You Gotta Have Faith You Gotta Have Faith

Lies. The white lies we tell as kids, the thoughtful lies we tell our loved ones to so-call protect them, the cruel lies we tell in order to destroy others, and the massive lies that can rock a nation (ala the January 6th Insurrection on the Nation's Capitol). It's been a while but Assume "Celi" Suli and I are back with another Faith podcast and she brings a guest - Avi Achumi - and we talk about lies: why we lie, how lies hurt us, hurt others and most importantly, separate us from God.

Endurance - we've had to endure a lot during 2020, no matter what part of the world you're from. COVID-19 attacked us physically, mentally and spiritually. Today, Suli Assumi and I focus on Endurance: why we must endure pain and hardship, what our role is as Christians are regarding pain, and the realization that pain doesn't last - as we endure, we understand that all things come to pass.

This podcast is also on Youtube - you can do a search for "You Gotta Have Faith" and you'll find us.

How important is it to forgive? How important is it to hear "I forgive you"? Are those words "I forgive you" healing words, or is it all in the mind? In this first episode of You Gotta Have Faith on Youtube, I examine 1 John 1: 9 (which talks of asking for forgiveness); Ephesians 4: 31-32 (which talks of forgiving someone); and Matthew 6:14-15, which talks about forgiveness as a crucial element of being a Christian. I introduce Assumi Suli, a missionary from Nagaland, India, as my new co-host and she talks about Nagaland, her faith in Christianity and her thoughts on how important it is to forgive and to be forgiven.

This will be our final Faith podcast, until Craig Dickerson settles himself in Fort Worth, Texas. In this episode, we dive into a well known bible verse - if you're a fan of Peter, Paul & Mary (I always thought it was the Byrds), you know the verse. A time to love. A time to hate. A time for peace. We talk about our need for things to happen on our time, when we must be patient and know we're on God's time. We talk on the need to refrain from wanting things to always stay the same. The book of Ecclesiastes talks about weather, about change - change is inevitable and we must adapt to change.

We thank everyone for listening and we hope to be back very soon. If you have any thoughts or comments on the show, let us know. Thanks and God bless us all.

Paul is about to die and he writes his last letter to Timothy. It is a letter of letting go, moving on and fighting the good fight. Craig Dickerson is relocating to Texas, so this may be our last show before he leaves. We share Paul's letter to Timothy and talk about people who follow their own desires (verse 3) as oppose to sacrificing their lives for a better cause. Leaving what is comfortable and moving to new horizons and moving to a life of service is a sort of baptism of its own, and Jesus commands us to walk away from our comfort zone to serve him. Letting go is hard - uncomfortable - but it is growth. Are you growing in the Lord? Are you fighting the good fight?

I want to give a quick shout out to Storyline Church (www.thisisstoryline.com) a new church renting out the Regal Jack London Cinema to preach the good word every Sunday at 11am. Bring your kids, bring your family and fellowship with wonderful people who are strong in the Lord. Rev. Akeem Smith delivered a great sermon two Sundays ago on David & Goliath and he would love to see you on Sunday.

Trump says jews are traitors if they vote democrat. In Thursday's Washington Post, an article talks about how some evangelicals are taking hold of anti-semitic beliefs
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/08/22/how-anti-semitic-beliefs-have-quietly-taken-hold-among-some-evangelical-christians/)
and how today's politics, especially the words of Trump, are eroding the Christian values Jesus taught us.

In today's Faith episode, Craig and I talk about what the true foundation of Christ is: to love each other, to not be dissuaded by the rhetoric of others bounded by hate, and to use Christ's teachings to reach out to all. Paul reinforces this lesson in 1 Corinthians 1: 10 (I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.) and we dive into the deeper meaning of what it is to be together, united despite our differences. Take a listen and let us know what you think.