Satisfy Our Needs

"O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' And if I am too poor, I may steal and this insult God's holy name." - Proverbs 30:7-9

In this Proverb, there are two things that the author is asking for. First, he asks God to protect him from the temptation of lying. It is so easy to justify what we call "white lies", but the truth is, a lie is a lie. As Christians, we must strive to be truthful and honest with all things. If we prove to be honest with the little things, those we are trying to reach out to will find us honest with the bigger things. Trustworthiness will open doors to sharing the Gospel.

Second, the author asks that God doesn't give him too much wealth nor give him too little so that he is not poor. This is a concept that we as Christians need to consider. Much of the time we spend in prayer is spent asking God for "stuff". Most of which, we do not truly need. Being rich can hinder us from a healthy relationship with Christ because we become comfortable in our wealth and do not feel we need to rely one God. On the other hand, being poor can be a hinderance as well because we are so uncomfortable with our situation that we can make bad decisions in order to find that comfort. We need to be content with what the Lord has given us. I hope that this Proverb becomes your prayer as it has become mine.

Food for Thought:

1.How would your relationship with Christ grow if you were content with the things that He has blessed you with?

2. What is the difference between a "need" and a "want"?

3. Is there anything going on in your life that is a distraction to your walk with Christ? What are they?

4. Read through this Proverb again and offer up to God a similar prayer in your own words. Allow God to bring you contentment.

There's Always Next Year

The greatest things about being a sports fan is the saying, "There's always next year." No matter how well your team does or how poorly they perform, there is always next year. I am a huge Red Sox fan and their season ended a couple days back when they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Angels. I know their season is over, but I am expecting great things next year. The offseason is here and I am excited to see what moves the Red Sox will do to make their team better. Here are a couple moves that I would love to see made by the Sox this off season.

1. Trade for Prince Fielder (1B/DH) - Ever since Manny was traded away to the Dodgers and David Ortiz started slumping, the Red Sox have really lacked the kind of bat that strikes fear in the hearts of pitchers. The Sox have some great hitters like Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez, Jason Bay, and Dustin Pedroia, but none of them have the power and presence that someone like Fielder has. I would love to see them have a cleanup hitter who can really do some damage. Plus Fielder would be a future replacement at DH for David Ortiz, who has not been as good as his former self the last two years.

2. Sign Carl Crawford (LF) - If the Red Sox don't resign Jason Bay, I would love to see them bring in Crawford for his speed, defense, and his ability to get on base. If the Sox trade for Prince Fielder, they would be getting someone with great power, but would be losing some speed. Crawford would be a huge upgrade for the Sox in the speed department. What a line up the Sox would have with both Jacoby Ellsbury and Crawford who are two of the best base stealers in the game.

If these two moves happen, this is what the Red Sox line up could potentially look like:

1. Jacoby Ellsbur (CF)

2. Dustin Pedroia (2B)

3. Victor Martinez (C)

4. Prince Fielder (1B)

5. Kevin Youkilis (3B)

6. David Ortiz (DH)

7. Carl Crawford (LF)

8. J.D. Drew (RF)

9. Alex Gonzalez (SS) - If the Sox pick up his option

If these don't happen, here are a few other issues that I would love to see the Sox address.

1. Bring in a defensive-minded catcher with a great arm - the Sox gave up a whole lot of stolen bases last year with Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez behind the plate. With a stronger arm, the Sox would be able to keep more base runners out of scoring position.

2. Bring in More Power - if the Sox don't resign Jason Bay and don't trade for Prince Fielder, I would love to see them make a move for Matt Holiday. The Sox need some big power in the middle of the lineup and I think Matt Holiday would be a great fit.

3. Get an Everyday SS - ever since Nomar Garciaparra left a number of years back, the Sox have not found a consistent SS to replace him. I would love to see a guy come in that would be consistent with his glove as well as in the batters box and who could stick around for a couple years.

Like I said before, there is always next year. Even though the season is over for this year, the off-season is here and it can be just as exciting as the regular season. Lets go Sox!

There's No Such Thing as Dinosaurs

What do you remember the most about your experience with your church's youth group? For me, what I remember the most was the Wednesday night that our youth leader decided to argue with us about whether or not dinosaurs ever truly existed. Despite all the evidence, the "possible" mention of them in the Bible, and a very believable movie called Jurassic Park, he had the nerve to deny the existence of my favorite childhood creatures. Although I am now 25 years old and far removed from youth group, these are the type of experiences that I remember the most.

This really goes to show that the things that students will remember the most after leaving youth group is the experiences that they will have without a Bible in their hand. I don't remember much about what was taught in youth group, but I can tell you many of the activities, conversations, and fellowship opportunities that I was able to be apart of in my years in youth group. If you work with students at any level, I want to encourage you to take time to create those types of experiences with them and use those experiences to teach them from God's Word. And above all things, set a good godly example because if you don't, they will remember it.

Changes

Out of all the things that happen to us in life, change always seems to be the hardest to deal with. There's comfort in the status quo and it can be very difficult when that status quo changes. Yesterday I had to break some very difficult news to some people that I really care about. God is leading my wife Tabitha and I to a new ministry in Chesapeake, VA and those who I am serving here in Michigan have found that to be very tough to digest. Change can be difficult especially when there is people involved. Although I am excited to see where the Lord leads us, I am burdened by the many close friends I have made here. I wish I could bring them with us, but that's not the way it can be.

I am constantly reminded through this transition what is says in Proverbs 3:5-6 about trusting God. There are times when we don't fully understand why God is doing something or the reason why things are changing, but we need to trust in God through it all. He has a plan for us that is better then any plan we can make for ourselves. Just because we don't fully understand why something is happening doesn't mean that it is bad for us. Change can be very hard, but I am accepting it with open arms because I know that it is apart of God's perfect plan. I encourage you today to not be afraid to embrace change. God has a plan for you that might not make a lot of sense, but following God is the best thing that you can do. Just trust in Him and He will make your paths straight.

Answers...

Well, things didn't seem to pan out like I expected them to or like it seemed they would, but that's okay. I am still praying and seeking God's direction. I guess for now, the answer to my prayers is "wait". God is good.

Prayer Fan

About a week ago I started praying for God's direction in a certain area in my life. I wasn't sure how God was going to respond or in what ways he was going to provide me with an answer. From my limited perspective, I felt that there were three things that needed to happen in order for this to work out for my wife and I. I do not feel it is the time or place to explain what I've been praying about and what those three things are, but I will tell you this: God is awesome! Today God has shown me that he heard my prayer. Through a very timely, unique circumstance , it is very possible that two of those three things might work out within the next month. Whether it works out or not, I am amazed that God is listening. I am looking forward to tracking this prayer request and seeing where God will take it. I'm a fan of prayer...you should be to!

A New Perspective

There are times in our life when our perspective on certain things change. During these times we find ourselves being challenged by God in many ways. I am currently in one of those times. I feel that God is reshaping my approach to youth ministry. It is a bit scary because I don't know what this will mean for me, the teenagers I am ministering to, or the church I serve in, but I know that God is challenging me to think Biblically about many aspects to my ministry. Please pray that I will be open to God's leading and that God will give me discernment in what He desires to see in the youth ministry here at First Baptist.