Blogs

I hate weeds.

Well, maybe 'hate' is a little too strong. How about annoyed or frustrated by weeds. It seems that no matter how hard I try to keep them under control they keep coming back. Pull them, cut them, use Roundup^®, SpeedZone^®, concrete or remove the top layer of dirt - They just keep coming.

And they breed; like flies (I hate flies too).

I have found a way to keep them 'tamped down', so to speak. Find an alternative plant I like and fertilize (feed) it. Like our lawn; the healthier my lawn is the fewer weeds it has but even then they still poke through on occasion. Or a good plant, like a rose bush. Feed that rose bush and it will help prevent weeds from appearing. And some bark will help too.

But even then the weeds just keep coming and I don't suppose we'll ever get completely rid of them.

Sort of like sin.

No matter how hard we try, sin just keeps coming. Bleh!

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
This book is available from the church book store.

Alex and Brett Harris run a popular website for christian teens called The Rebelution. The website and book both promote a message that our society does not challenge teens, but instead encourages them to grow up in an environment of low expectations. This leads not only to difficulties later in life, but is a great waste of the potential God has given each person. Alex and Brett (teens themselves) write in order to challenge teens to rebel against low expectations and set out intentionally to do hard things with the end purpose of glorifying God.

Ever notice how easy it is, when you haven’t been reading the Word, to get sucked into a worldly mindset? Recently, I got really angry with someone at work for a comment they made and my subsequent thoughts towards that person were, well… not conducive towards that person seeing their next birthday—if you know what I mean? In retrospect, of course, I felt very bad about my “knee-jerk” mental reaction towards that person. Not long after the incident I found myself reading in 1 Peter, Ephesians, and other places in the Word discussing the topic of having great depths of patience with others. We are supposed to exemplify love, patience, and forgiveness for others in our words and actions. We do it because it should be an outward sign of our changed lives—we are new in Christ and this is how he calls us to love others.

"This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NASB)

As an adult, there is a certain amount of planning involved in order to responsibly care for your home and family. Someone has to keep track of birthdays, appointments, planning meals, etc., and in my household that is me! Recently though, God has been teaching me that I get so caught up in the "next thing" that I don't take time to enjoy the moment I am in.

Take a look at children. Watch them as they build with legos, play in the sandbox, or eat a big piece of chocolate cake. They are fully engaged in the moment. They aren't thinking ahead to the next thing they have to do. They aren't worrying about all the "What if's" that the future holds. They are enjoying the moment.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 - To everthing there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven

Now, is the worst time of the year to be a youth pastor. It’s graduation time. This is the time when Angela and I watch as young people we have ministered to and ministered with, take flight. Children we have loved and prayed for, outbound for new beginnings, now young adults. We pour a lot of effort and love into the young people that Jesus has given us to minister to. It is painful to see them leave because Jesus uses these young people to minister to us so much.

This year we have two truly dynamic young people graduating. They are amazing and special yet very different from one another. Jonathan is very logical and driven (although not without a great sense of humor) and Brittany (or Bridgette as I often loved to call here) is creative, talented and a bit whimsical. The diversity of God’s beloved creations is made evident by these two young people.

You can read part 1 here.

In the middle ages, people lived with such a level of ignorance and illiteracy that the established church was forced to communicate the gospel with images. Stained glass windows, paintings, and murals were the only way people were able to grasp the truth of scripture since no one was able to read it for themselves. In cathedrals throughout Europe you will see such images still remain on the walls and in the windows. Some of these practices still remain with us today in modern churches as well for style purposes. These stained glass windows provide a religious atmosphere and bring artistic beauty to the buildings.

It is without a doubt the most common thing in our generation to see graphics and imagery being used in church worship services all over the United States. Whether it is pictures accompanying words during the worshipful singing, or there are video clips during the preaching, images are common place now in churches all over America. This is seen as the hot new thing to be doing.

There are some very practical advantages to using such imagery. It enables the words for the songs being sung to have a more pleasant background to look at. Using a projection system with the words also saves on paper as well and it is good to be green. With a generation of media driven people attending church, using images is only natural as a means of keeping their attention and speaking to them on a level they understand.