Monday, December 17, 2012

Wait just a second and think this through...

So first off let me get one thing very clear - I am deeply saddened at the loss of any human life at the hands of another whether it is intentional or accidental - My deepest prayers go out to the families who have been rocked by this latest shooting, the thought that 20 children will never have the opportunity to grow up and live their dreams is awful. But wait just a second and think this through - we are outraged at 20 children being murdered, calling for gun bans and legislation to "fix" our problem, to fix our hurt. I ask where is the outrage for the 3500 children who were murdered today in an abortion clinic? They didn't even have an opportunity to run, their lives were taken just the same as those 20 precious lives in Newtown,  the only difference it was a Doctor performing a procedure, not a man with a gun... depending on the source approx 55,762,500 children have been aborted since 1973 in the United States, and 1,278,530,310 world wide since 1980 (more than the total casualty count for WW-I and WW-II combined in case you are wondering)... where is the outrage for these lives that have been taken? Who is mourning their loss? I am not saying that we shouldn't mourn a tragedy but let's remember there is a bigger issue here. 

More Government regulations will not fix the problem, better gun control will never solve the problem, I know what will fix the problem though, more precisely I know who can fix the problem, not some elected official, not even a religious leader or your favorite pastor. The only place we can look for the solution is to the creator, to God himself. His people need to cry out together to him and ask his forgiveness for forsaking him. We have fallen into the same cycle that the children of Israel were following in the book of Judges... With the silence of a generation, the people forgot who God was, and turned to worship in their own ways forsaking God. God being gracious, allowed them the choice to leave, giving them what they wanted, allowing them to fall prey to their pride, and their greed, allowing them to fall captive to their sin.  However he didn't forsake them, when they were at their worst he was still their, he still loved them, and once they cried out to Him he heard their cries and sent someone to lead them out of the wilderness, back into relationship with God. 



God will continue his promise laid out in the scripture that "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14


Will you humble yourself with me and pray, seeking the face of God, seeking his healing on our lands?


Friday, December 14, 2012

Island Life Week One

As our first week in the big city of Islamorada draws to an end tomorrow I am beginning to appreciate the small town life! This is a town where it seems everyone knows everybody, and a new family moving in is a big deal.

Our first night here we went out to eat as we had nothing unpacked and our waitress who doesn't go to FBCI knew who we were just based on our table conversation (so glad we were behaving!) she knew there was a new pastor with kids starting and was actually looking forward to it!

Less than a week in and I had met half of our immediate neighbors including one massive great dane, met our local UPS driver, and our mail carrier (neither at our house either... go figure...)

Krystal went to Toddler Time at the Library today and met several other mom's with kids Connor's age...

Xander has decided Key's life is for him, I still put his leash on him but just let it trail as he hardly stray's from my side while we are out - he has been my office buddy making the long journey across the backyard to the church, sleeping in my office while I work...

Had a great Cuban Sandwich today from Island Grill while at our weekly men's lunch.

As the week has passed we have realized more and more that this is truly the will of God - and feel so at home already even though we are still digging through boxes...

Christmas tree adventures tomorrow!!!!


Saturday, December 08, 2012

Boxes boxes every where not a space to spare... Moving can be stressful but fun all at the same time... my shoulders and back are sore and we haven't even finished loading the truck yet...

I'd be having a much better day if my computer had not just died before I was able to retrieve the rest of my personal data off it... go figure...

36 hrs and south bound...

Sunday, December 02, 2012

Sunday Morning Brain Wanderings

Now that I have blogger mobile maybe I will blog a little more often... hence a Sunday morning posting...

As I sit disengaged this morning in the morning worship, listening to the words, hearing the songs, I wonder why I can't engage. I wonder why my brain is else where. I want to be here I want to contribute but I feel like a boy sitting outside the general store looking in and wondering.

I know that I am in God's will but this is where it is hard. This is where I am struggling with the desire to feel needed.

Is this wrong? Is this sin?

I think this is human nature. Desiring to be needed when all God is desiring is for us to desire him, to rest in him and him alone.

I need to release this despite myself.

I need to rest in God alone not in my own self or in my own self worth.

More to follow...

To God be the Glory

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Daily Bombardments


You know, I always seem to have questions that need answers - either I have the question, or someone has a question for me that they are looking for the answer to... Last week when I was speaking at MAC2012 people would ask me questions hoping I would know the answer simply because my Dad was heading the camp up... 

Normally I get asked questions because well that's my job right?

What is my job really? Now that is a very good question... One in which I am always struggling to find an adequate answer for....  A simple answer would be I am a youth pastor, I mean that is how I get paid twice a month. But life is never really that simple is it?

Another simple answer would be that my job is as a father and a husband, after all the dictionary definition of "job" is anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility... 

But I don't consider any of these things a job... Father, Husband, Youth Pastor they are all titles I carry but I don't consider them jobs... I know other people might feel that I am "expected or obligated" to these titles but I feel like I am privileged to hold these titles and at that point I see them ceasing to be "jobs" and becoming "roles" that I play in the lives of those around me. Those that I am privileged to meet, know, care for... 

I've held many jobs over the years... Worked for Chick-fil-a, UPS, FPL, Ductz, Genesis, and various landscaping companies to name a few... Those would all qualify to me in my life as a job - (maybe not to you because you are called to that and it is more than a paycheck)

Being a youth pastor is not a job to me - it is everything to me - it is part of how I define who I am in Christ. As much as the role of Husband and Father are parts of that definition.

So what then is my job... That is a very good question to ask... wish I knew the answer.

Monday, April 30, 2012

New Ponderings

So I have never been very good at this, writing out what is going inside my mind but I am going to try it again - there are so many things that run through my mind every day, so many questions, so little time to ponder them.