Faith & daily life
At the heart of our faith is the belief that God meets us where we are in all the places and relationships in
which we live, work, play and relate. We pray, support and encourage one another as we grow deeper in faith
and learn to trust God with our whole lives. Some of us are new on the journey; others have been at it for
awhile. All of us can find inspiration and hope in the stories of our fellow travelers. FAITH & DAILY LIFE will
be featured monthly with stories of God at work in YOUR life.
Peter Pan Grows Up (well, maybe!)
by Tom Mulhere
To tell the truth, for a long time Peter Pan was my role model.
"I won't grow up; I don't want to go to school.
Just to learn to be a parrot and recite a silly rule."
Sort of ironic for a kid who spent many hours in Catholic School learning
the rules (catechism), and who won the religious metal in 8th grade for his
knowledge of these rules.
Thirty-some odd years later my Peter Pan "I won't grow up" mantra was still
intact, and certainly was when it came to my faith. And then something amazing
happened. Shary and I became members of Bethlehem. We were blessed with
a great abundance of riches--pastors, mentors, friends, a great small group,
worship, Bible study, stewardship, God's love and his grace. I grew in my faith,
and this was reflected in my life.
We're not called
to live
a balanced life.
We're called
to live
a faithful life.
To whom much is given, much is expected. Eventually, I was drawn to our
church’s dedication to outreach. I met a woman who devoted her life to
helping homeless men and women. I asked a pastor friend of mine to explain
the woman’s dedication; he simply responded “she sees the face of Christ in
the people she serves”. OK, this is big time faith! I get it, but it is challenging.
However, I have learned it is not my purpose to judge those who have suffered
from cycles of poverty and abuse, addictions, mental illness and PTSD. My
purpose is to be present and serve. I also took this approach to my endeavors on
the north side of Minneapolis.
I thought I had said goodbye to old Pete. I had matured in both my faith and my
life. Then one of our wonderful pastors said this on Ash Wednesday four years
ago:
"God's desire is all of our heart. Following Jesus is about a well-ordered
heart; about getting our priorities straight and giving ultimate allegiance
to God. We're not called to live a balanced life. We're called to live a
faithful life. Following Christ is not one aspect of our lives; it's the
foundation for the whole of our lives."
WOW! A wake-up call to live a Christ-centered life. It is an ongoing journey and I
thank God and Bethlehem for their continued help.
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