telling the truth

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."    
                                                           ~George Orwell

how old do you have to be?

How old do you have to be to make a difference in the world? There are those who might try to tell you that if you are not yet of "adult" age, that you can have no voice for making a difference. That is simply not true!! You do not have to be an "adult" to have a voice and make a difference. Living in today's world, with technology as it is and especially with the global internet access that is available to people, should help you realize the impact that anyone, regardless of age, can have in our world today.

In biblical times, the Apostle Paul writes to the youth, Timothy, as to how he might instruct others in the Christian faith. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul says: "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." [The Bible: 1 Timothy 4:12 New Living Translation].

Young people, regardless of age, can make a difference... choose wisely the kind of difference you will make. I challenge each of you to make a difference for GOOD!! And I welcome your comments, sharing what you are doing to make a difference for good in our world!!

anyone can be a hero...

"Be on guard.  Stand firm in the faith.  Be courageous.  Be strong.  And do everything with love."   1 Corinthians 16:13-14  [New Living Translation of the Bible]




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I gave up chocolate for Lent...

This morning in Sunday school, as we began to talk about Lent, one of the youth said, "I gave up chocolate for Lent!"  My reply was a question.  "Why?  Why did you give up something for Lent?"  I wanted to know if she or anyone else in the class knew why people "gave things up" for Lent.  Many times, during this Lenten season of the Christian year, people "give something up"...  but if there is no understanding of the reason why this is done at this time of the year, then this becomes a meaningless ritual.

Lent is the 40 day time of the year [not counting Sundays] before Easter during which Christians take time for introspection, for soul searching, reflection and repentance...  it is a time of growing in one's faith in preparation for the coming of the death and resurrection of Christ.  In the earliest days of the church, Christ-followers re-dedicated themselves to the faith, and new converts learned about the Christian faith as they prepared for baptism.  "Giving something up" was done to help a person focus on the ideas of reflection, repentance, renewal and spiritual growth during this time of the year. 

While giving up chocolate might not seem to be something that would help a person focus on spiritual soul searching, it can still help as a little reminder...  for example, every time you think about eating chocolate and then remember that you have given it up for Lent, as you begin to wonder, "Why did I give up chocolate?!!", you can then remember to ask yourself that question suggested by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement... a question he suggested we all take time to ask of ourselves and each other on a regular basis regarding our relationship with God: "How is your soul really doing"?  

While some people take it very seriously, giving something up for Lent is not a "legalistic" requirement of the Christian faith...  and you don't have to give up only food items...  you can give up watching TV for a certain amount of time each day, or give up some other activity for a certain amount of time each day...  what you give up and for what amount of time is your choice...  because ultimately, it doesn't matter what you have given up, or even if you have given something up...  ultimately, what really matters is the answer to the question:  How is your soul really doing?

  

Take this season of Lent to reflect on how your soul is really doing...  and to grow in your relationship with God...  and if you are wondering how you can grow if you don't currently have a relationship with God, all it takes is one small step of reaching out for God... and you will find that God has been there all along.

can God love even me?

I have met people who think it is not possible that God would love them... they think they have done such terrible things that it would be impossible for God to love them, and because of this, they believe they could never live in a right relationship with God...  or even live in heaven with God after they die...  and then there are those who think they already live in hell... so why bother? 

The other day, I was reading in the Bible, in the New Testament book of Romans,  and I came across this passage which states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.  As the scriptures tell us, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced'.  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.  They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.  For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." Romans 10:9-13  [The scripture referred to in verse 11 is from Isaiah 28:16 in the Old Testament and the scripture referred to in verse 13 is from Joel 2:32 in the Old Testament.]

This letter was written by the Apostle Paul, and in it he is speaking to both Jews and non-Jews [known as Gentiles].  Although he wrote this almost 2000 years ago, he still speaks to people today through this letter.  

Let me encourage anyone who might think they cannot be saved or receive help from God.  In this letter, Paul states very clearly that anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved...  this is a promise meant not only for people who lived thousands of years ago, but also for those of us who live today!!  It does not matter what you have done up to this point, or what your life is like now... if you want God [the LORD] to help you make better choices or live a better life, all you have to do is ask.  God is listening!!

what if?

In Paul's letter to the Christ-followers in Rome, we read: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" [Romans 12:2 New Living Translation of the Bible]... 

And in his letter to the believers in Ephesus, he says: "Instead, let [God's Holy] Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy... Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you" [Ephesians 4:23-24,31-32 New Living Translation of the Bible]...

What if?  With God, all things are possible!!



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oh, what a tangled web... or how'd i get into this??

So an interesting thing happened in my Sunday school class this past week.  Three of the boys were goofing around with some yarn they had found, and after about fifteen minutes, they found themselves more tangled up in the yarn that they had originally planned to be.  With a little help from a couple of people, a knife and a pair of scissors, they were able to get untangled.

Although it was a bit distracting in class, a day or so later I was thinking about it and realized that sin is a lot like that yarn...  we play around with it, many times knowing that what we are doing is wrong...  but after all, we're just playing... and it might even be fun...  for awhile...  but then after a while, we find ourselves more tangled up in it than we wanted to be and we may not know how to get out...  or we may not be able to get out on our own...

That's where Jesus comes in...  Jesus is the one who can help us out when there seems to be no one else who can...  and Jesus can even help us get right with God, since he is the one who took our place and paid the "ultimate price" [death] for the sins that we do.

You can learn a lot from a little bit of yarn...  and it was even red yarn...  

when parents go to war...

Do you think of yourself as "collateral damage" as a result of your parent's "war"?

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