Lies. The white lies we tell as kids, the thoughtful lies we tell our loved ones to so-call protect them, the cruel lies we tell in order to destroy others, and the massive lies that can rock a nation (ala the January 6th Insurrection on the Nation's Capitol). It's been a while but Assume "Celi" Suli and I are back with another Faith podcast and she brings a guest - Avi Achumi - and we talk about lies: why we lie, how lies hurt us, hurt others and most importantly, separate us from God.

Endurance - we've had to endure a lot during 2020, no matter what part of the world you're from. COVID-19 attacked us physically, mentally and spiritually. Today, Suli Assumi and I focus on Endurance: why we must endure pain and hardship, what our role is as Christians are regarding pain, and the realization that pain doesn't last - as we endure, we understand that all things come to pass.

This podcast is also on Youtube - you can do a search for "You Gotta Have Faith" and you'll find us.

How important is it to forgive? How important is it to hear "I forgive you"? Are those words "I forgive you" healing words, or is it all in the mind? In this first episode of You Gotta Have Faith on Youtube, I examine 1 John 1: 9 (which talks of asking for forgiveness); Ephesians 4: 31-32 (which talks of forgiving someone); and Matthew 6:14-15, which talks about forgiveness as a crucial element of being a Christian. I introduce Assumi Suli, a missionary from Nagaland, India, as my new co-host and she talks about Nagaland, her faith in Christianity and her thoughts on how important it is to forgive and to be forgiven.

This will be our final Faith podcast, until Craig Dickerson settles himself in Fort Worth, Texas. In this episode, we dive into a well known bible verse - if you're a fan of Peter, Paul & Mary (I always thought it was the Byrds), you know the verse. A time to love. A time to hate. A time for peace. We talk about our need for things to happen on our time, when we must be patient and know we're on God's time. We talk on the need to refrain from wanting things to always stay the same. The book of Ecclesiastes talks about weather, about change - change is inevitable and we must adapt to change.

We thank everyone for listening and we hope to be back very soon. If you have any thoughts or comments on the show, let us know. Thanks and God bless us all.

Paul is about to die and he writes his last letter to Timothy. It is a letter of letting go, moving on and fighting the good fight. Craig Dickerson is relocating to Texas, so this may be our last show before he leaves. We share Paul's letter to Timothy and talk about people who follow their own desires (verse 3) as oppose to sacrificing their lives for a better cause. Leaving what is comfortable and moving to new horizons and moving to a life of service is a sort of baptism of its own, and Jesus commands us to walk away from our comfort zone to serve him. Letting go is hard - uncomfortable - but it is growth. Are you growing in the Lord? Are you fighting the good fight?

I want to give a quick shout out to Storyline Church (www.thisisstoryline.com) a new church renting out the Regal Jack London Cinema to preach the good word every Sunday at 11am. Bring your kids, bring your family and fellowship with wonderful people who are strong in the Lord. Rev. Akeem Smith delivered a great sermon two Sundays ago on David & Goliath and he would love to see you on Sunday.

Trump says jews are traitors if they vote democrat. In Thursday's Washington Post, an article talks about how some evangelicals are taking hold of anti-semitic beliefs

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/08/22/how-anti-semitic-beliefs-have-quietly-taken-hold-among-some-evangelical-christians/)

and how today's politics, especially the words of Trump, are eroding the Christian values Jesus taught us.

In today's Faith episode, Craig and I talk about what the true foundation of Christ is: to love each other, to not be dissuaded by the rhetoric of others bounded by hate, and to use Christ's teachings to reach out to all. Paul reinforces this lesson in 1 Corinthians 1: 10 (I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.) and we dive into the deeper meaning of what it is to be together, united despite our differences. Take a listen and let us know what you think.

I mention it every podcast in my preamble, but in this episode, Craig and I drill down on what exactly is Faith? What does faith mean to you and me? What is the difference between belief and faith? Craig and I talk about the christian journey and how important it is to act on your faith and have faith as a foundation for your spiritual life - and how your faith can be a foundation for others.

We also want to promote the All Saints Wellness Center. All Saints Episcopal Church is opening its doors to the community, providing services like yoga, massage therapy, Qigong and walking groups. All Saints believe that holiness is rooted in wholeness and the church is invested not only in your spiritual life, but your physical life as well. Check out more details here:

https://www.allsaintsneighborhood.org/all-saints-main-street/wellness-center/

What do we define as power? Who are the people who we define as powerful people? Are they the dominant yellers or the gentle ones that keep their cool? On this episode of Faith Craig and I dive into Colossians 3 and revisit Luke 11 to talk about the power of peace and how we can validate our own power through the love of God instead of giving power to others.

Our words can be words of inspiration and encouragement, motivating people to live better lives and to be better people. But our words can also destroy - to be vehicles of hatred and oppression. In the wake of very hateful texts and tweets by our President, Craig and I focus on James 3: 5-12 and also listen to the morning prayer of Rev. Patrick Conroy, the Chaplain of the US Congress, who prayed to "cast out all spirits of darkest from this chamber".

We focus on the origins of hate speech in America, how to handle hate speech and how to handle ourselves if we fall into the temptation of hate speech. We hope you enjoy this podcast and we encourage you to give feedback. What do you think? Did we miss anything in our assessment of hate speech. Anything you'd like to add? Let us know.

In this episode, Craig and I talk about pressure – the pressure we put on ourselves and the pressure others place on us. It can cause anxiety and depression. Considering a very tense first week of July, I turned to James 1: 2-4, where James implores us to look at our trials as challenges and have faith that you will endure in the end. James is considered by most to be the brother of Jesus (there were many James’ in the bible and scholars aren’t certain who is the James who wrote this letter), and during James’ time (50 CE), the Romans are heavily persecuting Judea and Christian Jews. James’ letter warns us not to resort to violence when we are faced with violence – to not become the very hatred we are faced with.

Thoughts on pressure:

1. Generally, the pressure we face comes from others, not ourselves. Are we carrying other people’s crosses?

2. If we do cause our own trials, are we honest with each other to admit our faults? Are we humble and are we committed to changing ourselves (a spiritual baptism)?

3. When others are facing pressure and transfer that pressure to you, can you communicate with that person and focus on what’s REALLY going on? Or do you go either extremes – cower to the pressure, or react in anger, only making the matter worse?

4. Tense situations are mostly finite – they don’t last forever. You will overcome and endure.