Faith part 2

So I talked about faith, but didn't give you personal examples of my journey to faith, losing faith, and my path back to my faith with a deeper understanding and appreciation for having faith in my life. Now, I know wonderful men and women of all faiths. They are respectful of others and their beliefs. I don't tell them that they are wrong or that the path I am taking is the only path that people should take in their lives. The reason is my understanding of religion and what I believe God is telling us. First off, that faith is important, because it teaches us that we don't own anything, that all we can hope to do is manage the things in our lives. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or Wiccan, you realize that you own nothing and that you turn over the falseness of ownership.

So as I look back over my life so far here is what I see from my life. First off, as kids we have faith and its easy to have faith. Just like we eat less as kids, it takes less for us to fill our faith cup. So the beauty of the world, the sounds of nature, and the simple joys in life so us that God is present in our lives, and we believe with all our hearts. As we get older, it takes more to fill the cup and we are tempted more often to fill our faith cup with other seemingly fulfilling feelings. Lust, anger, pride, greed, and apathy can quickly replace the space that should be filled by faith. I personally have fallen into this trap. I always believed in God, but stopped giving God my time and effort because I thought I knew better. I figured God loved me no matter what, and he does, but I disrespected him by not putting my faith in God. I quit trying to fill my cup. I reached my lowest faith point after my grandfather and father died a month apart. I just quit caring. God, however, has a plan, and only he knows how it will unfold.

So, in order to restore my faith, and fix my path, he sent my wife, Brandi, into my life. That was the first step to the road to recovery. After Brandi, he sent me our oldest son. Andrew. He was a huge step towards straightening out my life and rebuilding my faith.

Now, I was married with our oldest and God sent me to Arkansas to really begin to heal If you are ever in Arkansas. and in Siloam Springs, stop by Eastgate Church of Christ. They are wonderful people and were there for my family and I when we needed them during a difficult time in our lives.

Now, this might sound strange, but the next step in healing for me, came in the form of a tornado. Now, these are dangerous storms, but it was because of it, I witnessed some of the most amazing acts of kindness in my life. My family, and my friends are family, showed up and helped my mom salvage what we could and move it out of her house. That was my home, and our center of our universe for almost my whole life. And it was go e. I was learning on that day that my family was the center of my universe and God has blesses me with the most amazing family in the world. God was showing me that faith pays off. The latest blessing God has allowed my family to enjoy is our new church, Woodcrest in Columbia. It is not your average church so you should check it out. Go to www.woodcrest.com or www.woodcrestworldwide.com.

So I keep my faith, and thank God everyday for the blessings he has allowed me to manage and do my best to turn his blessings into more, to show him I will use everything God blesses me with and return more to God when I'm called home.

Faith

This is one of the greatest gifts that God bestowed upon man, and it is also one of the least used gift by mankind.  We are fleeting and lose faith quickly.  We become distracted and what quick and easy answers, and forget God doesn't just wash our problems away.  We don't realize that we are the only ones that can fix our problems, and that we need to keep our faith in God to show us the way for us to fix our own problems. If he wanted us to do nothing for ourselves, and never learn a lesson, never advance as a community together, then he could, but what would be the point in that, and in us even being here then.  I mean, we cause more trouble for God than we solve.  We fight, kill, maim, destroy, and burn the people and planet around us.  We have become so full of our own self-fulfillment, that we have faith in ourselves, but not in God.  That is a lousy place to put faith.  Only God is deserving of our faith, because God created the heavens and the Earth and everything else, and science is slowly starting to prove it, as well.  See science and religion, they have always seemed to be at a crossroads to each other, when in reality, they are 2 sides to the same road.  Doctors see miracles everyday, that modern medicine cannot explain.  Physicists are showing that in the moments of the Big Bang, that some force, God, help start the process that gave us everything.  Science shows that there were 12 essential steps for Earth to be able to sustain life, and if they didn't happen in that order or if certain particles weren't formed, life couldn't exist.  Tell that doesn't scream of the hand of God was present when we needed those steps to happen.  I can trust science and have faith in God because one helps strengthen my faith in the other.  Faith is what helps you endure the hard times, and I have had those in my life.  Faith lets you see that a phone call from a friend is more than what is seems, it carries you through the darkness and shows you the light of hope.  Faith lets you believe in tomorrow.  If you can put your faith where it needs to go, if you can just realize that beating you head against the wall only gives you a headache, then faith rewards you with the ability to hope, love, and dream again.

Mercy

Mercy.  It is a very powerful, yet very misunderstood action in today's world.  Mercy is seen as a sign of weakness, the sign of a coward or of a pushover.  People who are merciful are seen as weak and somehow beneath the strong and rich and powerful.  The merciful are seen as less than they truly are in the world we live in today.  Mercy is not the act of weakness, but an act of someone who is strong, confident, and humble.  They know what it is to be knockdown, beat up on, spit on, and bullied until you want to cry.  They have lost love ones, lost a job, lost their way, or just felt lost altogether.  They have seen the horrors of this world, survived, and are now trying with all their strength to lift others out of the situations that they themselves were once stuck.  Whether it be an abusive relationship, alcoholism, gambling, racking up more debt than they could ever pay back, or drugs, the merciful seek out these individuals and offer a helping hand.  The best way I can explain it is through a story or a parable.  I am remembering a scene from the West Wing, and it involves 2 characters.  Josh Lyman is the Deputy Chief of Staff, and had just survived a gunshot wound that almost killed him.  He had been acting out to his friends and colleagues in an angry and hostile manner that was unlike his normal self.  His boss, Leo McGary, the Chief of Staff, called him into his office, after Josh had just yelled at the President.  Leo tells Josh that he needs to see a trauma therapist, and Josh reluctantly agrees.  After seeing the therapist, Josh goes to talk to Leo, and asks him how he knew that Josh needed help.  Here is the story he tells Josh.


"A man is walking along and falls into a deep hole that he cannot climb out of under his own power.  A doctor walks by and he yells up to the doctor,' Doc, can you help me out?'  The doctor looks down on the man, pulls out a prescription pad, writes him a prescription, and tosses it down the hole to the man.  A couple hours later, a priest walks by, and the man sees him.  He yells to the priest,'Father, I'm stuck down in this hole, can you help me out?'  The priest looks down to the man, write down a prayer, and tosses it down the hole to the man.  A few hours later, the man's friend Joe walks by, and the man yells,' Hey Joe, I stuck down here. Can you help me out?'  Without thinking, Joe looks at his friend, and jumps down into the hole.  The man is beside himself, looking at Joe, saying,' What in the world did you do that for, now we are both stuck down here!'  Joe looks at his friend and replies,' Yeah I know, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'"

Mercy is not weak.  Mercy is given to inspire hope, show great love, and compassion to those who need it most.  I have seen acts of mercy, given some, and heard stories of great mercy.  Victoria Soto gave a the greatest act of love and mercy, when she sacrificed herself to save all the kids in her class.  She was NOT a coward or weak.  New York's Finest ran into the burning towers to save others.  They were NOT weak.  Our Armed Service people that serve our great country, who give the "last full measure of devotion" as Lincoln put it, are NOT weak when they are trying to raise up those, who cannot raise themselves up.
Mercy is an act of unbelievable strength, of courage and character.  Mercy can come from those who have strength, power, and money without making themselves appearing weak at all.  We need to change our culture to show that I can lift someone up out of despair when they need a helping hand or a kind word, and let the evils of this world know that if they threaten my life, my family, or friends that I will posses the strength to stop and destroy that evil without seeming to be unmerciful.  Stopping evil is NOT unmerciful, but our duty to each other and an act of mercy, as well.  We need to quit ignoring the evils going on around us and have the strength to stop them, and the mercy to lift those up who are in the most need of help.

So I challenge you, do acts of charity, show mercy to those who really need it, and the resolve to have the strength to stop evil in this world.

So I ask for a discussion.  What are acts of mercy that you have seen, shown, given, received, or heard in your own life? Post a comment and share it with everyone to show that good and mercy still exist.

Wisdom vs Knowledge

Wisdom is defined in Websters as an accumulated philosophic or scientific learning, an ability to discern inner qualities and relationships, good sense, generally accepted beliefs.  Knowledge is defined as the fact of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association, an acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique; the fact or condition of being aware of something, the range of one's information or understanding, the sum of what is known, the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind.
While looking at these 2 definitions, they may seem similar, they are worlds apart in what they mean to us as people and as a world.  The world doubles its knowledge just about every 2 years, and with the Internet and social media, knowledge and news travels faster than every before in the history of humankind.  The problem is that while knowledge can solve a lot of the worlds problems, we, as a society, are focusing on the trivial knowledge and filling our minds with things that will not matter in a year or 10 years.  Colleges offer classes on the history of a single actor or actress, news broadcasters that want to be the first to report the latest new celebrity scandal, news websites that rush to report a story without checking to make sure that, not only are all the facts are right, but they don't even check to see if the story is even true to begin with in the first place.  We fill our heads with movie trivia "knowledge", little known music facts about bands, and back stories about friends or relatives of celebrities and trying to embarrass the others.  None of this knowledge with help anyone, save no one's life in the process, or fix any of the worlds problems.  However, all of it is knowledge by definition.

Wisdom is different than knowledge.  Wisdom is knowing that debt is bad, without having to go into debt to find that fact out.  Wisdom is having an understanding heart and showing mercy to those who need it the most, but not backing down from those that would seek to tear you down to make themselves feel better, or attack your family so that others will feel like they feel all the time.  It tells us that bullying others is wrong, evil and apathy are wrong, and that good people must do something when they see evil, people hurting, or someone who needs a helping hand.  Every major religion endorses the benefits of wisdom over an unquenchable thirst for knowledge that will never be filled.  Wisdom has you seeking answers, asking the right questions, and knowing when enough is enough.

Wisdom tells us that while we cannot do everything. we all can do something and if everyone does something , we can fix just about every problem that we have created on this planet.  There is a song by Garth Brooks called "Changes".  In it, he talks about people criticizing him for helping, and he tells us that to each person he helped, it matters to that person.  My favorite part is," I do this so, this world will know, that it will not change me."  You need to be the change in the world that you want to see, not let the world change you into someone you can't live with yourself.

Wisdom can move mountains and quiet storms, can lift people out of the worst possible moments in their lives to a place of utmost serenity, and can give people the courage to change the lives of people around them.  So what will you do to help spread wisdom and change lives?

Innocence.

Innocence. How fragile is that state that it really only truly exists in little children and most parents try to protect it for as long as possible. It is a special and sacred state that is a mixture of real emotion, true honesty, and a wonderful view of the world, where anything and everything is possible. Innocence knows that evil exists, but believes that good always triumphs over evil and good men stand up to evil and even when they are afraid or outmatched, find ways to overcome the evil and obstacles in their way. That state is shattered over time and we become apathetic to the world around us and here only the bad news and evils of the world. The state of innocence is long forgotten and we become afraid to stand up for what is right. We retreat to our safe places, tune out that which does not directly effect us, and wonder why we should try. We say to ourselves that one person cannot make a difference, that the world is too big and too cold for us to make any kind of difference.
We must try though. We must remember that state of innocence and see the good in the world and never quit trying to make a difference. Teach the next generation to believe and have faith,to hope and love. To make a difference in another's life, so that they may carry it on to others lives in the future.
When Jesus was asked by his disciples, in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 18, "who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus goes on to tell us why the innocence of a child is so special and precious. He says," whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."
This state of innocence should be protected and yes theirs is evil in the world, but people are not born evil. They become that way by only seeing evil and apathy and believing that good is a fantasy that is only in kid movies and tv shows. Whether you believe in Jesus or not, believe that a child's state of innocence. needs to be protected and cherished. We need to restore the belief that good can and does triumph over evil and that apathy is just as bad as evil.