Struck with a rare and deadly illness, a faith is renewed.

October 23, 1997. What a memorable day! I woke up, smacked the snooze button (a lot) tried to get up for work, but couldn't. Vaguely, I recalled a "fluish" night-before, so I told mom I wasn't feeling well and would lie down again, hoping to be up again soon for work. The next thing I knew, Mom was shaking me, trying to wake me up. My body felt like lead. I could not comprehend who in the world this woman was, trying to wake me up from my hike in the mountains. Wait, what mountain? I was at home.

Our Renewed Statement of Faith Proposal

One of the most beautiful and thrilling aspects of Lake Avenue Church is the "breadth" among us: i.e., the diversity of people and perspectives and variety of ministries and opportunities for service. Of course, this complexity can be a challenge to unity. What is it that holds together this large and diverse "unexpected" family at 393 N. Lake Avenue? We have been asking this question in the Ministry Council over the past three years and have come to the conclusion that a local church like ours is unified through shared faith, missions and values.

A family's journey of faith passed down from father to son

He stood outside of the auto mechanic's garage. It was a daily routine now. He looked in through the open garage doors. His pronounced limp and crossed eyes hardly made for inconspicuous loitering. Finally, a mechanic came out of the garage and handed the boy a broom.

"Go sweep."

Picture of a young Andry Martin ripped from family portrait before their journey

Andry was then around 10-years-old, a young immigrant who was missing his mom and family. His new home was the port city Batavia, Indonesia — thousands of miles from his homeland of Iran. He quickly learned the language. (Over time, as he became exposed to them, he taught himself how to speak, read and write several languages. With maybe up to a fourth grade education this was remarkable.) He sharpened his instincts in the city streets that he wandered. At the auto shop, he learned quickly and the mechanics soon realized his aptitude for all things mechanical. Andry was determined to survive.

I had a Jewish friend tell me his religion is more intellectually and historically sound than Christianity. His main point was that Jewish oral tradition is the source that gives insight into interpreting the Scriptures accurately and that, since Jewish oral tradition contradicts Christian interpretations, then the Christian faith must be wrong. I had never heard anything like this so I’ve been somewhat shaken by it. Where is a Christian to start when faced with this kind of daunting search for truth?

All through my doctoral studies at Marquette and Cambridge, I was confronted with challenges to my thinking – and that included challenges to the very source of my understanding of God, i.e., the Bible. Sometimes, I would think, "Well, my faith must not be true..." (And then in the next breath) "But it is real!" Then, "But, what about...?" On and on it goes while we live by faith and not yet by sight.