Hi SUM family, Ann here!

Last week, upon reading Lynn's post, I found myself nodding my head rather vigorously in agreement with this statement:

"I believe that as followers of Jesus we are amid one of the most challenging seasons of our faith life." 

Yes ... What an intense spiritual time we're navigating right now!

Here in this community I suspect many of us would say that our primary faith challenge has always been our spiritually mismatched marriage. But, I wonder if our challenges have now morphed considerably, due to the array of 'hot' issues that are noisily emerging within society and the church? Gah! Hard times. 

Thinking about the role models we have in scripture, there is one man -- A minister of the Gospel -- who stands out as having tackled a lot of hot issues. Crazy, gnarly stuff. He advised his various church flocks on how to handle these things, and we also see him in action in the New Testament -- Speaking out and walking in practical wisdom.

For me, he's the perfect role model for us in this time we're in. It's the Apostle Paul.

And so, our Summer Bible Study is going to be on him. We've called it Paul -- The Fight of Faith. The study will start next Monday, and it will take the form of Lynn and I choosing some of our favorite stories from Paul's life.

We're rolling up our sleeves and rubbing our hands together waiting to start, so ... Watch this space!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear a little from you: What are the trickiest issues you're facing at the moment in your faith life?

Looking forward to going on this 'Paul' study with you, and love to you all,

Ann