I found the following among my “spiritual” papers. I thought I would publish it here, as an example of what I imagined would come as result of individual exploration of the “The Mission: All Things Possible” study.

Assignment 1: Faith
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
   I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,
   in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
   on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
   the sea, and everything in them –
   He remains faithful forever.

First, the psalm emphasizes who we should have faith in – the Maker of the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them (Psalm 146:6). This may seem like an obvious statement, but as the psalmist writes, we shouldn’t put our trust in anyone beside God (Psalm 146:3-4). The psalm also tells us what we should do to keep our faith strengthened – we should praise the Lord. We should praise the Lord with our souls (Psalm 146:1), not just with our mouths. The praise should be meaningful. We should praise the Lord all of our lives (Psalm146:2). Actually, we should sing praise to God as long as we live (Psalm 146:2). I think when we sing our praise, it is even more beautiful to God, more fragrant, more genuine.

Later in the week, when I went to finish the assignment, I was struck by this verse: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” – Hebrews 12:2

This verse reminds me that my faith is a Christian faith. Our faith was “written” for us by Jesus, when He was present as God the Son, with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, in the beginning; He is the source, the author of our faith, and it was “perfected” by Jesus when He died on the cross and achieved victory over death. Like the psalm, this verse tells me what I need to do to keep strengthening my faith. I need to keep fixing my eyes on Jesus.

In the months that I opened my heart and my life to God, I visited different churches in search of profound religious experience. I visited Marble Collegiate Church in New York City one Sunday in August/ September (I think) 1991 with my brother Tony. Because it was crowded, we had to sit on a bench in a side balcony upstairs. At the end of the service, the pastor, Dr. Arthur Caliandro, asked the congregation to pray the Our Father. I remember the sun streaming through the glass windows in the ceiling as I heard the beginning words of the prayer, “Our Father, …”. It is hard for me to describe the moment, because it was intensely spiritual. I felt that I could visualize the literal, physical words of the prayer, rising up through the church toward the ceiling rafters, through the shining sun, to God, and most profoundly, I thought I could feel God’s pleasure, receiving those beautiful words, “written” for us by His Only Son Jesus the Word, prayed to him in belief, in faith, and even more, in love for Him.

Our seats were near the choir loft, and at the end of the prayer, the church rang out with a song of praise to God.

I think my faith was so strengthened that day, and in those early days of my faith journey, I was so open and childlike in my search, and full of innocent love for God, that He was able to fill me with so much of Himself that I was almost shining. I think that shining faith was a strong witness to other people. I was so in love with God then that being with God was really the only thing that mattered. Since then, God has shown me that there are other things that matter in my life, but actually, if they are not blessings He has given me, they may not be as important as the place I give them in my life. And I know that I have placed things ahead of Him. This is why my faith can fade. As I write this, I am praying that I will always stay open to God, through praise and prayer, and keep my eyes fixed on my Savior Jesus Christ, making Him first, and maybe even Only.

(Sing)

Doxology                                Thomas Ken
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Do you have a story in your life of faith? Maybe you will share it here, I would love to hear it, and continue my education about God.