Spirit Gives Birth To Spirit

What is faith according to the bible?  Faith is the expectant hope of things yet to come and the ability to rely on things we cannot tangibly hold on to.  According to Hebrews 11, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) What does this mean for those of us stuck in the mire and muck of everyday life?  Very little, I think if you don’t think that you’re stuck.  It has been my experience that faith does not come to someone who thinks that life is fine and there is nothing more, until they are faced with a crisis.  Why is this?  I think the answer is dependence.  If you think all is well and there is nothing except the cards you have been dealt, you have no need to look outside your life.  And that is fine. Some people get lost in entertainment, some find some purpose like raising children or in their work.  Maybe you find purpose in being part o...

So I was thinking about how I could sum up Christianity in one word for an atheist who was inclined to hear me out.  The word is “love”.  That is nice and touchy-feely, and somewhat nauseating, but just what do I mean? For me the journey has been a long one, and promises to last for the rest of my life and possibly for eternity. But it began with giving up control. In the 12 step model, you pick a higher power.  Many people use that concept to reconnect with the God they shelved after their childhood.  Some people choose “the group” or even “a doorknob.”  The point isn’t to solve the question of if there is a god or not, the point is to give up your illusion of control. For a “person of the book” (Muslim, Christian, or Jew) we put our lives in God’s hands, in whatever way we understand him or her or it.  This is where the doorknob only gets you sober and no further. In Christianity, God in his most irreducible basic element is relationship.  He i...