Fine Young Man

My friend, Brad, emailed me this week’s sermon notes this morning. He’s using a Dell laptop give-away email he received this past week. The ad promised a “free” laptop if he was eligible. It contained 12 pages of “fine print.” As it turns out, the fine print only speaks to how one might qualify to compete for the laptop. It does not provide the laptop; it only makes one eligible. So it is with the law. As Brad puts it, so many get tangled up in the “fine print” that they never get to compete for the prize. That’s a good thought.

I put that with my sermon for tomorrow. We are preparing for 2 weekends of visits by youth minister candidates and I wanted to help set the proper mindset, if possible. So, I’m using 1 Corinthians 3 and talking about the responsibility we have to build well. It occurred to me that often in church we get so entangled in the “fine print” that we are ok when young people grow up and quit Jesus or even lose their faith because of how unChristian we behave as we debate the fine print. That is unacceptable. I was reminded how firmly I am convicted about this. The main thing is to help all our people, especially our youth, have their own walk with Jesus. If we fail at that because we are distracted, shame on us.

Today, I listened to the Mosaic podcast. McManus was talking about focus. Here are some thoughts from it:

The etymology of the word focus is fireplace or hearth. It signifies the burning desire at the center of our being.

3 questions to help us focus:

1. What must I become? – this is about finding your unique sense of calling.
2. What must I accomplish? – in the sense of bringing good to others and to the world
3. What must I give up? – the things that I don’t feel called to or am not gifted at need to be left to others