Have you ever charted how you spend your time—how much time you spend sleeping, eating, brushing your teeth, watching television or travelling to and from work?  If you have the guts, it can be a pretty revealing exercise. 

I probably don’t need to reel off an endless number of statistics that show where Americans spend their time.  I’ve said it before—How you and I spend our time says a lot about what is important to us.  With more and more media outlets grabbing for our attention, we can find it increasingly difficult to make “time” for God in our lives.  Add to that the “have to’s” like eating, sleeping, caring for families, working--and you can see how stress creeps in like a “thief in the night”. 

The results of this are obvious and telling.   A look around out own community reveals higher crime, immorality, sadness, anger and so much more.  More and more people are looking for the shortcut escapes.  It’s no wonder that computer applications like Facebook capture the “time” of millions. 

And we wonder…  Why is my relationship to God not panning out?  Where’s my peace, direction, purpose, fulfillment?  Where’s my abundant life?  Well…take a little inventory. 

That being said, I’m not sure I’d jump up and declare that we have a TIME PROBLEM.  What I really believe in my heart is that we have a FAITH PROBLEM.  You see FAITH has to do with trusting in something that I cannot see.  Like the ride at the amusement park that puts me through an array of twists and turns and upside down maneuvers—at incredibly high speeds—faith involves risk.  A vast majority of Americans won’t go on those crazy rides.  We’re content to watch others take the risks and grow envious of their satisfied faces as they run past us eager to jump on again.  Though I’m not advocating that we all must ride more rides, I am pushing for a little more risk. 

Like the ride, so many of us are content to pass on the FAITH-coaster.  We’re happy to watch others jump on.  We’ll watch others risk their own lives in the vast unknown.  Then, like that ride, we’ll watch with envy as they run past us and back on the ride.  We’ll wonder why we can’t have the joy without the risk.  Well, because it doesn’t work that way. 

God invites us to come to Him, follow Him and to trust Him.  The pathway to that journey is the FAITH STEP OF FULL SURRENDER.  That’s the defining moment!  The moment where so many of us find ourselves trapped, immobilized and incredibly dissatisfied with how our faith journey is turning out.  Well, there’s good news.  The bible provides the way for us to experience life in the manner God intended. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119: 105(NIV)

Join us for our next series at New Heart:  Faith-Behind the Scenes.   In this series, we’ll study the nation of Israel following a forty year detour into the wilderness—a detour that was predicated by a lost faith.  How did Israel regain her faith?  What can we learn about trusting God each step of the way?  How can we learn to take the first bold, risky step of faith that will lead us to the experience of a life time and beyond?  Join us each Sunday for our study on the Old Testament Historical books. 

We meet at 10am each Sunday in the McKinleyville Activity Center. 

See you Sunday,

Neil