Fascinating! Diving into icy waters to celebrate Epiphany. As I watched the news and saw the pictures, I wondered:

• Why?
• What does jumping into icy waters, blessing horses, kissing babies, etc. have to do with Epiphany?

Then, I shifted my thinking and started wondering if I really understand why I do what I do as a Christian.  Am I doing things because that's the tradition passed down through the ages?  Do I really understand why I'm doing what I'm doing and how it really relates to Jesus?  Then, I remembered the story of the pot roast.  Have you heard it?  It goes something like this:

While helping her mom cook dinner one night, the daughter watched her mom cut off the ends of the pot roast before putting it into the pan and then into the oven.  She'd seen her mom do this many times but until this particular evening had never asked why.  Her mom said she didn't know why and explained she did it because it was what her mom always did.  Curious, the daughter called the grandmother to find out why she cut the ends off the pot roast before cooking.  The grandmother said she didn't know why either and explained she did it because it was what her mom always did.  Even more curious, the daughter called the great-grandmother who answered the why question.  She explained the roasts were always bigger than the pot she had to cook them in so she cut off the ends to make the roast fit into the pot.

When it comes to Jesus, don't you think I need to understand if what I am doing is just tradition or religion or if what I do is real, genuine and what I possess authentic saving faith?  But where do I go? Who do I believe? How do I know for sure?  Okay, so I have been told God's Word has all the answers but finding them and understanding them can be challenging.  Well, that's what I used to think.  I would read a little here, a little there; claim this and that in prayer; attend and even lead Bible studies; and, soak in all the sermons I could listen to and marvel at how they got all that from one passage, paragraph or chapter.  I would hear people say only theologians could understand the Bible. Others would claim the Bible was compiled of stories and should not be taken literally or that it had been translated so many times it had lost original meaning. Seriously, it was written by mere men so how inerrant could it be?  Of course, all this was told to me.  It was passed on to me.  I didn't know any of it for myself or how anyone had come to these conclusions.  So, I was left to pick and choose what to believe.  Often I adopted the thinking of my parents, pastors, Bible and school teacher as well as friends. Or worse, believed whatever sounded right to me. I cringe remembering those days because I made some really bad choices based on ignorance.

If you really want to know the truth - then study the Bible.  The most amazing thing?  The Bible can be understood by regular folks like you and me.  If I can understand it then you can.  It takes some time and commitment but it is the best investment you will ever make. You can know for yourself what you believe and why you believe it.  Actually, God wants us to know Him and is why, down through all these ages, He preserved His book for us.  But, don't take me word on that! Discover and know it for yourself!   If you want to know more, please contact me or read more here.