Now fear is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

When I am afraid of something (spiders, snakes, the dark, flying, public speaking), I just know that I’ll get hurt or humiliated. Nothing has happened yet, but I’m absolutely convinced that something can and will. This is faith, but faith in something’s ability to harm me. We call it “fear”.

When Jesus walked on the water, he told Peter, “Don’t be afraid!” (Matthew 14:22-32).

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

We base our fear on personal experiences and stories we’ve heard. And yet there, too, is where our faith is rooted: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8).

As a people who are looking to grow in our faith, here is one opportunity to do that globally, but on a local scale. There are five special students coming to Blacksburg from Haiti June 20th who will be here for the next two years. While housing has been covered, there are two ways you can invest in their lives: furniture and friendship! Their top necessity for furniture is beds/futons, they could use any other furniture you have to offer as well. For all five students this will be their first time in the US, but hopefully we can comfort the shock by meeting physical needs and providing them with a sense of community as well. If you would like to meet the students and learn about their unique circumstances contact Sher ([email protected]). Thank you!

The disciples said (frequently), “Increase our faith!” And Jesus answered, “If your faith were the size of a mustard seed, you could move this mountain.” Mustard seeds are tiny and round and roll around in your hand; mountains, in comparison, are large and rocky and don’t fit in your pocket. Yet Jesus said that even if I think my faith is small and weak, I can do big things with it. This faith that I think is small has already believed and confessed that Jesus is my Lord and Savior–moved me from dark to light, unrighteous to righteous, sinner to saint, life to death. (And sometimes I think my faith isn’t big enough for my everyday life? Perhaps it isn’t as little as I think it is…)

Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Lk 17:6) and “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22-24)

Faith as small as a mustard seed? Check.

Faith in God? Check.

Believing if I talk to trees and mountains that they’ll go swimming? Oh, um… well…

I pretty sure Jesus didn’t mean we’re supposed to go around re-landscaping the world. So many times, though, I have a big general “faith” that God exists and that He’s God. But it’s those specific times, when God tells me to do or say something that seems impossible, that my mustard-seed faith has a chance to stay small or to grow up by taking that next step.

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?… In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. …Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.” (James 2:14, 17)

I like to be at least good at something before I do it in front of other people. I don’t like looking silly or having to be corrected, and this has often stopped me from starting something new. But when I’m being logical, I know it’s not possible to master absolutely everything before someone else sees me do it. I’m learning this year to step out anyway, knowing that I don’t know everything and not knowing where this is taking me, but seeing the next step to take. There’s always a next step.

Today is the first day of sink or swim practice for my girls. We’ve paid a swim teacher an incredible amount of money to teach our lilly-livered-land-loving daughters how to swim. The teacher knows what she’s doing and is excellent at it. She is gentle but harsher than anyone in our family has the guts to be with our kids. And effective! On the first day, both girls made amazing progress… and hated every minute of it. The spiritual lesson hits me through teary eyes (I can barely stand to watch my children being water-boarded): I quickly bypass discomfort when deeper and richer gains are within reach with a little discipline. My Heavenly Father has the courage to dunk me because he knows how good it is for me to learn how to swim.

http://picasaweb.google.com/steve.englund/Nicaragua508

Nellie’s Cave Park Shelter at 5pm. People with last names A-P bring salad or side dish, and Q-Z dessert. nlcf will provide drinks, meat and paper products.

Sorry for the posting pause. It was a long computer-less weekend: Saturday in my garden, Sabbath lunch with old friends from LA, a 6th wedding anniversary dinner for free, and a 4th Indie movie (Spielberg had me until the Tarzan monkey scene). Monday again in the garden at my granddad’s was a moment that transcended just about any experience I’ve had to date: At 93, my granddad is not planting as much these springs, so I put some pumpkin and squash seedlings in next to his strawberries. The earth was fresh, the air was perfect, and my girls were exploring the endless world of these miraculous 3 acres—just as I did 25 years ago, just as my mom had 55 years ago, just as her mom had 85 years ago! I retired to the hammock with Hayli on my stomach and we both fell asleep for what seemed like hours. If heaven is not much more than that, I won’t be disappointed. My gratitude to God for his blessing is beyond expression.

Watching Evan Almighty (slow Sunday afternoon), I started thinking about my faith. When I first became a Christian, I wanted to change the world. There is nothing wrong with this desire but over the years I realized God wanted me to make an impact in my little piece of the world and THEN he MAY give me something bigger to accomplish. It is often easier to focus on the bigger acts of faith (such as a mission trip) as they are more glamorous. The day to day acts of faith are often more difficult as it is harder to reach out to someone you see on a daily basis. It can be awkward to maintain a relationship with a co-worker or neighbor if you are rejected. Another issue with day to day faith is recognizing the opportunity. I am so focused on my goals that I sometimes miss an opportunity. Keys for me:

1. Look for areas in my daily walk where I can “live my faith”.
2. Pray for the courage to act when presented with an opportunity.