Doing it all

Sports, drama (the acting kind, not the everyday kind), clubs, friends, hobbies, faith, recreation... the list is long. How can we do it all? We have this vision of the perfect person who keeps this perfectly organized planner and finds ways to participate in 6 different activities effortlessly. The truth is this person does not exist. No one can do it all! Not without mounds of stress. Or, they do several things poorly instead of doing a few things well. I fall into this trap. I plan things, other opportunities pop-up, and I struggle to find time for neglected priorities. How do I sort it all out??? Well, there is an easy answer... people who fall into the busy trap are people who do not know themselves well enough. See, if I really knew myself- I would know what belongs in my life and what does not. I would know what to say "yes" to and what to say "no thanks" to. Understanding why God put you here, and what special abilities he gave you is the first step to knowing how to prioritize. I am an evangelist by nature- so any chance to mingle with the community takes top prize for me. I am not an organized person, so planning a trip a month in advance with a budget and transportation plans is not my cup of tea. With all the events the youth group offers, I want you to decide which ones appeal to you and the special creation you are. Make time for these events. Not a missionary, then don't go to Mexico. If you are a servant, make time for the service projects. Not sure who you are, try a little sampling of it all and learn more about who God made you to be.

Ripple Effect

Chaos theory came into popular culture when Michael Crichton wrote about it in Jurassic Park, even more so when the movie came out. You may remember the line about a butterfly in Africa flaps its wings and it causes a hurricane in Florida. Can you imagine a world when there is no way to predict the effects of each little minute event? Although I disagree with this theory, I have observed a similar phenomenon... the ripple effect (a.k.a paying it forward). Someone does something good and it impacts someone's life, that person passes on the good fortune and so on and so forth. Bad boy meets cool camp counselor, gets baptized, becomes a youth minister, and speaks to thousands annually changing lives by the boat load- that kind of thing. Have you witnessed the ripple effect? If so tell me about it.

A Hard Prayer

I pray a lot on my commute to and from work. I'll turn off the radio, soak in some silence, and then pray. The other day I found myself unable to say words I knew I needed to say. I felt prompted to pray this: "Dear Lord, If I ever get caught up in a sin, or unaware of an addiction in my life, then please discipline me." I had dealt with someone that day who was being ripped apart by a sin that he/she was unable to see. This person was in the throws of denial and would not recognize the destruction and unhappiness being caused by their actions. I knew I would want God to discipline me if I ever fell into such a trap, but there in my car I could not bring myself to say the words. What if God would answer that prayer? Then I remembered a story when David chooses God's discipline over man's. He knew God would be more loving and merciful than man would. I want to challenge you this week to find someone who is living high on the hog. Someone who is really having a lot of fun reveling in sin. And then pray... "Dear Lord, please help me appreciate your discipline." "Please be with this person and help me be a shining light to them." "Forgive me of my sins, and help me forgive those who sin against me, Amen."

Being Teen

Here is a random spouting that I hope you find true and humorous at the same time! I want you to think about being a teenager. It is probably the most fascinating time in life. It is the time when you have the most independence and the least amount of experience to back-up that independence. You are writing term papers and reading Shakespeare and at the same time playing video games and racing carts at Wal-Mart. Today there was a teenager sitting in class somewhere hating school, watching the clock eagerly, dreading homework, but yet soooo excited about college when you still sit in class, have insane amounts of homework, and you have to pay to be there! Consider the last time you were made to spend time with a bunch of adults when you wanted to be with your friends and when you were with your friends you talked about how great it will be to be an adult. You make minimum wage and for some reason still have to pay taxes?!?!? You have always wanted to beat your dad in a game of one-on-one, and when it finally happens... your feel uncomfortable about it. Realizing you are involved in about 8 different activities such as band, soccer, youth group, basketball, orchestra etc. But still not being sure of what you're good at or what you are going to do with your life. Giving the most profound spiritual answers and comments at PASS'N time followed by a session of bean bag diving and impromptu wrestling... tell me about your experiences of "being teen."

Spiritual SAT

I know you know this person... he or she is very emotionally needy. They have some "issues." Maybe they always need to be dating someone. They are a little clingy. He/she may have some control issues. They always want to be included in everything, and can become emotionally distraught when they feel left out. Do you know someone like this? As great as they can be sometimes- other times they are impossible to deal with. They can be irrational, paranoid, embarrassing, frustrating, and most of all fatiguing. Congratulations- you are being tested... you are taking your spiritual SAT. How will you handle this person- do you have the endless amounts of patience needed? Will you know when to be kind, when to admonish, when to forgive and when to set limits? Will you be able to help them without being sucked in to their drama? Hmmm this Christian thing is not so easy, is it?

Forgiveness

I am not bragging at all, but I have never had a problem forgiving. Maybe I have not had anyone offend me to a great enough degree or something. However, this seems to be a real issue for some people- and in some cases even entire families. In my own family my brother and father do not speak to each other. In other families there is constant anger between brothers, resentment between sisters, etc. The thing that amazes me the most is that everyone involved can be miserable, and unhappy, but still cling to the grudge causing the turmoil. Any thoughts on this topic? BTW- consider what an amazing healer forgiveness can be- not surprising shy most of the Bible is dedicated to the topic.

What is dating?

What is the purpose of dating? You may be saying- "Duh Ken." But really think about this a second (dare I say even a minute)... If I am a teenager, why do I date? The painfully obvious answer is to have a relationship with someone. Well, the fact is we have plenty of relationships with people already. Maybe because we are in love with someone. You may have a crush, some level of physical attraction to someone, but do teens really start dating someone they love... no they start dating someone and then begin to feel a deeper emotional bond in the course of dating. I will admit that dating is good practice for future relationships... but it is rarely viewed as just practice. I would venture to say that dating is just the thing to do... yet another following-the-crowd activity. On a more dangerous level, dating is becoming the only way for teens to have an open, genuine, interaction with another human being. I feel that is going way too far for the high school (and *gulp* middle school) maturity level. I am not at all talking about sex here, that is preached enough... I'm talking about guarding your heart and reigning in the emotional roller coaster. If you are a teen who is dating to fulfill an emotional emptiness... then you need to get better friends and improve your relationship with your parents. Let's get a discussion going on this topic.