Faith

How would you explain faith as a gift from God? What actions can people take to receive and/or increase faith? ? Faith is certainly one of our gifts from God. Faith is represented by the disciple Peter. It is our ability to believe in the one power and the one presence, God omnipotent. Faith is our ability to know that we are spiritual beings, living in a physical body, experiencing the physical world. My favorite scripture quote defining faith is: ?Now faith is the substance of things hoped for ... the evidence of things not seen.

Christ was born into this world as an infant who grew into a boy and then a man. He came to save human beings and in the process mystified all, before and after his birth, and then after his death. This mystery began with Mary, then Joseph, and spread to other family members. From there, news of Christ's birth and life perplexed even the Jews — the very people Jesus called his own. Jesus' birth, life and death were very controversial. Have you ever wondered what Mary must have thought, felt and marveled about when an angel visited her and told her she was pregnant?

Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series . Broken bottle glass sparkles by the roadside, roken bottle glass sparkles by the roadside, But not nearly as brightly as my spirits. Fence rails march in orderly fashion Toward Oklahoma City, but My heart does a wild fandango on its way. Telephone wires race to beat me there, not knowing My thought baggage arrived almost two months ago And the rest of me now hurries after.

In his "Pol Position" column on Nov. 19, Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy claimed that liberals hate George W. Bush "because he is a man of faith," and "are determined to put sharp limits on people of faith." Dennis Mountjoy is wrong. He asks why liberals "have such an intense emotional reaction to the president." Mind you, this is from a man representing the party that has made Clinton-hating its most popular sport for the past 12 years. Speaking of Bill Clinton, both he and Jimmy Carter were presidents who frequently spoke publicly about their faith.

Marshall Allen LA CRESCENTA -- Mary Rice Hopkins hopes her children's songs will be fun and teach principles that will last a lifetime. Thousands of kids sing along to the Christian musician's songs every year. They don't forget them when they get older, either, the La Canada Flintridge resident said. Remembering tunes and lyrics is especially important when she's trying to help kids understand morality and spiritual truth, said Hopkins, who performed Wednesday at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church.

Gary Moskowitz The Rev. Rob Calderhead is hoping that his fascination with Christian themes in cinema will breathe new life into the faith of his congregation. Calderhead, 57, is hosting a "Film Fest" series at La Canada United Methodist Church this month, during which he shows clips from contemporary films to help illustrate the importance of faith in God. The film series began with "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Terminator" and "Saving Private Ryan."

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Glendale resident Dorothy Exum prays over each piece of religious jewelry she creates. And it's produced some strange results, she said. For example, Exum's aunt had been unable to speak after a car accident landed her in the intensive care unit of a hospital. But when she wore a bracelet Exum had made, prayed over and anointed with oil, Exum's aunt began to speak and even walk around, Exum said. "I don't say these have any miraculous powers, but it's just through faith," she said.

Glendale resident Ken Golding was not much of a church-going man until he met and married his wife, Zelda, more than 40 years ago. After a two-week courtship, Ken Golding, who was raised as a Christian Scientist, married his wife, a born-again Christian. Ken Golding, 82, decided to convert to born-again Christian after his marriage and was baptized at the First Southern Baptist Church in Hollywood. He attends church regularly and serves as a deacon and helps other congregants better understand the born-again Christian philosophy.

On a number of levels, the story of how 2004 Flintridge Prep graduate Ramses Barden wound up starring for the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo football team is one of faith. By offering the 6-foot-7, 210-pound wide receiver a scholarship, Cal Poly head coach Rich Ellerson took a leap of faith. And by accepting that offer, Barden took a considerable step of faith as well. For Ellerson, recruiting Barden demanded faith in Barden's potential. Like everyone else, he could see that Barden possessed a potent combination of size and athleticism.

Marshall Allen GLENDALE -- Mary Margaret Marie Estes Shaw -- "Margie" to her friends -- celebrates her 101st birthday Tuesday. Her birthday was celebrated at Glendale Presbyterian Church Sunday, where she was given a special greeting by Pastor Brad Calhoun during the 11 o'clock service. Much of Shaw's life has been centered around her strong faith in God and the Bible and the church, she said. She has been attending Glendale Presbyterian since 1972.

Re: “ Has the economy damaged the work ethic? ” In Theory, April 28: Once again I'm amazed that the Rev. Bryan Griem can call himself a Christian. I thought Christianity was about love, empathy, compassion and care for those who are suffering, hurt and less fortunate. Instead we get Griem's Christianity of selfishness and greed when he states,” I tend mine and I reap” or “we Protestants.” He disdains the immigrant and unemployed. To him, it's us against them. What a very sad theology, which is completely opposite of what Jesus taught.

Most of what you think you know about grammar is wrong. That's the title of a recent Smithsonian magazine article by Patricia T. O'Conner and Stewart Kellarman. It's also destined to be my first tattoo. Just about every week, I spend several hours explaining to people that some beloved teacher, parent or grandparent pumped their heads full of hogwash. As a result, much of what they think they know about grammar is wrong. A tattoo saying as much would help me dispense with the long explanations.

Why are we taught not to cry? Especially boys and men? Society often gives us the message that crying is weak, wrong, or uncomfortable for others. The truth is, crying is extremely wise. And adults need to cry to heal from grief, anger and many other stressors. Crying restores us to a base line of emotional, physical and psychological health, especially when one is under stress, in pain, or grieving. Often in crisis or pain, we think we have no time to cry so we just hold it in. But even allowing yourself to cry for two minutes when you find yourself in a place to do so has tremendous healing power physiologically.

A group of parishioners had gathered inside the chapel of St. Mark's Episcopal Church for a planning meeting a couple weeks ago when a woman came in searching for the “healing cross.” Past the church pews, at the end of a long hallway, the Byzantine-era cross hung encased in a glass box, surrounded by gold studs and illuminated by lights. The woman reached through a hole drilled in the glass. She touched the face of Christ etched into the center of the cross no bigger than one's palm.

What is the most significant loss you can remember? For some, the answer may come immediately to mind. Others may have to ponder a bit to figure the answer out. Mine is fresh on my memory…my grandmother. She passed Oct. 21, six days short of her 99 th birthday. I will never forget the last time I saw her, nor will ever fail to remember the last conversation we had. My grief started 17 days before her passing when my mother phoned to tell me the end was near. I cried the entire night from somewhere deep within my being.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Though Mitt Romney was officially crowned the Republican nominee for president, supporters of Ron Paul refused to give up hope. Romneyville, a camp of sorts for protesters of the Republican National Convention, od made up with as many people who support the libertarian-leaning Texas congresssman as more liberal standard bearers.  Supporters of Paul lined up outside the first of several checkpoints going into the Tampa Bay Times Forum,...

I have had a season of grief. There is grief, and then there is compounded grief. I have had compounded grief. I am not afraid to write that. The details are not important; you can insert your own pain or memory of grief into this narrative. But I would like to take a moment to share what I have learned about grief.  Because it is an agonizing place to be in life. If I had to describe grief on an emotional and physical level, I would use the metaphor of your stomach and chest being a chicken breast -- and someone is pulling strips of the meat off. I have used this with patients and friends and they agreed.

Is God good all the time? Well, according to the Bible he is. His purposes have a kingdom focus for his will to be done on this Earth. And he says he works all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). And that he brings justice (Luke 18:8). But what of human suffering, sickness, injustice and death? Abuse, mental illness, poverty, slander or suicide? How do we say he is good in all of this? I have experienced, or been affected by, some of the above, either personally or by the effects of these problems on a loved one. The pain of having children suffer, of abuse, slander and injustice has rarely felt like God's goodness.

I have a career in which I have the blessing of helping those who have been wounded. Some have deep hurt that is of a physical nature. Others have emotional scars that hurt just as deeply. Often, when we are wounded, our mind cannot stop the cycle of remembering, pondering and ruminating on past events. It can be difficult to move on, feel joy and simply stop the repetitive thoughts of past injuries. These types of wounds, if formed at an early age, are literally hardwired into our brains.

Think of an area of your life that brings you insecurity, causes you to feel stuck, unable to move forward with an activity or behavior, or has even left you paralyzed with fear. For some, this can be their self concept: never good enough, of no value, unable to succeed, worthless. For others, it is how they perform. They feel unable to get a higher education, be a good wife or husband, handle finances or do paperwork well. Therapists walk individuals through their life via talk, and we often see an exact event that began the feeling of not being good enough.