The fact that we don’t need to be afraid or dismayed because He is with us brings a sense of freedom and confidence that we couldn’t have otherwise.
Since I was going for the graduation of the Certificate program, I asked the Seminary to make my reservation for my recent trip to Puerto Escondido. I told them the exact dates that I wanted to fly out and when I needed to return to Mexico City. They confirmed the reservation, printed out my confirmation, and handed it to me. Without thinking much about it, I took it from the dean, put it in my bag, and went back to work.
Thursday came, and, after an interesting taxi ride, I made it to the coast. I had to spend Thursday night and Friday during the day at the beach (the family I was staying with wanted to show me the beach, so I had to oblige). Friday night and Saturday was a youth leaders’ conference, and Saturday night we finished with the graduation. But Sunday was really the most interesting day.
The Olympics start tonight, and I saw this video today about moms all over the world. Watch it. It will inspire you.
As I was watching the video, I couldn’t help but think about a few things:
I always say that Janell’s ministry is more important than mine. Her ministry of nurturing our children is far more important to me than anything I teach professionally at the Seminary. She has an incredible ministry to them. I also think she’s Superwoman. She does so many things. I am blessed to be her husband.
The other thing I was thinking about was all the time and effort that many of us put into helping our children accomplish their dreams and goals. The Olympic games always make me think about the sacrifice and discipline it takes to be an expert at something (some say 1000 hours, others more).
The question that we need to ask ourselves is, “In what discipline am I helping my children develop expertise?” My prayer is that my kids will grow up to be men and women of God. If Janell and I can help them develop the necessary disciplines to grow in their faith, then we will have accomplished something.
I’m sure, though, that this is going to be at least as difficult as helping my child achieve athletic success.
Last week I took a trip to Torreon, Mexico, to teach a class on “Ministering to Troubled Youth.” But the experiences I took away from the trip taught me more than I think I shared in class.
Torreon is a city with the slogan, “The City that Defeated the Desert.” Well, to begin with, it was 104 degrees each day, and the desert heat is exhausting. It’s a good idea to avoid Torreon in June.
Recently, the area known as “La Laguna” has been hit hard by violence. The people who live there are accustomed to hearing about different things that happen around town. But this Mexico City boy is not used to hearing such things.
I just finished reading “Platform” by Michael Hyatt. It’s a book about “getting noticed in a noisy world”, and it mostly includes tips about how to improve a blog, work on social media outlets, and other things.
During the last quarter of the Seminary year, the graduating Seniors preach their last sermon as students. It’s always a special time in which they share the things they have learned during their time here. Today it was Josue’s turn to preach in chapel.
He shared about this verse: Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Proverbs 28:13
He said something that I thought was very good. “We often think that by hiding our sins we will prosper, but the reality is the exact opposite.” He also said that we let fear, pride, and shame get in the way of confessing our sins to each other.
