I believe

daily reminders  ///  via my instagram

For those of you who don't know ( quite a few people ) I was ordained to the ministry of priest in the Community of Christ on January 6th. I was called about a year ago, and completed my Temple School classes over the summer before I left for Africa. To briefly explain, a priest is called to offer a "ministry of presence" both inside and outside of the church setting. It's a tall order that still might be intimidating me a little bit, but I'm moving forward.

Before my ordination, I was asked to prepare some kind of statement of belief to share. Have you ever sat down to try to put all those feelings and opinions you have into coherent sentences that will make sense to others? It's really difficult! I sat in bed for a while to work them out, and here's what I came up with:

I believe that God, the Creator, knows and cares deeply for every living person. 

I believe that God is continually revealed through the scriptures, through the life of Jesus Christ, through the subtle movements of the Holy Spirit in each person's life, and through the earnest searching and authentic witness of hearts and minds who long for God's peace. However, I also believe that we should be humbled in the realization that the knowledge and plans of God extend beyond the limits of human understanding.

I believe that God has a purpose for me, to minister in God's name and to confidently share God's love and acceptance with all people, in my own community and beyond. 

I believe that as I allow my faith to direct my life, actions, love, and talents, God will bring rich meaning to my life and will use me to help others to a life of joy, hope, love, and peace in and with God.

Despite all of that, I still don't believe that belief is limited. I know my own understandings and beliefs are on a slow - but constant - journey of development, and that, I love. 

What do you believe? After working through these thoughts and putting them into words, I felt so refreshed, so happy to have something to look at and think Yes! That's how I feel! Likewise, I felt so humbled to remember how short these words - all words - fall in conveying God to you.

If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear your own statements of belief. Even if you don't share, it's worth thinking about over the weekend. You might not be exactly in line with mine. You might actually completely disagree with me. Maybe you call the Divine by some other name. It doesn't matter to me. 

Faith is beautiful, words are beautiful, and so are you. 

Peace be with you this weekend.