The Community of Faith and what it means to me

1. The Community of Faithand what it means to me

2. Hiking the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada with the Sierra Club

3. Backpacking the Grand Canyon with my children, June 2018

10. We are called to be part of the body of Christ

12. At St. George’s Anglican Church, Tunis1973-74

13. Demonstrating God’s Love

14. What happened when I returned to the U.S. • My parents

15. What happened when I returned to the U.S. • My parents • My friends

16. What happened when I returned to the U.S. • My parents • My friends • An Episcopal pastor

17. There is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Jesus the Messiah, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.Romans 3:22-25

18. What happened when I returned to the U.S. • My parents • My friends • An Episcopal pastor

19. Was the Christianity I encountered in Tunis an aberration?

20. Dr. Francis Rue Steele, 1915-2004Professor of Assyriology, University of PennsylvaniaDirector, North Africa Mission, 1953-1981

21. Micheline: my prayer partner, friend, the one who discipledme

22. We need each other.

23. We need each other. We learn from each other. We encourage each other. We hold each other up. We pray for each other. We love each other.

24. Hebrews 10:24-25Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

25. Galatians 6:2Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

26. 1 John 3:17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need, and yet refuses to help? This is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us.

27. When the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, the battle went well for the Israelites as long as Moses raised the staff of God. “When Moses’ hands grew tired they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.”(Exodus 17:8-13)

28. We are one despite our differences.

29. We are one despite our differences. • Jews and Gentiles

30. We are one despite our differences. • Jews and Gentiles • Male and female

31. We are one despite our differences. • Jews and Gentiles • Male and female • Master and slave

32. We are one despite our differences. • Jews and Gentiles • Male and female • Master and slave • Different races and ethnicities

33. We are one despite our differences. • Jews and Gentiles • Male and female • Master and slave • Different races and ethnicities • Different sexual orientations

34. He came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through Him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.Ephesians 2:17-22

35. Thus says the Lord: do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.Jeremiah 9:23-24

36. It is together that we are being built into a temple:Come to Him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals, yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.1 Peter 2:4-5

37. As a body, we should seek to be God’s light to the world.

38. Henry Bosch on what a baby needs: • Food • Fresh air • Exercise • The help and fellowship of others

39. Henry Bosch on what we need in our spiritual walk: • Food: study of the Word of God • Fresh air: communion and prayer • Exercise: service and witnessing • The help and fellowship of others: a good church home

40. God’s people are everywhere.

41. Tempted to abandon fellowship?

42. Tempted to abandon fellowship? All of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the power forever and ever. 1 Peter 5:5-11

43. Bill Withers, “Lean on Me” (1972)

44. Bill Withers, “Lean on Me” (1972) Romantic love is the most fickle thing in the world. The consistent kind of love is that kind that will make you go over and wipe mucus and saliva from somebody’s face after they become brain dead. Romantic love, you only wanna touch people because they’re pretty and they appeal to you physically. The more substantial kind of love is when you want to touch people and care for them when they’re at their worst.

45. Bill Withers, “Lean on Me” (1972)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTVEIOOBD6Q

46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTVEIOOBD6Q