Virtues

Beautiful
I want to be a thing of beauty.
I want to make heads turn
mouths agape
and people stare with longing.

Confidant
I want to be full of confidence.
I want people to trust me
instinctively, unswervingly
and be able to live up to that trust.

Graceful
I want every action to be filled with grace
like a doe, a red, red rose,
gentle, dignified,
never a false step or stumble.

Faithful
May my life be defined by faith.
Faith in my Lord, faith in myself.
Inspiring faith,
never forgetting, never doubtful.

Faith Like Children

Why do we make simple things so complicated?
It should be so easy!
We all believe in the same God
and the details are recorded in a book for our convenience.

I understand how it all happened,
a query here,
disagreement there,
and then
division.

We've made it so hard for ourselves.
How can anyone believe we are the 'one true way'
when, as a whole, we can't agree what this way is!
What good is Christianity when the Christians themselves are divided?

We should have faith like children.
Simple, unadorned, unquestioned.
Everything we need to know is in the Bible.

Faith like children.
Like children we could disagree
but be friends again the next day.
No more division but unity.

Faith like children
without fancy rituals,
strict routines and unchanging tradition.

Our gatherings should be fun and exciting.
We should be eager to share our faith experiences.
We could be spontaneous, uncontained, infectious
then all those outside could see:
We have it all together,
we are full of light, life and love
we know the way to God.

Tongues

I believe in my Father.
I believe in His Son, the Saviour of my soul.
Isn't that enough?
I believe and try to follow in His ways,
I read His word,
I try my best to keep His commands,
I try to spread the Good News.
Then how can you say I don't believe?
Just because I don't speak in tongues?
The gift of angelic speech was not bestowed on me.
How can that make my faith unreal?
How dare you say that!
How dare you preach those words!
You don't know me!
We've never spoken to each other.
Have you ever looked into this heart?
Have you seen the depth of my love for the one who set me free?
How can you say such things?
Tongues is but ONE of the gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit.
It was not intended for all.
That would reduce it's power.
Do all have the gifts of prophecy?
Of healing?
Of miracles?
No!
Just because my gifts are different than yours does not mean my faith is any less.
Do I brag of my gifts?
Do I tell you that you don't believe?
Only the Lord knows the depth of my faith.
Only He may decide who will enter the gates of Heaven
and I don't believe He will be happy about all this.
Does He not clearly command to build UP the faith of others?
Is that what you have been doing?
You stand there with all your earthly authority
and tell us that we don't believe because we have not been granted this gift.
This one gift.
And what use is this gift?
It is a language between the speaker and God.
The rest of us must make do with our mother tongues
our earthly languages.
It is said that unless there is one who can interpret tongues
it should not be used in public gatherings.
There is a reason for this.
To the unsuspecting it is frightening.
The average man off the street would think you're mad.
Would he want to come back?
Would he feel welcome?
He is excluded from this activity.
Think on all this.
This is just my opinion
and mine is not the one that counts.
Let me ask just one thing.
What would Jesus think of all this?
Let me end by saying:
How dare you make me doubt my faith.