Understanding Faith

So we have been on the discussion of faith at our church for a while. I have been watching Andy Stanley's new series called 'Faith, Hope and Luck' and it is amazing. Andy does a great job on explaining what faith is and how it is accomplished in our lives. So many times, we connect our faith with our circumstances. If we do the right things, say the magical words, click our heals or give the right amount of money, our faith would be amazing. On the other hand, if times get tough or things don't work out the way we want them to, our faith can be crushed.
Our faith is based on circumstances. That is the problem. Our faith comes from one source alone. God grace given to us through the power of Jesus. The foundation of our faith is Jesus. What he did 2000 years ago is the only foundation for what we believe. If nothing else good ever happens in our lives, we know that God loves us and He sent his Son to die for us. That's it. Not an experience. Not a circumstance. Not a magic formula. The person of Jesus is all we need.
So how does God show this in my life? Let's just say that circumstances are frustrating and life doesn't always seem easy. Just another way for God to remind me that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Just a reminder that when I am weak, He is strong.

Relationships

So I just got back from Norman Park, GA. There is a Georgia Baptist Center down there and I was there to meet with other youth pastors from Georgia. Now if you have never heard of Norman Park, don't worry, neither did I. The Baptist Center is really the only thing in the city. The city is about 30 minutes outside of Tifton, GA.
I knew about 8 of the 30 guys down there. These guys I know are from my neck of the woods and work with me at Impact (the greatest camp on the earth). A lot of these guys were from down south closer to Norman Park. They were very rural and country. I know that I am in the south but most of the guys I know are from the city.
The interesting thing to me is that student ministry is done the same way everywhere. One of our talks was about reaching out to different stereotypes. The main conclusion was relationships. Whether you were like or even liked the stereotype you were reaching out to, the main ingredient is relationship. Understand that you may not ever be like the student you are reaching out to, but realize that they are looking for real relationships. They want to see the real you and you need to show them the real Jesus through you.