Walk In Their Shoes

The man stood in front of us, shaken by heart-wrenching memories of growing up as an orphan. He recounted family after family that had taken him in, only to get rid of him after a short time. He stared down the teenagers in the audience and held their gaze.
"Let me tell you something. I would have given ANYTHING to have parents that always 'got into my business.' All the people I stayed with didn't give a FLIP about me, or my friends, or anything I was doing. So, when you're parents ask you all those annoying questions, just remember, they're asking because they care!"

I remember being in the audience watching this man, convicted of how blessed I was to have parents that cared.
Tonight, I passed along the following advice to our teens and their families (based on the above story):

• If your parents ask questions, it's because they care.
• Feel free to grill your parents about what they are doing, who they're hanging out with, and what time they will be back! (They should be open and honest, too!)
• If something is "not anybody's business," then it's probably not good business.
• As you get to know each other, do activities together that let every family member be a HERO. (Don't just do activities where Dad or Son are good at something, but let everyone excel!)
• Jesus is our ultimate example of "walking in someone else's shoes." We should seek to know our families the way he sought (and seeks) to know us.

I hope you appreciate your family, and seek to "walk in their shoes." Get to know them. Appreciate their different-ness. Ask lots of questions!

A Blessing

One of my favorite Bible verses is the blessing which the priests gave to the Israelites long ago...
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." (from Numbers 6:24-26)

My interpretion of this passage would sound something like this...
May the LORD take care of you and hold you in His loving arms
May you see the LORD smile and feel His loving kindness
May God turn His face towards you so that you feel at peace.

In a few weeks we will be blessing our graduates. I constantly struggle with how to bless people. It is a foreign concept to our culture. And yet, I know how sweet it is to hear a blessing from a loved one.
I hope I can continue to learn how to bless others. What to say, how to say it.

May God Almighty bless you today
Feel His presence as He walks beside you
Know He loves you as you look at the sky
May the LORD keep you and your loved ones wrapped in His protective arms
May He give you abundant joy and contentment
As you rest in His presence.

The Need for Affirmation

I see them every day. People that need some positive words spoken into their lives. People that need affirmation. People that just want someone else to like them!

• American Idol - I don't know if it's real or not, but it breaks my heart to see those people cry. Would someone PLEASE say something positive about them?!
• Teenagers - They so badly want to be noticed and loved. The teens at Southwest are SO talented! I probably don't affirm them enough.
  
• Myself - When teenagers give me what I jokingly call "the death look" I find myself doubting whether or not to converse with them. I KNOW they want someone to talk to, but my own doubts about myself tell me, "They don't want to talk to you!" or "You'll get rejected...better not talk to them!"
  
• Letters from Dad - The men at our church are learning from this amazing book. EVERY MAN (and woman) wants desperately to be blessed by their father. Our children need to know that we love them unconditionally.

I am pretty lucky. I've had parents and friends that have communicated their appreciation for me as a person. As a youth minister, I get positive feedback quite a bit. And yet, I STILL focus on the negative stuff WAY too much!
So, what's your story? Have you been affirmed lately? Have you affirmed someone else lately? Your family? Your friends? A stranger?


I appreciate you because you are God's special creation! You are a wonderful friend or family member. You have potential beyond your wildest dreams, and I believe that (with God's help) you can live up to that potential! Don't let your mistakes define you...you are much bigger than those mistakes. You are a "good" person because you are "God's" person!! God bless you today. Know that you are loved by me and many others...most especially by your proud Father in Heaven.