with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

This morning, I learned that in some Asian cultures, it is customary to put a finger on one's nose while speaking.  While I find this to be odd, and would probably be a bit thrown off in conversation if someone did this, I find it fascinating.

In these cultures, they believe that the soul is not in the heart, but in the head.  By touching their noses, it is a sign of sincerity, that they really mean what they are saying, similar to the way we put a hand over our heart when we say the pledge of allegiance (I'm only half kidding :)), when we refer to a heartbreaking memory, or something of the utmost importance.

The idea of the soul being in the head sheds some light on the idea of "in spirit and in truth."  Not only do we believe things deep in our souls based on emotions and feelings, but also on an assurance of knowledge.

In the book A Severe Mercy, VanAuken writes upon his conversion:

"I choose to believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - in Christ, my lord and my God.  Christianity has the ring, the feel, of unique truth.  Of essential truth.  By it, life is made full instead of empty, meaningful instead of meaningless.  Cosmos becomes beautiful at the Centre, instead of chillingly ugly beneath the lovely pathos of spring.  But the emptiness, the meaninglessness, and the ugliness can only be seen, I think, when one has glimpsed the fullness, the meaning, and the beauty.  It is when heaven and hell have both been glimpsed that going back is impossible.  But to go on seemed impossible, also.  A glimpse is not a vision.  A choice was necessary: and there is no certainty.  One can only choose a side.  So I - I now choose my side:  I choose beauty;  I choose what I love.  But choosing to believe is believing.  It's all I can do:  choose.  I confess my doubts and ask my Lord Christ to enter my life.  I do not know God is, I do but say:  Be it unto me according to Thy will.  I do not affirm that I am without doubt, I do but ask for help, having chosen, to overcome it.  I do but say:  Lord, I believe -- help Thou mine unbelief."

Upon reading this several days ago, I realized that I need to do the same:  To choose to believe what I know to be true, instead of waiting for all of my doubts to be resolved.

To put this all together - sometimes we validate our beliefs by the feelings we have with the church body, the emotions that arise while worshiping.  While these emotions are not bad, they are not enough to constitute a real faith.  A real faith must come from the conscious decision to believe in what is True and Right and Good.

"Lord, I believe - help my unbelief"