Hello Sailor!

 

 

I travel well on the sea, for someone who spends 99.9% of their time on dry land. Although it does rain a lot where I live...

 

Twice I have been on really quite choppy waters, both times on the Bay of Biscay / North Atlantic sort of area. While I remember being unsteady on my feet and wondering how long it could possibly carry on for, I saw other people suffering a lot worse. There were people literally going a strange green colour, there was a lot of moaning and a distinct smell of sick in the toilets. And that was just the passengers! I imagine the crew weren't having the easiest day either - although possibly with less sickness involved.

 

Life isn't easy. Fact. We have words in our language for 'pain', 'grief', 'fear', 'tears', 'distress' - and these are everyday words. Everyday feelings. Hopefully not for each of us personally, every day - but for someone, somewhere, everyday.

 

I have navigated through some tough seas in my life. The likes of which I hope never to see again. I have been to places in my heart, and in real life, that I wished didn't exist for myself or for others. I have felt that at times, I was clinging to the very wreckage as the storms carried on. When I felt that it should stop. Now. Really. Actually, please God make it stop. But there was no respite and I wasn't learning to be much of a sailor while I had nothing to sail with.

 

Eventually however, those seas calmed. And for a really bad season, were replaced by new storms which threw up more bad times. I felt no better equiped to go through those storms, than ones I had previously.

 

After some years, life and my 'seas' calmed down. Finally. But I was battered. Destroyed. Not fit for purpose any more. Life carried on regardless. I repaired what I could. Life took me on more journeys.

 

That saying is true. Now in stormy seas now I am a better sailor. I prepare for those storms rather than face them vulnerable and exposed. I watch the forecast. I make sure I have a good crew around me. That there are supplies on board. Lifeboats ready to go.

 

Did God cause those storms? Did I not hear him in those times? I know that I searched to know something of God during those storms. Something, anything. Sometimes the answers were very loud. Visionary. Other times I heard only silence.

 

Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.
They reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,

 

O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
You rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.

There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Prisoners in misery and chains,
Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart.Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!

 

A Psalm mash up for the Jesus geeks (Psalm 89 & 107)

 

Image (c) daytobeyou.com

What lies beneath?

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

 

Ironically on the internet this quote is attributed to a varety of sources; Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and Charles Spurgeon to name but a few. Someone is already telling porky pies. Although, is it a lie if they don't know that they have a misquote when the first quote that comes up in Google might not be a true quote? Is it a lie if the liar doesn't know it is a lie and has wanted to believe what they are told without searching for the truth themselves?

 

In a beautiful sermon I heard some time ago now, the speaker told a story of a woman in a church congregation who had been misinformed about a situation, and who then took it upon herself to broadcast this information, believing it to be true but knowing it was gossip.

 

The story was defamatory. It took the reputation of a pastor of a church and slandered it, dragging it down and making the 'news' public. Of course, in time, the woman found the story to be untrue and humbly went to the pastor she had destroyed the reputation of, to ask what she could do to repair the situation.

 

He responded "on the next windy day, take a pillowcase of feathers to the highest point of the hill behind the town. Empty that pillowcase and watch the feathers fly. Then go and catch every single feather."

 

Lies cannot be undone. They are too insubstantial to pin down, they hold no truth, and are not grounded in anything apart from fantasy. They multiply without warning and masquerade as truth. They do not even hold their own form but are shape shifters, changing as they move along.

 

In a world of modern technology, one comment, one claim, one lie - can go around the world in seconds and become impossible to retrieve, just as feathers on a windy day.

 

Jesus is quoted as saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". I am guessing that this point was being made as he knew it would be contested. What do you believe? Are these words a lie? Are they truth? Was Jesus who he said he was? Was he the son of God? Did Jesus even exist? (Actually, do a bit of research on that one - even athiests have to acknowledge that some guy called Jesus did hit the radar of a few historians at the time). These questions need to be thought about and responded to.

 

Jesus geeks will find the verse in John 14:6.

 

Image (c) soadhead.com

 

 



Bible Bashers & God Botherers vs The World

Faith is a choice. No one can make you believe anything. You can be informed, educated, preached to or lectured at but it up to you what you do with that information. The trouble is, no one likes to be told what to do. We like to make up our own minds, find out for ourselves. How many times do you see a child about to make a mistake, try and warn them or explain to them the potential consequences, only to have to look on as it all goes horribly (and often painfully) wrong.

People who believe in Jesus, truly and passionately find it really hard to take the 'softly, softly' approach and are often accused of 'ramming it down people's necks'. Christianity isn't a marketing campaign, neither is it enforced without negotiation. It is choice, and a fairly simple choice. Are you in or are you out?

(Opting out is the easy option by the way.)

People who do believe, with a real and living faith, feel passion and joy. If these people are insisting on taking some time out of their day to pass this passion on, feel honoured. They care enough about you to try and make your life better.
 
Jesus told his followers "The gospel must first be preached to all the nations." This verse often gets given as the motivation for missionaries to venture into the deepest, darkest continents but this isn't the whole of it - the Oxford English Dictionary defines 'nation' as "a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory."

So if you are part of a family, history, or culture or inhabit somewhere, then Jesus was talking about you. He knew this without waiting around for the Oxford English Dictionary to be created almost some 2,000 years later.

So if everyone who believes in Jesus has a duty to tell everybody else, then this could feel like information overload, but the perception of 'bible bashing' or 'God bothering' is massively over exaggerated. If every day you heard about Jesus going to the cross for you, you might have a point. Chances are, in reality, you have to make a decision about what you believe very infrequently. But it is an important decision, and as Eleanor Roosevelt points out, who we are today is built on the decisions we made yesterday.

Jesus geeks will find the verse in Mark 13:10.

Image credit Tumblr.

For Display Purposes Only

 

 

Having a faith is not very dreamy. Not very glamorous. Often challenging. Frequently criticised. Open to physical, social and spiritual opposition.

 

Jesus was quite clear on his instruction:

 

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation".

Some people are born to preach, or become speakers. Travelling the world to feature in conferences with amazing budgets and often televised. Some people are called to minister to a local church with a congregation of fewer than 100 and a tithing issue that means they constantly fight to find money. Some people are called to go into the furthest geographical reaches and work in communities struck by poverty, oppression and even violence.

None of us however are called to sit at home and polish our faith only to keep it behing closed doors in case it gets ruined, challenged or damaged.

If you ask anyone living out a minsitry if they have bad days, down days, hard days or sleepless nights then they will most likely say yes.

The Apostle Paul took some amazing journeys, and lived a life that I imagine he would never have believed he was destined for. Paul lived a life of incredible experiences, driven by his faith. Paul also had a more than a smidgen of hardship and persecution. His accounts of how his faith holds him firm really are incredible.

We might not be a speaker, a minister or a tv evangalist but we have a faith that must go out into the real world and stand the test of being lived out. However our faith is not made of the finest crystal or thin air, it can withstand great pressure and constant wear and tear. Make sure you use your faith, not just mark it 'for display purposes only'.

Jesus quote from Mark 16:15.



Are you Piglet or Pooh?

Piglet wanted to know the details of love; the mechanics of it, what makes it up, the logistics and the science. Break it down, see how it is made up.

Pooh was more emotional, maybe a bit romantic - you just feel it. It isn't about knowing in your head, it is about knowing in your heart.

Loving God needs a bit of Piglet and a bit of Pooh. A strong relationship is based on emotional needs being met, often with passionate emotions. A more powerful relationship is based on understanding and wisdom.

Jesus knew that a powerful relationship with God needed not just your heart and mind, but also your soul - but A A Milne didn't give us a character for the soul interpretation of love.

These words are from the mouth of Jesus -‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'.

Once you have thought about if you love God with a passion and searching to learn more about Him, ask yourself if you love him with your very being. Your very soul. Right down in the core of who you are.

Jesus was probably drawing on these words from Deuteronomy - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength".

So once you know your love for God is true, in your head, heart and soul - add to that all your strength. And did you even know how strong you are?

"Our bones are actually stronger than concrete. A piece of matchbox-sized human bone can support a nine tonne weight. That’s four times more than concrete can support. You’re a superhero and you didn’t even know it."(taken from www.virginmedia.com).

That is some serious strength. A love made of superhero strength, wisdom, soul and passion. That is some love. That is the love God has for you, but do you have it for God?

Bible verses are from Matthew 27:37 & Deuteronomy 6:5 Jesus geeks.

When the wind of change blows, some build walls while others build windmills

I love this chinese proverb!

Change is a ruthless beast. It can come as a part of a plan but more often then not change is forced upon us.

I hate change (this has a deep psychological meaning apparently but we won't go into that here and now!) I once had the same car for 12 years until the local garage gently broke the news to me that it really was time to stop trying to keep it on the road. I cried over that car going.

Changing cars is quite a small challenge, and really should be quite exciting. A new car is something that a lot of people look forward to. Even if it is usually quite a big expense.

Change usually comes at a cost, financial or personal; going on a diet, having to do more excercise, giving up smoking, giving up alcohol, moving away from a particular social circle - all have implications. Usually not very good ones. At least at first.

Another part of life we have to change frequently are our plans - when we were going in one direction and life takes us in another. So are you a wall builder or a windmill builder? Do you put up barriers for protection or do you embrace the opportunity?

Living with a vibrant faith which inspires and thrives means that challenges and changes can be met head on. With God on our side there is no need for fear - the bible says:

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

So we can quite simply hand stuff over to God and say "here - you can deal with this God". We can also be even braver and more bold and say "inspire me! take me to a new place in my life!"

Although whatever change is going on around us might not have been in our original plan, as the saying goes "life is what happens when we are busy making other plans." The important part of change is to prosper within it and find our feet on the new ground.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Handing that life over to God is not losing control, it is standing in a great (sometimes unfamiliar and potentially overwheming) space, arms outstretched and saying "I will take this and make it brilliant".

For the Jesus geeks, you should already know those references as they are so very well used! But they are Isaiah 41:10 (New American Standard Bible) and Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

When the going gets tough the tough get... joyful?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I have had plenty of trials, and have demonstrated plenty of perseverence. As I don't feel particularly mature and complete I can only assume those trails and perseverence days aren't over yet. If I'm honest, when the burnt out washing machine spewed its festering watery guts up over the kitchen floor I wasn't filled with joy. When people in church discourages me (again) I am not filled with joy. When I watched someone I loved and adored dying from cancer there was no joy.

But what James (the one wrote those words) is saying is that the joy comes when you realise your strength. James had quite a famous brother. Someone who toured, drawing crowds, inviting attention. Then later persecution. Then execution. James will have known trials and difficulties.

I don't know anyone who became wise by having a great time. Wisdom seems to come from a place where tears are shed, dark places that require perseverence. Asking God for wisdom might be inviting a challenge. Don't go into that challenge expecting an easy ride. Expect more of a rollercoaster. And remember that the wisdom or joy does not come in the moment of difficulty, it comes from holding on tight, to God. Firmly, tightly - like you hold on to that safety bar on the rollercoaster. Only afterward - after you felt God steadying you, can you feel stronger and reflect on how you didn't cave in during a tought time. That is faith. Not a hands in the air, Sunday morning, type of faith - but a real, raw, grisly faith. And somewhere in there is a joy. I hope you find it.

For the Jesus geeks, the verses are from the first chapter of James.

Looking for a Mustard Seed?

Do you know how big a mustard seed is? The internet tells me it is 1/20 of an inch. I don't even know how to convert that to metric. I just know that it is small. Really, really, really, really very small.

The disciples were a crew of twelve men, chosen by Jesus to be 'apostles' to travel with him and learn on the job. The word apostle was another word for 'messenger' and the grand plan was for the disciples to go off and tell the world about Jesus. As part of this apprenticeship the disciples are sent out by Jesus to do some healing. The disciples knew Jesus, had spent time with him and believed that he was who he said he was ~ the son of God. They knew that Jesus could do miracles. The disciples had been taught by Jesus, first hand. They had seen what impact Jesus had on the world around him.

So you wouldn't think they would have an issue with anything to do with faith. I don't think that the father of a son afflicted with fitting doubted them either. He approached them, probably with some degree of confidence (otherwise why even ask) and presented his son to them for healing.

This is when the disciples realise that they are not having a good day. To know that the disciples failed means that they must have tried. Picture the father, desperate for his son to be healed. Picture the son, desperate for a normal life not falling into water or fires. Picture the disciples desperate to heal. I am guessing there was an audience. A supremely awkward moment for the disciples and devastating for the dad who had put his hope in these men.

All credit to the dad, who probably driven by the desperation to see his son healed goes straight to Jesus... "When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.‘Lord, have mercy on my son,’ he said. ‘He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.’"

Jesus heals the boy and later the disciples ask him (in private unsurprisingly) why they failed so badly. Jesus replies, “Because you have so little faith."

I would have been gutted if I was a disciple had to call my faith into quesion. Ask myself what faith I had and what it meant ~ in front of Jesus himself. It is bad enough asking myself that question now, a question that is still relevant over 2,000 years later.

Jesus finished his advice with "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

A mustard seed isn't very big. But it a lot bigger than nothing. I don't think the plan is to go around re-organising the Himalayas, but it doesn't take much faith at all to do something amazing. Time and time again I have seen very ordinary people take extra ordinary steps of faith with incredible results.

If you are an ordinary person, it is ok to question what faith you have and how much faith you possess. It is also not unknown for a faith filled person to set out to do something amazing and fail (as did the disciples!).

The desire of Jesus is for us to recognise when we need to address the issue and most importantly to do something about it.

For the Jesus geeks these verses are from Matthew 17. As Matthew was one of the disciples I imagine this is a bit of cringey account for him to write about. But then he had been a tax collector so was probably used to cringing.

Anyone got a light?

From what I can see, Faith has an inward element to it as well as an outward element. Once we have some sort of handle on what is going on inwardly, we are encouraged to share that proactively and bring it outward. This brings with it all sorts of challenges. Boldness for one. Confidence for another. It is also an open invitation for questioning, and if you aren't confident in what you believe - it is going to be very tricky to convince someone else.

And as what you believe becomes a part of what defines you, it should spill or ooze out of you... like water overflowing in a bath or jam out of a doughnut or a crack of light behind a door.

Light is usually quite a passive sort of noun. It just sort of 'is'. Unless you think about fireworks.

Christian teaching usually associates the light mentioned in the bible with candle light or star light and this imagery is itself quite biblical. But what if we think of the light more in the sense of fireworks - bright, spectacular, showstopping even.

The bible talks a lot about light and I have picked out some some of these mentions below. Holding onto the thought of fireworks:

Genesis 1: 3-4
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

John 1 : 4-5
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Matthew 5: 14 - 16
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Isaiah 60:19
The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.

Revelation 22:5
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

So is faith about fireworks? No. Is it about spectacular living? Mostly not. Although everyone with a faith can probably increase the impact their faith postively has on the world. Is it about lighting up the darkness? Yes.

Light can be a crack behind the door, candlelight, lamplight or fireworks. The important thing about light is not how it shines, but that it cannot be contained.

For the Jesus geeks, Genesis 1 & Revelation 22 are the first chapter of first book and the last chapter of last book. A nice little way to start and finish and not likely a coincidence.

Escape the Dory way ->

In Finding Nemo, Dory [reading a door] says Hey, look. "Esc-a-pay". I wonder what that means? That's funny, it's spelled just like the word "escape."

Sometimes we all need a way out, a break through or a quick exit.

Spiders have a get out of jail free card in this house, they are captured and evicted with a stern warning. Flies are also encouraged to leave of their own accord, rather than being destroyed by a swatter. I once killed a fly, by accident - ninja style, by flicking a teatowel at him as a warning shot. It was no warning shot and the fly dropped to the floor dead. I was stunned at this so far undiscovered talent, and apologised profusely but it was too little too late.

Life often throws us challenges which can put us in a tough position; such as an awkward meeting or difficult presentation of work. Or life can do a worse thing and give you a situation that is relentless. That does not pass after a meeting, or a tough day. A situation that breaks your heart and wears you down, stripping you of all that you believed was good and true and right.

One of the frustrating habits of flies is their reluctance to look further than their situation *bang* against a window, then *bang* again against a window, then *bang* again against the same window, and all the while, just a short distance away there is another window wide open.

Escapes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are marked, others aren't. Sometimes we misread the sign, like Dory. Sometimes we keep banging on at the same shut way out. Then that eats away at our faith, we wonder where God has gone, why he hasn't turned up. Hasn't fixed it.

God does not give us dead ends. He does not take us down a path which is false or labelled incorrectly. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. This verse from Jeremiah 29 shows that we can trust God to have a plan. A good plan.  Although it might not be an ejector seat style plan, it might be a roll up your sleeves and tough it out plan. In each case there is the fact that we need to learn how to realise that plan. How to find the open window, read the signs and find the escape route.

Deuteronomy 31 says "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” And this is echoed in Joshua 1:9 ^"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Have a 'Dory' moment. Read the exit signs properly and just keep swimming.
 
(Image from tumblr.com)

Clive Staples Lewis and that famous Lion

"And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken [his name] everyone felt quite different.... At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer."
C. S. Lewis from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (Chapter 7)

It is a widely accepted fact that the Aslan part of this story is one to reflect the sacrifice made by Jesus.

When you think about faith or a belief what do you feel?

When you think about God are you full of love of full of fear of full of loathing?

Are you an Edmund and scared of the unknown?
Are you a Peter and able to take on the world when you couldn't before?
Are you a Susan and experience a feeling unlike ever before?
Or are you a Lucy and full of a special kind of joy?

Or are you - you? With a unique response? One based on previous experiences, maybe with a bit of baggage attached?

We are all different. We aren't expected to be the same. But God is the same; yesterday, today and forever. Don't worry about what God is or isn't but do take a while to think about who you might be.

btw:

For the Jesus geeks here is the verse from Revelations that associates Christ with the Lion of Judah:

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5

Every generation stands on the past

So why 'Standing on the Shoulders of Giants'? Well...

Every generation stands on the past. People who stood up for what they believe in. Or didn't.

If we decide to go forward it is much easier to find a path already well trod (trod is an odd word, does anyone actually use it anymore? Apart from me.)

When we look at old people we see slowness, the ageing process, sometimes a burden on society. What we do not see is their youth. Their desire to change the world. To fight for something. To believe in something. To face persecution. Or just social ridicule. Or we might see someone who chose to fight for nothing. To change nothing, to watch the world go by and stand aside spectator style.

If looking back we are standing on the shoulder of others, looking forward who will stand on ours? And what will you have fought for, changed, believed in, made a stand against? Something or nothing?

The hymn Amazing Grace was written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807) and published in 1779. Google him and be inspired.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

God's love is meteoric

God's love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic,
his purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic.
Yet in his largeness
nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse,
slips through the cracks.

Ok, so this is the Message version - but read the words. The words are amazing. They are words of God. The Bible is lots of books written by authours who believed they were writing straight from the heart of God. Those booked were compliled into one big book by people who believed they were doing the will of God. This is a big deal. These words are for you. From God. From Psalm 36.

You might feel that it doesn't matter what you believe. Or care what is in your heart. Or want to think about how a speck of life such as one person is important to a God you might not be able to see, or hear, or feel.

For those moments of doubt, these words were written for you. To read, to know.

Learning bible verses might seem like the stuff of deranged Sunday School teachers but there is beauty in knowing something without thinking. You know your way to someplace like the supermarket, or to where a good friend lives without needing a map or even thinking much about it - and sometimes, when get somewhere we know really, really well - we get there without remembering the whole journey even though we drove or walked or biked there. Our brain and body sort of carries on without us! When we know a bible verse, really know it well - it stays there, and then when we are broken, stuck in a confusing place - or even worse, a dark place - without really thinking about it, that verse can come to us and give us an anchor, something to cling to or be something to reassure us, or remind us of what we believe. We have to LEARN it though. It doesn't get in by osmosis. We have to engrave it on our hearts by learning and understanding it, so that when we are on a journey and need some help, those words written from the heart of God lift our own heart.

Staring at your belly button

Someone I love is taking a long hard look at their faith and is really challenged by what they see. And not in a good way.

I asked if they would like me to write something about 'faith' to help them. Surprisingly they said yes.

So this is it.