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Our thought from above in this episode is, “faith shines best in darkness.”  James Bryan Smith tells us the story about one of his students who was struggling with her faith, just before heading off to Seminary. This student was experiencing, what Smith would call, a dark night of the soul. James goes on to explain how we all experience a dark night of the soul at some point in our lives, but it is in these nights that we grow in our faith more than we can ever understand. “In the dark night of the soul bright flows the river of God.” (St. John of the Cross)

Smith uses the story of the Canaanite Woman to help further explain his point. James walks us through the passage and shows us how Jesus is chasing faith in his followers, in order that it become strong and firm. The Canaanite woman was at the end of her rope, but this only made her faith in Christ stronger.

James closes the episode by explaining how our faith is a lot like moonlight. The Moon does not possess light, it reflects light from the Sun. In the same way, our faith comes from Jesus and the light of Christ is reflected from us to others.

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1. Conversation with Michael John Cusick
2. Qualifies the Called
3. Season of Lament
4. Indebted to Hope
5. God’s Beloved