Random thoughts...

My wife and I just returned from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Saturday night (actually 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning). We had a wonderful time. After returning I felt well-rested and re-energized. I was ready to get back to work and I was actually excited. I haven't been excited about work for a couple of months now. I was sick of the teenagers and their problems and complaints all of the time. I was emotionally drained. I didn't really realize how tired I actually was until I was driving home on Saturday night. I felt aware and awake. I was ready for anything and I had lots of energy. I felt like I could drive all night. It was at that point that I realized I hadn't felt that energy in myself for some time. Vacations are a needed part of a minister's life for recuperation and restoration. I hadn't had regular times with God for about 2 months because I was just so exhausted all of the time. I can't believe how worn out I was. I have decided from this point on that I am going to be careful about how much strength I dole out. I used to believe that I had an endless supply but I now realize that I do not. But on the other side of that issue, I know that I need to trust in God when I don't have the strength. Sometimes I don't have a choice.

There has been an issue on my heart lately that I have been wanting to express. The issue is sin. How do we in our individualistic American culture deal with sin? The answer is obvious. We deal with it individually! We sin and then we think, I need to deal with this. So we pray, read God's word and ask for forgiveness. This is incredibly Biblical, yet, it is also incredibly unbiblical. God's Word clearly states we are to use His Word, and His Spirit to overcome sin. But that is not all we are to use! We are also to use each other! We must confess our sins to each other. Only then is God's plan of overcoming sin fulfilled. We cannot overcome sin unless we confess to each other and God, pray for forgiveness and use his word as our spiritual sword. This plan is so simple, yet the application of the plan is near impossible for prideful, individualized Americans! If churches would follow this Biblical model the church would be revolutionized. We would be more unified, less hypocritical, and more empathetic of sinners. There would be a common theme of a church full of sinners saved by God's grace and mercy! I think this vision is something that more people would want to be part of and participate in.

Well, there, I got it off of my chest. Time to do homework! Yeah buddy.