Beeeelllliiiieeeeeeeeevvvveeee!

Our Daily Bread
I am sometimes irreverent when thinking about the faith of others that I do not agree with or understand. Take, for example, the over-the-top faith healers on TV that provide emotional displays of showmanship. They can touch someone's head and tell them to "just beeeee-liiiieeevveeeee!".  I am usually the one putting my palm to my own face when I see these things. Lord, forgive me where I am wrong!

I thought how life would be if it were that easy to have more faith. Take a pill. Read a short pamphlet at the dentist office. Take an online class. Write a blog...wait a minute!  LOL After many, many years of thinking about faith, I learned it is like exercise. You need to build up your level of strength and endurance with slow and sure progress. Get into shape, as they say in the fitness world. Not only getting into shape, but maintaining our strength and endurance with regular "exercising" of our faith. 

Thomas believed that Jesus arose from the grave because he experienced him in person. Jesus encouraged him then, and encourages us today with this statement: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. —John 20:29

Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief. 

Movie Monday
I saw the movie Furious 7 last Friday afternoon.  I am a fan of the series, though I haven't necessarily like all of the movies in the series.  As one friend described this installment "if you like the series, you will love this Furious 7".  I completely agree.  It has the fun, suspend-all-belief action and stunts, and fast cars that you come to expect from the best of the movies. 

Furious 7 added Jason Statham (Transporter movies, Safe, etc) as the villain. He plays the brother of the man the Toretto family killed in Fast and Furious 6.  There were lots of cool fight scenes.

Lastly, there was the added layer of the memorial of Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013. There were some touching moments as movie paid tribute to the star of most of the series (he was not in one of the earlier movies).

I give this three out of four bear paws. Definitely see it at the theater on the large screen.

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Revivals greatest enemy is Pride, and the only bride Revival will walk down the isle with is Humility. Humility will deny herself the right of self gratification rather than turn away from God to fulfill her own pleasures, and she will not allow herself to receive the praise that should go to another (especially the Lord). Finally, she will rush to renounce herself, rather than sitting quietly when her Lord is robed of His glory. Oh, Father, we are so unlike her, but may we meet her so that we may walk down the isle to Revival and true Christlikeness? from  Jonathan Edwards on Humility in Religious Affections