The Bridge of Faith

      It has been far to long in between posts, but here is the next one.  I have had this idea for a while, and have told many people about it.  It is based on the bridge we have formed across life.  Have you ever seen a bridge like this:

     After a lot of thought and processing I have come to believe that we are on a bridge of similar construction in our walk with Christ.  The center rope you walk on is faith.  This is the pinnacle of what Christ called us to. Faith that Jesus was the son of God, that he came and died for our sins, and that he was raised to life is what it is all about.  I did a search to find that faith is mentioned around 458 times in the bible.  It is crammed full of stories related to faith in God.  The ultimate element being that God is who he says he is, and will do all he says he will do.  The faith is what we walk on.  It is what supports our weight, and gives us a place for our feet.  The greater the faith, the thicker the rope.  The best part about this bridge we create with is that once we have faith, we are harnessed into the line.  We cannot fall off, and no matter how much the rope shakes, we can be sure that we will not fall to our death.  The only problem is that walking on a tight rope is very difficult, and therefore two more ropes make it better.


     The extra two ropes are derived from reading the bible and prayer I believe.  I think that if we walk onto faith, we are steadied by the bible, and by prayer.   It is when these 3 are twined together that the bridge gains stability, and the crosser is steadied no matter how much the bridge is rocking.  I think often we just try to have faith, and we are dismayed when it feels like we are crossing a tight rope.  Even then we try to just get away with only prayer, and not the entire set of ropes.

     Crossing the bridge is where things become interesting.  I have been one of these bridges, and no matter how safe they are, they still feel very unsafe.  They shake and bounce.  They require you to focus, and point yourself at the other side.  It is easy to look down, and become paralyzed with fear.  These things all equate to life.  Life is not easy, and it bounces all around.  It scares us to the core, and only faith in the rope (Christ) allows us to cross.  I have heard that community should be one of the ropes instead, but community in this example is the ability to look around at other bridges just like the one you are on.  It allows you to encourage those that are further behind you in their crossing, and also an example of people that are already further in their crossing.  After some thought my idea for sharing the gospel is catching the people that are not connected through faith, and sharing our faith so that they can be clipped in as well.  The key is that all crossings have heaven on the other side, and we are all crossing the pit of death and darkness.  I do not have much scripture to post for this one, because most of it is feeling.  Feel free to post scriptures which you think apply, and continue to encourage others crossing their bridges!
 

The Beginning

As I ponder all of the things I feel need to be said, I find it somewhat overwhelming. It is difficult to put so many thoughts into just a few words, and completely throw yourself out to a relatively unknown audience. I cannot even comprehend being a pastor, because they do this every week. Christianity seems so unbelievably complex, and so many people have tried to make it so much more then what it truly is. Christianity is simple: Love God, and Love people. The problem is that satan has so overwhelmed the human heart that this becomes a difficult task. This post is what I have learned about overcoming satan, and pursuing God.
It would outlandish, and irresponsible of me to lay out a step by step guide to following Jesus. It isn't even really necessary. Jesus takes responsibility for pretty much all of the work you will allow him to do. So here is where you start: Believe God is who he says is, and do what he says he will do. Now comes the learning piece, and more steps of faith. If you really start to take heart this statement, then learning what God wants to teach you is only a bible away. Pick one up and start reading it, but do not, and I repeat do not start at the beginning. That isn't the beginning of the relationship with Jesus, and though vitally important, has a much different meaning. If you have grown up in the Church I suggest you start with the beginning of the Church in Acts, but only if you feel relatively familiar with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Then just read a chapter a day, and add more as you feel called to do. I grew up knowing I should read the bible everyday, and I was terrible at it. I started reading everyday with one chapter about one and a half years ago, and increased to three just recently. I am just now almost getting back to the new testament. Let the words sink in, and let God work on your heart. Let Jesus conquer the things keeping you from climbing the highest peaks, and seeing the wonders God has done. Now conquering these things does not always happen instantly, so stop your whining. It is hard, but find people to help you. If you need counseling, get it. I don't ever think Jesus said check your crap at the door, and in fact I think he would have said "Let me carry it for you(Which he did, by carrying the cross)." I also suggest finding a community of believers to surround yourself with. Life was meant to be done together, and God uses people to draw others closer to him. If you are the reading type, I also believe that God has used many books to highlight how to pursue him further so find some good books to read. I hope to talk about the ones I have already read, as well as books that I am able to read in the future. So I suggest that you start somewhere.
Yours In Christ,
Joshua