Who's writing your story?

Today I was reading Proverbs 3:1-6 and some thoughts came to mind. In the midst of the uncertainty of what's going on in the market and in the world there is a story. It's a story each one of us are involved in. It's a story that has a writer who has our best interests at heart. It's a story that is meant to offer us life, not just life, but life more abundantly. It's a story where you are the lead role, the main character. It's a story that begins with a creator and his creation. It's a story of that creator looking out for our best interests, because He loved us and gave Himself for us. What story is this? It's life.

Think about it. God has written each one of our stories, but often times we choose to take over the role of the writer. Rather than playing out the lead role we often times strive for what we think may be better. God tells us throughout Scripture that He has our best interests at heart. He loves us and knows the plans He has for us.

The problem comes when we think we may be a better writer. When we think that God's plan or purpose can't surely bring me life or happiness. When we pour everything we are into rewriting our story, we stumble and fall. We create problems and have to live with the responsibility and consequences of disobedience.

In the end God wants to be the author of our stories, but many of us are to impatient to wait, to out of touch with God to know what we should do, or to careless because we want to have fun now. God has written your story, are you going to choose to follow it?

How do you eat an Elephant?

Lots of people desire to spend more time reading and studying God's word, but I have been asked many times "Where do I begin?" I believe many of us are extremely overwhelmed by the amount of content in the Bible, the various types of writings (prophets, parables, narrative, historical), as well as just plain old confusion.

There is a current book out called "How do you eat an Elephant?" The answer of course is one bite at a time. I believe that we can learn alot from this analogy. I don;t plan on eating an elephant any time soon, but I do plan on continuing my pursuit of knowing God on a deeper more intimate level. In order to do that I have to take one bite at a time. So I wanted to give you a few pointers to get you started in reading and studying he Bible on a consistent basis.

1) Begin with Prayer-Ask God to give you the wisdom to see what he is trying to say to you through His word. Remember you are not trying to discover something no one else has ever seen before. You are trying to gain insight into who God is and how much He loves you. The Bible is God's word and has eternal relevance. Prayer is the foundation to understanding what God wants to reveal to you.

2) Choose a good translation-A good translation attempts to communicate word for word from the original language. A paraphrase while helpful for some insight attempts to express the meaning in today's language often times neglecting the original meaning. (Some good translations are ESV, NIV, TNIV)

3) Make a commitment to regularly spend time in God's word. God told Joshua to "Mediatate on it (the book of the Law) day and night." Don't try and speed read through everything. The goal isn't based on time, but to get to understand and comprehend what is being communicated. Learn to meditate and think on the passage of scripture you are reading.

4)Have a journal or notebook with you to make notes, write down questions, thoughts or ideas that come to mind. This is always a good idea cause you can go back and review or remind yourself of what you have read.

God didn't intend for the Bible to be a cryptic book that only educated people could understand. The Bible was written for anyone to know the truth of who God is, what God has done and what that means for us as God's creation. So what are you waiting for? God is waiting for you. Make the commitment to spend at least 10 minutes a day readig and studying God's word.

Leader or Loser?

What are some key traits or characteristics that make one man a leader while another man may be a loser? I have seen numerous examples of both in my life, and the biggest difference in many of them is how they think. A man's attitude governs or drives his actions. Here are eight differences between a leader and a loser.

1) A leader is always ready to tackle something new... a loser is prone to believe something new can't be done.

2) A leader isn't afraid of competition... a loser excuses himself, beliving the competition beat him out.

3) A leader knows he's sometimes worng and is willing to admit his mistakes... a loser can usually find someone to blame.

4) A leader is challenged by a new problem... a loser doesn't want to face problems.

5) A leader is decisive... a loser frustrates himself with indecision.

6) A leader realizes there is no time like the present to get a job done... a loser is prone to procrastination with the thope that things will take care of themselves.

7) A leader thinks positively... acts positively... and lives positively... a loser usually has a negative attitude and a negative approach to everything.

8) If you want to be a leader, think like a leader... act like a leader... and sooner than you think you will be a leader.

Jr. High Believe

Wow! what a great weekend, together with 6-8th graders. We had a blast playing on inflatables, watching Jared Hall (check him out at Jaredhall.com), awesome artwork, great worship, lots of food and challenging messages from Jason Raitz. I am so pumped about everything that is going on in the youth ministry. I am excited for the upcoming 6th graders, pumped about the beginning of "The Merge," by the way it starts tomorrow night. Looking forward to watching God continue to work in and through us to reach our communities for Christ.

Thank you Lord for being a gracious creator who wants to have a relationship with us and chooses to use us to reach a world caught by deception and lies.