“Be not deceived, Wormwood, our cause is never more in jeopardy than when a human, no longer desiring but still intending to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe in which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”
- from a letter from a senior devil (Screwtape) to a junior one (Wormwood), The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis.

Im back from 3 months away looking after little Joel and you have no idea how much I missed your blog (for the rest of you, Im from the heart of Africa and its costly to have the internet at home – im told prices are coming down but still…).

Anyhoo, Faith….where to begin? I remember watching an episode of Firefly ( a futuristic tv show in the US – no idea what network – that got cancelled after the first season) and I remember a priest finding a young travel companion trying to make corrections in the bible because it ‘made no sense’. One thing the priest said that i found profound was ‘you can’t fix faith. faith fixes you’.

Every single person, even those celebrated as people of faith in the book of Hebrews, goes through their moments of doubt, darkness and despair. And you know what, I think thats ok, and I think that is the beauty of being a Christian (which means being Christ-like). Even our Lord Jesus went through moments of despair in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross.

I was happy to read about Mother Theresa’s letters because it was proof that she was ‘normal’. I do agree that its important to share our doubt and fear and despair because it brings comfort, but it isnt easy and one has to exercise wisdom in choosing who to share these feelings with. like everything else, right?

Richard, we all go through doubt, and Im willing to bet every Christian you have ever met went through those moments at some point or other in their walk. Its what we choose to hold on to in those moments that makes all the difference. And those with faith in God take on the stance of Job who, through all his suffering and questioning, was able to say ‘i know my redeemer lives.’

Why do we have to go through the darkness? because sometimes, many times, it is the only way that we will ever grow and our characters will ever become defined. The Lord left King Hezekiah on his own, who was a king after his own heart (Ive forgotten the book in the bible this story is in), to test him and see what his motivation for serving him was.

Christianity is not a set up for disappointment. Life is. But it is through these disappointments that we learn what really matters and we gain clarity of thought. The emergence of this blog is evidence of that. If you judge Christianity by its people, you are sure to be disappointed because people are not perfect. But if you judge Christianity by its God, you will realise He really doesnt need us to prove his existance, love and care. Just looking at creation is enough evidence. He is THAT awesome.

I’m not sure what “faith in money” actually means. Is that even the same kind of faith?

if it does… accept it.
if it doesn’t… reject it.

darren… i believe we are all creatures of faith. all of us place our faith somewhere. some in god, some in money, some in nothing. but the idea of letting go i believe is a false one… when you let go you simply hold on to something else. it’s the human condition. does that make sense?