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!

A couple days ago, I focused on how damaging it can be to our witness when we go on a crusade to make everyone acknowlege our beliefs at Christmas. When we try to defend Jesus by being pushy and reacting in anger, we defeat our own purpose. We need to understand that Jesus doesn't need us to defend Him from the trappings of secular Christmas celebrations. Today I want to consider some reasons why this is true:

1. Jesus is real - Santa is not: It blows my mind how anyone could percieve Santa as a threat to Jesus. Yet many Christians do all they can to make sure his name is not mentioned in their celebrations. One of my professors in Bible school actually said, "Santa Clause is the grinch that stole Christmas from Christ". Really? Is Santa public enemy number one for Christians and Christ? I fail to see how he could be a threat, seeing as he is a ficitional storybook character while Jesus is the Almighty God! To me that doesn't seem like much of a contest. I don't believe that Jesus is wringing his hands wondering how to deal with the old man who has a weakness for cookies, delivers presents to children, and most importantly, does not exist!

2. The use of the word "Holiday": Exactly when did the term "holiday" become a dirty word to us? The origin of the word actually comes from the idea of a "holy day" and in old english was used to refer to a special day of religious observance. So why are we trying to stop people from labeling Christmas as a "holy day"?

3. Christmas is not Jesus' birthday: Was Jesus even born in December? The short answer is that we don't know for certain. Some scholars say it was closer to March. It's hard to calculate exactly because the culture Jesus was born into used a different calendar system than we do. But the point is that we can be almost certain December 25 is not the actual birthday of Jesus. It's just when we have chosen to celebrate it.

4. Rude behavior doesn't represent Jesus well: I won't expound on this again. Check out my previous post to see my feelings on this one.

5. Many Christians are just as materialistic as the world during this time of year: We love to accuse our culture of materialism and greed and excuse ourselves. Yet most people I know, Christians included, celebrate Christmas by buying a bunch of stuff to give to each other. I'm not saying that gift giving is wrong or innapropriate. But we should not condemn the world for practices we engage in ourselves.

6. Jesus told us the world would not acknowledge him: We can get so upset that the world leaves Jesus out of it's practices and celebrations, yet this is exactly what Jesus told us would happen. In John 15:11 Jesus says, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you". Jesus was very transparent about the fact that the world despised Him and what He stood for. Why should it suprise us that our culture doesn't want to acknowledge Him? When we gripe about how Jesus is being left out we are essentially telling the world, "stop fulfilling Jesus words!"

In conclusion, Jesus does not need us to defend him, He can take care of Himself. He is the almighty God of the universe. If He wanted to zap our culture into shape with a bolt of lightning, nothing could stop Him from doing so. But He wants us to live in our culture in such a way as to show His love to others. It is as people see Jesus in us that they will be drawn to Him. He is the one that changes minds and hearts, not us. So let's stop complaining, agruing, and badmouthing our culture. Let's start changing it with the love of Jesus.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to yell and scream at people all day, Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, if people don't believe like us we'll shove it in their face!" Ah yes, it's that time of year again. You know, that wonderful season when we as a Christian community take another opportunity to be rude to our neighbors and tell them why they are wrong. Isn't that really what the Christmas season is all about? Well, that and overeating of course...

Obviously I'm being a little (okay, maybe more that a little) sarcastic here, but it does dismay me how many who call themselves Christians act during this season. It seems like we have taken the whole "Happy Holidays" thing as and excuse to declare all out war on those around us. It's like we think Jesus needs us to defend Him from Santa Clause, his elves, and anyone who wishes us a good holiday instead of a Merry Christams.

I always dread this time of year working at the grocery store because I inevitably recieve numerous tounge lashings from customers about why I should say Merry Christmas. Many times this takes place before I even utter any holiday greeting. To give an example, the other day I wished someone a good holiday season (I figured thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's qualified as multiple holidays strung together in one season, plus I just get sick of say the same phrases all day and wanted to change it up ) and I recieved a pretty sarcastice, "I will have a good CHRISTMAS SEASON!" in reply.

Come on now. If you want to be a good witness to someone, don't lead with a sarcastic or angry response. That alienates the person you are trying to reach. Not to mention you are judging the other person's heart. This person was assuming that I was deliberately leaving Christ out of my statement, when really I was just trying to break up the monotony of saying the same things over and over. Judgment and anger are not a good place to start when sharing the love of Christ.

Tomorrow I will post part 2 on this issue. I will list a few specific reasons why Jesus does not need us to defend Him. I welcome your thoughts and discussion on this topic.

Tomorrow is the big day! We've been working hard this week to pack all of our earthly posessions and they are now boxed and ready to go! In the morning a crew from church is coming to our apartment to help us transport it all to our new home. It will be so nice to be settled in and not have the need to go back and forth between two living spaces. A big thank you in advance to those who will be helping!

In the process of packing we have also been doing some downsizing. It's amazing the stuff you can aquire in a relatively short period of time! We've been using what I call the three year rule while rifling through old posessions. It's simple and goes like this: If I haven't used it or worn it in the last three years, I don't need it! Operating under this rule we have been able to rid ourselves of several items that were taking up precious space and collecting dust.

Why do we need two toasters? We don't, so one has been given away. Three printers? Same deal. That sweater that grammy gave me three christmases ago which still has the sales tag on it? Can you say Goodwill? It's been quite freeing to get rid of some of this excess baggage that has been weighing us down and clogging up our space for the last few years. Now that we have extra space to grow into, our goal is to not fill it with uneccesary junk!

Some of the items we have thrown away or donated were not broken. They weren't even actively affecting our lives, and least not in any discernable way. But once we started to clear them away, we realized how much extra space we could have had for much better purposes.The relief I've felt in cleansing our inventory of these non-essential items has sparked a thought for me about other aspects of my life. How much excess baggage have I allowed to take up space in my personal life and distract me from the things that are really important?

Just like posessions we don't need, we all have things in our life that weigh us down. Habits that waste our time and distract us from what life is really about. Many of these things are not inappropirate or bad in themselves, but they are taking up space. If we allow the clutter in life to take over, where will we fit in time for God, family, and valuable relationships?

I once read a book in which the author was lamenting the time he spent listening to music. What could possibly be wrong with that? Music is a great way to relax and a gift from God! Sure, there is some music that can have a negative influence on you, but he wasn't listening to that stuff. So how could this author possibly feel guilty for doing such a harmless thing? He went on to explain that it was not the quality of the music he was ashamed of, but the amount of time it represented. He felt that the hours and hours he had spent on this hobby could have been used more wisely. What could he have accomplished with all that time had he chosen to invest it differently?

Is it time for you to clear the clutter? Has your life become filled with habits and behaviors that are just taking up space? I know I need to stand back from time to time and re-evaluate my priorities. I want to make sure I leave room in my life for the things that matter. I don't want to simply take up space.

In talking about all that's going on in our lives recently, my wife and I were reminded of just how blessed we are. God's timing has been so evident to us in everything that is going on. He has also surrounded us with so many precious friends and family who support and encourage us. We are so thankful for all the blessings he has shown to us, and we truly feel rich with all He has given.

That being said, I want to be careful that I don't start to measure God's goodness by the physical blessings He bestows. Too often I am tempted to give God glory only when he gives me things I like. While I am so incredibly humbled and thankful for everything that I have mentioned above, God would still be just as wonderful and graceous had he not chosen to entrust me with any of it. He has already shown me so much mercy and provision that no matter what happens in the future, I never have any right to doubt Him. He has a spotless track record in my life of guiding me, providing for me, and loving me. Even if the only thing He ever did for me was send Jesus to die in my place, that would have been more than sufficent to prove His goodness. As Paul says in 2 Corinithians 9:15 - "Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!"

Once again, I am in no way taking for granted all the amazing things God has been doing in my life. I am so thankful and awe struck with what He has been doing for and through me. But I want to challenge myself and you to celebrate how good God is, regardless of the physical blessings he does or does not give. He has already proven Himself to us so many times. Let's praise Him and love Him for who He is, not just what He does!

Here is a link to an old song I listened to recently which sparked these thoughts in my mind:

http://youtu.be/w0pPKKOM3gA