"So once more the people complained against Moses. 'Give us water to drink!' they demanded. 'Quiet!' Moses replied. 'Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?'

Exodus 17:2

The people complained about their problems instead of praying. Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayer. We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions, and prepares us to listen.

Taken from the Life Application Study Bible ® Devotion Reading Plan at YouVersion.com. You might enjoy it, or one of the many other plans that are available. Check it out at YouVersion.com.

an uncomfortable tension

so this afternoon i was working out of the office at one of my favorite restaurants, panera - doing some preaching prep on our new series which begins this sunday. ironically the series is called 'billionaire' and is on money management, tithing, and living generously.

i walked out to my car afterwards and as i was just about to get in to drive away, a man called out to me and approached the car. i knew right away what he wanted. he asked for some money so he could catch a bus to henrietta for a job interview, and apologized for not getting to the car sooner to help me brush off the car. he asked where i worked, and we talked for a little bit. then i reached into my wallet, gave him enough money for the ticket and a little extra, and i also handed him a Lakeshore invite card.

a few years ago i would've avoided conversation, said a prompt no, and driven off thinking i did the right thing (because he'd surely spend it on beer or drugs). but more and more i've discerned that for me personally, that's just a cheap way out of avoiding an uncomfortable tension.

as i drove away praying for this man, i concluded that for me, i'd rather be known as someone whose money fed an alcoholic's habit, than someone whose money was never given away at all.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

trying to understand God

got a question from a friend the other day who is trying to understand God. among other things right now, a family member of theirs is still wondering why God would allow their 12 year old to die in an accident 21 years ago. i get asked questions like this a lot from teens and other people (and it's moments like this that i wish i could peal the "pastor sticker" off my forehead). while i feel like i have at least a partial, big picture "answer", it still is a question where silence and shrugged shoulders rule the day. i wrote back already, but just curious what you would say?

fighting the "island mentality"

just enjoyed reading kurt johnston's post on a few "baby steps" their student ministry took to close the generation gap, and it made me think of an article i recently wrote for our church's quarterly newsletter. figured i'd post it here as well.

FIGHTING THE “ISLAND MENTALITY”

Over the last year, Ignite Student Ministries has seen some significant changes, particularly due to the addition of the LC2 and the shift to 2 student services every Sunday morning during the adult services. It has been a year of watching God work in profound ways as new teens have made faith commitments and taken steps closer to God!

But with these changes our leadership team has been growing aware of a flipside danger that every Student Ministry faces to one degree or another… and it’s called the “Island Mentality”. In essence, we bring our young people to the “Student Ministry Island” during their teenage years, they grow and develop closer to God during that formative time, but then we “ship them off” to the “mainland” after graduation and discover that many seem to get “lost at sea” in this voyage back home. A Student Ministry can look like an island when the teens are not given consistent opportunities to integrate and blend with the adult ministries of the church.

Our leadership team recently got away together for a weekend and “Fighting the Island Mentality” in our setting was one of the things we discussed. From those discussions, here’s where we’re starting to land:

COMMON GROUND

There’s intentionally never anything ISM-related happening during these adult midweek services, and we encourage our students to be there for it! It’s an opportunity to worship, learn, and build community with the adults in the church. If you have a teen actively involved in ISM, get them actively involved in Common Ground too!

JOINT SERVICES

Every 2-3 months we shut down our student services one week and encourage the teens to join the adults in the main auditorium. These are not the Sundays to miss!

HABITS

Real long-term growth in our students will be seen as they develop personal habits during their teenage years that will help them grow on their own. The beauty is that these habits are not dependant on a person or a program in the Student Ministry. Encourage your student(s) to continually utilize the many resources at the “Habits Shack” in the youth room.

Parents… we need your help in fighting this “Island Mentality”! Are you in?

youversion.com

it's amazing to me how many methods and ways we have now to read God's Word. hundreds of print bibles - hardcover, softcover, waterproof, leather, engraved, with tabs, etc. there are probably just as many websites and apps that are even more easily accessible. a couple years ago i discovered youversion.com and started to poke around at its features. but it wasn't until a recent update of their app that i started really using it for my personal bible reading. here's a couple reasons why you would be crazy not to at least get the free app for your iPhone, iPod, iPad, or Droid and give it a try.

it's free

like so many great things that lifechurch.tv puts out, it's free for the taking and intended for sharing and spreading without the financial speed bump.

bible reading plans

right in the app, you can browse over 25 (and counting) different reading plans. once you think you want to try one out, you can select it and begin reading each day. it automatically checks the reading off after you complete it, and syncs with your progress from other devices as well. as you browse their reading plans, you'll notice that not all are the standard "bible in a year" plans. there are a number that will only take you through certain portions of the bible, and the duration varies from a couple weeks to a couple years.

no guilt

a recent update added a "catch me up" feature to the bible reading plans. when you get behind so far that you want to quit (as most of us do), you can just tap that button and it automatically adjusts your start date so that today's reading is the next one in line. in essence, you'll finish the plan later than you originally would have, but at least you're more likely to finish at all! i started a couple new plans a few weeks ago and already needed to use the "catch me up" button (and i don't feel guilty)!

public and private notes

as you read, you still have the ability to create notes, highlight sections, and bookmark certain passages (much like the kindle app and iBooks). but you also have the option of making those notes private for only you to see, or public for anyone on youversion.com to see. you're also able to easily share your notes on twitter or facebook.

if you haven't gotten it yet, you should so check it out!