Truths I tell myself

Now for my first fairly controversial, and dare I say it vulnerable post. About two and a half years ago, I sat down in a McDonalds after a long day of driving and job hunting and tried to figure out two things; what do I really believe? and what am I really called to do in relation to what I hold most true? The following is what I came up with. I go back to this from time to time, and I thought this may be a good place to begin some discussions:

Things I know to be true:

God is real. He not only exists, but He creates existence and intervenes in history on His behalf.

When God breaks time and reveals Himself, He does so through His word

The word of God is Jesus Christ

The Bible is the Word of God when God chooses to transform it into Jesus

Jesus is the norm for all Christian, faithful action

The Gospel is that Jesus Christ has acted on behalf of the world which could not act rightly nor adequately on its own behalf

Jesus' action comes in the counter-cultural, subversive form of cross and resurrection

The Church has been called to practice, model and proclaim the Jesus of cross and resurrection

The Church practices cross and resurrection in the sacraments of baptism and communion

The Church models cross and resurrection by being an alternative community committed to caring for a world that is incapable of caring for itself

The Church proclaims cross and resurrection in the life of its members particularly in the areas of marriage, singleness and economic faithfulness

Economic faithfulness is primarily concerned with the ways in which Christians make and spend money

Naming a vocation:

My call is to serve the Church as a reminder of her calling as already laid out

This call may best be accomplished by reminding the Church of whom she has been and proclaiming God's vision for who she may be, and can not be done in isolation.

To fulfill my call I must be of sound mind, fit body, and pure heart

To be of sound mind I am committed to continual study and the discipline and rigor of consistent thought

To be of fit body I am committed to marital purity and excellence

I am committed to exercising physical habits (such as running, eating, gardening) that remind that me that I am a creature

To be of pure heart I committed to rejecting the lies of my nature and culture

I am committed to fostering healthy relationships

I am committed to fathering children in such a way that they learn the truth intentionally

Peace is better than violence but some peace is violence

Patience and perseverance are virtues that must shaped by cross and resurrection as opposed to goal orientation

I am not a business man. I am not a comedian. I am not a writer. I am a devoted follower of Christ with glaring deficiencies and a clear calling

My deficiencies include but are not limited to selfishness, lust, pride, greed and laziness

3-23-04