It's just my junk

We all have junk in our heads. This is mine.

Archive for the month “January, 2017”

16 Jan 2017

Hold your tongue…

Proverbs 5:1-2 “My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise council. Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.”

Interesting thought?  If we pay attention to wisdom, listening carefully to wise council.. we will show discernment and we can express what we learned. One might think, how does this play out in the world of life as we know it.  Well, allow me some time to unpack it bit…
1. Do you listen to your athletic coach? Really, do you then practice what he or she is asking you to do?
2. Do you listen to your math, english, science teacher? Really, do you then practice what he or she is asking you to do?
3. Do you listen to your pastor? Really, do you then practice what he or she is asking you to do? Especially, when it is directly from the Bible?
4. Do you listen to your parents? Really, do you then practice what they are asking you to do?

I confess NO to each of the above questions throughout my teen years, and since then but I also confess to working on being a better listener and apply the lessons that I have before me.
I have since then am working on the idea of gaining discernment and that I can express the words to others but more importantly applying them to my life.

Things I know…
It will take submitting to authority.
It will take submitting to the process of learning and growing.
It will take submitting to a bigger picture then the one I currently see or even think I see.
It will take submitting to the idea of work, and more work and more work.. you get the picture. It will take work for me to listen… learn and apply…. work

I often find the most challenging moments happen when I want my way, my stuff or my agenda. I am working towards the future and it will take time but I will get there. I hope you will too.

Posted in life happens, sermonizing, speaking, Teaching Youth, think about it, time for action, Uncategorized, youth ministry leadership and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
11 Jan 2017

Sow Seeds of Righteousness

Proverbs 11:18 “Evil people get richer the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.”

Righteousness is the quality or state of being righteous.. Righteous is characterized by uprightness or morality; Morally right or justifiable.

How do we sow seeds of Righteousness in a world that seems to lack both the quality and state of being upright and moral?

We need to keep working our our salvation as we pursue the godly rewards that will last, Contentment, peace, grace, eternal life.
We need to fend off instant gratification, one thing I admit to struggling with.. the latest gadget, the new computer, the vast amount of stuff we “need” to make ourselves feel content, peace, and full.

I want to challenge you and myself to begin focusing on both ends of the Proverbs 11:18 verse.. we need to beware that evil people (I will define them as not with God) seek and gain their riches in the present. But the reward we seek is that of God and of the future.

For some it is saving up the money to pay cash for those shoes, phones, etc..
For some it is leaving or not being friends with certain people, let me reframe this maybe it is not having the best friend but just keep them at a safe distance.
For some it is working hard in their present employment to get to their new and better job.
For some it is studying a little bit harder to pass the test that we normally blow off.
For some it is putting in a tougher practice when the rest of the team is comfortable with the current…. swim another set, shoot another 50 free throws, run another mile, do some extra reps in the weight room.. you know
For some it is putting down the iPhone, remote control or tv and pick up the bible or devotional.

I honestly do not know what you need but you do. Let’s be honest, you have always known what you need to be doing so lets begin fresh and get it going.

Today is a new day… a fresh start… a new beginning to a more rewarded future. Please consider starting today.

 

Posted in life happens, speaking, Teaching Youth, think about it, time for action, Uncategorized, youth ministry leadership | Leave a comment

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