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Where are our Bridges? A Lesson From My Past..
Devotional thought of the day…
18 Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19 Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to treasure (do) everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. Matthew 28:18-20 (CEV) adapted
Monday, Wednesday and this mornign I returned to my undergraduate alma mater, the school were 30 years ago I started my journey towards becoming a pastor. I had the pleasure of working with some senior students, talking to them about sacramental views of the Lord’s Supper. It’s been a great experience, and provoked not only much thought about what I beleive and why I trust in God, but many memories.
As I walked across campus, I saw where the escalators were, and even though they never ran, it still seemed odd that they weren’t there.
Even odder was that the walking bridge that cross Nutwood Avenue is no longer there. Though never an “official” symbol of the school, it was a valued object lesson in missions, and in going to “all nations”. For across that bridge was the world, or at least the 28,000 students of California State University at Fullerton. A veritable mission field, and one of the reasons my alma mater, Pacific Christian College (now Hope International University), was re-located from Long Beach to Fullerton. 28,000 students, their faculty and staff, and our little school of 400 students had a mission field.
That bridge was our access point. Sure, you could cross at crosswalks – crosswalks that were still there.
Doug Dickey was one of my professors, as in his retirement he served as a professor of homilatics (preaching) and as the pastor of Campus Christian Fellowship. He led the students who did outreach over the CSUF. He constantly encouraged and molded us to keep our sermons and our ministry focused on Jesus, on Christ crucified. When i would write a sermon about some great theological truth, the question asked was, “where is Christ-crucified in your sermon Dustin? How will it save anyone, how will it give them hope?”
The Bridge….. was a way to share Christ… it was a way into others lives… it was a way to get to the what Peter called, “the words of life!” The words that were the reason Peter and others stayed with Christ. Words that made even more sense after the cross. A Bridge Doug would cross – leading us in prayer, zealous to engage our peers and friends in conversation, conversations that would eventually focus them on the cross, and on the love of God, and the presence of God in thieir lives. That bridge, it was the way to get the message out to the world, to people of every ethnicity, of every imaginable type.
It leaves me think ing….
Where are my bridges today? Where are yours? Were are the places we can go – to teach people of all nations about a Lord who loves them enough to die for them?
Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The local coffee shop? A Doctor’s office?
Where are our bridges, where we can teach everyone to treasure what Jesus has taught us…
To teach us His love…
May we never forget those people – or how to get to them….
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- The Eucharist and Its Effective Work on our Hearts: (justifiedandsinner.com)
What can be done to help??? The greatest thing… prayer!
Jesus in Pray (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional Thought of the Day:
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Tim. 2:1-4
439 Prayer is the most powerful weapon a Christian has. Prayer makes us effective. Prayer makes us happy. Prayer gives us all the strength we need to fulfil God’s commands. Yes!, your whole life can and should be prayer. (1)
In the last day, I have been asked a hundred times if there was anything that could be done to help, that I would let them know. Messages from friends, phone calls, hugs given quietly, the words over and over….
if there is anything I can do….
There is of course very little, but helping others when they are traumatized is a need we all have. It is a way of coping…. of dealing with the trauma and suffering we so hate to see friends endure. Some of us are good at it… we see our lives turn into doing this very thing.
And yet – nothing,… a small task here, a small thing there….. in some cases those in trauma find themselves making up tasks… or at least in the last days I have found myself in that situation. I truly appreaciate the care – and the sincerity and yet, from the world’s view, there is so little to be done.
Yes, my father is dead, and yes it hurts… and yes, I know everyone cares.. deeply cares for my family…. and I know there is a desire to help…
And there is something that can be done…
Something that makes more a difference, something that is wondrous, even glorious…
Pray… simply that… pray.
For in doing so, you call on the Lord who does interact in or lives, a Lord who desires that no one of us be lost – and if His love is that powerful, that strong in its desire to care for us, then prayer is not a “well at least I can…” but it is the primary thing, as St. Paul tells us. It is our power for salvation and therefore our power to live in His presence.
So for my mom, for my brother, and sister, and yeah for me….. pray, but not just for us…
for my friends Bob and Nancy, who also lost a dear friend on the same day as my dad…
for my friends, KB, and Hugh and Steve, who have had surgery in the last two days…
for others whom you know, who also suffer… and most importantly… those whom you know who don’t know Jesus, who don’t know His love and mercy…
St Josemaria has it right – prayer is our sacred opportunity, for it reminds us of His presence, His love, it is our weapon, to defend that which is alive in us… in Christ… to deliver those who God has sent us too…
You want to help those who are mourning? Pray… that God would make HIs presence and mercy known… and that the faith fhat sustains us… would sustain those who ill come to know of His love…
and…
Thank you..
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1690-1693). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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Real Prayer…Changes things… Will you?
Devotional Thought of the Day…
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
426 Today once again I prayed full of confidence. This was my petition: “Lord, may neither our past wretchedness which has been forgiven us, nor the possibility of future wretchedness cause us any disquiet. May we abandon ourselves into your merciful hands. May we bring before you our desires for sanctity and apostolate, which are hidden like embers under the ashes of an apparent coldness…” ”Lord, I know you are listening to us.” You should say this to him too. (1)
It has been said that if we are to preach about sin, we should preach against real sin. The sin in our lives, the sin in our hearts and minds. Not the sins of those in Washington D.C., or among some broken group of people. But our sin.
In my devotions this morning, I came across the above quote by St. Josemaria – and it resonated with me, because it asks us to pray a real prayer.
Not just a prayer to changes things, but a prayer to change us.
A prayer of confession, and a prayer that acknowledges our real weakness, in our past and in our future..(2) A prayer that acknowledges our wretchedness, and future wretchedness – and begs that this not cause anxiety…for we are confident in Him.
Jesus in Pray (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A prayer that seems to be generated in this midst of our spiritual “dryness”, where we realize our desire to be God’s children has dampened, as has our desire to bring His love to the world.
A prayer that realizes our hope is found, not in our strength, nor in our faithfulness, but a prayer that confidently is spoken, knowing that He who is listening is faithful… knowing that He is listening!!!
In the Romans passage – worship is similarly abandoning our lives in the presence of God. Letting God transform us, letting God breath life into the barely warms embers, changing our mind (repentance) into the mind of Christ.
That’s a real prayer… change us Lord – make sure we know you are Lord – that you are here, listening and working…
A prayer in confidence that addresses the real issue…
Will you pray so?
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1637-1641). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Comment – the strongest people I have know – have dealt with physical trauma to the point where there bodies are wasted away… there, stripped of their strength – they find God’s immeasurable strength sustaining them.
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Only Requirement to Come to our Church. Do you, or have you ever taken a breath…
28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)
“I was once asked by a young man with a myriad of tattoos if he could watch a pre-school graduation service (in our sanctuary) from the front doors of my church. SHocked I asked him why he wouldn’t just come in and grab a seat up front. (he was early) I was shocked to hear him say he didn’t think he would be allowed in with all the tattoos and his past.
So let me be clear – if you have a past – you are more than welcome here.
If you have a present… you are welcome here…
If you don’t know about your future… you are welcome here.
This congregation has seen God at work in all types of people, through all types of trauma, as we are gathered together by God.
So come on this morning to Concordia Lutheran Church in Cerritos, come in, grab a seat… and know that God is with you….” (facebook post 9/1/2013)
43 likes to the above simple invitation to church that I posted on FB ….I am a feeling little overwhelmed.
I know quite a few pastors, priests and ministers here in socal, and around the US and the world. There are more like me in this than not…one of the challenges for pastors and priests is waiting to see Christ’s heart develop in our people. We want our people to see every other human being as those who Christ. We want to see the prostitute, the tax collector, the politician, the gossip, the music star who acts like a harlot, and yeah… the worse sinners of all.. us,… all gathered around the altar, all rejoicing in what Christ has done in our lives, and in bringing us together…
The challenge is to see all people in need of Christ’s grace, in need of His love, in need of healing of that which is broken inside us. That is as true for the first time visitor with a dark past, as it is for the elder whose been in leadership for longer than we can remember. I think, sometimes it takes longer for people to change who have been around a while… or perhaps the change isn’t as noticeable. Or perhaps because we expect others to be more mature in Christ…we are less tolerant? Not sure…. just sure all need Jesus, just sure we all need to know how patient Jesus is with each of us. And if we are ministering on His behalf… how patient we need to be with each other.
The thing is, it is not what a pastor/priests/deacon/minister says that causes the transformation in any of us. It’s not something we can plan or put on a schedule. It is the Holy Spirit, working through word and sacrament. It is the grace that is poured out, the faith and trust we are given that grows as we learn of His promises, the love that has to be empowered within us… and can only be empowered, when at our weakest, we find Him, loving us, feeding us, repairing what we have managed to break within us, or what the world has crushed…. and again, we all need that.
If you breath*, you are welcome at the church I pastor. We welcome everyone here… including pastors…
Like I said – it doesn’t matter where you have been, or where you are, even now. Simply put… all of us are damaged by life, by our decisions, by the crap we have to deal with…. and here is a place where we see God dealing with it, lifting our burdens and placing them on Christ…. that we can live… that we can “learned the unforced rhythms of grace”…that we can walk with God… not just here..but throughout our lives.
Godspeed!
* Note: If you recently stopped breathing – your still welcome here one more time. We’ll tell people about God’s love and faithfulness to you, feed them, comfort them, help them know God’s peace…….let them know Jesus is there for them as well.
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The Cost of being a Christian….Martyrdom
Today’s Devotional/discussion thought:
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Revelation 12:10-11 (NLT)
I will grant that you behave properly… But, allow me to speak sincerely. You must admit that you are doing things in such a leisurely way that, apart from not being entirely happy, you remain very far from holiness. That is why I ask: Do you really behave properly? Could it be that you have a mistaken idea of what is proper? (1)
This morning, my sermon is about being a disciple, about being united not just in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, but to be united to His desire that drove him to the cross.
That’s something I think we overlook a little – being united to the cross includes being united to His heart, His soul, His will. Therefore to the Father’s will as well.
To know and to desire that no one should perish, but that all would come to eternal life. To desire this so much, that we are willing to give up our lives to see it occur. Whether that means martyrdom, as is becoming a daily event again in Egypt, and has been the case in so many other places, or whether it means putting to death our normal desires and wants – to see His accomplished. Will we give up an afternoon of rest to be there for a friend, will we drive a few hours to hold the hand of someone who needs it? Will we forsake our treasures, our bank accounts, even our families, when God chooses and anoints us to be the one who reveals God’s love to others? We are called to love others, as Christ loved us…
You see – martyrdom isn’t just physically dying for our faith. The word means to testify, a testimony of one’s life – what we are willing to die rather than recant. It means putting others needs first – sacrificing our lives for theirs.
It’s not about our death – it’s about that to which we testify, that to which we witness with our very lives..
I think we, in our comfort, in our lack of external physical threat – forget that we too are called to be martyrs.. to give our life, as the One we are united to, gave His…for us.
A heavy call indeed… yet one we need to respond to…and only can…as we know the love of Christ.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 848-852). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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Is your life of faith a struggle? Yes? Great!!!!!!
Devotional/Discussion thought of the Day…..
WARNING – THIS BLOG WILL BE SOMEWHAT BRUTALLY HONEST AND CAUSTIC
12 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. 13 Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. 14 I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. 15 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! 16 Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it. Philippians 3:12-16 (MSG)
Another paradox of the spiritual way: the soul which has less need to reform its behaviour struggles harder to do so, and does not stop until it has succeeded. And the contrary is also true. (1)
Back in the 1980’s, there was a saying, “life’s a bitch, and then you die….” There are days I think we said things like that.. and were a bunch of whiney little brats. There are other days, where looking at the pains of life, whether physical or emotional or spiritual, and the saying is dead on accurate.
Life isn’t always easy. The life of faith, living each day trusting in God’s promises, isn’t easier. If anything, it takes more courage, more strength of character, more trust, not blind trust, but committed trust to promises that can only be known within our heart and soul. You see, our mind will tell us, over and over again, that such trust is based in nothing, that there is no tangible evidence for it. People will mock you for it, and there will be days so trying of our faith, that we won’t know which way to turn.
And yet, a life lived in faith is more determined to prevail. We struggle harder, we search harder, we do not stop or give up. Even when we are crushed, beaten, depressed, wiped out, when nothing makes sense. When we battle against sin, our sin, “their” sin, the damage caused by centuries and millennia of people just like us. Somehow, no not somehow, because of the trust God has given us, because He has revealed Himself to us, we endure. We realize that there is something more that what we struggle with, that there is more strength that we have been given, that every challenge is not so much a challenge to overcome, but a challenge to trust.
And so we do.
A friend’s dad was often mocked as a proponent of positive thinking. He wasn’t the kind of pastor who proclaimed that if we believe we’ll be rich, we will be, not the name it claim it type of positive thinking. But instead the kind of positive thinking shown in Paul’s epistle above – that we can strive, that we can keep going, that in the toughest times, God’s presence brings us toughness. That the scars that we carry, are used by God to cause in us growth, such growth that is remarkable. Not because we are tougher, but because we are more aware of His presence in our life. You see, we have no option but Jesus, we have no comfort but His presence.
And yes we struggle – hard. Even as Paul notes that Christ has already reached out, saved and secured us… we still have to struggle with what that means. Even as life is painful. Even as we see people struggle financially, losing jobs, not having enough money to pay bills. Even as we see others deal with family crises. Even as we see people deal with heart disease or cancer, with memory issues or just getting old. As we see people struggle with the fact that they are in bondage to sin… or they try to ignore that fact, because of the grip that sin has on them. And so we wait and pray, and pray, and attempt here and there to help them realize their sin, that they may realize the blessing of God’s mercy.
As St. Josemarie says – the more we know these things – the more we mature in our faith and yes, in our battle against sin, the harder it comes….
Greater as well though grows the strength and desire to push on, to lay ahold of these truths, to trust in the Lord who has grasped us. Our effort redoubles, our desire begins to conform to His.
For our trust in Him grows… each and every time we see His hand at work.
We don’t find life easier, we don’t find it simpler… but we don’t need to… for we know He will bring us through all things…
Of that we can be positive. Our positive thinking has nothing to do with us… and everything to do with Him.
So is life a struggle? Is trusting in Jesus challenging? That’s okay… the struggle is worth far more… than the lack of struggling could be…
Oh and btw – the “die” in the phrase that started this blog? Have you considered what comes after our death? Exactly what is promised to us when we died spiritually in our baptism into Christ. The difference is we shall see Him face to face!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 858-860). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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The Challenge of Christianity…to Love
StJohnsAshfield StainedGlass Baptism (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? 21 The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. 1 John 4:19-21 (MSG)
Jesus will enable you to have a great affection for everybody you meet, without taking away any of the affection you have for him. On the contrary, the more you love Jesus, the more room there will be for other people in your heart. (1)
In my opinion, the greatest challenge to Christianity in America today comes down to one word: Love.
We struggle with it, we avoid it, we avoid the very challenge of it, because it is universal. It is not just loving those who love us. Jesus says even the worst sinners can do that. But it is loving people – and letting God love us when we are at our worst.
Loving others is a threat. A threat to our self-determination, a threat to our independence, a threat to our sin. It is uncomfortable, for it demands that we sacrfice ourselves, before we realize that in that sacrifice, we find ourselves fulfilled. Loving others is not a command of law, where our failure brings condemnation. Loving others is a command of gospel – wherein we find the deepest levels of grace, and the greatest fulfillment. Even so, it is difficult.
But that is where God’s love comes into play. He doesn’t allow us to wallow in our sin, to hide in our independence, and self-determination and self centeredness. He invades our life, calling us to a transformation that comes from being in His presence. We can try and run from our relationship with Him, as Jonah ran from the people God called him to love- to love by sacrificing his life that they would know God’s love and mercy. Even so, we are much better off in every way by receiving the love He invades with, the love that He invades by.
Don’t avoid His love – it will make loving the others He has brought into our lives so much easier!
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 3094-3096). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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We are God’s people….but what does that mean???
Devotional/ Discussion Question of the Day.
6 To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father.” Galatians 4:6 (TEV)
Therefore it is the intent of this commandment to require true faith and trust of the heart which settles upon the only true God and clings to Him alone. That is as much as to say: “See to it that you let Me alone be your God, and never seek another,” i.e.: Whatever you lack of good things, expect it of Me, and look to Me for it, and whenever you suffer misfortune and distress, creep and cling to Me. I, yes, I, will give you enough and help you out of every need; only let not your heart cleave to or rest in any other.
The Large Catechism of Martin Luther.
We talk of faith all the time in the church. But I think we often mistake it for something that it is not.
Faith is not the doctrine we teach, the doctrine that has been handed down to us. Our Faith is not a description of our practices and policies that define the Church, or even the church itself.
All these things are good, but it is not at the core of that which we must past down.
Faith is described in Luther’s words above – the trust of the heart which settles upon the only true God and clings to Him alone. That is faith!
It is what drives us to call our to God, recognizing that He is our Father, our Abba – our Daddy. That we need Him and need His protection, His guidance, His correction, His love. And we have it, for He has promised it, and His promises are always true in Christ Jesus.
We are His people, His children, His beloved. He has drawn us into a relationship with Him, a relationship that is described with the words faith, hope and love.
May we never look past this, or take it for granted. Rather let us rejoice in a God who desires that we cling to Him… that invites it, that delights in our clinging to Him.
Cling to Him this week…
Amen.
Title page of the Large Catechism of Martin Luther, printed in Leipzig in 1560 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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The Battle against Sin and Immorality – how it is to be waged…
Devotional?Discussion Thought of the Day:
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13 (NLT)
” 138 Infelix ego homo!, quis me liberabit de corpore mortis huius?—“Unhappy man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thus cried Saint Paul. Courage! He too had to fight.
139 At the time of temptation think of the love that awaits you in Heaven: foster the virtue of hope—it’s not a lack of generosity.(1)
As a pastor, I have to deal with sin quite a bit. First of all there is my own, then there is that of my people I pastor – whether members of the congregation I pastor, or those who I interact with regularly. It is a bit ironic that those who aren’t “officially” mine – are more willing ot read this and deal with sin, but that’ s another story.
I love Paul’s self-disclosure in Romans 7, His dealing with his own battles with sin – and the despair that comes from unsuccessfully. It gives me some assurance that we can, bluntly and faithfully, address the presence of sin in our lives.
We don’t need to hide from the grief sin causes, we don’t need to grieve without addresses it.
The answer of it is far simpler – far easier, and laid out in scripture.
Go to God when you are tempted, go to God with your sin. Fight it – but not with weapons of our own making – fight sin and temptation by taking it to God. Think about His love, recognize His presence – plead with Him to help you… and when you fail – turn to our Lord and know His answer to your plea for mercy is always “yes”.
Trust (that is have faith/believe) that God will see you through the temptation, through the failure, that His very love will bring you to hear that He has forgiven you. That His love will always, always, overcome evil.
Rom, Sankt Paul vor den Mauern, San Paolo fuori le mura Italiano: Statua di San Paolo di fronte alla facciata della Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And Rejoice – for the Lord is with You.
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 457-458). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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The Apostolic Mission that is the Church… and overcoming fear…
Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day”
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted. 18 Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:17-20 (TEV)
In grasping the outstretched hand of Christ, the Church of the twenty-first century, and of all time, finds the remedy for its fear. It also finds the criteria of authentic Catholic reform: the criterion of truth— for it is the truth of Christ that measures all in the boat that is the Church— and the criterion of mission— for it is by Christ overcoming our fear that the Church finds the courage to be the mission it is. (1)
Even after forty days of coping with the disturbing fact that Jesus died, and the more shocking fact that He had risen, the apostles struggle. They know enough and desire to worship – but doubt and anxiety, even as it appears Jesus will be leaving them, begins to grow….they begin to waver… to be unsure of what’s next..
He commissions us, the entire church, to share this message. But then there is the beautiful thing – He promises again, that we will not be alone, never alone, in this work which is our life. Yeah, I said our lives, lived out in fellowship with God. You see, mission is now about what we do as believers. It’s not what we do to prove our salvation, or to become holy and sanctified. It isn’t about working in the Kingdom, as if it is some other part of our lives. some chore we do as God’s children. It cannot be – that kind of effort, programmed, built into us, can be used by God for sure….yes we grow in the skills, in the use of words, in understanding the people we serve and love, yet – you can’t plan to grow in love for someone, can you?
The answer to the wavering is in realizing the presence of God. The “disciplines” we “endure”, the Worship Services, the Bible Studies, the prayers, private confession and absolution, even things like fasting or almsgiving, is not about strengthening us like lifting spiritual weights, but they strengthen us – because we come into contact with Christ’s strong hand, we realize the presence of God, right here, right now in our lives. The joy of that encounter is what causes us to be missional – to realize where we have been sent as God’s apostles. It is His overcoming our fear, our doubts, our wavering, and the complete surprise that He is with us that those things we do have as their objective. To create a dependence on God’s presence, that is what we do as believers instill in us.
Wavering about what happens next in life? Where God would send you? Who around you needs to know about Jesus’ love? Look first to Jesus. Find your hand already grasped by Him. Relax and know His love… know He will not abandon you… and see who needs that same peace.
Go in His name, with Him.
Weigel, George (2013-02-05). Evangelical Catholicism (p. 92). Basic Books. Kindle Edition.
