Jennifer Clark Tinker Living Faith

Half a year.

Six months.

That’s how long it has been since I started Living Faith. Considering how much gumption it took me to start this and how often I feel like quitting the whole thing, six months is a milestone worth marking. And yet, I feel I have only just begun.

That sense of “I’ve come so far, yet have so far to go” typifies how I feel about a lot of life.

• I look back at how much I have learned and I’m pleased until I see another and another great book recommendation from a friend.
• I’ve learned a lot about how to be a loving parent, but just the other day I found myself yelling at my kid.
• I’ve grown in my confidence and willingness to put myself “out there,” but still second-guess a great deal of my work.
• I have an ongoing spot on a friend’s podcast, but still have yet to do much about my “live” speaking ministry that I envision.
• I have this blog with the tagline of “Living Faith,” and yet I often feel like I fall short in what I would hope for in my own life of faith.

But life is like that. Learning is like that. Parenting is like that. Confidence is like that. Dreams are like that. And faith is like that.

I pray that as I journey through life with our loving God I’ll be empowered through God’s spirit to live up to the example of Jesus.

But I know I won’t get it right all at once.

And so I pray for the humility to acknowledge the mistakes I’ve made and to repair the harm I’ve caused. I pray for the endurance to face the challenges that threaten to undo me. I pray for the courage to live into the vocation God has for my life and faith.

I pray these things for you as well. I don’t even know who all of my readers are anymore, but I think of you often. And I pray that your life–where you’ve come from and the where you’re going–will be strengthened in the love of God, bolstered by the fellowship of the body of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I hope and pray that in some way this corner of the internet can be part of your support along life’s way.

I’d love to hear from you about your comings and goings. What’s going on with your life & faith so far? Where do you see yourself headed? You can e-mail me at livingfaithjct(at)gmail(dot)com OR connect with me on Facebook or Twitter.