yesterday was youth and children’s sunday at our church (www.neelroad.org). our pastor was gracious enough to let me fill the pulpit on this sunday focusing on the ministries i oversee. i entitled the message, “it takes a village to raise an idiot.”

“train up a child in the way he should go; when he is old, he will not turn from it.“
proverbs 22:6

we’ve all heard sermons about this passage and we’ve heard thousands of tips on how we can “train” up our children. but i wonder, which way should they go? we all want our kids (i don’t have kids, but i know the same will be true for me when i cross that bridge in 30 years) to be a four sport all american, to get straight a’s, to have the lead role in all the school plays, to score a 17 mil on the sat’s, to get a full ride to college, graduate suma cuma puma, marry the perfect mate, and repeat the cycle.

we all want our kids to succeed. and there’s nothing wrong with that, but which way should they go? do you think God promises that when he [the child] is old he won’t turn from the way we want our children to go?

as i sit here in my bed (watching my mavs eliminate the spurs in game five by the way), i’m wondering why do i blog? are there really people out there who want to know what i think? does anybody even read this thing? i’m sure people read the blogs other pastors (people who might actually be interesting or could teach the world a thing or two). why do i bother? does the daily habit teach me responsibility? why did i let someone talk me into doing this…cough…neil…cough?

then it hit me…i have absolutely no idea! nevertheless, i hope you enjoy reading my random thoughts as much as i (from time to time) enjoy writing them.

i pray that God will bless you in all the silly and important tasks you do in life. it’s at times when our spirits are the happiest that our souls are strongest.

okay, let me preface this by saying i realize baseball is supposedly america’s pasttime and that several people love the sport.

well, i couldn’t disagree more. i think it should have been left in the past. i can’t stand it. now, to be fair, i do like playing baseball. but to watch a game (on virtually every channel might i add) being played by cheating cry babies who get paid entirely too much money is something i am not prepared to do.

the new york yankees have moved from “the house that ruth built” into their new penthouse where tickets on the field level go for as much as $375. exhibit a.

the use of steroids has absolutely destroyed all credibility for players in this era, and the last 20 years for that matter. personally, i don’t believe the commissioner and the powers that be really want to clean up this game. if they really wanted to, punishments would be more severe. if you get caught, lifetime ban. i mean, come on! pete rose was banished for gambling. these men cheat! seriously, they cheat! kick them out. exhibit b.

no one on this earth (or any other earth, for that matter) is worth $275 million dollars over 10 years  (a rod’s contract extension signed december 2007. this is partly why the tickets prices are so high. i refuse to contribute to such a screwed up organization. exhibit c.

i hate to pick on the yankees. i really don’t have a problem with that team. i can actually respect steinbrenner’s “i’ll do anything for my organization to succeed” attitude. i don’t always agree with how he goes about it, but that’s a different story for a different day. and actually, as long as we’re pointing fingers, we as much to blame as everyone else. those of us who pay the prices only perpetuate the cycle. and for those who love baseball and believe the game is worth the money, more power to you. that’s one of the freedom’s you enjoy as an american. just know that i choose not to join you.

yep, i’m preaching this sunday. “it takes a village to raise an idiot.” we’re going to look at the church’s role in raising children. it should be alot of fun. i always enjoy speaking. i truly feel like it’s a big part of the ministry God has called me to do.

i will also be preaching on june 7 (graduation sunday) and july 12 (neil’s on vacation). so, if you miss me this week, you can try again.

last night, dave ramsey addressed more than 1 million americans regarding the issue of hope. more than six thousand locations hosted this totally free webast from life church.tv (oklahoma). this event began at 8pm with dave speaking for thirty minutes on the issues of hope in america.

ever since this recession begun, the media has done fabulous job at comparing this to the worst economic crisis since the great depression. they’re absolutely wrong, but let’s give credit where credit is due. they’ve done a great job at being wrong.

dave challenged not only believers but all americans to take a stand and choose not to participate in this recession. he challenged us to 1) get up and take action, 2) stop listening to loser talk, and 3) start giving.

1) get up and take action
the days of letting this recession impact us are over. it’s time we get up off our butts and impact this recession. many people have lost jobs and that’s terrible. i can’t begin to imagine how that’s affected families across our country. however, the job is lost. frowning isn’t bringing it back. it’s time to get up and take action.

2) stop listening to loser talk
dave said that your income will be within 10% of your closest friends. how many of us need some new friends. we need to begin listening to those who are there taking action. find out what’s working for others and give it a try. don’t just sit around and listen to others who aren’t doing anything about their misfortune. surround yourself with those who’re motivated to do something about what’s happening.

3) start giving
enough said. generosity is missing in america. once we’ve gotten up and taken action and stopped listening to loser talk, we’ll be ready to improve the quality of life of those around us. maybe you’re not ready to give thousands to the family down the road, but you are ready to give a few hours to work at a soup kitchen. any time you get your mind off how much you life sucks and you focus on helping others, you’ve manufactured hope. get out there and do some good.

“all the world’s a stage and most of us
are desperately unrehearsed.” - sean o’casey

this video speaks for itself…

why do we follow Jesus? why not steve or ralph? many pastors out there tell us all about how following Jesus will make our lives better.

“we don’t follow Jesus because He makes our lives better;
we follow Jesus because He’s better.” – matt chandler

is the motivation for your personal relationship with Christ the same as every other aspect of your life? to make you better? to get you something?

throughout time, people have attempted to find an adequate substitute for the greatness that is Christ. they’ve either come back or still searching. when will we learn from the journeys of others? when?

yesterday was a pretty good day. yesterday morning, i concluded a disciple now weekend in huntersville, nc. on friday, saturday, and sunday, we looked at the security we find in Christ.

“for i am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God.” romans 8:38-39

it is so incredibly comforting to know that nothing in this human world (neither death nor life), nothing in this spiritual world (neither angels nor demons), time (neither present nor future), or space (neither heighth nor depth) will ever separate us from the love of our Creator. think about that today when you face all that lies before you.

in case you were curious, i’m no elephant. and because it has been so incredibly long since my last “blog,” i was curious if i’d ever remember how to do this. i need some form of mental remindering to get into a respectable habit of posting thoughts, reflections, embarrassing stories, etc. i will do better…