a devotional on the books of 1 and 2 Peter . At the time I had been studying 1 Peter on my own and thought it was a bit of a coincidence that this was the focus of the church at the time. Anyway, at the beginning of the study, the first question asked is, "What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God?" Here I write my answer, noting that I do not reference any Scripture or theological texts, but rather just write from the top of my head - what is my first response today? What does it mean to be citizens of the Kingdom of God? It means that we are called to live life differently – we operate under a different system of law. God is our ruler. Our citizenship is given to us. Much like how I am born as a citizen of the United States, so too I am born a citizen of the Kingdom of God. But just as there are naturalized citizens of this country, so too we are...

Throughout the New Testament, the slave-master relationship is used in an allegorical manner to point to the relationship between the disciple and God. In our present Western circumstances, we dismiss slavery as something that is not honoring to God. Another Scriptural allegory that is used to represent the relationship between Christ and the church is the groom-bride relationship. While all Christians recognize this allegory in Scripture, some give it greater influence and priority over other allegories. More specifically, in today's modern debate over homosexuality, it seems as though this allegory is revered in more conservative circles. I wonder how we as believers can use this allegory in an argument against homosexuality, while at the same time read allegories about slavery and still argue against slavery? This seems like an inconsistent interpretation of Scripture. What are we to do with this? Are we willing to admit that we think slavery is right? Do we explain away thi...

I look forward to our wedding reception this coming June. It will be an event that brings together so many people who have been a part of various aspects of our lives. I can't wait for them to meet each other and to celebrate our marriage vows with us! Yet my potential guest list exceeds the available reception space as well as our finances. This means that I cannot invite everyone, even though I want to include every single person who has ever played a role in my life! So, I will invite more than I have room for, knowing that many will not accept the invitation. Some have already told me about other weddings they are invited to that day. Others will have to work and still others will not be able to make the lengthy trip. Thus as I receive their "regrets" I will send out additional invitations to those who are farther down our guest list. At the same time as I attempt to limit who I invite I take into consideration who would be most appreciative of the invitation, as well...

"It follows from this that the universe is good, that the reason for its present lamentable state is not to be sought in the Creator but in the fact that the highest created state is that of a free, rational being, so that to create a universe capable of containing the highest form of goodness was to create a universe that depended on the free obedience of rational beings, the fall being the failure of rational beings to remain faithful to the good." - taken from xlviii of the Introduction to Genesis I-II in the "Ancient Christian Commentary On Scriptures: Old Testament I: Genesis I-II" edited by Andrew Louth, Marco Conti, Thomas C. Oden, and a list of others.

The most difficult decision I've had to make thus far in preparing for our wedding ceremony was selecting the maid of honor. I have two best friends who I have asked to be bridesmaids and I love them both dearly. I call them both "my best friend." I know that the word "best" implies only one, but for me, I've never been able to nor felt a need to choose one of them over the other. They are each my best friend in a different and unique way. Recently my grandmother asked me to read the book "The Shack." At one point in the story the main character is asked which of his children he loves the most. His answer is simply that there is not one child he loves more than another, he just loves each child differently. How would a mother choose between daughters as maid of honor? How would a sister choose between siblings to be the maid of honor? In my situation it would have been the easiest to choose my sister, but I really want to have one of my best frien...

Check out this article aboout the propositions on state ballots this election: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/october/20.31.html

As I am reading various texts for my New Testament class, I am reminded both of God's instruction to the Hebrews to regularly forgive debt and the Israelites recognition of calamity as a message requesting repentance. I wonder how the Hebrew Word of God speaks to our contemporary situation. I also wonder how the words of Jesus spoken to people living in a possibly similar time of economic crisis and empire rule speak to us today. For one, I wonder why we are taking out more loans in order to "cure" our economic ill. Is there a way that we could make a move of debt forgiveness? What would happen, if, the President or Congress announced that every single debt held within the U.S. is forgiven and that all the books need to be cleared and new books created? I recognize that there are a lot of challenges to this proposal, specifically because our money has become electronic. But, is there some way that this principal of forgiveness could be applied to our current situatio...

What if the next President announced that all debt held between U.S. citizens is forgiven? What would be the result? (Speaking figuratively)

I am not an expert in politics. Last nights debate reminded me of how little I know about the political process. It is on this note that I am writing down and sharing my thoughts about the presidential candidates and their policies or stances on critical issues. Health Care McCain - By offering a tax gift of $5,000 to each family, McCain did not recognize that not everyone has access to health insurance and thus the $5,000 will not go far. In order to get my vote, McCain needs to recognize that some of the people who need the care the most do not have access to health insurance: people who do not work for employers who offer group insurance and those who have illnesses or diseases that were "pre-existing" and thus not insurable. Obama - This candidate recognizes that not everyone has access to health insurance, that health care is expensive, and that the quality of health care varies depending upon where you live and who you are. The problem is that universal health care ...