Scripture Reading for today: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Key verse for today: 1 Corinthians 3:10a, "I laid a foundation like a wise master builder according to God’s grace that was given to me, but someone else is building on top of it."
Who's been a part of your foundation of faith?
My mentor in college was Dr. John Rusco. He was the Director of the United Methodist Student Center (Wesley Foundation) at Oklahoma State University for all four of my years there. John was an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and was a fixture at University & Washington for quite a while.
John also taught graduate courses in Family Relations and Child Development at the university and employed the style of counseling where you asked open-ended questions. John really utilized Motivational Interviewing even as it was being developed in the therapy world.
His questions were always intriguing as we discussed theology or the Bible. Through his questions, he brought out insight that we didn't know we had! We studied a wide variety of topics including glossolalia, the Song of Songs, and the controversial film, The Last Temptation of Christ. His willingness to discuss the latter actually brought some students back to the church when the majority of Christian press wanted to ban it. John would rather show the film and then discuss its merits or lack thereof (ex: the soundtrack is much better than the film).
I was able to share Holy Communion with John before he died while he was in the hospital in Stillwater. The family later gave me one of his stoles - the rainbow-colored one from Guatemala which I often wear during ordinary time in the church calendar.
His ministry lives on through my ministry in many ways. He built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ for me as I seek to build upon the foundation for others. As I urge people to explore their calling - whether as lay people or as clergy, my hope is that they will continue to build upon the foundation that we have in Christ for others.
Think about people that have shared faith with you. It might be parents or grandparents; pastors or friends. It could even be strangers living out the gospel in tangible ways in your life - coming to you at just the right time.
As we have experienced faith from others, we also share the faith of Christ with those we meet.
In what ways are you building on this foundation for the world?
Breath prayer for today: Holy Spirit, move through me.
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