The Return of School Lunch

At the close of last school year, I posted an entry lamenting the end of the school year and missing the food that’s served there. Really and truly, I don’t miss the food all that much. However, I did miss the opportunities to sit down with friends at North Clay, Northview, and Lincoln and chat about life over lunch. But the day has come when I get to return to lunches of saturated fats and salty, gooey substances and head back to school. NHS started in the middle of the week which gave a good 3 days for everyone to settle in. the interesting thing for me will now be relearning where all my buddies sit and eat and when they do it. LCC will be a lot simpler. Lot's less people to keep track of, for one thing! I’m excited about getting back into class, but I’ve definitely missed the fellowship with my friends at the school. With this school year also comes a new experience for me in that I’ll be helping out in a youth ministry foundations class as a field consultant or Q&A guy of sorts. I’m looking forward to that as well. I’m sure to benefit from being there as well as helping the students figure out that youth ministry is a wild animal that is not easily trained. All these things are leading me to have a positive outlook on the fall.

Proverbs 23:4-5 says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle”. These verses go along really well with what we’ve been talking about on Sunday evenings lately. Matthew 6:19-34 is part of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus is telling his disciples not to spend their lives trying to attain the things of the world, whatever they might be. Money, recognition, power, clothes, food, etc., are all things that fall into what Jesus speaks of. Restraint is a mark of wisdom Proverbs says. When we restrain ourselves from pursuing the pleasures and things of this life, we show that we aren’t controlled by it. That restraint coupled with the God-focused life that’s described and encouraged by Jesus in Matthew, that produces a life that is pleasing to God and guarantees our position as a child of God. If you’ve ever seen The Karate Kid, remember the scenes where Mr. Miyagi is kneeling at his table with a pair of chopsticks trying to catch a fly. That’s kind of the idea here. We spend a lot of time trying to catch something that is very illusive and sometimes, someone else comes along and gets what we’re after (Daniel caught a fly in one of his first tries) which only frustrates us more. Instead of chasing the illusive, “...seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”, (Matthew 6:33).

Wednesday: Big Deal @ the church 7-8 pm
Saturday: People of Prayer 6-7 pm
Sunday: Youth Sunday…shoot me an email, call me, or post a comment to get involved.

Later…