Faith

I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus and God the Father and the Holy Spirit. I believe in Heaven and Hell. I believe in Love and Faith and Hope and Truth. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in miracles.

Sometimes though, God's people make me doubt my beliefs. Why is there competition among churches? How could my (ex)husband stand up on the stage and play guitar with the worship team after smoking a joint in the car on the way to church and nobody was the wiser? How could he start a "ministry" and yet go home and abuse his family? How can a pastor preach an inspiring sermon and be arrested the next day for child pornography?

What is the right way to pray? Do we actually reap what we sow? Do bad things happen because we just don't have enough faith? Because we have sin in our lives?
Does God really want us all to be rich and healthy or do those with tragic life stories make better witnesses?

These are the big questions. Every person seems to have a different answer.

The people I respect most practice what they preach. They are real people who admit their faults and work to correct their mistakes. It would be nice to find a church full of people like that.