Seven things you probably don't know about me

1. I like rereading my own writing. This can be a bad habit, as it tends to make you think your words are more permanent than they really are. Call it my guilty pleasure.

2. I haven't read my Bible in a while. Speaking of guilt, I might as well confess here. I think it's ok for Christians to admit their failings, so here I go. I hope you don't think less of me.

3. I still haven't read the entire Bible. I tend to get lost in the Judges/Kings books when God starts saying, again and again, to wipe people out and not intermarry. I also haven't made it all the way through the minor prophets or Jeremiah. I keep intending to read those, and I do get something out of them when I try. I like to think I'm waiting for the right time, but I should really be more diligent and get through them, just so I can say I've read every word of the Bible.  It is God's instruction manual, so it is important to me to read the whole thing.

4. I haven't figured out creation vs evolution. I love the Bible's depiction of an orderly creation, and I'm not hung up on it being 6 literal 24-hour periods (how could it be if the sun, moon, and stars were all created on the fourth day?). I know God created all things, and that evolution doesn't answer the essential question of why we were created. Still, I am bothered by the scientific worldview that says we can decipher the origin of human beings using observation.

5. I recently heard an excellent sermon on faith and the hope we have in things unseen. I am still uncomfortable, though, with faith that asks me to deny things I can see with my own eyes. For example, I remember going hiking and picking up a rock and wondering how long it took to create that rock. It was a multi-colored sandstone rock, with multiple layers. It looked like sand had been compacted to create this rock, which would have taken a long time. I don't think I could believe in the Christian God if I thought he wanted me not to ask that question, or to deny what I saw and to take it on faith that Creation was completed in six 24-hour periods.

6. Faith in things unseen is more than a slogan. I do believe in Christ and God in a real way. My faith tends to be intellectual in some ways, but I am also incredibly moved to worship God not just on Sundays when we are singing and raising our hands, but also when I see the moon rise, reflecting the sun's light, or when I need to get through another workday and God's voice comes to me and I hear his loving, affirming Word to me -- telling me that I am loved, that He will provide, that I am blessed.

7. I love rest. Six days of work is enough. I tend to have busy weekends because of all the things we have to get done. I appreciate rest when I get it, though.