Thank You

I am tired of talking about issues that divide people on this blog. So that is why I have not posted for 3 weeks.

I have to say that I really don't like winter. There is nothing about me that likes being wrapped up in 15 layers of clothes just to survive. I would rather it be 115 degrees 365 days a year than put up with 3-4 monthes of cold weather.

Also I really don't like snow. Well, let me fix that. I don't like ice. Also, if it is going to snow, let it snow! Give me 20'' so that we can't travel anywhere.

The best days of the year are those first days after winter is behind us and I can finally wear shorts again.

Thank you God for these last few beautiful days before it gets nasty.

How do you feel about winter?

COD + SSS = Wholeeness

So I went to lunch today. It was good. I had the ubiquitously famous South Street Smokehouse, or as I call it the SSS.  As me and a friend of mine sat there we talked about many things. We talked about how excellent the food is. We talked about the moist towelletes and how if they were just a touch bigger they would be adequate for the normal adult human hand. We also talked about my favorite video game. 

We decided that if there were some way to install Call of Duty(COD) into the booths at the SSS then we would have  everything that we would need in the world. So being the thoughtful person that I am I began to ponder this idea. I said we would have EVERYTHING we ever needed, except the church. We would only need to leave the SSS to go to church. 

I have solved this problem. We could start a church on Sundays and invite gamers and nerds of all kinds to join us. Our slogan could be, "Come join us in the House of Cod, where you can kill people and repent all before your food is delivered." 

Would you be interested in joining with me in this endeavor?

Simple Minds......

So some people that read my blog are not happy with the turn that it has taken (Heather). For those people (Heather) I am going to write a blog that maybe they(Heather) can be happy with. So here is a question for those of you(Heather) that would rather not talk about God.

When you were a kid, would you(Heather) rather play with Lego's or Lincoln Logs?

1:1

Over the past several weeks in youth group we have been studying Noah and the different things that he dealt with in the process of helping God start mankind over again.  In one of the lessons I shared that in life we have to be willing to do whatever God asks us to do. The hard thing about that, is that we have to know what it is that He wants us to do. We do this by praying and reading His word along with many other things. As I was explaining how I do my Bible reading, there seemed to be some interest in joining with me. Last night after youth  group I had some teens come and say that they wanted to read through the Bible with me. First of all I am glad they these young adults are willing to dig deeper into God's word. Second of all I am honored that they would ask me to hold them accountable for reading a chapter a night. 

I asked them where they wanted to start and they said, "Duh, Genesis." I said, "OK." So last night I read Genesis 1 for about the thousandth time. It never ceases to amaze me that God reveals something new to me every time I re-read scripture. 

I never noticed that after each "day" it says "and there was evening, and there was morning-the____ day. This got me thinking about creation. I know that we come from different backgrounds, different education levels and different levels of Biblical interest. I want to know what kind of creation you believe in. 

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?"