:: sweettalk ::

:: Sunday, February 22, 2004 ::

faith

God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self that I may better do Thy Will. Take away my difficulties that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy Will always.

Oh, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would always be with me, and that You would keep me from evil.

Thank You for keeping me sober today. Amen.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. -- Hebrews 11:1

Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is still theoretically possible; and as the test of belief is willingness to act, one may say that faith is the readiness to act in a cause the prosperous issue of which is not certified to us in advance. -- William James, “The Sentiment of Rationality”

Faith and religion, of course, are not one and the same. The distinction between the two is similar to the distinction between what is sometimes referred to as the soul and body of an experience. The soul is the invisible part, rooted in the mind, will, and feelings. The body of the experience is the outward expression of its soul. It is the putting into action of an idea, conviction, hope or desire. Faith, then, is like the soul of an experience. It is an inner acknowledgment of the relationship between God and man. Religion, on the other hand, is like the body. It is an outer expression of that inner acknowledgment. -- John Powell, A Reason to Live! A Reason to Die!

What a day Friday was! Thank goodness I turned it over to God before I began. I arrived at work only to be called by my Realtor who informed there was a problem and that my lender would be calling me shortly. When she called, she told me that my landlord had given me a stellar reference over the phone, but the secretary who'd filled out the paperwork had stated that there had been a few late payments over the past twelve months. With my landlord's approval, I had paid half or most of the rent at the beginning of the month and the remainder a week or two later at times when tuition was due or things like that. I'd even done it in February, and I discussed it with my lender and Realtor when I met with them last Saturday. Nevertheless, the paperwork was insufficient for my loan to be fully approved. I felt very powerless all morning, as it was out of my control. I was stuck in Hurst, and there was nothing I could do about it, but I had faith that if it were God's will for me to move, everything would work out. All was resolved when my Realtor got hold of my landlord a little more than a hour before the Seller was due to close and asked her if the number of late payments on the document could be zero. She said she loved me and would do anything for me and faxed a new document over just in time. Whew!

I left work about three o'clock and made it to the title office just before four. We spent about forty-five minutes signing documents and all was done. I came home for a bit and then went to the six o'clock AA meeting. I joined Todd and Harry for dinner at Lucky's afterwards. What a day!

:: Kyle 4:21 PM 0 comments
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