In the Zone

A few years ago, I heard about a youth pastor who purposely took his students to Gay Day at Disney World. Every year, he would find out when Gay Day would be at the Magic Kingdom.  Then, he would plan a youth group trip to Disney World specifically for that day.  He would take the students to the park, expose them to something extremely counter-culture to their faith, and afterwards, he debriefed them about their experience. His rationale was this:  He wanted to expose them to worldly behavior so he could walk through what they had seen from a scriptural point of view.  He reasoned that it was best to expose them to lewd behavior now, while he and other parents and adults could talk through the process, than to wait for them to get to college or the real world and experience it with no Biblical context whatsoever.  He didn't want college professors and fellow students to be their only point of reference for sorting it out. I was never that bold, but I admi...

We live in a very selfish society. Technology, conveniences and marketing campaigns have all fueled our desires to have whatever we want however we want.  Companies create customizable apps for smart phones.  Banks offer flexible account options. Stores match consumer prices and coupons. Restaurants make substitutions. It's all in the name of pleasing the customer, getting repeat business and offering people what they want. There's nothing wrong with that.  However, somewhere along the line, we've grown selfish. If the fast food drive-thru lane is too slow, we complain and yell at cashiers. If we can't customize our order, we chose not to shop.  If something doesn't go our way, we pitch a fit. And when asked why we lashed out in anger or frustration, we shift the blame and justify our actions. That's exactly what Jonah did. In Jonah chapter 4, we see Jonah after the great Nineveh revival.  The Ninevites have repented and God has relented of his destr...