Most of my limited audience knows that I have struggled with faith and religious issues much of my life. I have chronicled as much in prior posts on this blog. That doesn't mean that I doubt God's existence or that I don't believe the word of God. My struggles, I guess, comes from thinking about it too much. Here are some questions I have:
1. Why is it that God speaks to some people and not to others?
I will be the first to admit that I have never been communicated to directly by God. Is it that my faith is not strong enough or that I don't ask the right questions when I pray? I do pray frequently and it seems like I am always asking for something; bless the food, heal the sick, travel mercies, etc. Maybe He wants to hear a little more gratitude.
2. How does God have the seemingly indefatigable patience with us?
I guess because He is God and we aren't meant to understand everything. The Bible lays out a blueprint to salvation and foretells the second coming of Christ yet we continue to spiral downward toward the rapture and tribulation. Apparently the housecleaning that will occur during those seven years are as inevitable as Christ's crucifixion. Just a matter of who gets taken during the rapture.
3. How much faith should we have in the "faithful"?
When people tell me they have a "calling" or they feel that "God lead me to do this" I am always curious (see number 1 above). Cynically, I would also note that this calling usually involves some else paying for it. Ministers are called to lead congregations and bring more people to Christ and salvation but my observation is that in most cases the "calling" has turned into a job and, at least in the Protestant denominations, their soul saving production has been pretty abysmal! I perceive ministers in a much different light than I did a few years ago.
4. When is a church truly dead and do you hang around for the burial?
I see them all around me. I belong to such a church. I have visited such churches. It is an epidemic in the Protestant denominations. About the only churches that ARE growing are evangelicals such as Baptist and Pentecostal. If it were just me I would have probably cut bait by now but I'm not the only one to consider. So we search for a pastor - again. With an average attendance of about 15 just how long do we keep it on life support. Remember God doesn't talk to me so I need some help from those of you that he does.
Okay, I will get back into political observations in the next blog. I was just looking over Obama's 2010 Income Tax Return and have some insights. You can tell a lot about a man from his income tax return. But I will be search for some of those from before he was in office. Stay tuned.....
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1 comment:
Not sure how to respond to this one brother, obviously your [much]young sister has no more answers than you, actually I think I have more questions. Mercy was my first tbought, mercy for us and the church.
While I too have never 'heard' the voice of God, I am a visual person and look for signs from Him daily, a flower, a child's smile, a perfect sunset... they often help me deal with the realities of the world and what is placed before me each day.
I'm struggling with church too; for so long it was a way of life, a habit, and the volunteering became a job. I lost touch with the reason why I attended and put up barriers between myself and God. I still have the barriers, of which I'm sure God is trying to breakdown (at least I hope He hasn't given up on me).
I don't have the answer for the church either; as long as one person wants it to remain and is willing to support it, it will be there. The question only you can answer is, 'should I be here?'. While you may not be the only one to consider in the answer, you will be the only one standing before Him in the end.
I will remain faithful and hopeful. Talk to God often and listen very carefully.
Just your baby sister's perpective.
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