This is most certainly true....

This is a post I have been working on for some time and I finally decided to post it...

As most of you know I grew up in small town Iowa and I raised in a small-town Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. I was very active in my church growing up and took all the church's teachings to heart. In this time, I also harbored a great appreciation for Martin Luther. This man, if anything, has taught me to question and to keep questioning the church and dedicate living my life for my faith in and the love of God.

I would be lying if I said I still agreed with ALL the things I learned in church growing up, however I feel this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I still agree with some things I learned.

My spiritual journey has been a crazy one, as I am sure most people's are. When I got to college I became a little less associated with the church. I began to think a lot, about why we are here and how does my faith apply to my life on Earth. For example, what should I study, how should I vote, and most importantly what would Jesus want me to do. Granted I did not go out and buy a WWJD bracelet.

I spent my summers in college at Camp EWALU, and I believe this where my eyes and heart were opened the most. I believe because I was opened to new experiences and different points of view. I learned from the campers that faith can be simple and should not be overly complex. My thinking is along the lines of, why make it more complicated than it should be? This just becomes more confusing and less easy for me to follow when every little thing is analyzed. There really is no need for it. I honestly believe Jesus wants us to love God and our neighbors and to love and take care of one another. I honestly believe it can be that simple, however mankind (me included) has a long way to go before that can happen. I m guessing that is why God has other rules and provisions for us. :)

I do believe there are times when our religion and faith can be used against us to manipulate or control our ways of thinking. There are people in this world that will sadly use whatever they can to stay in control and in power. This does not just happen with Christianity, it happens across the board.
I know liberals are often associated with being God-less and immoral. I however do not see it that way at all. I believe Jesus was probably more of a socialist than anything. He definitely was not republican and probably not a democrat either.
Why do I believe this?

Jesus' main message isn't to look out for yourself and just your family. It is to help those in need, that the meek will inherit the earth, to be humble and thankful, not to worry about money. These are things I worry about everyday. I am far from perfect, but I am working on it! I believe there is a huge group of people in this country and around the world that are at a huge disadvantage and I am failing at doing my part to help them.

Last year, while I was dong my year of service with LVC, I learned a lot from the people of the city. I had some clients with amazing faith. I couldn't believe how they clung to their faith. It would have been easier to turn their back on God and religion, but they didn't. They thanked God for what they still had. I also was amazed in how concerned they were with helping others, even while they were in the middle of their own tragedies. This is one of the most amazing things I have experienced. It helped me realize what is important and that I can help others.

I understand people work hard for what they have and want the best for their families. I understand it is important to conserve values and traditions. I understand that not everyone should have the same things and some people do not work as hard as others. I understand we all have gifts, talents and different life experiences. I just don't understand why we can't help each other out. How are we going to get anywhere if we keep watching our own backs. We are only as strong as the weakest person.

I recently joined a bible study, called BSF, and am looking forward to what will be revealed to me this year. I am very excited because we don't talk about denominations and talk about the bible and what God has revealed to us through his word.
My faith is ever growing and opinions are ever changing. Who knows this post could be irrelevant in week. But for now this what I know to be true, to me it is most certainly true.