From time to time, I become overwhelmed with my doubts. I began to lose sight of what faith can be, of the hope that it can inspire. But I am not willing to shove those doubts in a box, package them away, just because they have become difficult to deal with. I have to give them more of a place, let the light of love shine on them, the light that is present in others so that I can see them more clearly. In that light, the fear surrounding my doubts diminishes and they regain their proper place.
I can't do this alone. I don't want to do this alone. Today, Patti Digh shared this clip from the movie, Doubt with Phillip Seymour Hoffman:
"There are those of you in church today who know exactly the crisis of faith I describe. And I want to say to you: DOUBT can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone."
Patti goes on to say, "Perhaps this is why people write and read blogs, to make their own pain a public experience, to share the wound." Yes, this is why I write, this is why I read. I can't do this alone and I don't want to do this alone. I need my online friends and I am finding more and more that I need a face to face community of faith and doubt.
At the beginning of this year, I threw out an invitation on meetup.com for those in our area who are people of faith and doubt to come together and have a conversation. Upstate Emergence has grown, large and small, but most importantly, deeper. These are the people who help hold the doubts in the light of love and who are helping me lose the fear of my doubts, to believe strongly again, to develop a hopeful faith.
Speaking of a community of faith and doubt or maybe I should say a tribe of community and faith, OH how I wish I could have gone to the Christianity 21 conference last weekend. Emerging Women has a list of blog responses from the conference but it certainly seems that most people are having trouble putting their experiences into words. That speaks volumes to me. I am saving my pennies to purchase the media pack so that I can at least hear the ideas that were presented. It won't be the same because I know that the biggest impact seems to have come from being there, participating in the conversation. Maybe next time.
I would like to share this highlight video from the event and as a final thought about doubt, quote and applaud Makeesha Fisher
"We are more often than not people of doubt who have beliefs
than people of faith who have moments of doubt."
I can't do this alone. I don't want to do this alone. Today, Patti Digh shared this clip from the movie, Doubt with Phillip Seymour Hoffman:
"There are those of you in church today who know exactly the crisis of faith I describe. And I want to say to you: DOUBT can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone."
Patti goes on to say, "Perhaps this is why people write and read blogs, to make their own pain a public experience, to share the wound." Yes, this is why I write, this is why I read. I can't do this alone and I don't want to do this alone. I need my online friends and I am finding more and more that I need a face to face community of faith and doubt.
At the beginning of this year, I threw out an invitation on meetup.com for those in our area who are people of faith and doubt to come together and have a conversation. Upstate Emergence has grown, large and small, but most importantly, deeper. These are the people who help hold the doubts in the light of love and who are helping me lose the fear of my doubts, to believe strongly again, to develop a hopeful faith.
Speaking of a community of faith and doubt or maybe I should say a tribe of community and faith, OH how I wish I could have gone to the Christianity 21 conference last weekend. Emerging Women has a list of blog responses from the conference but it certainly seems that most people are having trouble putting their experiences into words. That speaks volumes to me. I am saving my pennies to purchase the media pack so that I can at least hear the ideas that were presented. It won't be the same because I know that the biggest impact seems to have come from being there, participating in the conversation. Maybe next time.
I would like to share this highlight video from the event and as a final thought about doubt, quote and applaud Makeesha Fisher
"We are more often than not people of doubt who have beliefs
than people of faith who have moments of doubt."
