We Shape Our God, And Then Our

The Ancient Hebrews Had A Word For This Awareness Of The Importance Of Things. They Called It Kavod. Kavod Originally Was A Business Term, Referring To The Heaviness Of Something, Which Was Crucial In Weights And Measures And The Maintaining Of Fairness In Transactions. Over Time The Word Began To Take On A More Figurative Meaning, Referring To The Importance And Significance Of Something.

I Would Say That The Powerful, Revolutionary Thing About Jesus' Message Is That He Says, 'what Do You Do With The People That Aren't Like You? What Do You Do With The Other? What Do You Do With The Person That's Hardest To Love?' . . . That's The Measure Of A Good Religion, Is - You Can Love The People Who Are Just Like You; That's Kind Of Easy. So What Jesus Does Is Takes The Question And Talks About Fruit. He's Interested In What You Actually Produce. And That's A Different Discussion. How Do We Love The People In The World That Are Least Like Us?

I Have Met Countless People Who Call Themselves Christians Who Don't Appear To Have Any Living Breathing Vibrant Connection With The Resurrected Christ And I've Met Countless People From Every Religious Background Including Atheists That Tell Me Of Their Very Personal And Real Experiences Of The Living Christ. I Don't Have People Asking Me Why They Should Believe Something - That's Starting Off On The Wrong Foot To Say The Least.

That May Sound A Big Vague, But What Has Struck Me In City After City Is That Despite Our Differences And Diversity, There's A Common Humanity We All Share. In Many Ways We're All Searching And Longing For The Same Things.

I Think That At The Core Of Faith Is Trust.