Not My Own

Want to hear a joke? How do you prolong adolescence and have a job?... Become a youth pastor! This is not my favorite joke but I see how it applies. Being a youth pastor is a difficult role because most people see youth pastors as slightly older youth (although legally an adult) who temporarily oversee the youth until we find our "real job". In all honesty, many youth ministers I know are pretty immature, goofy, and are certainly not the most organized or responsible. We are a bit of a mess. This is what inspires me most! God constantly used people in the Bible who were broken! God used not only the imperfect people, but those who were insanely unqualified, not talented, had little faith, and mostly were a complete wreck! He used people who didn't even believe in themselves like Moses. He used Peter and Paul to start the entire foundation of the Christian Church and these guys were a wreck before and after meeting Christ.   The list goes on... but all this to say God LOVE...

Time is just the craziest thing. That's just what it is... a thing! It's not really a concept or an idea. It's not really a personality or character. It's real. It's moving. It's always moving. It cannot be stopped. I believe time to be one of the most valuable things we are gifted with on earth. Today, I turned twenty-six years old and I can't help but ask what have I done with the past twenty-six years of my life? I hope and pray it was time used to bring glory to God because if God is not in the picture than what's the point? As the author in Ecclesiastes states, "Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return"  If what we do on earth does not have a lasting effect to bring glory to God's Kingdom than it is absolutely meaningless. Sounds a bit harsh, but not when you have just experienced a birth and a death within the same season. I have been thinking about birth and death in abundance ...