Pastor Tim's We Care Message.

Tuning Our Pianos

Romans 10:17 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

As I write this weeks blog the piano tuner is in the room next to my office tuning the piano, thus the Holy Spirit and the constant sound of one note playing over and over compelled me to write about this topic. As many of us around this time of year take trips an go on vacations, we tell ourselves that our vacations will be used to rest and re-charge. 

Well I'm all for rest and re-charging, but have we ever contemplated the fact that sometimes our faith needs re-tuning. Just as a piano grows out of tune after a while and periodically needs tuned as to play the proper notes and strike the right chord, we as God's people need to take time out and tune our faith. Yes, the day to day journey that we all walk on sometimes places our faith and spirituality out of tune and out of tempo with those around us, and yes even God!

In her article: Keep Your Faith Fresh: 4 Keys to Stronger Faith, Christian Counselor Ruth Seebeck tells us the following four ways to keep our faith fresh.

1. Study the book. There's a reason teachers handed out textbooks at the beginning of the school year. To pass the tests, you had to study. The same is true with faith. If you don't know what's in the book, the principles and promises of faith, how can you put His wisdom into practice?
2. Meditate. How did you learn spelling words or multiplication tables? By saying them over and over and over. Flash cards. Repetition. Create your own flash cards by writing out Bible promises on 3x5 cards. Put then where you can see them throughout your day. Repeat them to yourself until you've memorized them and built them into your consciousness. When you know that you know that you know - give yourself an 'A'!
3. Do your homework. Teachers assigned pages of homework so you could become proficient. Faith works the same way. Practice walking in love, even when you don't want to. Practice faith on that headache, meditating and praying healing scriptures. Practice patience and self-control, knowing God has given you the wisdom and ability to ace those life-tests.
4. Stay in school. Every grade adds to your knowledge and ability. Don't let yourself play hooky. Faith, like anything else in life, requires effort. You learn in stages and there is always more revelation. You can never know it all, but you can keep learning.

So as you journey this summer season and feel your faith beginning to get out of tune, place yourself in tune-up mode and make sure that you get back on the right key of your Christian faith walk. Once this is done, just think of the beautiful and well played notes your faith will express to all those you encounter in the name of Christ.

Blessings and Peace

Pastor Tim



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