Reflections on 50

Today I reached a sort of milestone in my life, I turned 50. I am not sure what to feel or think about such an event, but a few things come to mind.

-Fifty is not as old as I used to think. I remember when 50 seemed ancient, but not any more. It does take a little adjustment in my mental clock, but just minor. Sure my body has changed, but it has been changing all of my life.

-After fifty years of living I think I’ve learned a few things: like how to make a good pizza, change the oil in the car, identify an albino chickadee (there is one which visits the feeder daily), how to say “thank you”, the simple pleasure of a walk in the woods, how to laugh and not take myself too seriously.

-After fifty years you’d think I’d learn not to: always look at my stomach in the mirror, get intimidated by angry people, over eat, worry about things I have no control over, leave piles of papers all over my office.

-Some other things I’ve learned; beauty is truly from the inside out, God is faithful and trustworthy, some kinds of grief always hurt, there is no greater treasure than the love of another, love gets better with practice and time, forgiveness is a gift which keeps on giving, gossip is also a gift which keeps on giving, a loving family is priceless…

So here I am, 50, over half way in this life. Today I know 50 is a great age to be (but so is 51, 61…). I feel so blessed.

I hope this day will be a blessing for you.

Grace & peace,

Mike

Why I am a Christian, part 2

In an earlier post I offered a challenge to create a response to the question; "Why am I a Christian?" of 100 words or less and could be understood by someone who was not familiar with church, Christian faith and all the special language of faith.

Here is my most recent attempt to answer the question in 100 words or less. As I reflect on the true core of my faith it has come down to this expression.

What do you think?

I invite you to give the exercise a shot as well.

So here it is. Why I am a Christian.

I am a Christian because of Love. The Bible says: “God is love.” I have experienced the love of God in Jesus Christ in my own life. It has come when I was most unlovable and least deserving of love, as followers of Jesus loved me anyway.. Love inspires, challenges and motivates me to love others, particularly those who I would rather not love. I am continually changed by this love and I see it change others. It is in the church I experience and participated in this kind of radical loving. I choose to follow Christ because of love.

Grace & peace,
Mike

Why are you a Christian? -100 Words or Less

Can you do it? In 100 words or less can you state why you are a Christian?

To make it even more challenging, write it as if you are sharing your statement with someone who is not a Christian. So you can’t use unfamiliar theological or church terms. It has to make sense to someone with little or no experience with the church or Christian faith.

It also must be from the heart and not preachy. This is not why someone else should be a Christian, but why you are a follower of Jesus.

When you think you’ve completed the statement, share it with someone else and ask them to critique it. Then go back and perfect it.

If you’d like to share your final version with us, post it as a comment to my blog for others to see.

Finally, I challenge you to memorize it, so when the opportunity arises you can share it with someone who is not a Christian.

Right now, my statement is down to 300 words, so I’ve a ways to go before it is ready to be posted.

Will you take the challenge?

Grace & Peace,

Mike