Wow - Conversations With Teens - breaking my heart

I recently spent a couple hours (over food) with 2 teenagers. One has recently started going being more involved in Church (don't know where this person is on salvation) and the other is not involved in church at all. I walked away from over 2 hours of conversation just in shock; sad; disheartened; almost hopeless.

They are so hurting - so broken - so far from truth - and The Truth. Their lives have been shattered by too many problems. They aren't giving up, but the solutions they are reaching for won't really help. Even if they could move in with a superb, godly family and live with them for 10 years, I still wonder if that would help. These two are just messes waiting to fall apart.

I don't doubt God's grace, power, or love, but... quite hopeless. I wish I was a poet. My mind and heart just can't express all that I'm thinking and feeling.

Jesus is the answer - but it's an essay question, not true/false. They need so much healing.

What is my response??? Renewed passion to love broken people - and to passionately preach the Word and offer the only hope we have. I need to offer them the body that was broken for us - the one who can truly feel our pain.

I could also mention that they just blabbed (told me so much more about their dark past and pain than I would have imagined they'd tell me in a year of counseling) - and I heard some sad information about kids from youth group. These seem minor right now.

My heart is broken. I am so blessed.

Minnesota Vikings - Undefeated, baby

Though the Minnesota Vikings are undefeated now, the forecast for the Vikings has never been as bleak as it is right now (as far as my young memory can go back). Fortunately, forecasters are often wrong. My brother is much more of an optimist than I am - and even he is not impressed.

My biggest fear is that maybe the owner actually hopes to move them (and so hopes to have them do poorly and is hoping the stadium deal won't go through). As long as the Vikes stay in town, they'll have a life-long fan in me. I'm no fairweather fan.

Since I have no control over it, I just plan to sit back, cheer as loudly as ever (at my TV - I've never been privileged to make it to a game), and enjoy the wins we get. You never know how a team might work out.

And if they do well this season, I sure hope all the negative people admit they were wrong.

I love the Vikes. Go Vikes!!!

Family Update

My family is alive and well. I just thought I'd try to update on anything going on in our life. My wife is up to her head in diapers and fussy kids. She doesn't have a lot of time for hobbies and fun. We keep telling ourselves we're in a "season" of life. She does love her kids (and even me). She even spends some of her free time on some high school girls.

Jonathan is about 10 months old now - and over 26 pounds. He army crawls instead of crawling - and has been doing that for months. He loves his siblings and loves to laugh. He wants real food - not baby food. He seems to be very persistent when he chooses.

Elise is a cutie. She isn't big into talking yet (almost 2.5 years old). She has her own sense of humor (giving a wrong answer when she knows the correct answer - like pointing to her knees when you ask her to show you her elbows). She loves to help with almost anything. She plays in the sandbox as much as possible and loves to "wing" (swing).

Benjamin is playing soccer (being coached by me). He scored 3 goals in the first game. He is tyring to learn to ride his bike. He loves every sport he's tried - and seems to excel. He is reading at an incredibly advanced rate for a 5 year old. He loves math and numbers and asks me math questions every day. He's a wonderful big brother to his siblings and someone we can trust and count on.

I could go on for hours. We're ever thankful for the faithfulness of God in our lives. We are looking forward to some great time with our extended family in the coming months. It's been crazy busy the last few months and that seems to be the coming trend.

God's Faithfulness - a shield and bulwark

I have what I think is a rather unpopular view of the Old Testament. I didn't make it up (I learned it from Dr. John H. Walton while I was at Moody Bible Institute). With this view of the Old Testament, one of the key attributes of God that shouts out from the pages over and over again is God's covenant faithfulness (many different words translate it - and in vary by version - lovingkindess, mercy - Hebrew - Hesed). I love to think on the faithfulness of God and to sing about it (Great Is Thy Faithfulness is one of the greatest worship songs ever written). I came across part of a verse today in my time with Jesus - and I just love it.

"... His faithulness is a shield and bulwark." I've never thought about God's faithfulness as being a shield (or bulwark). I like how the following verses expand on that idea. It was a real blessing this morning.

FYI - if you ever want to talk about OT hermeneutics, I get passionate about that.

God's Faithfulness - a shiled and bulwark

I have what I think is a rather unpopular view of the Old Testament. I didn't make it up (I learned it from Dr. John H. Walton while I was at Moody Bible Institute). With this view of the Old Testament, one of the key attributes of God that shouts out from the pages over and over again is God's covenant faithfulness (many different words translate it - and in vary by version - lovingkindess, mercy - Hebrew - Hesed). I love to think on the faithfulness of God and to sing about it (Great Is Thy Faithfulness is one of the greatest worship songs ever written). I came across part of a verse today in my time with Jesus - and I just love it.

"... His faithulness is a shield and bulwark." I've never thought about God's faithfulness as being a shield (or bulwark). I like how the following verses expand on that idea. It was a real blessing this morning.

FYI - if you ever want to talk about OT hermeneutics, I get passionate about that.

Knock-Knock (the only 3 good ones)

I love to laugh. I love a good joke. I believe there is almost no such thing as a good "knock knock" joke. I've come upon 3 that I like. To save time, I'm only going to put in the pertinent info.

1. Interupting cow
Say moo before they finish saying - "interupting cow who"

2. Nobody
Don't answer when they say - "who's there)

3. Tell them to start. Just say "knock knock" and wait.

If you actually know a great "knock knock" joke, tell it to me.