In the Zone

God has a funny way of working things out sometimes. As I was preparing for a lesson on Matthew 7:6, the whole gay marriage debate blew up nationally.  The Bible is front and center in this debate.  There's no way of separating my belief in scripture and my belief in traditional marriage. I won't mince words.  I believe homosexuality is a sin.  I can't argue against scriptures like Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9 or Romans 1:27-28.  Scripture repeatedly labels homosexual behavior as sinful.  Scripture also says the same thing about cohabitation between heterosexuals.  Jesus' teachings on lust would squarely put viewing pornography as a sin.  Most of those ideas are now widely accepted behavior in our society.  However, if I believe the Bible is God's revelation to us (and I do) and I believe the Bible is without error (which I do) and that I should live my life and form my values based upon it (and I do), then my values and stand...

I'll be the first to admit it.  I'm not very fashion-focused.  I'm also not trendy. My wife tries to help me along from time to time.  She knows I'm a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, but every once in a while she convinces me to try a new look. A few years ago, since I'm in youth ministry, she had me try a flip flops with jeans look, especially for Wednesday nights.  A couple of problems cropped up.  First of all, I don't wear flip flops so I tried to pull off the look with my athletic sandals.  Not the brightest of ideas.  Secondly, it's just not me.  I tried it on and off for a few months in the summer - even my pastor noticed and called it my "real youth minister" look - but ultimately I went back to the standard jeans and T-shirt or khakis and polo. I'm just not very imaginative when it comes to dress.  I prefer simple and traditional.  I still "dress up" for church on Wednesday with dress pants and a collared shirt....

I see it each and every year. In anticipation of youth camp or mission trip, a student will get excited.  They rush their packing and inevitably forget something crucial for the trip.  Sometimes it's something small, like toothpaste or deodorant.  Other times it's something needed like a towel or a pillow.  Sadly, often it's their Bible. Either way, we get so focused on certain aspects of the future that we miss crucial things occurring in our present. Jesus addressed this is Matthew 6:34.  He said today has plenty of problems.  You don't need to add tomorrow's problems to it. That's pretty sound advice.  How much time do we dedicate to worrying about that upcoming meeting at the end of the week?  How much time is spent thinking about our yearly evaluations at work?  How much agonizing do we do for that big test or big game or performance?  All the while, we miss the opportunities in the present. Jesus isn't saying not to...

I am a worry wart.  I worry about everything. It's a family tradition in my family.  I learned the well-honed craft of worrying for a long-line of proud worriers in my family.  The gift was passed down generation after generation and now I exercise that gift. I worry about my wife while she teaches in school.  I worry about my daughter while she's in school and my son in daycare. If someone is late, even by five minutes, my mind starts to wander to worry about their possible fate.  I can worry with the best of them. But God does not call me to worry.  He calls me to trust.  In that aspect, I fail daily and must repent and seek his forgiveness. In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus gives illustrations of birds and flowers to show his followers that worrying doesn't do you any good.  Birds don't worry and they've not gone extinct.  Flowers don't worry, yet every spring, they shoot up and display their beauty for all to see.  Instead, Jesus t...