God, I am trusting you in this ________. For me, that might mean something totally different than for you. What are you trusting God for today? Faith for me is not this collection of things I have done or accomplished. Its not about getting closer to wisdom for my life or getting something extra from life. Faith for me is stripped down and basically simple. Though not always that way and there are days that faith and trust has its own challenges. Mostly though, if I may speak honestly, faith is me just clinging to the fact that I desperately need Christ. Every single day. Every single moment. When I am in this mode of clinging onto Christ with all I have and my heart and my mind leans in to know more, its then my faith is very real and very alive. The story told in Mark 5 really speaks to me today. Let me share part of this amazing story ... Mark 5:24 - So Jesus went with him. (this is after a man fell at Jesus feet and pleaded with him to help his little daughter who was dying, so Jesus went with him) A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. SHe had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. WHen she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." Just like this bleeding woman, her faith and trust in Jesus was strong. She reached out and touched him knowing that everything was on the line and she fully believed she would be healed, made whole, complete and well again. Not a doubt in her mind that if she could just reach him - it would happen. I too want to believe like that. I too want to lean in and fully trust God. I am at that place at times and other times not so close and strong. The thing is not giving up and pressing through the faith ups and downs but recognizing that my faith is alive. It has to be exercised and tested in order to grow. Sometimes we need to change routines and read a part of Gods word that we normally dont start with. I find a lot of folks who open Gods word in Proverbs - then on to something where they left off. If that works for you, AWESOME! Everyone is different and the thing that is most important is to keep yourself growing, challenged and excited. Thats the kind of faith that I want to have and learn for everyday of my life. Just clinging to him no matter what. Working with Teenagers, "Mywalk" with Christ has to come first. Otherwise I am just leading a bunch of teenager get together so they can see each other and have a little fun. They may need to lean on my faith at times, until they can stand on their own while loving them like Jesus does, every step of the way. Peace, Lonnie~