Life is full of distractions. Even as I type this post, my eyes keep darting up to the Facebook tab on my internet browser. What an unfathomable disaster it would be to miss a notification! Actually, let me go ahead and close that so I can give you my full attention. Okay just a sec........there we go. Now I'm ready to pay attetion to what I am doing....oh wait! I have a text! Just give me a minute....

If I am not careful I can waste a lot of time pursuing trivial matters rather than investing in what is important. The temptation to fill my day with minutiae rather than working on the tough matters of life is great. I don't think I am alone in this struggle. Actually, I'm sure of it. The tendency in all of us seems to be to major on the minors in life. This leaves little time or desire to focus on the profound and important aspects of living. This is crazy when you think about it, but it is how most people operate on a day to day basis.

A huge symptom of this problem can be seen in what people are willing to talk about in casual conversation. It's amazing how people will share vivid details of the most superficial areas of their lives and yet not be willing to discuss anything of real substance. If you want to talk about hobbies, sports, T.V. shows, movies, music, or the latest celebrity scandle you can usually find someone willing to listen and interact with you. But just mention the subject of God or eternity and you can hear the crickets chirping. Why is this? I believe it is because most people are so caught up in trivial details that they have no time to consider other, more important things. It's much easier to spend your life having fun or living for a hobby than it is to grapple with the bigger questions in life.

It is very sad to me that people can spend their lives pursuing such temporary, inconsequential things! Yet the vast majority do so. I have had so many conversations with family and friends about such meaningless things! It breaks my heart when people tell me about spending so much time and energy on things that will make absolutely no difference in their lives or the lives of others two months from now! It drives me crazy that when I try to incoperate eternal and meaningful things into the conversation, I am met by either hostility or apathy! This unwillingness to deal with the reality of life makes me want to scream, "Do you really want this to be your legacy? Do you want your whole life to be centered around such meaningless drivel?"

I want to challenge you today to spend time on the things that matter! There is nothing wrong with having hobbies and interests. The question is, are you letting these small things distract you from the big stuff? Have you thought about what your life's purpose is? Are you making a difference in the lives of others? Have you considered the possibility that this life is not all that there is and that you need to be prepared for eternity? This is the stuff of life, and it's what the majority of our time should be dedicated to! When you come to the end of your time here on earth, it won't matter how many times your favorite team won the playoffs, what your golf handicap was, or how many friends you had on Facebook. But it will matter what you did with the time you had! Please! Pursue God, pursue truth and pursue life! Don't get caught in trivial pursuits!

Remember when you were in high school and just couldn't wait to graduate? In just a few short years you would be out from under the oppressive authority of your parents and teachers. You would finally be able to get your own place, drive your own car, eat whatever you wanted for dinner, and hang out with friends when you wanted to. You were thirsting for freedom, which you defined as being able to do whatever you wanted. No longer would you be a slave to what others wanted you to do. You could make your own rules and live your life the way you desired. As we grow older and take on more responsibilities in life one would hope that we gain wisdom and good sense for living. Yet plenty of people still have this immature and faulty view of what it means to be free.

Here in America, it seems like the predominant view on life is simply to do whatever makes you happy regardless of the consequences, as long as you don't hurt someone else. I should follow my own path to happiness and let you follow yours. And God forbid that I should criticize your choice or tell you that it might be wrong. After all, we live in a "free country". Doesn't that mean the freedom to do what we want, when we want, with whomever we want?

I would argue that just doing whatever you want is not freedom, but actually slavery. Sure, living a totally self absorbed life is fun for a while. Satisfying your every whim and desire is exciting and stimulating in the short term. As a Christian, there have been times when I have looked at certain things my non-believing friends were engaging in and wished that I could take part. I have the same fleshly desires that everyone else has. The problem comes when we start to realize what and who is controling our life.

The Bible says in the book of Romans: "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). Bob Dylan expressed something similar in one of his songs. He said, "You're gonna have to serve somebody, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody".

The point is that no matter what you do, you will have a master in this life. If you choose to just do whatever you want, you become a slave to your own sinful desires. You will engage in things that cause collateral damage in your life and the lives of others. The consequences of these actions will enslave you. You will be caught in a never ending cycle of destruction and the more you try to escape it, the worse it will get. As a pastor, I see the this type of thing all too often as people choose to live their lives their own way, thinking that they are free while they are only locking more shackles around their wrists.

True freedom comes when we submit to the right master. Romans further states: "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life." (Romans 6:22). Real freedom is the freedom to do what is right. That only comes from submitting your life to the control of Jesus Christ. When you choose to serve your own wants you start on a path that only leads to misery and destruction. When you choose to serve Jesus, the fruit of that decision is always a better result. Jesus gives life. Jesus restores. Jesus heals. He gives us the freedom to stop being slaves to our sinful nature and to do things which have positive results. Choosing to be a "slave" to Jesus is really the only true freedom that their is. So who are you serving? Are you in slavery to sin or a servant of Jesus? Are you living in the prison of doing whatever you want or the freedom of doing what Jesus has called you to do?

Young people are becoming more and more proficient in technology these days. But is all this tech savvy having a negative effect on their development of basic and vital life skills? This is the question that a recent study by AVG technologies seeks to answer. In this study, AVG explores the possibility that kids and teens are so plugged into the latest gadgets that they are neglecting to learn everyday life skills.

For example, the study found that a mere 14% of 4 year olds can tie their shoes, while 70% can operate a computer mouse! Another more startling statistic was that 20% of toddlers can swim, while 60% can play video games. Apparently, the younger generation is more likely to figure out how to use the latest iphone than learn how to ride a bike!

The issue is whether the time spent learning how to navigate the latest technology is overshadowing the natural learning of skills that are basic to functioning in everyday life. Many younge adults have never written a check, rarely use regular mail, and cannot print legibly, let alone write in cursive. There are a growing number of young people that cannot change their oil and have never done research in an actual library with actual hard copies of encyclopedias.

Does this mean that the next generation is entering life less prepared? Will they be crippled because they are lacking vital skills? Many would say yes because there are some things you just need to know to get by. If a child doesn't learn how to swim, what happens when he is unsupervised at the beach? If he never learns to tie his shoes, won't that be a problem long term? Possibly, but let's look at the other side of the coin shall we?

In our rapidly changing culture, many skills which used to be vital are no longer so important. With the advent of debit/credit cards and online bill paying, it is quite possible to never have the need to write a physical check. I myself take advantage of online payment for several of our bills. There are a few which I choose to pay by mail, but it is not absolutely necessary that I do so. Also, since most buisness communication is now done through email and the internet, the need for pristine handwriting is ceasing to be an issue. As much as many of us do not want to admit it, the way we are used to doing things is fading and making way for the new.

As a matter of fact, some of the "life skills" that our kids are not learning are being replaced by other, just as vital skills. In order to be hireable in many fields today computer literacy is a must. Typing is another non-negotiable for many jobs. Being mobile is also another great advantage in the buisness world which requires adaquate skills with cell phones and the internet. It's near impossible to really be competitive in our world without having at least a rudimentary understanding of technology.

I think the key is balance. If your kids are spending the bulk of their time on the computer and playing video games, they need to get outside and learn to use their imagination and interact with others. But on the other hand, we need to come to terms with the fact that our kids are learning things that they will need to know as they enter our ever changing world. This might mean that they will never balance their check book (or even own one), but that doesn't mean they are any less prepared for life.

It's amazing what can happen in a month! As I sit here at my desk having just handed my son over to his mother for a feeding I am reminded of just how thankful I am for the blessings in my life!

As most of you know, our son Austin arrived six and a half weeks early on March 3rd! We spent a little over a week with him in Portland and then another week and a half at Franklin Memorial Hosptial. We praise the Lord that even though he was so early, he had no major complications or problems! The main concern was his weight. The hospital needed to make sure that he was consitently gaining before we were able to bring him home with us.

Words really fail to describe what it was like to welcome Austin into the world. The night he was born is still a blur in my mind, but I vividly remember the harrowing ride down to Portland following behind the Ambulance. I recall the wonderful nurse who encouraged my wife through the delievery process and helped me stay sane enough to be a good support for her. I will also never forget seeing my son for the first time! Any of you that have children understand when I say that once you look down on your child for the first time, your life is irrevocably changed! I still need to take time to process the events of that night and the next few weeks in the hospital.

Austin has now been home with us for almost three weeks and I am so happy to have my family under one roof! What a joyful day it was when we brought him into our home for the first time! I have begun to slowly reenter church life after an unplanned hiatus. Ira, Mac, and our leadership graciously stepped in for me while I was working on the home front, preparing for Austin's homecoming. I was able to go to our last deacon's meeting and Austin and Charlene have now accompanied me to church a couple of times. It is so awesome to see my Wife and son sitting among our congregation! We are grateful and blessed beyond words by the outpouring of love from our amazing Church family! Thank you so much to each of you for sharing life with us and loving Austin so much before you even met him! We are so excited to be able to raise our son in such a loving atmosphere!

Ira and I have had a couple of meetings since Austin has come home and we are working on new ideas for the evening service and a series for the summer. As Ira has said a few times now, he didn't mind covering for me while I was gone because "the booty will be on the other foot" come June when his family welcomes their new addition! I have also been able to meet with Brian as part of continuing to train and mentor him. He has been doing a wonderful job with our youth program this year and I will miss him when the year ends! Also, by some miracle I was able to finish up my Bachelor's Degree classes! Much of the time we were sitting and waiting at the hospital was spent reading and typing reports. I am very happy to have this completed and now look forward to pursuing my ordination!

Thanks to all of you again for your prayers, support, and encouragement. My wife and I love each of you very much and are so excited for you to be a part of our son's life!