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4) Faith is an attitude of heart and mind.
Faith is an attitude of reverence of mind and heart that makes possible devotion. Faith is a gate to spiritual devotion as a loving self-giving for the benefit of another, or in praise to the Divine Presence.
Practicing of faith in the Church is Applied Christianity. We seek a fit between faith and everyday life. We find that this does not always come easy. Not only is faith often a mystery, often life is messy.
Faith means trusting, like my brothers and I following my mother through the woods, that we are not alone. The holy Spirit guides and encourages us. This applied faith is prayer, and prayer is the exercising of faith:
To pray always ... implies that we read the signs of the times, that we look at the conspiracy of accidents which shape our lives and read in these the finger and providence of God. The language of God is the experience that God writes into our lives. To pray means to read our lives religiously.
*Ronald Rolheiser. Forgotten among the Lilies. "Fear of Tenderness Stifles the Soul."
Finally, then, faith as experience means we seek God in many details of life. We seek to discern: "Where is God with me [us] in this?" and "How am I [are we] to respond?" And when all this is not clear, we can affirm the following trust about our relationship with each other and God: Faith trusts that we can be faithful even when we do not see clearly. Indeed, often we are called to act faithfully when we do not discern clearly.
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I recommend the following devotional exercise...
Purchase a book or find an on-line site with hymn stories. Take a hymn a day. Read the hymn story; pray or sing the hymn. Many of the great hymns have wonderful, inspiring stories. These stories will give meaning to the hymn and encourage you in your walk of faith. I recommend the following books for hymn stories, both by Robert J. Morgan: Then Sings My Soul and Then Sings My Soul, Book 2.
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1) How do you seek consciously to practice your faith daily?
2) What are other words that mean to you what "faith" means?
3) Do you have a favorite Scripture that helps you continue in faith? What is it? Explain how it helps you?
4) Why is what we believe important?
5) Have you gone through a time when you felt distant from God? What was that like? What did you do to open yourself to a return of God's felt-presence?
6) Are you presently struggling in your walk with God? What might you do to draw near to God?
7) Is someone you know needing your encouragement to be strong in faith? How might you help?
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*Quotes uncited are from www.inspirational-quotes.com .
*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers, or through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives in Punta Gorda, FL, and Clearwater, FL, with his wife, step-son, and two beloved dogs. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a vowed, contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with God-in-Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
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