Faith | Faith Venture

Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

Wesley on Faith and Good Works

October 10, 2024

John Wesley pondered in one of his sermons, “The first usual objection to this is, that to preach salvation or justification, by faith only, is to preach against holiness and good works. To which a short answer might be given: ‘It would be so, if we spake, as some do, of a faith which was separate from these; but we speak of a faith which is not so, but productive of all good works, and all holiness.’ “

Paul the Apostle tried to express thoughts like this in various letters—that after faith a follower just naturally acts with service and mutual submission.

James the Apostle and half-brother of Jesus (or step-brother, or whatever your theology), not one to beat around the bush, flatly stated that faith without works is dead.

Jesus talked of his followers producing good fruit.

Faith produces good works and holiness. What fruit are you producing?

Posted in Faith, Service | Leave a Comment »

Dogma or Experience?

August 9, 2024

The church became officially recognized in the early 300s. By 330 CE, it had a creed, an official book of scripture, and evidently had developed rituals.

It was not much later that groups of men and women trekked into the desert wildernesses of Syria and Egypt searching for an alternative to the Church’s reliance on dogma and doctrinal orthodoxy as the means to understanding the depths of God.

These searchers gathered in small groups or went out to a cave alone to meditate and look for God’s presence.

This tradition has continued even until today. Perhaps the rock’n’roll mega churches were a bit of reaction to formal ritual and dogma. But each group develops its own ritual and dogma.

Many are not satisfied with either. We search for a deeper understanding of God. When Jesus spoke of different types of people, the Greek translation of his Aramaic was makarios. But it means more than “blessed” or “happy.” Its deeper meaning refers to a deep relationship with God. It is not a superficial “you will be happy” sort of thing.

If dogma soothes your soul, so be it. That should not be criticized. Some of us long for a deeper spiritual experience of God that can be translated to outer service in pursuit of peace, justice, healing.

Posted in Faith, Meditation, Service | Leave a Comment »

Healthy Faith

May 10, 2024

I picked up these thoughts from Arthur C. Brooks, who wrote Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier with Oprah Winfrey. He is a devout Catholic and is a friend of the Dalai Lama. After his recent visit, he jotted some notes from their conversation. He says it better than I could.Try living these, not as a checklist but incorporated as a fundamental way of life. Maybe I’ll write these on a PostIt note and put it on my desk as a reminder when I begin my day.

Healthy faith builds on seven truths:

All people are our family;
Life demands gratitude;
Love repays love;
We are made for empathy;
Love is action, not a feeling;
That action is compassion.
Life’s purpose is to uplift and unite others.

Become a teacher of love. Your classroom is every interaction. Teach through action.

Posted in Faith, Living | Leave a Comment »

Good Friday to Easter-A Journey

March 29, 2024

It is probably a character flaw.

I wrote that sentence this morning. I could not concentrate. Then we left for lunch. I have no idea where I was going, since I have so many of those “flaw” things.

I know I was contemplating the death of Jesus.

And how some people apply layers of theological thinking to the event.

And how some people enjoy (?) wallowing in the gory details of how a person dies during a crucifixion.

And how some people avoid those negative scenes.

Then, only the shift in time from Friday to Sunday.

They knew he had died and been buried. But he was missing. Then he appeared and talked with a couple. Then more. Then lots more. Later (we don’t really know how long) he cooked breakfast on the shore of the lake.

Once again, there are those who overlay many layers of theology on the meaning of the events.

But there were too many witnesses to be ignored. And the story spread faster than any lie (well, today thanks to social media, lies spread instantaneously, but they didn’t have X back then). Within a decade thousands of people found their spiritual searching fulfilled in the person of the Jesus who came back to life.

You can involve yourself in a multiplicity of theological disputes. Or, you can simply say, “I’d like to live with that guy who died and came back to life.” It’s called following Jesus and living with-God every day.

Posted in Attitude, Christianity, Faith | Leave a Comment »

I Am With You

September 12, 2023

Haggai, the prophet, wrote that God said, “I am with you.”

Jesus told his followers at the end of his ministry, “I will be with you.”

What does that mean?

Is it more than a feeling (sounds like a 60s love song)?

Jon Swanson asked once when Jesus asks you to follow him, what would you pack? Great question.

So, I packed to follow Jesus, because he is with me.

Literally? (OK, you Biblical literalists, hit me with that.)

Do I just think he is with me?

Do I believe that he is right here in the room with me? Do I see him? Hear him? Smell him?

Maybe I feel his presence in a way that cannot really be described in prose. It is more than a feeling. Yet, it is not a physical presence. I think they have hospitals for people who say they can see, touch and smell Jesus or God right now.

These meandering thoughts remind me of a Jesus movement song from a long time ago–love is something you do, not always something that you feel, but it’s real.

Yeah, that’s it.

Posted in Awareness, Faith | Leave a Comment »

Relate With People By How They Are Not What They Look Like

January 16, 2023

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream

I was a student when Martin Luther King delivered that speech. I don’t know the degree to which this comment inspired me or if I was just always this way. I have always tried to treat people individually where they are. If they are poor or rich or powerful and they have more stuffing than a Christmas goose, I deal one way. Most people are just hard-working individuals trying to do their jobs. I don’t care if they are CEO or junior assistant account executive. They deserve to be treated with honesty and respect. And I try.

Today in the US is an official holiday observing the birth and work of Martin Luther King. It is good to remember the good he did, what he stood for.

The movement did some good. Laws were passed. Barriers were broken.

Today I believe that there is broader acceptance of people of varying skin colors, races, languages. Yet, still much work remains. Some prejudices are hard to overcome. They require a change of heart in each individual.

If you read the gospels carefully, you’ll see that Jesus was doing just that. He met with people of different ethnic groups at their level of need. He healed regardless of being Jewish or not. He was forever concerned with the status of one’s heart.

How do you change hearts? We have certain Christians who think that passing more laws will suffice. That didn’t work out so well in the end for the Pharisees of Jesus’ time.

Unfortunately, you don’t change hearts with laws or with one magnificent speech. Ann Lamont wrote a wonderful little book Bird by Bird, where she tells the story of her brother. He procrastinated over writing a report on birds for school. Now it’s the night before it’s due. (Sound familiar?) He whines to his father about how he’ll ever get it done. “Just write bird by bird and you’ll get it done.”

Just like a good bread requires time to rise, so a changed heart requires time for the change to root and grow. And it happens one heart at a time.

Dr. King set out a vision. Much good did happen. But the hard work remains for each of us. What is the condition of our own heart? Where can we nurture another’s heart?

Posted in Attitude, Evangelism, Faith, Leadership, Relationship | Leave a Comment »

Can We Live With Mystery?

December 1, 2022

There was a man with whom I once co-taught a Bible class who would often say, “This is going on my list of things to ask when I get to heaven.” He recognized that he didn’t know everything. He knew whom to ask.

We are in Advent. It’s a mystery.

A virgin becomes pregnant. We know that can happen. A couple of hormone-driven teens, sperm gets sprayed a bit, who knows, it happens even without intercourse. But with Mary, we don’t know. There is no detailed manual of exactly what happened. It is a mystery.

Joseph has a vision. Zachariah has a vision, Mary had a vision. Simeon had a vision. Anna the prophetess had a vision. Why so many? At the same time? It’s a mystery.

Jews at that moment of history were living with heightened expectation. I think Greeks and Romans were, also. It was a time ripe for something to happen. Why then? It’s a mystery.

I have some engineering training. Engineers are notorious for seeing things in black/white. A problem solved or not. But I also forged a Liberal Arts education. I’m comfortable with shades of gray, nuance, mystery.

I am not driven to figure out a logical, rational, scientific explanation for all this. It’s a marvelous mystery. And where would we be without the birth of Jesus? But that’s a mystery.

Maybe more of us need to be like my old friend Omar, who admitted he didn’t know everything. But he could be patient and ask and wonder.

Advent isn’t a time to figure out the mystery. It’s a time to revel in it.

Posted in advent, Faith | Leave a Comment »

Closest To God

October 17, 2022

Humans often ask impossible questions of God. The questions often are a variation on the theme of just where is God, anyway.

Where was God when the tragedy occurred? Where was God when I needed support and care and strength?

I used to ask how will God get me out of this mess I’ve gotten myself into.

If we keep our awareness antennae focused, we discover later that God was there all along. God doesn’t prevent tragedy from occurring. Well, sometimes I think maybe he does. But many writers have told stories about discovering God at work in the midst of doubt, despair, fear, worry.

God was closest to us in those moments. We often don’t realize the support we get until later reflection reveals God and our friends were there all along.

Maybe we spend hours in meditation, contemplation, and prayer hoping to be close to God. Maybe we don’t realize the presence surrounds us ready to pounce when most needed.

Posted in Faith | Leave a Comment »

You Are Blessed

August 25, 2022

What a great way to begin a long session of teaching:

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
Your blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the one most dear to you.
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘carefull’, you find yourselves cared for.
You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s Kingdom.
Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

No matter what season of life you are inhabiting right now–you are blessed.

So many of us can only see all the bad things around us. We open “social” media–other people are either parroting misinformation designed to make us feel bad or extolling how great their life is (making us think about how much we are missing). We turn on “news.” It is designed to capture our emotions to keep us tuned in to sell us stuff through advertising. This has been true for many years of the news media. We used to nickname a leading local TV station as “wrecks, rapes, and murders.”

But Jesus says we are blessed.

I think I will sit in contemplation for a bit today and soak in this blessedness. Perhaps tomorrow and the following day, also. Perhaps I can experience what being blessed feels like. Must be good.

Posted in Christianity, Faith, forgiveness | Leave a Comment »

Blessed When People Don’t Like You, or Worse

August 24, 2022

We are reaching the end of the Beatitudes. Sort of an outline for Jesus and his teaching. This one is a bit different. We must be careful how we approach this one, which is longer.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s Kingdom. Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Some people, at least in America I’m not sure about other places, seem to go out of their way to achieve this one. Or perhaps look for instances of this. But their view of persecution stops short of anything personally threatening. It’s more along the lines of “the popular people in town don’t like me.” Some actually use this as a source of pride.

I think of people who emulate the preacher in the stage play and movie Paint Your Wagon who thought it was his role to condemn people and took a perverse pride in not being liked.

I don’t think that Jesus told us to try to be disliked. That is merely being obnoxious. But in Jesus’s day, choosing him (God) was rejecting both the Roman power structure and the Jewish power structure. Either one of which could cause death in the extreme cases.

Continuing to live on the path of following Jesus–living in the moment with-God–will threaten some people who may attack you physically, emotionally, financially. You are blessed because you are still with God. It’s not a disgrace. It’s not a source of pride. It’s a blessing to live with-God no matter what.

Posted in Attitude, Christianity, Faith | Leave a Comment »

Faith Venture