I'm a software engineer, but I want to be a writer of some kind - movies, TV, books, whatever. I'm 31 and married with two kids, so I have no idea how God will pull this one off.

To tell the truth, I don't even know if he WILL pull this one off. I'm fairly confident writing is my calling, but I've never been comfortable saying that with 100% certainty. And I have certain trust issues with The Almighty, which is its own post entirely.

The balance between faith and action has always been perplexing for me, but I wonder - does it have to be? Certainly the two don't have to be mutually exclusive, right? Having faith doesn't always mean you don't take action, and vice versa.

James says that faith must express itself through works. I have always thought of 'works' in this context as 'charitable works' - in the sense of giving, helping those in need, etc. And all those things, are, of course, a critical part of being a Christian.

But couldn't faith lead to other categories of works? If a single person has faith God will provide a wife, couldn't that faith lead to the 'works' of going on dates? If someone has faith God will provide a car, couldn't that lead fo the "works" of comparing prices, visiting dealerships, and securing financing?

Assuming, of course, that God actually wants those things to happen. There is always the possibility that we're wrong, and God wants something else, and we should be open to that possibility.

Lately, one of my favorite verses has been Proverbs 16:33:

The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD.

We make our decisions and do what we think needs to be done, but the outcome comes from God. That also reminds me of a joke:

A devout Christian heard an urgent news report on his radio that a flash flood was within minutes of entering the peaceful valley where he lived. Immediately he went to his knees and prayed for safety. As the waters rose he retreated to the second floor and finally onto the roof of his house. A helicopter flew by and the pilot asked over the loudspeaker if they could lift him off. “It’s not necessary since I have the Lord’s protection,” he replied. Moments later the house began to break up and he found himself clinging to a tree. A police boat approached him for rescue, but he assured them that the Lord would save him. Finally, the tree gave way and the man went to his death. Standing before the Lord, he asked, “Lord, I’m glad to be here, but why didn’t You answer my prayer for safety?” The Lord responded, “Son, I told you over the radio to get out of there Then I sent you a helicopter and a motor boat!”

When I was in my early twenties I had a factory job for about six months that was so boring, I would pray that the machine I usually operated would be broken (it frequently was, as the third shift guys would purposely do stuff to it so they didn't have to work). If it was broken, I got to operate other people's machines while they went on break, or sweep, or make boxes (which gives you an idea of how boring the job was, if making boxes was preferable).

Kind of a selfish prayer, now that I think of it. :)

I literally clean my house instead of taking on the "big issues". I take the concept of stewardship to a ridiculous level. I fully believe that when I am judged by God, Jesus' grace is enough to take care of all my "big sins" (anger, lust, jealousy, etc).

Then, another part of me believes, that God will then take out a huge ledger with my name on it, and say "Ooook...so lets start with glasses. You broke 132 of my glasses over the course of your life. Oh, you didn't know it was my glass? Well the Bible says that the Earth and everything in it belongs to me. That includes glasses, jerk. Do you think glasses grow on trees. Hmmm?"

I mean, I know we're supposed to be stewards, but I think, as with most things, its supposed to be a heart issue, but I tend to think of it as God following me around with a clipboard making notes every time I make the smallest mistake.