Thoughts on Faith paraphrasing wise men.

There are so many things that are amazing about going on a mission trip, very refreshing, striking the “I’m going to save the world” mentality. It’s at the time when it’s a familiar place where you have been before. I’m moving there soon, I want to move there that is. I have found refugee among people who want to follow Christ in a radical way. It’s not about conservative versus liberal views just action and faith together following Jesus’ love for people. I’m worried even though Jesus proclaimed that money doesn’t run the world and that we do not need to be so ingrained in the concept that money rules the world.

My spring break involved kids from broken homes sent to a school that tries to teach but ends up as a babysitting agency. There are kids that do want to be there and enjoy learning. I’m not the greatest with kids though, but the people in St. Louis at City Lights have taken me in and helped me realize that I have a home down there. St. Louis is the second largest refugee city in the nation, the first is Houston or maybe New York, I know it’s not Quincy Illinois though.

I’m a fan of being mission's, compassionate and ready to give my life for Christ to an extent unfortunately. Here’s the truth, I live for performance at times. The looking glass Christian who looks in the mirror and wants to see a similarity to Jesus but looks more like the Emperor’s new clothes (naked and narcissistic). One who believes there are the possibilities of the Gospel but they our bottled up and stored for consumption only at appropriate times. It’s a canned faith and it’s as stale as an opened day old soda pop. I will believe only when it’s a luxury and attractive looking, not a necessity like the very air God created to be a life force for our existence.

My faith can easily be explained like Gary Haugen describes in his book “Good News about Injustice” when he describes faith in comparison to Object permanence found in infants. I only believe when something is directly in front of me. We need prayer; I need pray both for me and too pray for others. When we pray it is like the very oxygen we rely on, we inhale faith and righteousness and exhale our sins that have been forgiven. Don’t ever give up.

My instructor Gerry said “For God so loved the world and yet we don’t.” We simply ignore it and destroy it. Here in America, we own the realm of being wasteful and wasted. I’m wondering about the bracelet that I am wearing it says “Jesus loves you” in the language of Ukraine, which is good but flipped around says “Made in China.” With object permanence I think who made this? I think did the maker of the bracelet believe in Jesus. Has the maker of the bracelet heard about the Gospel? Was the person paid a fair wage? Then easily forget and go about my business wondering what happened to Jim and Pam on the Office or what I am going to wear to school on Monday. We have the ability to care in small quantities.

We have worships in locked churches across the nation, ignoring the man sleeping on the back steps in the middle of winter. Worshipping a homeless man, a refugee, a king who look on the sins of the world yet we roll our eyes to the videos showing starving children and thinks it’s a scam. We, unfortunately become “happy hypocrites” living in a country without equal health care for its people and also a people who have created bloodshed across the land.

I could never be a war pastor that would be the worst job. My thoughts would be very hard to justify, God please bless these soldiers as they shoot and bomb these other soldiers. God please “protect us from this exotic people.” It’s unfortunately politics that blinds us, liberal versus conservative much like protestant versus Catholic. What are the politics of Jesus? What shape is the world like with his system?

I would have so much trouble with it, I’m praying for “our” safety as children of God against other children of God. Would I make exceptions though, it’s okay to kill them, there Muslims and need to be converted.” It’s a horrible position of blind faith, praying for safety and protection. Most days I wrestle with personal, selfish sin issues and neglect the worldview of altruism. One general idea is that we are saved and does not need to help out others must be smashed. It’s an ugly way to live; helping others actually helps us. There must be some neurological similarities with helping others that triggers our dopamine pathways; the pleasure pathways can go crazy. I don’t currently know the part of the relationship

I’m in with my faith, the honey moon stage has come and gone and I’m working on avoided the bland oatmeal type faith, turning my relationship into a comfortable recliner and television lifestyle, where I believe in God with a hardened heart and see the Gospel from only one tunnel vision lens. I know in the Bible it was said that there will always be poor but it shouldn’t be this bad. I’m convicted and also afraid that I will yield my action and neglect what is right in front of me.