Seeking out hope on this journey of faiths

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, --1 Peter 3:15 This verse has constantly been running through my head the last few days as I mull over what this project means to me and for me. One of the most inspiring things about my interactions with Muslims my age is that they have answers when questioned.  They are articulate and passionate about their faith.  I was too--ten years ago, and even still five years ago to a great extent.  Now?  I still have hope, but feel so incredibly tired.  Tired of fighting the fear mongering and anti-intellectualism present in right-wing Christianity, which is getting so much media time and space--and the volume is deafening.  Almost nearly as deafening is the following silence--that which seems to block out other dissenting voices from within Christianity and seems to indicate that the rest of the country just accepts this as the lone voice of Christianity.  I'm also tired of trying to explain to friends that I went to a Christian college with why I still believe and why I'm still apart of the church.  So, so many have left, unable to believe that a loving, wonderful God would allow such a church to represent him--a church that focuses more on the "Thou shall not" than the "shall," and a church more concerned with political life than with simply loving others. It weighs heavy on me at times, too, but I also know that God's reach extends beyond the walls and the voices within the church itself.  I know how many times I've felt buoyed up on strength beyond my own, how many times I've found comfort in others saying that they're praying for me--and how many times I've seen answers to prayer.  I know that the God I believe in--the Jesus of Scriptures and the God that guided the prophets and others through the Old and New Testaments--all the books of the bible--is first and foremost a loving God who challenges us to love and serve others. ...and yet, I still find my answer not as articulate, not as passionate and loving as those I hear from women I speak with, and so this continues as a journey of faiths--a journey to hear and learn from their faith, and a journey to strengthen my own and to better prepare an answer for the hope (and love) that I have.