I'm not a tremendously musical person, but there are a few elements of music that I do know. I know that you need to start playing something like the piano or some other instrument by not only learning how to make it make the appropriate sound, but by teaching your fingers where to go. And the way that you do that is to practice. You teach your fingers to go where they need to go so that they do so without you having to consciously think about it.
I do know this about music, too. Even master musicians will occasionally reflect back on the basic chords so that they continue to keep sharp. The basics form the foundation of everything. When you start to find something difficult, it's probably a good idea to go back and remember how the basics of it went, so that then, when you try something more challenging, you have that foundation as a second nature.
I would hold the same thing holds true for our Christian faith. We live in a day and age where our eye often gets caught by that which is flashy, that which is popular, that which is dynamic. We love to see the shiny end result. The thing that I have observed, which I find rather sad, is that there are many who want the shiny, flashy end, but who don't want to go through the process of getting there. We live in an era of shortcuts, soundbites, and don't want to think that there may be a rather significant foundation that needs to be in place for it to be a lasting thing.
Our faith lives can be somewhat similar to that. So many in our day and age want the popular thing that has people (young ones especially, it seems) flocking to the doors. They want the shiny show, the flashy performance, the instant conversions. And yet, as I read through the Bible, I discover that the life of faith actually builds a lot of some very basic things, things that continually arise before us.
I should say up front that I am a big fan of building something that will endure. I'm not big into the flashy, quickly popular thing. I want something that gets built, and then lasts for a long, long time. The thing is, such things rarely come easily. They require time. They require knowing the basics, so that the foundation is there for a lifetime of faith, enduring on to eternal life.
With that, I'm introducing a fall theme for the people of Oak Road Lutheran Church. Basic Training: the Basics of the Christian Faith. We'll be venturing through some of the very basic elements of our faith that you may think you know, but that you may be surprised are much deeper than you ever considered before. The hope is to build a lasting foundation as we reflect upon the very basics of our life together in Christ Jesus. More on this in future entries.
I do know this about music, too. Even master musicians will occasionally reflect back on the basic chords so that they continue to keep sharp. The basics form the foundation of everything. When you start to find something difficult, it's probably a good idea to go back and remember how the basics of it went, so that then, when you try something more challenging, you have that foundation as a second nature.
I would hold the same thing holds true for our Christian faith. We live in a day and age where our eye often gets caught by that which is flashy, that which is popular, that which is dynamic. We love to see the shiny end result. The thing that I have observed, which I find rather sad, is that there are many who want the shiny, flashy end, but who don't want to go through the process of getting there. We live in an era of shortcuts, soundbites, and don't want to think that there may be a rather significant foundation that needs to be in place for it to be a lasting thing.
Our faith lives can be somewhat similar to that. So many in our day and age want the popular thing that has people (young ones especially, it seems) flocking to the doors. They want the shiny show, the flashy performance, the instant conversions. And yet, as I read through the Bible, I discover that the life of faith actually builds a lot of some very basic things, things that continually arise before us.
I should say up front that I am a big fan of building something that will endure. I'm not big into the flashy, quickly popular thing. I want something that gets built, and then lasts for a long, long time. The thing is, such things rarely come easily. They require time. They require knowing the basics, so that the foundation is there for a lifetime of faith, enduring on to eternal life.
With that, I'm introducing a fall theme for the people of Oak Road Lutheran Church. Basic Training: the Basics of the Christian Faith. We'll be venturing through some of the very basic elements of our faith that you may think you know, but that you may be surprised are much deeper than you ever considered before. The hope is to build a lasting foundation as we reflect upon the very basics of our life together in Christ Jesus. More on this in future entries.
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