Ordinary Acts of Faith

Last week, my husband and I were part of a teaching team at our church. The topic was "The Faces of Christ".

Here's a small portion of what Tom and I shared which I've modified somewhat for the blogging format:

Speaking in front of you all today is very uncomfortable for both Tom and myself. I think the reason it's so uncomfortable for us isn't necessarily because we fear public speaking, but because we live a "show", "don't tell" kind of life.

Consequently, ours is a "show", "don't tell" kind of faith. I've come to believe that this is actually a quiet evangelism; and because it is done so quietly, I think it is vitally important to share how this "quiet evangelism" is lived out in our lives and in the life of our family.

So, I've compiled what I like to call, "Jerri's laundry list of ordinary acts of faith, lived out in everyday life", and it reads like this:

We call on elderly neighbors to check on them, to visit with them, and to pray with them if they desire prayer.

We buy tamales from a family in our neighborhood, whom we know supports their family through this income.

When a teenager rides by on their bike and bites the pavement, we invite them in to wash and bandage their wounds.

We introduce ourselves to our neighbors.

When we see new neighbors moving in, we offer to help them with their heavy items when they arrive and we assist them when they leave.

We help scrub soot off of a neighbor's walls when there has been a house fire.

We prepare and deliver meals when there has been a new baby born into our neighborhood and community.

We help trim blackberry bushes for elderly neighbors, who lack the strength and the means to trim and clear by themselves.

Tom and I believe it is love in action, expressed through relationship that has the power to reach, and to transform both the world within and the world around us.

Love in action, expressed through relationship.

Quiet, simple, and intentional acts of faith lived out in everyday life.

God's love, flowing through me, through you, through each one of us, out into a world which hungers to know the simple truth that it is loved by the one who has made all things.

.........I won't bore you all now with the remainder of our "speech". I'd just like to conclude this blog entry by saying one thing.

The world is a very broken place. People are hurting and afraid.

Words are no longer enough to woe this wounded world back to its one true Lover and Healer; but words spoken in love, combined with love in action have the power to transcend time, space, life and even death.

...and I believe this is how, even now, God is transforming our world.

PS-The concept of a "show", "don't tell" faith was introduced to me by Kathleen Norris in her book, "Amazing Grace". I did credit the author when I spoke last Sunday, but failed to do so earlier in this blog post.