Great Youth Groups and Such

I always come home from youth group awake - pumped. Usually it's good. Last night I came home so pumped about youth group and students. I'd say at least half of our students are trying to have daily devotions - and even succeeding. I keep being surprised by some that are. I saw Junior High students praying and senior high students digging into God's Word. I am so pumped.

My seminary stuff came. I think this class will be much easier than last class. It's the prophets (Isaiah to Malachi) - which you would think woudl be hard, but I don't think it will be. I need to get ahead on it. That's for sure.

I also need to be reading good stuff on my own. I've let excuses get in the way. There are so many. What is my problem. Laziness. I think I love being lazy.

I think that we are so easily hardened by television / movies. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. When we watch them, we want the bad guys to get caught and are thrilled when they do. Then, in real life, as we watch the news or hear about something, we want the bad guys caught and taught a lesson. This is all fine and well, but we forget that they are people. This guy in Eagle Grove that holed up in his house for a couple days while the police waited to arrest him... Some students said we just need to go in there and shoot him. Understandable, but so not the response a Christian should have.

Television's and Movie's huge problems are the subtle ones (violence, especially, is rarely a problem in anyone's mind). I need to be very careful and discerning.

I'm back - hopefully for good

It's been way too long. No excuse. Just not a priority. I want it to be. It's good for me to write.

I'm at an interesting stage in life (I suppose all stages have their interesting points). I cannot guarantee any time each day that will be quiet for me to spend time alone with Jesus. Once one of my kids wakes up, I have to stop what I'm doing and spend time with them. I'm finding that my devotions are spread out over time - I start them at one point and finish them later - often it takes 2 or 3 more tries to do this. They end up being disjointed and I easily just try to hurry up and finish, rather than enjoy the pleasure of time with Jesus. I guess I could be in this stage for much of life.

We are going to be studying Titus for a number of weeks in youth group. I have some leaders who can do a great job leading this and others who can't. It makes it tough preparing for it. I hate to have a "boring" study. Of course, boring is often a charge against the listener, not the teacher or the subject.

I am starting another seminary class now - Prophets - Isaiah through Malachi. Shoudl be tough stuff. I also think the reformed view on the Old Testament is a bit hokey at times. I'm looking forward to it.