A word of welcome to the click-thrus from the ChristianityToday news article, “Rebooting PEACE: Rick Warren adds reconciliation to an already ambitious mission strategy.“. According to the press conference after the Summit, 1,700+ were in attendance; not sure how the CT article counted 650.
See my PD Summit links (live-blogging, live-twittering, recorded live-streamed videos) by scrolling down to the blog post titled “Links to Live Summit at Saddleback“. Read great summaries of the 12 main sessions by clicking over to the Learnings @ Leadership Network blog.
On another topic, I read how this LA Times reporter lost his faith, in The Man Who Learned Too Much: For eight years, William Lobdell reported on an industry plagued by scandal, deceit and corruption. It cost him his faith, and now he’s writing a book about his odyssey. I wondered what keeps me hanging in there with my faith in Jesus Christ. [*] Also see Ken Fong’s commentary on having lunch with William Lobdell last November (which got 110+ comments) and Ken Fong’s mirror of the original LA Times article.
I too see and experience things about churches and Christians that are disappointing and disillusioning. My conclusion? When things seem darker, I gravitate to 2 passages: 1 Corinthians 15 and John 6:68 — ““Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
What keeps you from losing faith?
What keeps me from losing faith?
I have seen a handful of genuine Christians in my life: the people out there working Mother Teresa-style, with few rewards and no recognition. They keep my faith strong.
Natural graces revealed in the world around me – that keeps me praising.
Scandals. Huh? Yes. Scandals. That sense that “this is SO wrong.” That innate sense that something is not right tells me that we were created for what IS right – the restoration of all things.
Quick list, but interesting thoughts.
Thanks for all you do, DJ.
Well said marla and dj. Two of the many things that keep me going…
1.) the promises of God (e.g., 2 Cor 2:14)
2.) regular contact with those who genuinely love and serve the Lord.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
Hello DJ, I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, and this prompted me to come out and post.
There have been heartbreaking scandals, involving both the church and Christianity. There are often times when I wonder how I keep faith. I’ve been reading some Christian blogs and in a couple of cases, the authors went over to agnosticism/atheism.
However, for me, it’s as big a part of my identity as my ethnicity, and just as shameful history in my heritage would not make me denounce my Asian roots, scandals in the church shake my faith in humanity, but not in God. As Tony Blair said: “Just because Man does evil does not mean that God is not good.”
I hold to faith partly because of the promises of the eternal kingdom, for wrong to be made right, but also because I believe in the message of Jesus, both during his lifetime and after the Resurrection.
A regular faith community where all the members reach out and genuinely help each other, is also helpful. Unfortunately, a lot of modern church members feel apart from each other.
Finally, reading the testimony of other people of faith is encouraging. Thanks to you for keeping this blog and for all you do for others of faith
Blessings
Erin
props to the P.E.A.C.E plan. it’s generating a lot of positive press for the christian community.
DJ,
I like the John 6 verse you quoted. For years I felt like my Christian life is so miserable because I could not go back the Egypt, but I have not arrived to Canaan either.
But then I rediscovered the Gospel all over again. What keep our faith is not looking at how well God’s people does, but a constant look at the cross, at how much God loves His people. All else is disappointing – including myself.
Hey DJ- I read the article you mentioned.. brutal….these 2 quotes in response to the author’s loss of faith jumped at me..
• “To each of us has been given a measure of faith. I pray you will hold on to yours for dear life.”
• “Your sad and disappointing story leads me to conclude that your faith has never been based on the grace of Christ Jesus, but on the Harry Potter belief that God does magic.”
the first person has a heart I want to have-and is the kind that can draw people like this back to the faith. the second seems like the type of person who drove him away in the first place. I guess we all have the choice to be one or the other…just as we have the choice to hold on.
Among the things that keeps me hanging in there as an apprentice and as a pastor of Jesus is that I simply find the greatest meaning to my existence when I embrace and emulate Jesus and his great love for me and the world.
[...] I was talking with a person who has worked with 100s and 1000s of Christian leaders. We realized that we have our flaws. Other people have flaws. Christian leaders have flaws. But wouldn’t you think that a Christian leader would be more honest about their flaws? Wouldn’t you think that person would avoid plagiarism? Wouldn’t you think that person would be above reproach? I wondered how that person avoided disillusionment and not lose faith, when some lose faith over seeing too many leaders’ lacking integrity (cf. William Lobdell). [...]