Do you view vulnerability as weakness? But vulnerability is a prerequisite for growth and creativity. It is exposure to risk, but some risks must be taken to move ahead. Can you be known if you don’t express who you are in a real undefended way? Yet you cannot be vulnerable with everyone, for some will mistake your openness for weakness and attack. Beware of those who will respond with judgment, condemnation, exploitation, and abuse. Think of this as an opportunity to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.

Is it reasonable to expect your faith to make you a better person? By what measure? Within churches proper belief and adherence to doctrinal positions is highly rated, but this carries no weight outside of the church. Kindness, generosity, love and other virtues are admired without, and hopefully within too. Do not let your regard for doctrinal purity confuse you about which is more important. Consider my own life and teachings. What common theme do you observe about the Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, and the two sons asked to work in the vineyard?

Marksmen intend to hit their targets and take pride in doing so. You don’t have to be a marksman to realize that shooting yourself when you meant to hit your target is an extreme failure, but have you ever done this? People heap contempt, scorn, ridicule, and derision on others in attacks upon them, but this says nothing at all about the target person. It says very much about the person pressing the attack. Contempt is not an appropriate action toward anyone for those who are called to love not only their neighbors, but even their enemies.

Who do you think of when you think of my people? Christians? But Jews were my people before there were Christians, and they still are. That does not diminish the fact that Christians are my people. Selecting the Jews to be my covenant people was a sovereign act, and not a reward for them being more numerous or special than others. My intention was that through them should all the nations of the world be blessed. So there are multiple perspectives on this question. Are you prepared to think of all people when you think of my people? Were not all created in my image?