You may have noticed that I don’t write overtly about my faith on this blog.

That’s because I don’t wear my faith on my sleeve. Or on my t-shirt or bumper sticker, for that matter.

It’s not a part of my life. It IS my life.

It’s not something I say. Or something I do. It’s something I AM.

And what is my faith? What is my religion? Let’s see. If I could describe it in one word, it would be LOVE.

It’s feeding the poor and encouraging the hopeless and living beyond myself.

It’s caring for children and fighting against injustice and doing good.

It’s putting myself second and asking forgiveness and thinking about people more than things.

As I write this, I hesitate. Should I really post about this? Faith is, after all, kind of a touchy topic. It triggers emotion. So, I’ll preface this series by saying you might be a little uncomfortable, I might be a little uncomfortable. Not because I will be dissecting theology or anything like that, but because there is potential for misunderstandings. For example, if – in passing – I tell you I went to church this past Sunday, you might:

• think to yourself, “I’m skeptical of organized religion. I wonder why she bothers to go.” OR
• think about some bad experience at a church when you were young OR
• wonder why I go to church on Sunday and not Saturday OR
• smile because you’re part of a great church.

You see? Just by saying the word “church,” I am instantly vulnerable.

Here’s the thing. I don’t want to fight. I grow weary of dogmatic rhetoric. I just want to say: “here’s my thoughts about church, God, religion, people, whatever” and then hear your thoughts. K? Just like we’re talking about anything else. Matter-of-factly. Respectfully. With laughter. Without big religious words that we don’t use in regular conversations (unless, of course, you do use those words in regular, everyday conversations).

So, that’s what this weekend is about. I’ll be writing about things that are somehow tied to religion or faith (which is a bit terrifying). Next weekend there will be more product reviews and giveaways as usual (I have a bunch of them planned). This weekend is more about musings. Let’s see how this goes…

P.S. I really don’t understand putting bumper stickers on cars. You put this one-liner message on your car that you can’t fully explain, but that requires explanation. Not to mention the damage you do to your car.

P.P.S. There is nothing wrong with bumper stickers. I just don’t understand them.

P.P.S. When I say that love is my religion, I am indeed referring to the love that is rooted in Jesus Christ.

P.P.P.S. Do you ever notice that it’s really hard to talk about religion without using a bunch of clauses and explanations and post-scripts?

* Image credit: Flickr, iFatma‘s photostream