Scheduling your priorities

I kicked off our new sermon series yesterday introducing the Feasts of the Jews.  What's interesting to me is that these feasts (parties) were appointed times BY GOD.  He required 7 scheduled parties each year (4 in the spring and 3 in the fall) all based on their agricultural growing seasons.  

We know that whatever makes it onto our calendars tends to be our priority and apparently God already knew that.  When I have something important to do I type it into my Outlook calendar.  In the same way that looking at last month's checking ledger (or credit card statement) will show our past priorities.  Looking at our calendar will show us our future priorities.

Do you have time with God and time with family on your summer calendar?  How about relationship building times with people in your Oikos.  Are you planning to serve this summer or to take a family vacation?  What about dates with your spouse?  Will you gather with your church family often?  The list goes on...working out,  chores, education, career, kid's activities.  

We live busy lives, so if you're not keeping a personal calendar, start today!  

My Bully Pulpit

You may remember that I talked about a story of me being bullied in JH as an illustration on Easter Sunday.  It was a fearful, troubling, and ongoing experience for me.  The good side of it was that I learned to trust God more and to appreciate my church youth group more!

Many of you can remember similarly difficult experiences from your JH and HS years.  Kids can be cruel and utterly insensitive.  For anyone who is different than most of the other kids... a quirky personality, a physical deformity, a different skin color, an accent, a strong faith in God, an alternative lifestyle, or simply not dressing right, a seeming growing number of kids are being picked on.

The Bible addresses this topic in different ways.  One way Scripture talks about this is when it talks about power.  I've been studying the Book of Ruth recently in my personal quiet times.  In this book we read about a man named Boaz who "had the power."  He was a wealthyland owner who chose to let Ruth "glean" from his field exactly as the Bible instructed him.  Yet during that same time many of the landowners were ignoring this command that was meant as a social entitlement for the working poor.

Another Godly response of Boaz was when he ordered his workers to allow Ruth to glean near them as they were working and to be sure that no one abused her in any way as she went about her honest labor.  To top it all off Boaz told his servants to help provide food and water for Ruth during the rest periods of the day.  You see, there was nothing during that time in Jewish history that could have kept Boaz from exercising his power to abuse or to simply ignore Ruth, yet he chose to use his power to protect and provide for her (eventually he married her...now there's a script for Hollywood!)

Christians, you have some level of power and ability in this world and we're to do the same as Boaz!  Because of my personal experience of being bullied and the power I have as a Pastor and community leader I'm working to see what I and my church can do to help provide for and protect kids from being bullied.