Faith Forward

It's not often I write passage notes into my prayer journal. My journal is reserved for prayer. Today, however, God spoke to me through Hebrews 11 and my present circumstance. Prayer answered.

1. Faith is evidenced in assurance and conviction of things yet unseen. Just because I cannot see into the future doesn't make anything yet-to-be less certain.

2. Without faith it is impossible for me to live with and for my God. I don't want to be a functional agnostic.

3. Faith is experienced in the willingness to move forward into the unknown with confidence(see #1) and harder for me, optimism.

4. My faith gives me new identity, that of an "alien" living with hope and perspective external to my present circumstance, all with a transformed (and being transformed) world view.

5. My faith's result is new life (see #4) for me, and hopefully for other people.

6. My faith will be the only compelling reason to ever choose the harder way or greater personal risk. What is counter-intuitive is slowly becoming intuitive.

7. My faith is in someone greater than me, Jesus. Faith in faith by itself is perhaps sincere, but for me sincerely wrong. Faith in people (including me) or in institutions will disappoint. My faith is and must be in response toward someone greater than me. My faith calls me to believe and therefore trust a higher sovereignty.

My faith is being tested in these days leading up to our church conducting Sunday worship services. The present seems overwhelming and the future full of risk. How vital it is for me today to believe and find solace in what I just wrote.



(Thanks, Ron Gile for the killer photo!)

A Little Perspective Might Help

Though a native Southern Californian I have spent 23 years of my life in the Seattle area. While Santa Barbara is my hometown, the Seattle area feels like home base. I have been a Seahawks fan longer than most...because I am older than most. (I will also admit without apology that I took a detour in the 1980's to be relevant to my then Northern Cal constituency. Oddly enough, the black and silver team, not the red and gold team.)

While I am happy to join the Northwest corner (unlike the rest) of the Lower 48 in applauding the Seahawks' addition to the Super Bowl ledger, I am also troubled.

I am troubled over how we're all now on the bandwagon, and how this encourages a higher level of fevered emotion, devotion and wardrobe choices than it does toward more important things. It's like we're now all pawns of a new state religion. Might it be time for Christians in particular to re-calibrate?

I am troubled that each of us will 1) defend, or 2) judge the ill-timed on-camera post game rant by "that" cornerback. Our position is based almost exclusively on our team allegiance. I found it troubling that one well-intentioned defense included the fact that the player is from Compton, CA. (I guess we're supposed to ignore the strain of racial profiling in that.)

I am troubled that some of my pastor friends have been quick to play judge and jury regarding that same player. (C'mon, fellas; as leaders, what are we leading our people to?)

I am troubled that well-intentioned friends will now enter the "which team has more professing Christians than the other team" arms race that is intended to justify and/or persuade our affiliations. While I am happy to see believers on both teams we also ignore the more unsavory rap sheets of some of their teammates.

As stated, I am a happy Seahawks fan today. I hope they win the big one. I really do. I remember thinking the SF Giants would never win the World Series in my lifetime, but this they did. Twice. But if those baseball championships speak to this football season, we, all of us will care deeply about the next outcome. For about a day or two. And then the vicarious glory or vicarious pain will fade. As it should. That's what idols do.

One team or the other will be crowned "World Champions." Doesn't it strike you odd that no other nations have been invited? And would we not agree, our team winning or not winning has no real bearing on why we were created, who we are, or what we live for?