My Faith

    They say in America, there are two things you should never talk about: politics and religion. While I do feel that no one should be harangued into talking about subjects in which they have no interest, I also feel that if we as a culture and society put up little walls around every potential topic which might be controversial, we restrict ourselves and ultimately stunt our potential for growth and increased understanding. Whether they know it or not, everyone practices a personal 'faith', or spiritual worldview. 

      Originally, I developed my personal web page as a hobby and to document some of my mountaineering adventures. Along the way, I decided that since this is my personal web page, it should also reflect who I am as a person - the things that are most important to me. Most people who know me are quite aware that mountains, hurricanes, running, work, and family and friends are all very important to me. Some of my acquaintances may also know that my faith is also very important to me. I've created this page to share some thoughts and personal experiences regarding my faith.

    If you're not into that, no problem - enjoy the other sections of my site (there's plenty of trip reports and pictures on this site). I do not feel that it is my duty to browbeat anyone into believing the way that I do. But I do find my faith to be very rewarding and helpful in my life, and thus worthy of sharing with others. My webpage would be amiss if I left out this important part of my life. My faith is something that I cannot hide or pretend is not there - it deeply affects the core being of who I am.

    In case you're wondering at this point what my faith actually is, I can summarize by saying that I am a Christian - which means that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I recognize that as a human, I have fallen and 'missed the mark'. As a sinner, I deserved to die, but Jesus came, lived a perfect life, and sacrificed His life for me. Out of gratitude, and because He is my Creator and Redeemer, I have dedicated my life to Him to be used for His purposes. Therefore, I am on a faith journey. That's what this page is about.

    I can also say that I am a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. I feel that out of all the Christian denominations, this church is the one which most closely follows God's Word. Seventh-day Adventists hold several beliefs or doctrines which are quite different than most other Christian denominations. I will try to highlight some of these distinctions and why I feel that a correct understanding is important on these issues.

    Plans for this page - in order to keep things self-contained, I'll probably try to organize this page into a series of essays or stories. After years of browsing the web, I know that I don't like to read a web page which is 50 pages long. Essays which are just a few pages in length seem to be the best way to organize this. So the page might eventually look like a blog - a faith blog. We'll see.  Here's a rough outline of what the page might become:

•  Testimony - The story of my personal faith journey  - how I came to the point where I am today

•  Basics - what is faith, belief, and trust? and why is Scripture an appropriate guide to faith?

•  Truth - what is truth and how can we know it?

•  Apologia - an essay in defense of Christianity (or this might be a whole section)

•  Practice - an essay about how I practice my faith

•  Belief - an essay on the core of my personal beliefs

•  Doctrine - this will likely be a series of studies from Scripture on various topics related to faith

  • The State of the Dead     (What happens when you die? What is a soul? Can our dead relatives and friends talk to us?)

  • The Law     (What is the purpose of the Law? Was the Law really nailed to the Cross? Should Christians keep the Law?)

  • The Sabbath    (Should Christians keep the Seventh-day Sabbath? Isn't this legalism?)

Links:

    Adventist Christian Fellowship @ Colorado State University    This is a campus ministry I helped (re)start and am involved with at CSU