faith

Sunday Thought

mikemjensen Sunday Thought Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

I’m traveling today so I apologize for an auto post today.

Recently I was introduced to a scripture that when I looked it up in my own bible, showed no notes or marks.

I know I’ve read it before but for whatever reason it never struck me like it did this time.

4201121-heavenly-rays-normal“For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall.” Isaiah 25:4

How many times have I been shielded from those things that would hurt me, things that could damage me, and things I cannot avoid on my own? How many times has my God, or my faith in my God helped me overcome those challenges?

And then the next thought.

How many times have I been a shield for others? How many times have I made another’s day or life better? There are plenty of opportunities. Just do it.

Thank you Debbie Choplin.

A Refuge in the Storm

Day 230

Birthday Week- Saturday

mikemjensen Gratitude, Vanity Tags: , , 1 Comment

Hey Kids,

Saturday of my Birthday Week. Last day, I promise. All week I’ve been listing things I’m thankful for and things that make getting older worth the effort.

Saturday- My Faith.

Faith means a lot of things to different people. To me it means those things that I believe, hope, or count on deep in my thoughts, emotions, and feelings. It extends beyond the question to which religion you subscribe. It’s more than a set of do’s and don’ts. It’s the feeling of how and why.

Manti Utah Temple which some of my ancestors help to build

Manti Utah Temple which some of my ancestors help to build

I’ve been raised Mormon and I cherish the heritage that gave me. Beyond belonging to a group of people from a particular family or country, I belong to a history of people who chose to be together, who struggled together, and who put their faith in things beyond the conventional possibilities. I’ve been blessed with this association for my entire life. (Sometimes plagued, I confess.)

As a child I learned to trust the happenings around me. Persevere and move forward, better things await those that do.

As a teenager, I kept myself out of a lot of trouble (not all). Some that might’ve affected my life in undesirable ways.

I remember as an 18 year old, new to the construction site, I was designated to hold the weekly football bet money. Several hundred dollars were put in my trust, over the weekend, not because they knew me, but because they knew I was Mormon. It taught me to be true to what I claimed as my values in all times, especially when others counted on it.

My Faith took me to France and Switzerland and taught me French. A lesson I will never forget.

My Faith has given me the encouragement to carry on through in justices in the world. A belief that the ultimate justice would be based on how I acted on a day-to-day basis and not in a tally for tally, eye for an eye method in what was fair in the world. It gave me a compass.

My Faith has allowed me to ask questions, to challenge my own Faith, to dig deep for answers and when lines don’t meet, dig deeper, to relax when things aren’t perfect, and believe and hope that one day it will be.

I’ve stated a very big, private part of me in just a few sentences. I don’t mean to trivialize it but to just give a small glance into why I think it’s the growth of that faith that I look forward to as I get older. I wonder what questions I don’t even know how to ask yet.I fear and anticipate with hope to see what Faith has to offer in the future.

At least, that’s what I believe anyway.

Day 82

Finding Faith in Cosmos

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Hey Kids,

I tried watching the show Cosmos today. I tried, but I didn’t make it very far.Cosmos_spacetime_odyssey_titlecard

I like space and science shows but found this show a bit dramatic, trying too hard to impress me. I believe the universe is impressive in and of itself; no gilding of the Lilly is needed. But I did learn something.

The incredibly impressive cartoon (sarcasm) that occupied the better part of the small part I watched, told of some dude named “Bruno”. Bruno became caught up in the idea that the world was not the middle of the universe but just a planet going around a sun which was really just a star like all the other stars. This new insight landed him in religious jail and eventually death.

I haven’t really thought much about Bruno’s plight since changing the channel but the thought of the Religious Thought Police did get me thinking.

I do not believe religion and free thinking need to be mutually exclusive. Religion and Science do not need to be at odds. I love the idea that the Universe is as infinite and limitless as the God that created it. I find it hard to believe that we or any stated doctrine can fully comprehend God without thinking, pondering, studying, testing, praying, and challenging what we currently believe to be the truth of things. Think, test, accept or reject, adapt, challenge, re-test, etc., etc., etc. A belief system where questions cannot be openly asked is not much of a belief system.

Is there room for doubt within faith? Of course. What is faith without doubt? Doubt fuels faith. It create ways to grow faith. It allows faith to escape blind following. It makes it alive. I also believe science is just as valuable for faith as scripture. Keep in mind, I don’t think challenging means challenging authority. You might be wrong.

Cosmos may not have been as enlightening as I hoped it would have been. But it gave me some good reflection for this Sunday afternoon. And if for noting more, it reminded me how fortunate and lucky I am that I don’t live in an age where I can be burned at the stake for my different thinking.

Day 62