My Way or Die Fernverkehrsstraße

So throughout life we probably make millions of decisions. We probably make hundreds each day. From deciding to go to work, to deciding how to react to co-workers, to whats for lunch, to when to stop working, to what time to go to bed, etc... Sometimes things don't go as planned. Sometimes things go better than planned. Things just always seem to go. Whatever we do, we make it a priority to do what we want. As a great friend of mine says:

Regrets, Ive had a few;

But then again, too few to mention.

I did what I had to do

And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course;

Each careful step along the byway,

But more, much more than this,

I did it my way.

In my profession (I've never said that before. And I am talking about the youth pastor part,  not the secretary part) my teens make decisions everyday. They wake up everyday and decide if they are going to live a life submitted to God or not. 

Or do we just think we do? Has God laid out this masterful plan for each of our lives and we each follow it whether we realize it or not? 

Some have asked:

"If God knows what decision I am going to make, then isn't He making it for me?" 

Or, "If God created Hell, then He must intend for some people to go there."

Or, (This is one of my favorites) "If God knows (before I am born) that I am going to choose Hell, isn't He choosing to create a being to go to Hell and suffer forever? That doesn't sound like a very loving God."

Pick one or two or all three and have fun. And answer it the way you want to, not the way God wants :)

Paid for by the coalition for positive arguments.

Would you like to retire?

If you were able to not work,  pay all of your bills and have $1000 left over for food, gas and entertainment each month would you? It has to cover expenses for you and those who live with you. or might eventually live with you.

Is $1000 too much?

Tough Question: I'm Poor Too!

So this question comes from my own aggravation about not knowing what to do.

First I would like to hear your definition of "less fortunate."

I know that we are to help people in need, but I have never seen so many people coming from Texas that need gas money to go to Chicago. And amazingly enough we just happen to be the last church that is between Texas and Chicago.

Or the person has just died from a heart attack and was miraculously brought back to life but now they need money to eat.

I am not trying to be negative. These are just the same stories that I tend to hear over and over. It has almost numbed me to helping people.

So I ask, with all of the schemers and lazy people in the world, what is our duty as Christians to help the "less fortunate among us?"

Tough Question: Gambling

Is gambling an OK thing for Christians to do? And, are their different degrees of gambling of which some are OK and some aren't?

Please let me know what you think! I am still processing my thoughts...

The Day Is Mine

Do you ever just have a really good day? Have you ever had a day when EVERYTHING goes right? I had one yesterday.

I woke up after sleeping in just a little bit. Which is always great because you feel like you stole a few minutes from the alarm clock.

After that, I went to church and learned about eunuchs. Actually we heard a very good sermon about how we need to be welcoming to every one and not be judgemental, as we so often are. I learned more German than I did in 3 years of H.S. German classes.

Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft: Ask Clicker(Pastor) about it sometime. He explains it very well.

After that was the worst part of my day. I had to choose between watching the Jets-Dolphins game, the Saints-Bucs game, or the Nascar race....

Jimmy Johnson won. (not really that hard of a decision)

Then I had the opportunity to play a little Call of Duty4. One of the best times of the day.

Following COD4 was some time at bible study with the ERC group. It was good times. We are going through a book that is teaching us about spiritual disciplines. Last night we talked about some that I don't have much of in my life, and that is silence.

Then came my non-spiritual highlight of the day. Opening game for the Chicago Bears. It was awesome. I had friends over (though most of them were wearing blue and white) and we had good times. Well, I did.

After that, it was COD4 time again.

Great day huh?

I was late for work this morning. Hope the week goes better than this morning did.