coming to truth

I'm taking a class right now about Christian ministry and education. Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect and I daily reach that conclusion about what it coming next. I never know what the day will be like at 12:30pm when I walk into Doc's classroom. Today was an especially motivating and stirring day. Doc made it clear in the beginning of the semester that he wasn't teaching the class so that we could walk out each day smiling about being a "Christian." The point of the class is to talk about real thing involving Christian ministry and education and marinate on what we believe, why, and dig deeper into what we're unsure of.

Today we talked about three chapters we read out of Adventures in Missing the Point (McClaren and Campolo): Doubt, Women in Ministry, and Theology.
-- The following is a description of where I'm at, connections with class discussion, and what I'm doing here --
Starting with the authority of scripture and the authority that God has given us and what we are called to do with that. We are given authority and are called to submit that authority to God. Therefore, scripture is given authority by God and we are called to submit that authority to God as well. Yes, I believe that the Bible is God-inspired and breathed word, but I also believe that the writers and translators as humans put their own 2cents in the book as well. This brings me to the conclusion that I must submit the words of scripture to the translation of the Holy Spirit to give meaning to my own life and direction in following Christ's example. A wise friend paraphrased from the book The Shack and told me that the Bible isn't an instruction manual, yet it is the story of Jesus and how He lived - our guidance for how we should live. I believe that in all literature that we read we are to seek the Truth and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Seek. Seeking. Seeker. Wow the implications - I strive to do and continue and be those three words in relation to the Truth.
The concept of seeking comes into play when discussing doubt. I have been learning how to positively and negatively doubt throughout the past four years. Doubt can be an important part of finding what is True and untrue if in our doubts and/or questioning we seek that Truth of God. It's not always easy to be in a time of doubt, but as I glance back at my times of doubt I realize the new learnings that came out of those times once I stepped forward into submitting my lack of knowledge, understanding, and faith to the Holy Spirit really in an act of faith to walk in the journey of new Truth being revealed.
I think I babbled a little bit, used a few too many commas, and maybe even too many words in my sentences - but that's how it came out.

I am striving to seek. To be a constant seeker, using my doubt for furthering my understanding and faith in the Truth.
I have an ultimate role model - Jesus. I have many earthly role models that I have seen to demonstrate many qualities of Jesus in a way that I can comprehend. I have many Biblical role models in which the Holy Spirit speaks through their written lives to show me what God means in saying that we are to live as Christ lived.
I love to read books expressing ideas about living like Christ, about being a "Christian" today, and about saints of old and new in order to seek the Truth that God wants me to glean from those writings.

This will continue, I pray to be able to encourage others through my acquired knowledge and given faith, that I can be a role model for others seeking a human with some Christ-like tendencies, and that I will embrace my doubt with a fervent desire to grow.