Thursday, December 1, 2011

Questioning Faith

Why do we believe in a particular faith?

It is a question that at some point in our life we must ask of ourselves. For most of us the answer is that it is the faith of the family that raised us. There are several old quotes that remind us of this fact. “As a child is raised so shall he be,” and “Give us a child for seven years and he is ours for life.”

The last quote does not always pan out but it is often true. Young adults often reach a point where they question everything their parents said or believed. They question everything including the existence of God. I went that route myself in my early twenty’s. My path back to the faith I was raised in was one that was full of questions and searching. The circle was completed in a very personal and spiritual experience.

The circle of faith does not always return to one’s original grounding then a conversion takes place. This often happens during a life crisis such as the death of a loved one. I have known Buddhist to become Christian and Christian to become Buddhist. There have been Muslim who become Christian and Christian who become Muslim. This can be true for any two religions. One who converts to another faith is often the most zealot because the process comes out of a deep personal choice and conviction.

Either a return to faith or a change of faith produces a stronger personal faith because the person involved has had to question everything.  

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Warrning A PUNishment Joke

An ancient Babylonian general was once involved in a plot to overthrow the king. His plot included a number of followers in the upper ranks of the army. However, his plot was uncovered, and the king threw him in jail. The king sentenced him to death without a trial. 

However, from the jail he was able to secretly contact his followers to arrange to escape, meet his followers, and attack the king's palace at night. So the night before his scheduled execution, the general managed to escape from prison. He fled to a ziggurat several kilometers away, where his followers would meet him. However, the ziggurat was one of several in the area, and he wasn't sure if his cohorts would find the right ziggurat. By this time it was twilight, so he lit a small fire and sent smoke signals to indicate in which structure he was hiding. 

However, the king's loyal soldiers saw the smoke coming from the ziggurat, and came to arrest him before he could meet his followers. He was executed later that day. 

The moral of the story? WARNING: The searching general has determined that smoking ziggurats can be extremely hazardous to your stealth.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Protecting Trust

1. Trust is paramount and extremely fragile, it should be safeguarded at all cost.

2. Honesty is the path to trust, with out it you cannot build.

3. Complacency WILL eventually kill a relationship.  And it is a long slow painful torturous death worse then dying.

4. Words, when said, cannot be taken back, and can be sharper then any knife. The difference, the wounds they leave may last a lifetime, and still never heal. Beware.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Taking Control

There are things in life we cannot alter. We can try but it only leads to frustration. Mother Nature brings storms and violent actions that damage our living space and we can not stop that from happening. War happens and people we love die and we can not change that. Other people do things that cause us grief and we must deal with the fall out in our lives.

 

Things have happened in the past that affect us but they are beyond repair. Until we recognize the reality of the past as it was and everyone in it as they were, the past will control us. If we let it all stand as history and simply let it be we can find peace with in us. Then we can create a peaceful now and a peaceful future. If we learn from the past we can keep from repeating the mistakes and grow as a person and as a society.


It is how we live out this day that affects our lives and the lives of those around us. Each choice in the now matters in our future so each point of change is under our control for that moment. So let us live each day to the fullest, loving God and loving others in each action we take. 

Sunday, November 27, 2011

First Sunday in Advent

Today we are lighting the first candle on the Advent Wreath.


First Sunday of Advent

Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. This is the candle of HOPE.

With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May we receive God’s light as we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined."
-- 
Isaiah 9:2

Let us pray: 

Lord as we look to the birth of Jesus, grant that the light of your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope. Amen.