Good morning and happy Thursday. Faith, where to begin? This is from a Christian view of faith in God and in our lives. First, faith is the belief in something not seen.( Church way version ). I think you could add and not known. Not everyone knows God, but they still have a nagging in the inner being of something bigger. It's trust on steroids. So we've heard the phrase living in faith, or walking by faith. One and the same. From old text walking meant our life journey. So how do you live in faith? It can be a two edged sword for some. " I have faith that God will take care if this". Sure but what is your part in "this". If its the bills being paid your part is working and writing the check. He gave you a job to work at and trusts you to do what He needs you to do there. " I have faith that God will heal him and make him well ". Yes He can, but the healing may be on the other side of this life and not in that hospital room. When we lose our faith in God we're no longer trusting His word and then we are headed for doom. Again, faith is in what we can't see or don't always know. We're trusting God to be who He tells us through the prophets and scripture He is. That's really as far as you can take it. Just because you have faith doesn't mean the check is written and mailed for you without you doing something. Faith in God is the same thing, you have to be living for Him. Humble yourself and serve. Serve others needs and let them see God in you and then they have hope which leads right to faith. That's why they are together in the Bible with the biggest gift of all, love. He loves us no matter what. He has faith in us no matter what. He has hope in us no matter what. We feel His presence enough to know He's there. Have the faith to know He is who He is. He will never forsake you and never leave you. It's us who walks away from Him. And sometimes it's because we've lost our faith in Him. It is a daily ordeal for some an hourly one for others and that's why it's living, walking, in faith, it's all the time. You never saw Jesus and you never saw Him die for you, but have faith in Him that that is exactly what He did out of love for you. Your eternal life depends on it. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Wednesday. What does it mean to be in God's way? I'm in the way of God sounds good on one side but terrible on the other. Sometimes we have before us a task at hand that we feel God has presented to us and we begin to work, as good followers do. But what happens when it's not getting anywhere? You feel like nothing is working and the end is no where in sight. That's when questions begin to arise like, " why isn't this working" " why is there no progress" " is God really in this or am I seeing it for something else". Doubt of wether or not God brought this to you., really. We're good followers of Christ, we know when it's God. (Sarcasm in the tone above). I think that sometimes God puts things in our life to simply be a witness to His work, not to fix it. My wife once told me a very profound statement. " I don't need you to fix everything, I just need you to listen". No babe I haven't forgotten. Sometimes God just needs us to "listen" to Him as He works in the lives of others. You'll know when it's time for your role in it. So don't feel guilty or despair because you didn't do it for them. Be glad there's a God alive in all of us today and has not forgotten a single detail in our lives. He may be making someone stronger for you to able to lean on or draw from later. And when you find yourself as the project, don't let things hinder you from finding what God has for you, and most certainly don't begin to try and find blame. It's a test and only a test. It will make us all stronger and better able to serve God. So you, bystander, get out of God's way and let Him reveal Himself to the world through this mess. Stop trying to fix it and listen. Glory to God. In love always. <>< 

Good morning and happy Monday. Crippled, lame, deaf, mute, unclean and any other thing one could point out about someone, was considered an outcast in their society a ways back. Today they are called handicapped or disadvantaged. Whatever, the point is not the label  put on them. In Jesus' day these folks would be near be city gates or roads and other places that people passed by. They were seen daily and helped or not helped everyday by someone. Today we've built ramps and such to help make things as easy as possible for them to live a normal and independent life as possible. A good thing. How often do you see someone in a wheel chair in need of help? Imagine if there were no ramps or ways for that person to get up onto a sidewalk. Someone would have to stop and help. There would be a need in the life of a brother and a chance for us to help. Did we make all the things easier so we wouldn't have to deal with them? To make it easy for them to be out of mind? I don't think so but it's a thought. Have we built ramps in our lives to make it easier for us to not have to help Jesus? Are we making it "easier" for others to find Jesus without our help so we don't have to be involved. Out of sight out of mind. It's sad that we are becoming the Pharisee of our day. We are walking past those in plain sight and in need. Take down the ramps and the easy way and the idea that it will get done without you. It will, but you're needed to do your part, and start reaching out to those in need and those who are lost. We are the ramps God built for the world to use to get where they need to go, Home. Become useful to our Father, that's how He made us. In love always. <><