Walking the walk versus Talking The Talk

Now that I live in the Bible Belt I have been having some very interesting conversations with people about God. Most recently I had the occasion to speak to two different people on two separate occasions about the number of people who identified themselves as "Christians" who talk the talk but don't walk the walk. In other words they may quote scripture, they may attend church but they don't necessarily Walk The Walk. They don't have that personal relationship with God. There's a parable that Jesus speaks of in Matthew chapter 25  verses 14-30 about the master who gives each of his slaves a certain number of talents in other words money. Slaves go out and invest the money and then double it and bring back twice as much money to their master. The third slave goes and buries the money thereby under the law of the time claiming no responsibility for it. The master praises to slaves that double his money for him and reprimands and cast out the slave that simply buried the money. "God's grace has been given to you. What are you going to do share it or bury it?" *Father Mike st. John's Episcopal Church Fort Smith.
Much like the third slave there are people that talk the talk about being Christians but when it comes right down to it they look out for number one there by burying God's grace. Then there are those like the first and second slaves that will go out and share God's grace I loving our neighbor as ourselves and by caring for the needy. In other words investing God's grace. These people are the ones that walk the walk as Christians. These are the people that have a personal relationship with God and recognize that God's love and grace is abundant enough in their lives to share it and invested in other people.
So I leave you with the question that father Mike asked the congregation. God's Grace has been given to you. What are you going to do share it or bury it? Do we trust that God's love and grace is abundant enough and is not going to run out?

I am that I am

 "Sometimes the people in our lives who are supposed to love us, for whatever reason, aren't the people we need them to be. Family, friends, loved ones, are all human, as are we, and that means we aren't perfect. So sometimes the relationships that we are supposed to be able to count on aren't meant to be our foundation. And when that happens, we need to build our foundations on stronger stuff, like our own sense of self-worth, or relationships we choose rather than the ones we're born into. If that has happened in your life, after you assess that you have handled the relationship the best way you could, or apologized for anything that you shouldn't have done, then just know that some people aren't meant to be in your life. Some people are meant just to be lessons that we learn from so that we do better with the next relationships. And we need to be okay with that. We do the best we can, when we can, and cut yourself some slack for those times when things aren't the way they "should" be. You are enough and you are lovable. "
This popped up in my memories today. It was a post from a page that I follow called Collins friends. Some of you may be familiar with it. I am a firm believer in God the universe aligning itself so that there are no coincidences. This post came on the heels of listening to a chapter from dr. Wayne Dyer's book wishes fulfilled. In the book and in this particular chapter he discusses the " I am that I am" From Exodus 3:14. One of the things things that he encourages you to do is to never put a negative statement after the phrase I am. He points out that I am is the name of God and therefore if you put something negative after it you blasfime. This also came on the heels my friends gratitude project in which she discusses that she is grateful that her marriage ended the way that it did and how she has come out the other side stronger. It's a lesson which cost me emotionally and financially but like my friend I am stronger for it and I am coming out the other side.