My Beacon Article from Febuary 2006

A pastor friend of mine once told me something that sticks with me to this day. "Every day, I learn something new," he would always joke with me. Even in his 50s, Mark always let us know that he had things that he could learn. In other words, he was unfinished.

No matter how learned we are in the Bible, there is still always room to learn even more. Because it is a living, breathing book, it always leads me to new places each and every time I open it. The thing is, every time I think it answers a question of mine; I get two more questions in return.

That's because questions and learning are ingrained into our very being. They are part of who we are. We cannot stop. Questions about faith are not evil; they lead us to the path. Only a quick read through of Job can teach us that. Even David, the super warrior King that was "a man after God's own heart" doubted at times.

Pastor and author Rob Bell wrote in his book "Velvet Elvis":

A Christian doesn't avoid questions; a Christian embraces them. In fact, to truly pursue the living God, we have to see the need for questions.

Questions are not scary. What is scary is when people don't have any. What is tragic is a faith that has no room for them...

Questions, no matter how shocking or blasphemous or arrogant or ignorant or raw, are rooted in humility. A humility that understands that I am not God. And there is more to know."

So, First Baptist Church, I pray that we never stop learning. I pray that we never stop having questions to ask God. I pray that our faith will always be humble enough to fall before God in humility and learn what he has to teach us until the day we go home.

Bro. D