Briding the Gap

I couldn't sleep this morning (or night), whichever it is and I was surfing blogs. On fellow BP Bryan's blog had a link to First Christian Church in Chattanooga. http://www.firstchristian-chat.com/


I found their motto (mission) very compelling.


Bridging the Gap between doubt and faith through friendship. I found this very entincing. First off, they acknowledge the gap we often have in our faith between trusting God and doubting. It seems like a place where people can feel safe to struggle through their doubts and not have their faith wrapped up in a neat little package.

I also like the emphasis on Friendship. This bridging takes time and conversation. I can see this community having lots of conversations in people's homes and over coffee. I see people willing to move to a living active faith that reaches out. In fact they offer their service opportunities by exclaming, "If you have been searching for a church of Service -- Not Lip Service, you may find it by clicking here"

I wonder how comfortable we are talking about our faith and doubts in the circles we run in. If you are like me, I like to have everything thought through and catagorized. But as Mother Teresa's are still fresh in my mind, it seems to me faith is about progressing forward in spite of doubts.

Yesterday a person from church told me about a nine year old girl who two weeks ago was diagnosed with stage four cancer and is receiving treatment in California. She will be in treatment for a year! Her mom has a one year old and is pregnant as well. Can you imagine? How do you explain why little girls get cancer? Why do some people in life seem to get the brunt?

I don't know. I guess it goes back to my post a couple days ago, that all of our life is such a gift. That this moment, this day is a gift meant to be enjoyed and savored, not just gone through. Aiden is now 10 yrs old. I realized in four years he will be in high school. I'm not ready for that. I want to enjoy all the moments I have with them while I can. A lot of older people have told me over the years to enjoy the moments with my kids because they slip away so fast. I can affirm that. I don't want them to end. I want to enjoy reading stories at night. Having movie nights with too much popcorn. Taking time to ride the water rides at Dollywood even when I don't want to get wet. Life is a gift. While it is not meant to be focused on ourselves, I believe that it is meant to be enjoyed. I encourage you to live life today!