Since we’re rounding the corner into cold weather, I thought today would be a great day to re-debut the glad-I’m-alive shoes.

And then I remembered that I took them to Iowa for Christmas last year.

Last Christmas, I went to Iowa to be with my family.  It was wonderful and Christmassy and white.  On the way back to Springfield, I decided to meet some friends in Kansas City for a prayer conference.  Due to a fancy game of musical cars, I arrived in Kansas City solo, but had my friend Charity with me for the trip back to Springfield.

The last morning of the conference, we loaded the car with all of my Christmas loot and the rest of our luggage and headed out for a day of loving Jesus.  We finally found a parking spot relatively close to the convention center and headed in to the conference.

After the last workshop of the afternoon, Charity and I headed out to the car to go out for dinner before returning for the evening service.  When we rounded the corner and headed toward the car, I noticed a hanger in the slush next to my tire.  I commented to Charity about the oddity of a lone hanger on the sidewalk of a business district.  As we approached the car, I realized the back window had been broken and the hanger was a remnant of the clothes I’d had hanging up in my back seat.  

In all, the thieves (I assume it was more than one culprit due to the sheer volume of their bounty) had made off with Charity’s iPod, her suitcase, pajama bottoms, one very cute suede boot, and her makeup collection (accumulated over a few years and worth several hundred dollars).  They also got my suitcase (containing, among other things, all but one pair of jeans I owned), cosmetic bag, a bag full of brand new workout clothes and shoes, computer, iPod, and (gasp) five days worth of shoes (approximately ten pairs, including my glad-I’m-alive shoes), which leads us to this morning.

Once we took stock of what we had lost, we both started to laugh.  Being the manly man he is, our friend Josh happened to have duct tape (albeit fire-engine red duct tape) on hand to temporarily patch up the back window.  Sure, it was pretty frustrating losing all of that stuff and driving around with red duct tape covering my window.  But really, she and I were both OK and we didn’t lose anything that couldn’t be replaced eventually.  When we started to think about the logic (or lack thereof) behind the theft, we really started to laugh.  Besides the electronics, unless the thief wore a women’s size 8 shoe, size 6 jeans, and had an affinity for MAC makeup, everything else wasn’t worth much. 

It’s been nearly a year and other than the occasional memory lapse, we’ve both adjusted fairly well to the loss.  The Lord has provided for both of us in some really incredible ways.  Families in our church were really generous to both of us.  My brother got a free iPod and gave it to me.  We both learned the value of learning to pack light.

Most importantly, the entire experience has made me realize that the things that we save up for, spend weeks drooling over, and think we simply cannot live without are so temporary.  In an instant, everything we think provides us with a symbol of our status can be completely gone.  Trust me, life will go on quite swimmingly even without your ten most favorite shoes.  It is entirely possible to survive with only one pair of jeans in your closet.  Your car can run just fine with red duct tape covering your back window.

I have learned the truth of Matthew 6:28-34 (NIV) “And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

So, this morning, instead of being frustrated with having to pick out a different pair of shoes to wear, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness.  Not only do I have several other pairs of shoes to choose from, but I have a loving and gracious Father who meets all of my needs and provides for me in ways that far surpass what I can even hope for or imagine. 

Who knows?  Maybe He’ll provide me with a new pair of houndstooth peep toe heels with little three-button accents.

**Edited to add that I miraculously found these shoes on Ebay. They’ve been discontinued, but I’ve got my pair! God is good! :) 

If I spent all of my time pining away for December 25^th, I would be a major bore.  People would probably get sick of me asking what they wanted for Christmas or talking constantly about what I was planning to eat for Christmas dinner.  It might hurt people’s feeling if I spent my entire birthday talking about what I hoped to get for Christmas.  I would really miss out on a lot of other fun days if all I could think about was Christmas.

While it seems ridiculous that someone would act that way about one day during the year, sometimes I think I’m guilty of the something similar.  I find myself looking forward to the friends who are coming to visit next week, the trip I’m taking next fall, or even getting married and having kids in a few years.  Sometimes, I can be so focused on what’s coming next that I forget to enjoy what’s going on right now.

Looking back, I didn’t fully enjoy a lot of the great moments of my life because I was looking forward to the next time I got to see a guy I had a crush on, the next school year, or college. 

Elizabeth and Jim Elliot spent most of their dating relationship living apart from one another.  If you’re not familiar with their story, read Passion and Purity by Elizabeth Elliot – it’s quite an incredible testimony!  In one of his letters to Elizabeth, Jim said “Wherever you are, be all there.”  That’s quite an incredible statement.  They were in love with each other and planning to get married, but living on opposite sides of the world.  It would have been very easy for them to spend most of their time sitting around wanting to be together.  Instead, Jim was encouraging Elizabeth to be fully present doing what God had called her to do. 

There’s certainly nothing wrong with having things that you look forward to.  It’s totally godly to have dreams and goals, but it’s when we start to look forward so much that we forget to enjoy where we’re at presently that we run into trouble.

So, enjoy where you are right now.  Even if you’re going through a rough time, embrace it.  Watch out for what God is trying to show you today, even through the tough spots.  God has you where you are for a reason, so take advantage of it.

I am a music person.  I have a mix CD (or playlist for those of you who were born after 1990 and aren’t familiar with the now-archaic mix CD) for every mood, occasion, and important (or not important) event.

There are very few words in the English language that don’t trigger a memory of some lyric.  Most of my life is lived to the soundtrack of the songs triggered by these words.

I have entire relationships based mainly on a shared affinity for music. Our conversations are about music and musicians, we attend concerts together, and buy each other CDs for every occasion. 

I am a music person.

It’s only natural that this love of music carries over into my relationship with Jesus.  David was a musician.  The Psalms were meant to be sung, and I can always find something there that eloquently expresses my thoughts and feelings to the Lord. 

Singing songs in praise and worship is probably one of my favorite parts about going to church.  I love to use music to express feelings to the Lord.  Music is one of the best ways for me to do that. 

I also love to do this with people. I think it’s such an awesome experience to have the band playing and everyone singing together to praise the Lord.  It’s incredible to be together and all create something together to honor the Lord.

However, sometimes, the music gets in the way of really worshipping the Lord.

A couple of weeks ago, our youth pastor challenged all of us to worship without music.  I’m not gonna lie, it was a little awkward at first.  But, it made me realize that a lot of the time, I’m pretty dependant on lyrics of a song to express my worship to my God.

Practicing worshipping without music has really challenged me to express my own thoughts, my own praises, my own individualized worship to the Lord.  Sometimes it comes out in a little song that’s all my own.  Sometimes it looks (and sounds) a lot more like just praying.  Sometimes it’s pretty quiet.  Any way it comes out, it’s definitely real and completely mine. 

So, give it a shot.  Try to worship without music.  See what comes out of your heart.  It might surprise you a little bit.

School is back in full swing and that probably means the drama is too.  Whether you’re in the middle of it, or simply watching from the sidelines, drama can be pretty irritating.  No matter where you live or what school you go to, you probably don’t have to look very hard to find two girls who used to be BFF’s and now hate each other’s guts, two girls fighting over one boy, or a group of popular girls who everyone wants to be friends with even though they’re mean to everyone.

The best way to deal with girl drama is usually to avoid it altogether.  That can be pretty tough (if not impossible), so here are a few tricks to help you stay out of the middle of the mean girl drama.

• Be nice to everyone.  The old kindergarten rule of thumb still applies.  “In order to have friends, you have to be a friend.”  Be nice to everyone all the time.  It’s a tall order, but definitely worth the effort.  If you’re nice to everyone, no one will have a legitimate reason to be mean to you.  Not only will you have more friends who will stick up for you and more people to turn to if the drama heats up, but you’ll also be building a great witness to those around you.  Follow Jesus’ lead and show kindness to everyone you meet.
• Choose wisely.  If you find that your friends are usually talking about other girls behind their backs, odds are it won’t be long before you’re the target of their talk.  Make friends with girls who don’t talk behind the backs of other girls.  Your friends reflect on who you are and they will have a huge impact on the choices you make and the person you become.  Choose friends who are people you’d like to be like.  Remember that good character traits like kindness and compassion last much longer than cute clothes and popularity.
• If you can’t say anything nice…  Have you ever noticed that the girls who talk about other girls the most are the ones who eventually end up getting talked about the most?  If your friends start talking about a girl behind her back, don’t join in.  As tempting as it can be to start cutting someone else down, remember that it doesn’t really make you look like a good friend.  Try to change the subject, and if that doesn’t work, walk away.
• We’re all in the same boat.  Those feelings of insecurity that you have every once in a while are universal.  We’re all in the same boat.  Even girls who seem like they have tons of friends and perfect hair feel lonely sometimes.   When you’re having a bad day and wish someone would say something nice to you, you’re certainly not alone.  The best way to get over a bad day in a hurry is to say something nice to someone else.  Compliment her shoes or how smart she is.  You’ll probably make her day and it will make you feel better, too.
• Keep things in perspective.  Remember that after you graduate, you’ve probably got another sixty to seventy years of life to live.  Even though it can feel like an eternity, high school is a four-year blip on the radar of the rest of your life.  When you drop your lunch tray full of food, remember that no one will probably remember it tomorrow (let alone a year from now).  People will remember you for how you treated everyone else.  The way to make these years count is to make an impact for Christ.

OK, so you probably don’t think God is a monster – at least not consciously.  But, I know there are some of you out there who are a little afraid to really surrender and let go of your plans.  I know this because there are certain times in my life when I definitely fall into that category.

Some of you – the afraid-to-surrender group – think that if you really let go and let God have all of your plans and dreams, you’re going to get shipped off to Africa married to the ugliest boy you know.  You’re thinking that if you really mean it when you say “OK, Lord, whatever You want is what I want” immediately God will leap from His throne and say “Hooray!  Finally the ugly boy will have a wife!”

That’s not how it works.  The Lord loves you.  He is good.  He has good plans for you.  Africa and the ugly boy might be part of that plan, but I can assure you that you’re going to be happy about it when it happens.  The Lord knows exactly what He can do through you and I promise that there is nothing on this earth more fulfilling than doing exactly that.

Matthew 7:9-11 (NIV) says “Which of you, if his son asks for bread will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

God is a good Father who is waiting to unveil His amazing plans for your life.  Letting go of your own plans will make room for His even better plans. 

By the way:  The ugly duckling boys usually grow up to be the nicest men.  Trust me, the nice boys who are a little homely now will hit their stride eventually.  Give ‘em a few years and all the girls will be drooling over them.  This is why it’s always better to just be friends.  You don’t really know what anyone’s going to look like until they grow up.  You might get a little distracted by the way someone looks and end up overlooking the fact that Mr. Way-Too-Good-Looking is really kind of mean to everyone and Mr. Brainy-Weirdo is really nice and makes a great friend.  So, that really doesn’t have much to do with what I’m talking about, but it’s information.  Do with it what you will.

If I spent all of my time pining away for December 25^th, I would be a major bore.  People would probably get sick of me asking what they wanted for Christmas or talking constantly about what I was planning to eat for Christmas dinner.  It might hurt people’s feeling if I spent my entire birthday talking about what I hoped to get for Christmas.  I would really miss out on a lot of other fun days if all I could think about was Christmas.

While it seems ridiculous that someone would act that way about one day during the year, sometimes I think I’m guilty of the something similar.  I find myself looking forward to the friends who are coming to visit next week, the trip I’m taking next fall, or even getting married and having kids in a few years.  Sometimes, I can be so focused on what’s coming next that I forget to enjoy what’s going on right now.

Looking back, I didn’t fully enjoy a lot of the great moments of my life because I was looking forward to the next time I got to see a guy I had a crush on, the next school year, or college. 

Elizabeth and Jim Elliot spent most of their dating relationship living apart from one another.  If you’re not familiar with their story, read Passion and Purity by Elizabeth Elliot – it’s quite an incredible testimony!  In one of his letters to Elizabeth, Jim said “Wherever you are, be all there.”  That’s quite an incredible statement.  They were in love with each other and planning to get married, but living on opposite sides of the world.  It would have been very easy for them to spend most of their time sitting around wanting to be together.  Instead, Jim was encouraging Elizabeth to be fully present doing what God had called her to do. 

There’s certainly nothing wrong with having things that you look forward to.  It’s totally godly to have dreams and goals, but it’s when we start to look forward so much that we forget to enjoy where we’re at presently that we run into trouble.

So, enjoy where you are right now.  Even if you’re going through a rough time, embrace it.  Watch out for what God is trying to show you today, even through the tough spots.  God has you where you are for a reason, so take advantage of it.

1.  If you’re giving away free hugs, apparently it’s OK for you to hug complete strangers. 

2.  There’s a Children’s Sermon category.  I think that’s AWESOME!  If you’re entered in this category, let me know.  I’m impressed.

3.  I met a girl who does a puppetry solo using seven (7) different puppets.   I’m convinced there’s magic involved somehow.  Also quite impressive!

Anyway, I’m having a blast!  Since I don’t have Wi-Fi at the hotel, pictures will follow soon.  So glad for who I’ve met so far and can’t wait to meet even more of you!

So, if you’re going to be in Charlotte for Fine Arts, the Mega Sports Camp AIM outreach, or the 3-on-3 b-ball tournament, take a minute to stop by our booth.  We’ll be right across from the results monitors in the exhibit hall.

I can’t wait to meet some of you!  And who knows - we might even have something fun to give to you.

Which one should I choose? If you go to your local Christian Book store, you’ll probably see like 8 zillion different versions and editions of the Bible. NIV, KJV, NKJV, AMP, NASV, the Message, Student Edition, Women’s Devotional, Large Print, Thin line… and the list goes on. So, how do you choose the right Bible for you? Look through the different Bibles. Read some of your favorite passages in different versions.

Be sure to choose a version that you understand. The New International Version (NIV), Contemporary English Version (CEV), or New American Standard Version (NASV or NASB) are good versions to start with. Personally, I like to have several different versions on hand to look at the same passage in different versions. The different editions (student edition or women’s edition) usually mean that there will be extra devotional comments (usually in the margins). If you think you’d like something like that, go for it. For my devotions, I like to use a study Bible. It has extra commentary and includes a lot of background information that can help you understand the context of the passage.

If you’re feeling a little too overwhelmed, ask your youth pastor, youth leader, or sponsor to go with you to help you choose the right Bible for you.

Where should I start? Starting at Genesis and working your way through the Bible is great to do at some point in your life, but if you’re just starting to get into reading your Bible, you might run out of steam doing it that way. I think it’s good to read a portion of the Old Testament, a passage from Psalms or Proverbs, and a portion of the New Testament every day. That way, you get a little something from everywhere. Pace yourself. You don’t get a prize for reading the fastest, so take your time. Let it soak in a little bit. Re-read passages. Write down verses that are encouraging or challenging to you.

What does this mean? Some passages in the Bible are a little difficult to understand. This is when it can be really helpful to use a study Bible. When looking at a difficult passage, I like to ask three questions. The first question I ask is what did it mean then? Take a look at the cultural context of the passage. Use your study Bible or ask a pastor or leader to determine what the original author meant when the passage was written and how the original readers understood the author. The next question I like to ask is what does it mean now? Once you understand what it meant to the original audience, it can be a lot easier to understand what the passage means in the United States in 2008. The last question I like to ask is how can I apply this to my life today? Once you understand what it meant then and what it means now, think about what it means in your life. Is there something that you need to change or do differently? Does it change the way you think about other people? Does it change the way you view God?

Hopefully, this will help you start to read your Bible every day so you can grow, grow, grow. Give some of these ideas a try and let me know how it goes!

Prayer might not be as easy as it looks.

However, prayer is important. In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says “Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the Spiritual life.” Prayer is our method of communication with the Creator of the universe. Prayer allows us to bring our requests before a good and loving Father who loves us.

Let’s take a look at some ways to simplify this prayer thing:

· Pray like Jesus. When Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV), He was trying to teach the disciples how to pray.

⁹“This, then, is how you should pray:
” ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.
¹²Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus makes prayer look really easy. He calls on the Lord, He asks that the kingdom of God would come on earth, for what He needs, that we’d be forgiven as we forgive, and that we’d be delivered from temptation. All of these are excellent areas to focus on when we pray.

· Make a list. Even though we mean well, sometimes we forget the people and things we want to pray for. It’s helpful to make a list of the things in our own lives, people, and issues that we want to pray about. A list can help you stay focused on the Lord and what you’re praying for. Don’t forget to take time while you’re praying to let God search your heart. Make room for the Lord to show you areas of your life that aren’t pleasing to Him. Let Him show you what is pleasing to him. Pause to tell the Lord how much you love Him.

· Write it down. It can also be really helpful to write down what we pray for and when our prayers are answered. When we are in need of something big, it can be really encouraging to take a look back over our lives and see how many times God has answered our prayers. Writing things down can also help you stay focused.

As you pray, remember that prayer really is simply talking to God. You don’t have to use any fancy language. He speaks your language. Talk to Him in your own words. Prayer is the way to let Him know what’s on your mind – what you’re thinking and feeling. Practice staying quiet and waiting to hear what He has to say back to you.