Olivia’s Statement of Faith
When I started there were things that were unclear; confirmation has been a journey. Journeying is about expanding thoughts, growing in faith and growing in what you believe. Journeying is also about changing your perspective. It has not been life-altering though more a realization that God doesn’t discriminate against anyone for having gone through difficult times. I believe that God believes in equality.
I believe that God’s messenger on earth was Jesus. Jesus was both human and divine. He understood what most people were thinking and he was trying to tell us that we should make earth something good it and take care of what we have.
I believe that God doesn’t want people to be underprivileged. I believe that God is a guardian, not so much interfering, but guiding us toward what should happen in terms of the right thing to do. I don’t see God but I know God is there due to a certain sense of presence.
I still have questions. My question is about what can make us better. My faith poses questions for me to answer in life as I go on. At the same time my faith also answers questions. What I have learned growing up in this church is that a good community is one that helps each other. I always loved coming to the church on Christmas Eve. People can still be together on Christmas Eve and express their faith at the same time. I have also learned that if somebody is going through a hardship I can pray for them, regardless to if I know them or not.
Growing up in the church, attending church school and going through confirmation, I have learned that even though people practice different religions, it doesn’t mean that we all have to think the same things or hate other people because of their beliefs. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I believe that God intended us to keep peace within and between religions. We have to show that we respect other peoples’ opinions while keeping our own. A lot of faiths are forcing people to do particular things, but I believe that my responsibility is to try and continue Jesus’ message.
Thomas’ Statement of Faith
I believe in an eternal God, who created the earth and all that is seen and unseen. In the Old Testament, God is large and powerful and seems somewhat unapproachable. I can relate to that Old Testament God through Jesus – a human being who sets the best kind of example for leading a good life. God is more real through Jesus and seems to love us more through Jesus. For me, Jesus is the guide to knowing God and deciding what He wants from us.
I believe that God can hear me and guide me. Some people think that God doesn’t answer their prayers because He doesn’t give them a direct response. Most of us don’t hear the voice of God speaking inside our heads. He may not speak to me in direct sentences but I believe that God does speak. One way he can speak is by giving me opportunities to answer my own prayers. Problems do not always magically fix themselves, but there is usually a way for me to work things out. I just need to look for it. I may not get the exact answer I was looking for, but there is often a lesson or an opportunity in any difficulty.
I believe that we can also hear the voice of God through other people. God can speak to me through my family, friends, teachers, and even the most unlikely people. Sometimes this is easy to see; like my parents telling me not to lie when I was younger or my teachers telling me to think for myself. Sometimes the lessons are harder to learn, like deciding what you should do when two good friends are on opposite sides of the same issue. This is when it is most important to ask for God’s help and to listen and look for the answer He is giving.
I believe the Church will help prepare me to find God’s answers. The Church as the body of Christ will guide me, support me, and encourage me. It is comforting to know that there is a group of people that will support me much like my family does. During the process of confirmation, I have become more comfortable with my fellow confirmands. We are able to discuss, debate and disagree but still find meaning and value in each other’s opinions. I see how the church can become like my family.
I believe that God has a plan for each of us. One way to discover this plan is to look over and follow the works and life of Jesus Christ. Jesus did many great things like helping people in need and being kind to everyone no matter who they were, whether it was the poor blind man or His own killers. I believe Jesus is a model for my life.
Patience’s Statement of Faith
belief: (n.) a mental attitude of acceptance or assent toward a proposition without the full intellectual knowledge required to guarantee its truth. Believing is either an intellectual judgment or, as the 18th-century Scottish Skeptic David Hume maintained, a special sort of feeling with overtones that differ from those of disbelief.
(Dictionary.com)
I believe there is no right or wrong answer to one’s beliefs. Some may agree and others may disagree, but they are true to the one who had the courage to state what they believe in.
I believe there are questions that may never be answered. I’ve made it this far and still have so many questions that I want answers to. Who IS God? What does he look like? Is he a man dressed in all white and lives among the clouds with all our passed loved ones? Or is he just an idea? Is he even a man? Or just a gender neutral voice that we talk to and know that someone is listening. Is he even real?
God. What a name. Three letters that mean so much. I don’t necessarily believe in a specific God that created all, but I believe in a higher being that does have some say in what goes on in all of our lives. But then again, does he really? In a book that I recently read, called It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini, the main character thinks that God has a placebo effect on everyone.
2But I find God to be an ineffectual shrink. He adopts the ‘do nothing’ method of therapy. You tell him your problems and he, ah, does nothing.”
I believe that is also true. My feelings toward this “man” are so contradicting, up and down can’t even make sense of it. Does he have an effect on our lives and everything we do? Or is he just a placebo effect? Just more questions that fill my mind along my immeasurable journey of faith.
We all have questions such as mine. All different. Some go more into depth, while others just question the surface of his being. Either way, no matter how long you’ve been living or how much you know about the religion you practice, there is no fini te knowledge of the things you believe.
I believe Jesus was not the son of God, but rather the medium that God used to talk to his people. Some may oppose and ask “How can you believe that Jesus was not the son of God?!” I reply with “How can you believe he was the son of God?” It all stems off of what you believe, and I just happen to believe he was just a messenger for the big guy upstairs.
I am an evolutionist. I believe that the creation of the Earth started 4.2 billion years ago by a combustion of space gas and solid matter. Where does God come into this belief? Maybe he created microscopic bacteria, knowing that they were going to evolve into the life we live today. Maybe he had nothing to do with it, but just sat back and watched as something beautiful came into place.
Although I am an evolutionist, one of my favorite stories in the bible is Genesis 1.1 through 2.4; “Six Days of Creation and the Sabbath”. Why couldn’t this have happened? Who was there to witness to say it did or did not take place? Mankind wasn’t created until the sixth day, so who’s to say what really happened before that? Whether you’re a creationist or an evolutionist, humans weren’t around until later in the story anyways. According to a band I often listen to, day and night was created by a love story between the sun and the moon. “When the moon fell in love with the sun/all was golden in the sky/all was golden when the day met the night.” I say, why not?
I believe that having relationships with the people around you is extremely important. I think I speak for my fellow classmates when I say that Nicole has been a huge help while20we learn more about our faith. She is so full of life and ideas that it brings out the best in all of us. Now about Leslie Shinn; the shy, grateful, extremely nice woman we all know and love. She has been my mentor throughout the year, and I am so thankful to have her. She has opened my mind to so many new ideas, made me think about what I believe, and supported what I do believe in. Thank you Leslie. I believe that friends shouldn’t be called “friends”; they should be called “unrelated family”. Maddie, Thomas, Olivia, and Taylor are all amazing people. We all have different perspectives, different ways of handling things, different everything, but we are all compatible with each other and always have a great time together.
I believe there is no right or wrong answer to one’s beliefs.
I believe there are questions that may never be answered.
I believe in a higher being that has some say in what goes on in all of our lives.
I believe God is an ineffectual shrink.
I believe Jesus was not the son of God, but rather the medium that God used to talk to his people.
I believe that the creation of the Earth started 4.2 billion years ago by a combustion of space gas and solid matter.
I believe that having relationships with the people around you is extremely important.
I believe that friends shouldn’t be called “friends”; they should be called “unrelated family”.
Although my confirmation classes have ended, my journey has only started. I know some of my beliefs will change, I know that my beliefs will be questioned, I know my beliefs will be called wrong or incorrect, but I have learned that this is part of the core identity of this church and this religion. We can agree to disagree.
Madison’s Statement of Faith
First, I want to thank Pastor Nicole for guiding me through this journey, for teaching me things that I couldn’t have taught myself, and for having such an open outlook on religion that it makes it even easier to find my faith! I’d also like to thank my mentor Bill Walsh, because he is someone that I can trust and he helped me to realize what I have really gotten out of this experience. Not only is he a mentor for church life, but he is an excellent role model in everyday life. Finally, I’d like to thank my family, friends, and fellow confirmands for supporting and for believing in me.
This has been a learning experience. To be honest, when I first signed up, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Even through our retreat, I was discouraged that I hadn’t figured out the Bible, or why I wasn’t feeling like I could make a decision on which denomination I was comfortable with. I thought that after a few classes I would just KNOW, but that’s not what it is about. I thought that being confirmed was about being positive in everything faithful. But then, finally, I understood what confirmation is for me. It’s not about me figuring everything out, it’s about me becoming close enough to God to say that I don’t have the answers, but I trust you and I know it will be OK. It’s about feeling open enough and confident enough in Jesus Christ to admit I am not perfect but I will continue to try my best. I know that what I’ve learned is way more important than who wrote the Bible and founded the early Christian church or any facts like that. I know that I will be happier because I can turn to God. Starting confirmation, I wasn’t at peace with not knowing all the answers. I thought that I wasn’t close to God because I wasn’t sure exactly who he was or what he does or why he does it. Now that the confirmation part of my journey is completed, I know that not knowing is OK. The only thing I really know is that I believe in God, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they will help me to make the most out of my life and to support me when I need guidance, and now I’m OK with that.
Even before I started out in this Confirmation class, I had had experiences when I knew God was with me. One time, I even asked God to hug me, because I wanted to FEEL God. So I asked him to hug me. I shut my eyes and immediately I was flooded with a feeling that God had been sitting with me the whole time, and that he had hugged me back. Feelings like that never really leave you. Thinking that God will always be there is really nice, but knowing that when you call on him he will support you and guide you is amazing.
I believe that God is a power beyond what any of us can understand. I believe that he shows his presence in many ways, including our family and friends, our experiences, and through prayer. I believe that God is constantly giving in order to help us to better understand him and to help others. Our family is one of the strongest parts of our lives, and God gave them to us. They provide for us and they support us in everything that they do. Our friends are similar to our family. They are our earthly inspiration and the people that we choose to get close to. I also think that by praying, God will always be with us in one way or another. Through a guiding voice, an inspiring push, or even a hug, God gives us ways to be strong every day and find faith in all things.
So many people question their faith because of what is going on in the world. They say that “if God is so good than why is all of this happening to us?” So many people lose their faith waiting for God to “fix” things. He will never just come out of the sky and take away the things that we have done poorly. He gave us the ability to make our own choices in life. If we wait for him to save us from wars and give us world peace, than we are wasting our time. He will not come to do that. It is our responsibility to listen to him and do the right thing. God trusted us with the earth, and we need to do the right things by it. Confirmation helped me understand that it isn’t about waiting for God to jump in; it’s about making the right choices to begin with. It’s about WWJD (what would Jesus do?)
Bottom line: I believe in all that is good! I believe that the sun shines for a reason and that the birds sing because its music! I believe that cloudy days are days for thinking and I believe that people are here to love! I believe that time is never-ending and I even believe in Heaven because I can’t think of a reason why not to! And most importantly, I believe that God gave his son, so that we may always know his love for us. That’s what I learned from Confirmation and I’m so glad that I did.
Taylor’s Statement of Faith
I know God is there. I know he is there because he helps me through the times when I need him most. I know he is there because he has helped me through this journey of faith, but the journey does not stop here. It continues everyday. I believe that God wants us to follow him and be ourselves as well as whom God wants us to be. God is unique and his presence comes differently for everyone. For me God presence is shown through nature and music. Walking outside and enjoying the creations that God has made allows me to center myself and relax. Music on the other hand has always been a major part of my life. Music is a universal language that unites this world that is so big together as one. I believe that God wants us to be one and to find a way to work together to follow his footsteps. Singing for me is a way to let go of troubles and move on in a positive way. I was just recently introduced to Psalms 100:1-5 “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” I feel like this Psalm is a message to believe in him. When I first read this I felt a connection to what it was saying. It had more meaning to me because I can relate to it. I see God’s presence through music, and this Psalm says, “come into presence with singing”. It also states that God’s love “endures forever” meaning that God will be there for everyone with open arms and love to help guide them on the right path. In my opinion going to church every Sunday is the start of that long path, but it is more than just that. You have to have a connection with God. The 5 pillars of the Christian faith are worship, prayer, service, education, and giving. I am blessed to have a wonderful loving grandmother, who sets the best example for not only me but for everyone. She uses all 5 pillars everyday of her life. She spends so much time doing things for other people because she wants to with a loving heart, not just because she thinks it is the right thing to do. I can always depend on her when I need guidance and help. I hope to follow in her footsteps and become the best person that I can be with the help of God. When I am a member I want to give back like she has done. I may not be the best prayer shawl maker but I hope to certainly make an effort to try new things, and get closer to God.