As my deadline drew near, I pondered at what to write, so I asked myself what is the purpose of this column.
As members of the Ridge Meadows Ministerial, we have the wonderful privilege of having this column to share about everyday life issues from a Christian perspective, regardless of denomination.
Some people may not agree with some of those perspectives, but no one says that they have to.
Hence, freedom of speech.
Controversies occur on so many topics, even within the Christian community, and often there seems to be grey areas. What do we do when there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer, even in the bible.
Do we put our kids in public school, private school or home school?
Do we participate in Halloween, Harvest Festival or do nothing at all?
Is drinking totally taboo, totally under grace or is an occasional glass of wine acceptable?
What about the music we listen to, entirely Christian, anything goes or somewhere in between country, blues, folk and opera?
It can be difficult, but people make their choices, sometimes with great success, and sometimes with regret.
I’m not here to give you an answer for any of these.
I have Christian friends who fall into each one of the categories listed above and not one of them is better than the other because of their choices.
We make decisions based on our experiences, circumstances and by doing our best to hear from God if we ask Him for direction.
But that’s it, isn’t it?
“If” we ask Him.
We often go head-first into something without getting a little advice from the One who wants the very best for us.
He may have an answer that is beyond anything that we have ever hoped or imagined, if we ask.
If you don’t believe God exists, then it may be hard for you to identify with that.
But I would ask that you give it a try, ask Him for direction, see what happens.
The answer could come by circumstances changing, or someone giving advise, maybe by hearing something that just speaks to your situation, or, who knows, maybe by reading an article in the Acts of Faith column.
As pastors of the community, we don’t have all the answers (even though some of you may think we should), but we do rely on the One who does.
So when we write about our experiences and revelations, our desire is to encourage you and bring you hope, maybe even answer your questions.
We are blessed in this community to have a group of pastors who lay down denominational differences in order to come together on a regular basis and pray for each other and all of you.
So, if you ever need to talk or get help with some tough decisions, we are here.
We may meet in different buildings, but we all belong to the same God.
Wendy Townsend is Maple Ridge campus pastor at Southgate Church.