Dust of the Rabbi's Statement of Faith

DUST OF THE RABBI'S STATEMENT OF FAITH

I believe in one God -
Father-God, All Powerful, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is visible & invisible.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son -
Master and the one & only Son of God, eternal with the Father, God from God, Light from Light, begotten, not made. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became a man in the womb of the virgin Mary. For our sake, He was crucified by Pontius Pilate; He died and was buried. On the third day He came to life again according to the Old Testament prophecies in the Bible; He returned to heaven and is seated in Authority with the Father, where He works as our High Priest; He will come again in light and power to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, God the Spirit -
the Lord, the giver of life, Who comes from the Father and the Son and with the Father and the Son, He is to be worshiped and praised. He has spoken through the prophets in the Bible and continues to guide and direct the Church.
I believe in one holy Church, that crosses all denominational lines, known as the Body of Christ;
I believe in baptism by immersion as a symbol for dying to sin and coming to new spiritual life; I believe in the whole Bible as God’s complete and final word, nothing can be added and nothing can be taken away;
I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life for those who believe, and in the world to come.

A Blazed Trail

When I was a kid, I had a friend who was a boy scout. I belonged to a similar group at my church, but we didn't always do the cool stuff they did, one of them being, trailblazing.
You know, someone would go ahead and plant subtle clues like placing stones in a formation to guide you to the next clue, such as a broken twig hanging off a bush or something.
If you knew what to look for and if you were observant, you would make it to the end by following the clues. The trail was clearly marked for those who were really into the "game".

When I heard God leading me & my family away from the denomination of my childhood (for that matter, my whole life up to this point!), I had no idea where He was take us. I thought that He would simply nurture us at home with each other while still maintaining contact with other Christian brothers & sisters. I felt a lot like Abraham who was told to leave his father's household and go where he was shown, not knowing where, just going.

I had been a teacher for sometime. I had taught a class most of my adult life, and at this point I had been teaching out of Romans. I knew I had to tell this close knit class that it was time for me & my family to leave. Little did I realize what lay ahead.

A closer relationship with a couple of friends, opening a Christian bookstore & cafe, being able to minister to believers, (new & "old"), being a safe place for anyone - believer or otherwise.

Times have been a bit rocky, financially speaking, but we're still here. By God's grace, we're still here.

Love & Peace