FIRM(LESS) FAITH

“On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!”

 (“The Solid Rock” is a Christian hymn written by Edward Mote in 1834.)

Matthew 7:24-27 (NKJV)  Build on the Rock:

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

I KNOW, THAT I KNOW, THAT I KNOW if I were to die today I would go to Heaven. I know it without a shadow of a doubt. I’ve lived this faith for many years and I’ve believed every single word of the Bible without a doubt in my soul.

Recently I encountered something I truly had never heard of before. That God’s Word is all a myth based off of folklore from India and the Persians. I was so side-swiped by the idea I am not sure I heard the rest of the what was being said to me. I began to look into the claims and as I did I was warned not to look too closely because it might lead me down a road of disbelief. As I looked at the book in my hand that was going to supposedly tell me the truth of whether the Bible is true or just a bunch of made up stories, I looked at my husband and said, “Wouldn’t it be sad if after 37 years of living my life according to a solid faith that I would read one book and it would shatter it all?” The whole idea made me very sad and a little sick to my stomach. What a shaky faith that would be!

Job 19:24-26 (NKJV) says, “That they were engraved on a rock, With an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God..”

Here’s my question: Do you know what your faith stands on? Is it a firm foundation, or, is it sinking in the sand? Is it a house built on a rock standing firm in the storm, or, a sand castle that is destroyed easily by the tide that rolls in? The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” (Romans 14:5) and for each of us to be ready with an answer as to why and what we believe.

If someone were to look you in the eye and ask you, “What do you believe?”, what would you say?

FIRM FOUNDATION?

The beginning. The very beginning.
Of time, of space, of man, of race.
Doesn’t matter what you really think
Or what you really believe
How it all started, or,
Does it?
Because, see, here’s the thing –
Opinions are great and theories grand
Somewhere it became part of a strand
Perhaps even the most elaborate of scams
Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything
BUT
Conviction of the heart is EVERYTHING
So whatever it is that you think you know
Whatever faith you want to exhale
Believe it. NO!
Consume it – deeply –
Stand firm, never, ever wavering
Because it would be so sad now wouldn’t it
To truly believe and then with one book,
With one look, one wink of a different view
To have it all crumble, crash around you
Have it all taken away in the sinking sand
of firm-less faith.

~Marcell Warner Bridges
©16 May 2014

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/AjR_A2pGPrY&source=uds

© Heart Thoughts, Marcie Bridges, 2014
Top pictures © Bridgescreations, 2014

TAKE A HAPPY BREAK!

Red Ked’s. Tan strappy sandals with a slight wedge. Hula Hoops. Bicycles. Roller skating in our mobile home park.
A red frisbee that came with rolls of fruit flavored Lifesavors inside of it.  Jump roping. Jump Roping for Life. Striped gum. Hot, sticky summer days with the smell of newly cut grasses.  Camping in the Redwoods

 and camping at Deerlick where I fed deer from the palm of my hand.  Rolling down a steep hill at Deerlick scrapping my knees, shins, elbows and chin up. The smell of sulfur water cleansing those boo-boos.  Going to Old Sacramento and trying to eat huge jawbreakers that wouldn’t fit in my mouth.  Singing along with Sandi Patty in my bedroom or in the living room. Singing on stage in church.  Sitting with my dad talking for hours about the Bible. Vacation Bible School in the Castillo’s back yard.  Swimming, hiking, wading creeks and rivers. Sitting on the couch, snuggled under the afghan my Aunt Fay made me reading “Little House” books and “Nancy Drew” while the rain pelted the tin roof of our mobile home over my head.  Sitting around the campfire in the woods, sparks shooting into the cool night air while daddy played the guitar and we would roast marshmallows and sing songs together.

 Writing poetry.  Swinging upside down on the monkey bars; swinging high as a kite on a swing set at school then laying my head back to “float” through the air.  Pretending to be Wonder Woman.  Drawing, coloring, making toilet paper rolls into pencil holders out of scraps of cloth and giving them away to others (which to their credit they graciously accepted).  Listening to music on the record player. Pretending to lead children’s choirs while listening to children’s albums. Bubble Gum ice cream from Brock’s Ice Cream shop – – we’d pick all of the gum balls out first then eat the ice cream and save the gum to eat later.  Learning to play guitar with Pastor Irving. He was soooo tall and I was soooo small! Mr. Vaughan’s 4th, 5th, 6th grade classes all in one room. Playing with our dog Fluffy.

Christmas. I loved Christmas and still do! We got up in the wee hours of the morning to open our stockings and play with the gifts left open for us under the tree until dad and mom got up to open the rest. I would start listening to Christmas music in September!

These are all random (not in any particular order), fun memories from my childhood.  Every time I see the red Ked’s in a store I smile and think, “I want a pair of those!”   They remind me of my childhood.  Which is what started me down this happy, go-lucky road. Sometimes I think we don’t dwell enough on the happy parts of our lives. We live in the memories that are dark, hurtful, painful and we forget that there have been happy days at all. We tend to let the bad overcome the good.  BUT (there’s that word again ☺ ) God’s Word tells us, “A merry heart does good like a medicine” Proverbs 17:22.  And just like Mary Poppins sings, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!”  I think God intends us to go to the fun times as medicine for our hearts.  Medicine is good for us because it helps us heal from illness and when we take the right kind for our disease, we become happy as we get better.  I think God wants us to remember the happy days in our lives.

Have you had your happy break lately? When was the last time your heart was made merry and you laughed just because you thought of something joyful?  I’d love to hear a happy, fun, silly memory from you.   ~Love, Marcie

The following song is just another fun memory all about being happy! Loved this album!

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QPfojyjFaAA&source=uds 

Photo of Redwoods by © Karen L. Murphy Photography, 2013 

All Other Photos are of myself and my family ©2013

© Marcie Bridges, Heart Thoughts, 2013