Rev. Michelle Manuel and Shelby Olive

Friends, this summer we are traveling with Paul. Many of us have some vacations or downtime planned and we thought that it’s only right that we bring Paul along. Paul, the author of much of the New Testament, traveled quite a bit. He seemed to be constantly on the move (except when he was in prison, and even then his pen was ‘on the move’ writing many of his letters). 

A big part of my job is to study the Bible and subsequently I have studied a lot of Paul. For anyone who’s been in a long term relationship, you know very well that it doesn’t take long for the rose colored glasses to fall off. And so friends, hear my confession: The New Testament used to knock my socks off, but I have come to find my issues with Paul. Couldn’t he have written a bit clearer in some places? Could he have not been so very clear in some places?! However, in my commitment to my faith I choose to stay on the journey, dig into the difficult passages, and stay the course. My point is that we are going to travel with Paul this summer, and as the co-editors in chief of the Daily Habit we want to invite you on this adventure. So go ahead, invest, buy those airplane tickets, slather on the sunscreen, and get your sensible walking shoes ready for our three month journey. Commit to digging into Paul’s letters with us day by day, week by week, and yes, month by month. And we totally understand if you too get a bit annoyed with Paul, because truly traveling with someone is not without its hiccups.

This month, we begin with Galatians. Galatians is a letter to the church of Galatia, and in this letter, we find Paul frustrated with false teachings that have bewitched this beloved community. His main concern that he wants to communicate to them is that a person is not justified by doing the right things and earning holy brownie points. But instead one is justified because we have faith in the good love of Jesus Christ. Admittedly that faith may only be the size of a mustard seed, but Christ’s love still holds. You see, faith isn’t hard. It’s not something we can think all the way through, or make into a to-do list, but instead it is the light and easy way that Jesus offers. It is found in the unforced rhythms of grace. Faith in Christ is not difficult to find for it’s already planted in the hearts of humans. 

Prayer:
Dear God,
I thank you for the saints who have gone before me, the saints who have taught me about what it is to live faithfully. I confess that I sometimes make faith out to be something that it isn’t. By your great love, remind me that faith is not about making sure I do all the right things, and set me free to live in the rhythms of grace you have gifted me. Amen.