Living With Purpose Instead of Anxiety

This past weekend, I performed my very first wedding ceremony. This was no average wedding. This particular wedding joined my wife’s beloved sister and her husband in holy matrimony. After weeks of fearful agonizing, the wedding is over and I think I did fairly well. Again, I discovered that when I divert my self-centered thinking, remove my control, and allow God’s authority to reign, everything works out for the best. I can’t the times I’ve had to learn this lesson and I am certain I will have to learn it again quite a few times before my life is over.
The desire to see specific results in life can be the root of all kinds of evil and negativity. I heard someone summarize anger recently as the result of something that doesn’t take place as one intended. This might seem like an excessively simple definition of anger, but it’s a great one to meditate on (especially in times when anger starts to show its ugly face). Lately, when I find myself getting frustrated, worried, angered, etc., I start to think about my motivation for producing these various emotions. Just like a performer needs to find her character’s motivation to properly convey the character’s emotions, one must determine her own motivation to put one’s thoughts in the proper perspective.
We need to live a purpose and with motivation that comes from God. I wasn’t performing a wedding ceremony to score points with my wife’s family or get to impress the pants off some random strangers. I was fulfilling part of God’s plan for the lives of Sara’s sister and her new spouse. I was being used as an instrument. In 1 Tim, Paul makes Christian behavior personal, relating it to the nature of the church. The next time you find yourself getting upset about a situation you find yourself in or about the outcome of a situation, try to look at your position from God’s perspective.

Leaving Behind the Invaluable

Yesterday I came upon an interesting article that tells the stories of various items thought to be junk that turned out to be valuable artifacts. The most interesting tale, in my opinion, was that of an $800,000 Stradivarius violin. Called “The Duke of Alcantara”, this 267-year-old violin was donated to UCLA. In 1967, the violin was loaned to a member of UCLA’s string quartet (the university must have really trusted this violinist). After stopping to get groceries, the violinist found that his car was left unlocked and the Stradivarius was missing. 27 years later, a violin dealer found himself repairing the Stradivarius. Recognizing its significance, he did some research and found that the Stradivarius was missing from UCLA. The valuable violin was owned by a woman who received it through her divorce settlement. This woman’s ex-husband was given the Stradivarius by an aunt who found it on the side of the freeway in 1967. It appears the UCLA violinist left the violin on top of his car and drove away forgetting it was there.
It’s amazing how much value we attach to certain objects. I know that I would be panic-stricken if I lost my laptop computer. Though I treasure it, I’ve left my computer in places where it could be easily stolen. I tend to do the same thing with my faith and my morality. I’ve not always made the best choices in the people that I associate myself with and how I spend my time. I’ve often found myself in situations that cause me to compromise my representation of Christ. I’ve found myself beginning to doubt God. In 2 Peter 1:1, Peter uses the phrase “precious faith”. 2 Corinthians 5:7 states that “we live by faith”. Several times in scripture our faith is compared to food and water. We can’t live without it! One’s walk with God must be focused and persistent. Faith is not something that should be left behind like a cup of coffee on a car’s roof.

Prayers Answered at Auto-Zone

I must admit to you that I often neglect the power of prayer. Over the years, the countless sermons, classes, and personal studies regarding prayer have drilled the importance of prayer deep in to my brain. So deep, in fact, that I often become numb to the reality of prayer’s power and the connection it gives me to the creator. John 15:7 states that if we “remain” in Christ and His words “remain” in us, then whatever we wish will be given to us. I believe this means that if our intentions are pure and directed towards serving God, we will find satisfaction in our prayers.
I had an excellent time at VBE. All of the teachers and volunteers did fantastic job. I must give a shout out to the teens who gave up their evenings all week (and days for a few of you) to decorate, sing silly songs, make videos, and generally attempt to keep some sense of order at VBE. I bring up VBE in the middle of this discussion of prayer because I believe God answered many prayers on the last evening of VBE. Up until Thursday evening’s session, the weather report predicted lighting and rain. We scrambled to find alternative entertainment for the kids and considered canceling the outdoor activities. Well, the weather cleared up just in time to allow us to head outdoors. I was knocked out of my socks by this occurrence.
To add to my amazement, another prayer was answered for Sara and I this past weekend. After a trip to the DIA, our car began to buck like a wild bronco every time it went idle. We were both frustrated by and left with worry over our only means of transportation. While having the car checked at Auto-Zone, a stranger offered to look at our car. He solved a problem that had been plaguing us for weeks in about 5 minutes. And, he didn’t even want our money! One might consider these two situations to be coincidences, but I see them as answers to prayers at times when extreme doubt began to fill my head. “Be alert and always keep on praying”. (Eph. 6:18) Trust me when I say that our prayers are both heard and answered.

Thanks From the Roseville Youth Group

I want to use this week’s article to share with anyone reading this (all 4 of you), how well things are going with the youth ministry at the Roseville Church of Christ. Many may not know this, but we actually have an organized group of young men and women who meet on a regular basis in order to share in fun, fellowship, and service. My wife and I are extremely thankful that the Roseville Church continues to support this ministry. We believe that it is very important to give our youth an alternative place to enjoy themselves while growing as Christians. I know that I personally would not be the person I am today without being part of an active youth ministry. My parents were involved in ministry from before I was born. Youth ministry is just one way to get involved in the church.
I have seen tremendous maturity in the youth at Roseville. There are teens here that are willing and ready to learn the Bible and serve the Lord when they have countless alternatives. I have had the pleasure of seeing a few of them grow up from wide-eyed children in to mature adults. This is a testament to the work done within the church, particularly by the parents. Youth ministry would not exist without strong parents and the many incredible volunteers willing to give their time to the ministry.
2009 has been the busiest year yet for the youth group. God has provided a large number of activities and services for us to become a part of. Everything from Winterfest to Cedar Point has been well attended and well supported. Visit http://rosevilleteens.com or http://www.rosevilleyouth.com to keep updated on youth group events. If you have ideas or would like to be a volunteer, contact me at (248) 420-0842 or send e-mail to epsilon_rc@hotmail.com. Paul tells Timothy to not let anyone look down on him in his youth and instead set an example (1 Tim 4:12). Because of the youth ministry at Roseville, the teens are able to know Christ and set an example that reflects him.

Christians Deserve Forgiveness Too

After reading the title of this article, you might a little confused. Hopefully, you are intrigued. This will be a difficult concept for me to explain (especially in less than half a page), but hang in there with me. Lately, I have been considering what I’ve said about my church experience. More specifically, I’ve been considering what I’ve said in the presence of those who are not Christians. There is a particular relative of mine that I’ve wanted to become a follower of Christ since I was a young child. I’ve sat with this person countless times in attempts to discuss the wonderful things about being a follower of Christ. This person, like so many others, tends to see the negative side of Christianity.
In the news, there are countless stories about Christians who commit violent acts in the name of Christ. Based on a twisted reputation, many believe that Christianity consists of nothing more than punishment and criticism. The biggest detraction is that my relative has met individuals claiming to be Christians that live no differently than other people.
What I have noticed very little is the part that I myself play in my relative’s perception of Christianity. In my high school and college years particularly, I would complain about the church in the presence of my relative. I would talk about how I tire of hypocrites, judgmental individuals, and those who distort the teachings of Christ. Who would want to become a Christian when a Christian finds so many faults within the church? 2 Tim. 3:16 states that scripture is useful for rebuking and correcting. It is also useful for teaching and “training in righteousness”! We need to be willing to forgive each other the way that God does. Christians are humans and humans make mistakes. If you see a problem in the church, do your best to lovingly correct the problem as Christ would! Complaints just fuel the fires set to destroy Christianity. “Come now, let us reason together.” (Isa. 1:18)

The Blue Screen of Death

Forgive me if this illustration is redundant. I don’t keep a very detailed catalog of every one of my illustrations so this could be a repeat. I can’t begin to count all of the times that I’ve had to troubleshoot a computer. I try to be incredibly careful with my computers, but I frequently find myself attempting to fix some hardware or software problem. Don’t let my experiences cause you to fear and shy away from computers. I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything without them. The hours, days, and weeks that I’ve spent on various computer-related difficulties have been worth it for the productivity, communication, and entertainment that computers provide for me. It’s really a love/hate relationship that keeps me on a constant emotional roller coaster. One day I am happy as a pig in mud, photoshopping myself having breakfast with Barack Obama. The next, I am literally ripping my hair out while writing down the error codes from an ominous blue screen. They might as well add maniacal laughter to this screen.
The human condition comes with its own share of troubleshooting. The parallel concepts between our lives and the “life” of a computer are numerous. For one, there is a lot of regular maintenance required. Galatians 5:25 tells us that we need to live and be guided by the Spirit. Living in the Spirit prevents a lot of problems. However, as stated in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned”. It’s difficult to free one’s self from sin. No matter how spiritually mature we think our selves to be, there is room for growth. Proverbs 26:12 says there is more hope for a fool than man who thinks himself to be wise. We have to be aware of our own shortcomings and do everything we can to overcome them. Remember that God is ready to forgive. We just have to be willing to change.

Look Mom! I'm Eating a Sandwich in the Pool!

You might want to sit down while reading this. I have some shocking news for you. Ready? Your parents are not always right. As wise and intelligent as they may be, your parents might have passed some inaccurate bits of medical advice on to you. An article in USA Today states that sugar, according to 12 different studies, does not make children hyper. 30 studies including a total of 11,000 people found that vitamin C has no effect on one’s ability to resist catching a cold. Here’s one I learned a few weeks ago that completely floored me: Going out in cold weather does not make you sick. Colds and flues are seasonal, striking most often in the winter. Did you know that you could go swimming directly after eating? You might be uncomfortable, but eating before swimming doesn’t cause life-threatening cramps. I don’t know how this advice came about, but you can wake a sleepwalker without hurting him or her.
Once about every week or two, I learn that I’ve been sharing an inaccurate piece of information. Some of these, like the belief that cold weather leads to sickness, have directed the way I live. I don’t plan to join the Polar Bear club and swim in artic waters, but I won’t make keeping warm my only method of preventing sickness. Even the most educated people in the world get it wrong sometimes. It’s not that we can’t learn from other people, but we should constantly seek growth in God. In 1 Cor. 3, Paul urges his readers to start with Christ as a foundation and build themselves up from there. Paul states that though we begin as infants in Christ, we become his buildings. No matter how much we know, there is always more to learn and more learned information to reinforce.