I don't know what I'll do without school lunch

Today is the last Monday of the school year in the Clay Co. school system. I’m sure that all of you who read this who are in school will be rejoicing. I, for one, am torn. I’m torn between rejoicing with you, because I always enjoyed being out of school and I like it when everyone’s schedules are opened up (a little bit), and lamenting because I’ll miss the regular visits to lunch at the high school. Yeah, the food’s not all that great, but the company is why I’m there. Sure, I’ll see everybody at least once a week on Sundays and whenever we get together for other activities, but there’s just something about that setting. I like hanging out with your friends, sitting at your tables, eating your food. So just so I don’t miss you all this summer, make sure you a) come see me in my little office from time to time and b) come to our fellowship events and bring a friend so I don’t miss them either. Hope your Monday goes well.

Proverbs 24:1-2 says “Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble”. It’s easy to look at a rich man and say “Man, wouldn’t it be nice…”. We can think of all the ways to spend that money and what we would do with our time because we wouldn’t have to work any more. Think about all the new friends you’d meet and the places you could go. What if that rich man asked you to come and hang out, to be able to enjoy his wealth for a while? It would be nice to have friends in high places! But what if that man, who has all the money and the cars and the mansions and the other rich friends, were a drug dealer or murderer? Would that change your view of him and your desire to associate with him? In our lives, we’ll probably never have to face that scenario but there will be times when we’re tempted to be like someone else or to have something someone else has, even when that person is of low morals or just an outright bad person! It says here in Proverbs that we’re not to envy these folks because to be like them, to have what they have, would cause us to fall into their lifestyle of evil and violence. Their fate is sealed. I, for one, don’t want their end. Yeah, it might be nice to have a little extra padding in my wallet by not at the expense of losing everything…forever. I hope that we can learn to be content with what we have, in little or in much, and keep our lives focused on peace and godliness.

Wednesday: BIG Big Deal 7-9pm!!!!
Saturday: People of Prayer
Sunday: Youth Sunday

Later

Early/Late Start

This morning was our 5:30 (am!) leadership breakfast meeting. Last night, I set my alarm for 5:00 am and went to bed. Recently, I’ve had a fan going to keep air moving through my house so I can sleep without perspiring so much that I stick to my sheets. Last night, I moved the fan into my room and went to bed. I woke up at 5:14 am, really for no reason at all, because I still couldn’t hear the radio over the sound of the fan. By the grace of God I made it to the meeting on time. After the meeting, I went home to get some things ready for the rest of the day and made up for the time in bed I lost by getting up soooooo early. I was in the office a little before 9:30 (see, it evens out) and am just now (this afternoon) getting to my writing for the day. I’m looking forward to going to Bogey’s tonight (and any NHS student reading this is invited) to help with the Campus Life end of the year party thing at 6:30. It’ll be good fun.

Proverbs 21:1 says “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases”. Definition time. “LORD” is capitalized here because in the Hebrew (woo!) language, one of the titles for God was spelled יהוה (read backwards: YHWH, or Yahweh) and this is the English translation. A watercourse is any kind of flowing body of water. In this context, it refers more to a canal. Why a canal? The one who builds a canal directs it where it wants it to go. It’s the same way with man’s heart. It is the Lord who directs our paths. It is true that many, in fact all of us, resist. There are many examples of kings in ancient Israel who resisted God’s leading and the nation suffered. Many times, the nation suffered at the hand of another nation. However, there are some good examples of godly kings who followed the Lord’s lead and the nation prospered. In Proverbs 3:5-6, it tells us to rely on the Lord and to acknowledge him in everything we do. This takes humility. These kings who obeyed God knew that they didn’t have all the answers and allowed God to do his thing his way. If we allow God to mold us and shape us and don’t give him a lot of flack when he tries to steer us in a way that we aren’t too sure about, we’ll be in for some pretty neat scenery along the flowing path of our lives.

For those of you who missed it: Campus Life party at Bogie’s in TH starts at 6:30. $15 covers everything.
Youth Sunday is next week! Fill a slot, get involved.
Saturday 29th, People of Prayer, 6-7 pm.

Later

I found Nemo

Last night, for the first time, I watched Finding Nemo with a group of my Senior Highers. It was a fun little get together. I enjoyed the movie immensely. Yeah, I know, some of you are thinking, “What was this guy thinking not seeing this movie until now?” Well, it’s not the first movie I’ve planned on seeing and didn’t until much later and it sure won’t be the last. I’m not so sure that I have a favorite part yet, seeing as how I’ve only seen the movie once. I really enjoyed the shark support group and seeing how Dori’s short-term memory loss played out in several scenes. The fish-tank/dentist’s office/Darla (I think that’s her name…the girl who looks like Chucky) scenes were a riot as well as the sea gulls (Mine!)! Anyways, I’ll see it again someday and be able to pick my favorites. I thought that including a main character with a disability was a nice touch. Nemo, and his dad, were quintessential underdogs. I like a movie with an underdog (even when he’s a fish).

Proverbs 20:1 says “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise”. If you know anyone who consumes a lot of alcohol, you already know that this verse has a lot of truth in it. It is described as a mocker and a brawler. You’ve got to know that drunk people will eventually get themselves in trouble with their mouths (mocking) or with their fists (brawling). That looseness of mind that comes with alcohol consumption makes it difficult, if not impossible, to control one’s tongue or to shrug off some other’s misguided drunk statement without throwing down. I know a lot of people who will say that “Well, the Bible doesn’t say that it’s wrong to drink!” Yes, I’m aware of that. Some very good friends of mine drink and, for all that I can tell, they do it responsibly. However, the trouble comes up when we allow alcohol to deceive us. The second part of the verse talks about the fool who is lead astray by the drink. It is too easy to get so far into this that you can’t get out. Sin will do that to a person if he/she is not firm in what they believe. The deception that says, “You can handle this. Go ahead, have another drink” will lead you into sin unless you have already made a firm decision about what you will not do. There is much freedom in Christ, but we must exercise that freedom responsibly (I Cor. 10:23-24). Many people reading this don’t have a choice whether this is right or wrong because the law of the land says you are underage. I would encourage those who are of age to really consider your motivations in doing the things you do, whatever they might be, and do those things for the good of others and the glory of God.

Wednesday 26: Last day of School, last Big Deal
Saturday 29: People of Prayer
Sunday 30: Youth Sunday

Dry yet?

Yowza! We got a lot of rain yesterday! And in not a lot of time. I was in Terre Haute yesterday when it cut loose at about 2-ish. It did it's thing for about an hour then moved on, only to usher in another wave that evidently pounded Brazil a little before 6. I was standing in a parking lot with a couple other biking buddies looking at the sky all looking pretty silly, saying things like "Well, are we gonna ride?" and "It'll be a little risky." Unfortunately, it never really let loose in Terre Haute then. The girls sectional track meet got delayed a bit but got back on pace amidst intermitent rain showers. Nothing too bad. I want to congradulate Nikki Royer and Natasha Barnett who both ran well last night.

Proverbs 19:1 says "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse". One may ask after reading this, "What do these two guys have in common?" or more pointedly "On what grounds can you compare these two folks?" Both good questions. For the most part, po' fokes are humble. Yes, there are they few who act like they have it all when they don't and think that you ought to treat them as such. However, I think that most people who have less realize that and can deal with their situation accordingly. So why compare him to a fool? Throughout Proverbs and the rest of the Bible, "fools" are described as a number of things, and greedy is one of them. Greedy people are motivated by one main thing...themselves. So they will grab, get, cannive, to no end to get what they want. And in many cases, at least for a while, the fool will have a bunch of money. Good for him (written with much sarcasm). In this we find the reason for comparison. So why is the former better than the latter? With this now in mind, the contrast is a lot easier to see. The poor man is in fact rich in the Lord's eyes where as the fool is destitute, even though he has everything. Elsewhere in Proverbs, the Lord guarantees his protection and provision for the blameless (Prov. 2:7). An old adage goes "A fool and his money are easily parted". Duh! Even though that's not in the Bible it speaks volumes here. Our focus ought to be on spiritual riches, the kind that won't waste away, trusting that the Lord will come through and make life rich and worth living. I think that sounds Biblical, too (Matthew 6:19-21. See, I told you!)

Next week: May 26-The BIG Big Deal. This will be our last BD of the school year. We'll tie up with one final lesson and do our best to finish up year with a bang!
Remember: sign up for slots on the Youth Sunday list and don't forget People of Prayer.

Later

Monday morning bike ride

I awoke this morning to the sound of a static-marred radio station at 5:45. Amazingly, I hit the snooze. Sunday, I had big dreams of going to bed early and getting up early to "get into my groove" for the summer after a busy spring that yielded little time to ride. Those dreams were not realized in their fullest form, however. I did get up and get moving at about 6:05 and rode at a moderate, I've-been-off-the-bike-for-two-weeks pace. I felt sluggish at the beginning but settled in and felt good pulling into the driveway an hour later. It was warmer this morning than it has been in a couple days. (It was like early March all weekend!) That in itself helped the fact that I still really wanted to be in bed. Good start to a (hopefully) good week.

Proverbs 17:1 says "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife". For most of my life, my family has sat down to eat dinner together at the same time in the same room. There was a time when we didn't, however. For most of the time while my sisters and I were in jr high and high school, we were usually on our own to find whatever we could to fill our tummies with until the next morning. Our schedules were so different in that time that we rarely had time to sit down with each other. Now that we're out of that stage, any time we're together, we sit down together for a meal and enjoy each other's company. We've never had a whole lot, but we had (and still do) just what we needed. If you watch TV much, you can see all the decadence and the "bling bling" that attracts people to a lifestyle resembling a rock star or movie star. They eat very well, drive very nice cars, and dress in very nice clothes. It's really sad, though, as you watch the news or strole through the checkout lane at your grocery store of choice and see stories of these people who have it all and read or hear stories of divorce, drug problems, papparazzi, and bankruptcies. I can't imagine that dinner time in those big houses is nearly as enjoyable as dinner around my family's meager little table in rural Illinois. We're far from the perfect family but we're certainly not the Osborne's. I hope you can enjoy your dinner this evening with people you love with happiness and the joy God provides.

We have almost filled our list for Youth Sunday (May 30)! Keep your eye on the mail box because our summer schedule will be out soon. People of Prayer will meet at 6 pm Saturday May 29 for youth and young adults.

Enjoy your Monday!

Later

Making his move down the backstretch it's....Summer!

Good Grief!
Summer is almost here and I'm once again in that state of flux between being totally ready and totally freaked out. Ahh well, the summer is a time of relaxation but also a time for some good building time both personally and as a group. I'm really looking forward to this summer's youth group activities, with the fellowship activities throughout the week and Sunday night continuing to show good turn outs. I hope everything keeps up as much as it can. If you want anything to pray about, pray for the Young Adults/College Age class that I teach on Sunday mornings. It's a new group and I'm hoping that some of the planned activities for that group will help in getting it up and running more smoothly. And speaking of matters of prayer, my little sister Buffy is doing well after a week in the hospital. She's getting her associates degree tonight, and feeling pretty good about it. Thanks to you who have prayed for her already.

Proverbs 14:1 "A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." This one is mostly for the ladies this morning. I think, however, that the gents can learn from this also. Once again, we're looking at the wise vs. the unwise. Shelter is one of our basic needs (thanks, Mr Maslow). It's a wise venture because it is something that each of us need. Building a house is no easy task, but it's something that, if done well, will bring us pleasure and functionality for years to come. Now, I'm no genious, but tearing one's house down doesn't seem very worthwhile to me. It's just not sane! Most grandmothers I know are super hard workers. I know mine is! It's all a part of the age in which they grew up. I think that ladies of all ages can look at this verse and look at their grandmother (or any respectable woman of "experience") and see the connection. I hope that you can learn from these things to be a blessing to your families now and the ones that you will one day raise. I think we can all learn from this in that each of us are responsible for becoming mature, responsible people. None of us can blame our surroundings for how we turn out. We make our own choices, good and bad, about what we say, do & act, think, and so on. If we are doing things that don't build us up into godly people, then it's like shooting ourselves in the foot, or tearing down our own house.

Keep up reading these Proverbs, ya'll. It's good stuff.

Remember:
Youth Sunday: May 30
People of Prayer: May 29

Later

Today is Thursday (for those of us who are a little behind)

Mornin',
Rain has a certain effects on certain people. I for one am a fair-weather (ironic, I know) fan of rain. I know that we need it to have a nice looking lawn and garden, for farmers to have a good crop, and for lazy people to get a free car wash from time to time. On mornings that I'm really wanting an excuse to roll over in bed for another half hour instead of getting out on my bike, it makes for an understandible excuse. Then there are those times when splashing in puddles and swimming in ditches (it's a Lincoln thing) just makes life more fun. Rain saves the day! However, there are thoses times when I'm really motivated to mow the lawn, ride a hundred miles, weed the garden, wash my car, and do something fun outside with everyone I know (individually!) and it opens up and pours, depressingly, for hours on end, dashing any thought of doing anything constructive outside. Currently, it's between spurts of rain. I think that today my attitude toward rain is one of indifference or at least hoping it will cooperate with my plans (of course!). "Water my lawn but let me get to the track meet tonight." Seems simple enough to me.

Proverbs 13:1 (NIV) says "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke." Since Proverbs is a book of instruction and bits of wisdom to live by, it only seems right that it would compare the actions of the wise to those of the unwise. Several times in the book, it speaks of children in relation to their parents. Since everyone is a child, it's good for us to heed these warnings and take to heart these instructions. Speaking of that, parents have a tough role of raising and training kids. Whether or not we (kids) agree with their methods, assuming they are trying to do the right thing (and at this point, those of you reading this have parents who are) it is wise for us to do what they say. They (parents, who used to be kids, but still are kids in their parents' eyes) have been in your shoes, they have done the school thing and have had the pressure put on them from society that you feel is unique only to you (kids, umm, all of us). The mocker this verse, and several others, refers to is not a person to try and emulate! Ladies, you don't want to bring one of these guys home to meet ma & pa! A mocker is rebelious, lazy, apathetic, and usually (somehow) thinks he/she is right! Let me encourage you (along with God's word) to listen to our parents. Remember, there's a good chance that you'll be parents someday! (How do you like that for scare tactics!)

Youth Sunday is coming up and Brailyn is the only one signed up (you go, girl!). Fill the list and take part!

Also, People of Prayer is on the 29th of May. Plan to be there.

Enjoy your day.

First time for everything...

Hey all,
This just goes to show that I'm hip, cool, and not completely tech illiterate. So far I've not screwed anything up, so I think that deserves a round of applause (applaud now). Ok, enough of that. I suppose I ought to describe for you what I intend to accomplish in this little venture, an e-venture, if you will (I made a tech joke!). On my blog, I'll post morning devotions and commentary on Proverbs, give updates and info on events (esp. of a youth group nature), and really just write my way through life as I see it. Especially for you Berea folks, I'll be able to keep you up to date on youth events and you won't have to wait for me to forget to tell you something that I think is really important on Sunday or Wednesday nights. For those of you viewing this that aren't in my youth group, enjoy it for what it's worth. I hope that this will be enriching for you as I'm sure it will be for me.

Well, if you live in the Brazil, IN area, are in Jr. High or High School, and have nothing to do on Wednesday or Sunday evenings, let me take this opportunity (since it's my blog) to invite you to our Youth Group. The Big Deal meets tonight and every Wednesday though the school year at 7 pm. It's at the corner of Billville and Waterworks roads (200W and 800N), south west of town.

Berea folk, I'm done with school for another semester. I'll be able to spend a little more QT with you all now and you won't have to put up with me saying "Sorry, I can't, I have to do homework." Youth Sunday is May 30 and there is a sign up sheet on the board in the Fellowship hall. We need to make sure that all our bases are covered BEFORE Sunday morning this time! Remember to sign up for camp. I'll be at Jr. High I and Sr. High. Get ready for summer! I think you'll like what we do. Oh, and remember to tell your friends.

Ok, that's it for the first one. Plenty more to come.
Later...

Joe