Summer Camp

I was pleasantly surprised when NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams, on their Faith in America segment featured a story about how and where some American youths were spending their summer.

The American youths who went to Mexico, went under a Texas based group called Teen Mania Ministries. They had to raise their own money for the trip and they brought food, toys, shelter and most importantly shared their faith with the poor people in that part of Mexico.

I am happy and encouraged to hear of the existence of groups like Teen Mania. I am sure there are many churches who send youths to places like Mexico for the summer. My church does it too, and they have three different groups go to Mexico every summer.

This year we were able to contribute to the trips by donating six bags of used clothes because among the things that my church group brought this year were clothes. Each of the group that went to Mexico built a home for a needy family. All the materials for the building were bought and paid for with money raised by the youths who went.

We also "bought" two pairs of Helping Hands. Helping Hands was a way that some of the youths raised money for their trip. They offered services like yard work, baby sitting etc to raise money.

Almost everyone of the young people who have gone on one of these trips to Mexico experienced a life changing experience. A life changing experience not only from their service to the Mexicans they interacted with, but also to their Christian walk, and they had a better understanding of what fellowship and service with other Christians meant.

Faith's Subjectiveness

Dennis Prager talks about everything and anything on his radio talk show. I always enjoy listening to the topics that he brings up. One of the things that Dennis Prager often says about faith is that it is subjective. Can anyone prove or disprove the genuineness of someone's faith?

In Christianity, faith is only as good as the object of our faith. If I place my faith on something that is not deserving, say a rock, then no matter how genuine my faith is, that faith is delusional. Believing in something that is false does not make it true.

As a Christian, I have to first of all acknowledge that I am a finite being, with limitations trying to understand and reach out to an infinite God, a God who is not limited by time and space.

I have to put my trust in His Word which he has left behind as " a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalms 119:105). I have to put my trust in Him because He tells me so, and not to rely on my own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

I can only do these things with my faith. My faith makes it possible for my limited understanding to reach out to the One who is without limitations.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him". Hebrews 11:6