I'm so glad I decided to get a footlong sandwich at Subway tonight...
Arriving at home, I came up the stairs to a naked 1-year old, whom I scooped into my arms. He had escaped Momma's grasp after the bath, leaving the towel on the floor and streaking though our house.
The four year old was also naked, but wrapped in towel, hiding from me.
Two minutes later I sat down to eat my sandwich and IMMEDIATELY had two extra mouths to feed. TOGETHER we savored every bite of the Cold Cut Sandwich.
Was I upset that I had to share? Not one bit.
This does not mean I'm perfect. I've told them more than once to get their own food.
But tonight was perfect. Sharing a community sandwich reminded me that my "stuff" is not mine. God never intended it to be.
How cool would it be if I could share that way (and that deeply) with other people?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Interesting Bible reading today. Don't recall seeing this before about Lot. Remember? Abraham's nephew who lived in Sodom (or Gomorrah.) He was the only righteous one in those cities and so his life was spared. But the Bible tells us this about him...
7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. (2 Peter 2)
Lot lived in the most evil cities ever recorded. Think of the things he must have seen every day. Think of the atrocities. He lived among people that couldn't be reasoned with. In my opinion, he's lucky they didn't kill him.
This passage tells us he was sick of the immorality around him, but it goes one step further. It says he was "tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day."
May we be the kind of people who get sick of the immorality that surrounds us. May we be the kind of people who NEVER get USED to sinful behavior. May we be the kind of people who still cry when they see the evening news. May we be tormented in our souls by the wickedness around us...not because we are better, but because we love the things God loves.
7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. (2 Peter 2)
Lot lived in the most evil cities ever recorded. Think of the things he must have seen every day. Think of the atrocities. He lived among people that couldn't be reasoned with. In my opinion, he's lucky they didn't kill him.
This passage tells us he was sick of the immorality around him, but it goes one step further. It says he was "tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day."
May we be the kind of people who get sick of the immorality that surrounds us. May we be the kind of people who NEVER get USED to sinful behavior. May we be the kind of people who still cry when they see the evening news. May we be tormented in our souls by the wickedness around us...not because we are better, but because we love the things God loves.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Big Event Youth Ministry
I woke up this morning feeling like I had been run over by a MAC truck (and then it backed over me for good measure!) This weekend, we hosted a youth rally for almost 200 teenagers...and I am drained.
If you're in youth ministry, you will need to learn some thing about administration. The vast majority of church members have little to no idea the many hats a youth minister wears during a big event.
Take this last weekend as an example. At one point or another I was...
Emcee
A/V technician
Nurse
Kissing Police
Teacher
Worship Leader
Answerer of All Questions (AKA "Fountain of Knowledge")
Janitor
Motivator
Accountant
Host Home
Manager
Coach
Youth Minister
Parent Minister
Director of Crisis Management
Complaint Department
Along with all this, the youth minister is expected to maintain his composure and integrity. He is to look like Jesus to everyone he crosses...even those who are yelling at him.
If it sounds like I am complaining, well...maybe I am a little. :) But my hope is that churches (and youth ministers) can learn how to de-stress these big-event situations.
Note to Youth Ministers: Obviously I am still in elementary school when it comes to event planning. But I am learning that it's helpful to find people who are good at the above-mentioned roles to take the load off of you. It's no wonder we have youth ministers burning out at a terrible rate! DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! Evaluate after each event, and learn from your mistakes. Above all, be encouraged that you are planting seeds for God in the hearts of young people.
Note to Church Members: If your youth minister is in the middle of an event, here are the sweetest words he could ever hear: "I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!" As you can see from the above list, he already has SO much to do! Trust me, he will REJOICE if you take initiative and be totally grateful. If you're already helping in another capacity, feel free to delegate the job to another person. Tell your youth minister about it and get a free hug!
If you're in youth ministry, you will need to learn some thing about administration. The vast majority of church members have little to no idea the many hats a youth minister wears during a big event.
Take this last weekend as an example. At one point or another I was...
Emcee
A/V technician
Nurse
Kissing Police
Teacher
Worship Leader
Answerer of All Questions (AKA "Fountain of Knowledge")
Janitor
Motivator
Accountant
Host Home
Manager
Coach
Youth Minister
Parent Minister
Director of Crisis Management
Complaint Department
Along with all this, the youth minister is expected to maintain his composure and integrity. He is to look like Jesus to everyone he crosses...even those who are yelling at him.
If it sounds like I am complaining, well...maybe I am a little. :) But my hope is that churches (and youth ministers) can learn how to de-stress these big-event situations.
Note to Youth Ministers: Obviously I am still in elementary school when it comes to event planning. But I am learning that it's helpful to find people who are good at the above-mentioned roles to take the load off of you. It's no wonder we have youth ministers burning out at a terrible rate! DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! Evaluate after each event, and learn from your mistakes. Above all, be encouraged that you are planting seeds for God in the hearts of young people.
Note to Church Members: If your youth minister is in the middle of an event, here are the sweetest words he could ever hear: "I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!" As you can see from the above list, he already has SO much to do! Trust me, he will REJOICE if you take initiative and be totally grateful. If you're already helping in another capacity, feel free to delegate the job to another person. Tell your youth minister about it and get a free hug!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
As a Christian parent, what should I teach my child on the following: "What should you do when a bully approaches and pushes you down?"
So far, I have taken the typical American father stance... "Get up and punch 'em in the face!" The main goal of this approach is to inform the bully that you will not be a pushover.
Other parents may say, "Go, tell an adult." While I hope that my boys would tell me if ever this situation arose, I imagine the time will come when an adult is not handy...even on the playground.
And then I read one of the hardest teachings of Jesus (from Luke 6):
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
The way I read it, Jesus NEVER retaliated when someone attacked him physically. He was never involved in any kind of war, and He was not a brawler. He never went looking for trouble, and when it found Him, He depended on God and His teachings to get Him out.
If I am to believe the story of Christ, I MUST believe that it takes MORE strength to LOVE your enemies rather than getting revenge. I MUST believe that God will sort it out one day. I MUST believe that non-violence will achieve something better than violence. I MUST believe that LOVE (even love for my enemy) will win in the end.
And I MUST believe that this is right for my kids, too.
So far, I have taken the typical American father stance... "Get up and punch 'em in the face!" The main goal of this approach is to inform the bully that you will not be a pushover.
Other parents may say, "Go, tell an adult." While I hope that my boys would tell me if ever this situation arose, I imagine the time will come when an adult is not handy...even on the playground.
And then I read one of the hardest teachings of Jesus (from Luke 6):
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
The way I read it, Jesus NEVER retaliated when someone attacked him physically. He was never involved in any kind of war, and He was not a brawler. He never went looking for trouble, and when it found Him, He depended on God and His teachings to get Him out.
If I am to believe the story of Christ, I MUST believe that it takes MORE strength to LOVE your enemies rather than getting revenge. I MUST believe that God will sort it out one day. I MUST believe that non-violence will achieve something better than violence. I MUST believe that LOVE (even love for my enemy) will win in the end.
And I MUST believe that this is right for my kids, too.
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