Gleanings

I had an interesting concept come up in conversation a few weeks ago.  I was talking with a fellow youth minister about the "bullying" situation in our schools and the "knee-jerk" reaction that seems to have followed it.  Before I continue, make no mistake, in no way do I ever condone bullying.  Bullying in any form is clearly against the love that Christ calls us to show to our fellow man. Period. But, as a society, have we reacted appropriately?  Have we really responded to this problem correctly?  By one set of standards, probably yes, we have.  But by another, most likely no, we have not. A teenage boy struggling with homosexual feelings and with the bigger issue of gender/sexual identity is made fun of, persecuted, and perhaps even physically abused at school.  What do we do? We educate our children on the values of tolerance, expand our textbooks and sex education to include the merits and "normalcy" of homosexual behavior, and, in gener...

I   In John 2, at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus and his disciples have been invited to a wedding. The wine is running low, the celebration is beginning to fade, and Jesus finds himself pressed to "do something" about the situation. He responds to the request rather strangely. Reluctant to get involved he replies, "My time has not yet come."      Skip ahead to John 19, the end of his ministry. Jesus hangs on the cross, full of purpose and compassion, his life not being taken from him so much as given by him. In verse 28, Jesus surveys the situation and know that “all was now completed.” Ending his ministry with the same element with which he first “revealed his glory” (wine), he takes a sip and proclaims, “It is finished” and gives up his spirit.      This idea of Jesus' life building up to a completion that was fulfilled by the cross finds support in Hebrews 5:8-10...      "Although he was a son, he learned obedienc...

Two big hot button issues going on right now are the upcoming elections and the situation(s) in the Middle East.  It goes without saying that there is a lot at stake in both areas, and the outcomes of each will have real and lasting consequences for all of us for a long time.  The perspectives of most, if not many, Christians seem to fall into two categories: "Don't worry." and "Don't care." At first glance the two categories seem almost the same. To say to someone "Oh, I don't worry about that" gives many of the same nuances as "Oh, I don't care about that."  But the two views are actually quite different.  And that is the disturbing part: it can be easy to trade one for the other without realizing it, and to adopt a view that might sound like one Jesus would take, but in reality is one for which he would speak strongly against. So, which view should we hold as Christians? To choose not to care about an iss...

     Have you ever noticed that the one time you can't breathe normally is when someone asks you to "breathe normally"?      I went to the doctor a few days ago for a basic check-up, something I haven't done since high school.  There was the usual stack of paperwork, the weigh-in, and general questions about how I was feeling.  Most people go to the doctor because they have an ailment- it felt weird to answer "no" to every health question, leaving my only possible reason for my visit as "I just wanted to come sit on butcher paper in a backless gown."      As I sat there answering questions from the nurse and, later, the doctor himself, I was struck by how, even at the age of 27, my physical body is already beginning to deteriorate.  Nothing big, to be sure- everything is still working as it should be and my biggest "sickness" over the past five or six years has probably been just a cold.  But docto...

"I bet if Jesus ever met me, he wouldn't like me." There a lot of people whose lack of interest in God is due not to their own personal dislike of Him, but of their belief that God Himself sincerely does not like them- in fact, He might even hate them.  For some this delusion leads to anger.  However, for others, their belief that God simply does not like them, or love them, leads not to anger, but to profound sadness, loneliness, and isolation.  Lack of interest in Christianity, church, and spiritual things springs from a sincere but misguided belief that God simply does not like them.  And where does this belief come from?  Among many things, I think it can spring up primarily when a person feels that no one else likes them either. After all, why should I expect to receive love from the Creator, if I cannot receive it from His creation?   I think Zacchaeus (Luke 19) fell into this self-feeding cycle of isolation and anger: as a wealthy, short...

So much for my first attempt at blogging regularly.  To all you youth ministers out there, a word to the wise: don't start your blog in May, because you will not get to your next post until at least August. We have had another incredible summer with our youth ministry students, and I am thankful for all of the experiences we had and memories made, but most importantly I am thankful for the growth and change I have seen in these young lives.  As always, I went into the summer enthused about getting out of the daily routine of "off-season" ministry (which is heavy on office study and somewhat lighter on time with students), and I am ending the summer just as enthused about returning to the off-season.  Frankly I'm enthused about just having time to sleep again. But I'm also excited about jumping back into the world of blogging and sharing those things "gleaned" from life, ministry, faith, & family.  Today's post comes from an email convers...

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Leave them for the poor and the alien.  I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 23:22      God's instructions to Israel in Leviticus regarding the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) center around two key themes:  celebration and sacrifice. .  The Feast of Weeks came at the end of the harvest season, a time to celebrate God's provision and give back to the Great Provider through a sacrifice of grain and livestock.  It is interesting that God includes a command regarding what to do with the "gleanings"- the leftover stalks and heads of grain that remained after the initial harvest.  Clearly God knew that the inclination of the Israelite harvesters would be to return and gather all of the leftovers as well; after all, the grain left behind was just as good as the grain that had been picked up! But God commands that they i...