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.

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.

I was recently sick with bronchitis. But the doctor said I was no longer contagious, so I decided to continue seeing patients treating my symptoms. Before and after appointments each day, I rested more than I have in a long time, and I did what I haven't done in years: I watched a lot, I mean oodles, of television. While my kids were awake, I sat bundled up with them in the evenings watching their favorite shows. It was great quality time. Once they went to bed, I found I could not lie down without hacking, so I propped up in bed and turned on my TV. This is when I came across “The Bachelor.” I had been reading many of my friends' posts on Facebook about their “Bachelor” addiction, so I tuned in to an episode.

Christmas can be such a magical time. When else do we decorate - everything - this much? And yet, when there are positive and negative feelings that people encounter as Christmas approaches, often the main concept of it all is missed. It is Christmas - this is about Jesus Christ's birth! No way around it. Yet, there is a higher rate of depression around the holidays that is not in conjunction with the true meaning due to lack of relationships, family, and even money to do what people think they ought to do. Depression is a very real feeling, yet it can be helped by taking the focus off oneself.

As the Occupy L.A. encampment on Monday maneuvered to avoid eviction, local clergy representing congregations in the foothills and Pasadena have been working to bring their own brand of hope and support to the movement. Los Angeles officials - wary of the criticism similar efforts received in Oakland and New York - have been grappling with how to evict the occupiers for weeks. Early Monday morning, protesters defied a midnight deadline to clear out and planned to seek a court injunction to keep authorities from dismantling their camp.

The Rose Parade is an event tethered to traditions - the Tournament House, the Royal Court, and its strict “Never on Sunday” policy. The policy dates to 1893, when officials decided to move the parade to Jan. 2 because New Year's Day fell on a Sunday. The festivities, they decided, disrupted local church services. It's a rule that stuck. For the 18th time in more than a century, Jan. 1, 2012 is a Sunday, and so the parade is scheduled for Monday, the next day. “It's a combination of respect as well as tradition,” said Libby Wright, chairwoman of the Rose Bowl management committee.

What is meant by “Faith and Life” in the title of this column? The “faith” element is probably obvious. It encompasses theological truths presented in such a way as to help us in seeing how the spiritual and God's truths affect, heal and inspire us as humans. The “life” component touches upon our daily issues, the facets of human life, including: the personal, relational, emotional, spiritual, physical and psychological parts of who we are. Viewing life as a whole, both spiritual and psychological, demonstrates how faith and emotions play into who we are. Both help us discover answers to problems we face, make meaning of our experiences, and take action so we are emotionally healthy and able to be all God created us to be. This is important for our own contentment and health, as well as that of our families, friends, places of work and other areas of life that are necessary and meaningful to us. Integration helps us to attain peace, purpose and pleasure.

We are doing another series on Parenting Special Needs Children and Teens at the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA. It is wonderful to see parents who have challenging children receive education and support from others who have walked through a similar journey. Raising a child with depression, bipolar disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, rage and the like can leave parents depleted, isolated, and wondering why, with the staggering statistics, mental illness is stigmatized against. After all, one in five families has a mentally ill member.

I was recently asked to write my definition of mental health. After some thought, I composed the following: “The ability to effectively function, recover, relate and contribute to your family, other close interpersonal relationships, society and work and feel hope and happiness in a productive and healthy manner while obtaining your own life goals.” What caused me to create this definition is that I treat patients in my office who have...

Our family returned this week from the Bahamas. It was a trip that was a long time in coming. When we first saved up for it, then booked it, my daughter ended up in the hospital. We had to cancel, much to the disappointment of my other children. So finally everyone was healthy and off we went. We were very thankful to be going. I felt so appreciative to God for this trip, knowing he truly helped us pull it off. The first thing we did when we arrived was put on our swim suits, run to the beach, and dash into the bathtub-temperature water yelling and giggling, “The Bahamas!