Faith Uniting Ministry

Beliefs Where do our beliefs come from and why do we believe they are true? Belief: an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists, trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something. Beliefs can come from may places; they begin at a young age and continue as we grow and learn. As we grow and learn we also realize that some of the beliefs we learned as a child are not true, but the belief is carried on because it is believed to create joy, traditions, even miracles. Some beliefs have been passed down from generations to generations. What about the beliefs that don’t create joy or miracles? These may be different for everyone; we don’t all have the same beliefs, nor are we all affected the same way by a belief. Take for instance the holidays; some of us love to celebrate them and it brings us great joy, while others can’t get them over with fast enough because it is not a happy time for them. When beliefs are not causing us harm, and they bring us true happi...

Fear : an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief  that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. What creates fear? Why are we afraid of the things we are afraid of? It surprises me how many people that say they have faith in God, live in fear. Fear of – going to new places, meeting new people, scared of the dark, scared to stay by their self in their own home, getting sick, fear of developing a family illness, fear of gaining weight, and so much more. And He said to them. “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” Mark 4:40 What is really guiding us when we are afraid? A lot of the things we fear are beliefs  that we learned from others, movies; or someone’s fears; they are not coming from our true self. The more we let fear guide the way, the more things we begin to fear. This fear can lead to anxiety and stress, more fear, health issues, and more. Look at the things you fear; where did they come from? Why do you believe you should b...

Gratitude: a positive emotion; the positive state of being grateful; an overwhelming feeling of appreciation and thankfulness, and the desire to return kindness to others.    "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15    When was the last time you stopped and took the time to really give thanks for all that you have or said thank you for a simple act of kindness?     I am sure that we have all experienced being at a store and holding the door for someone who said, “thank you”, and someone who just rushed through without a word. We don’t hold the door for a “thank you”, we hold the door out of kindness and courteous.    Are we so busy that we take for granted something as simply as saying thank you someone for opening a door for us; or being grateful for the wonderful things or people that we have in our lives right now – no matter how big or how...