I’ve read this passage a million times.  Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but I can easily tell you that Emmanuel means God With Us; however, as I read it this morning, I started to really let these words seep in.  I started to ask about what it means that God is with us.

And as I thought about this, I was blown away by what this is saying.  God is WITH me.  He is really in the midst of my life with me.  I’ve known this fact for awhile, or at least I’ve said it’s something I believe, but I really felt this truth this morning.

God is here.  When I am lying in bed at night going over a list of worries and concerns, God is with me.  When I am playing with my child and having the time of my life, God is right there playing with us.  When my heart is breaking because I’ve had to discipline my child, God is breaking over the sadness but proud that I can stand firm and correct to the right behavior.  When I am sad, God is handing me a box of Kleenex.  When I’m laughing at a lame pun, God is right there probably rolling His eyes or chuckling along with me.  When I am figuring out how to bring God’s love to others, God is throwing out ideas during the brainstorm.

Yes, friends, God is with us.  It’s taken me twenty-nine years to really begin to feel like I’m understanding this concept.  As chaos surrounds us in the world, I need to stop and realize that God is standing there with me.  He is guiding me.  He is pointing out a direction.  He’s trying to show me a path in the midst of the insanity.  I may not be paying attention.  I may have my sights set so far away from Him that I cannot realize He is here; but the good news this Advent is, God is with me.  And God is with you.   And God is with us all!

I’ve been planning on doing some Advent reflections for awhile, but I guess that just hasn’t happened.  This text was used this past Sunday during the lighting of the Advent wreath, and I really wanted to share some thoughts about it.

This is one of the most beautiful prayers that I think any of us could be praying!  The prayer that God would tear open the heavens and come down into our world.  All around us we see examples of the places where we prevent God from going.  We complain about the godlessness of the world.  We complain about the way things our going in our political realm.  We complain about how things are going with our families.  We complain about how things are going with our churches.

Well, instead of complaining about life in these difficult times, maybe all of us need to band together and begin praying this Psalm.  We need to pray and believe that God is going to tear things open and come down.  He already did that with the birth of Christ, and ever since, Christ has been trying to get involved in every aspect of our world.  We are the ones keeping Him out!

So let’s stop complaining and focusing on all of the doom and gloom.  Let’s begin praying for God to tear open our lives, our schools, our families, our world and our churches.  Let’s begin praying that He enters our lives in such intense and amazing ways that the only thing we can do is stand amazed and praise Him.

Amen.

Today is one of those days where I get lost in thinking about how awesome God is in light of His Creation. It’s the kind of day where I hate the fact that my office has four walls and no windows. It’s the kind of day when I wish the church wi-fi went outside.

It’s the kind of day where I give thanks to God for this awesome world He has made.

It’s the kind of day where I forget all the petty little stupid stuff that happened this week that was making me sad/angry/frustrated/confused.

It’s the kind of day when the only thing I can do is sing praises to God.

It’s the kind of day where I’m more than grateful for all that He has done for me.

It’s the day that we all need to join together and sing a psalm of praise to our God!

“The believer has to tell those in pain that this is not forever; there is a light and you will see it. This isn’t all there is. Trust it. Don’t try to rush through it. We can’t leap over our grief work. Nor can we skip over our despair work. We have to feel it. That means that in our life we have some blue days or dark days. Historic cultures saw it as the time of incubation, transformation, and necessary hibernation.”

And this is where I began to ponder, which I guess is what a good devotional is supposed to do, right? Do I truly believe this? Do I have enough conviction to believe this that I can share it with others when they are in their dark days?

I mean, when I come across somebody that is in pain and feeling down, are these really the words I am going to comfort them with? That they need to go through this because they will eventually come out on top and that this is just a time of transformation in their life?

I really am not sure that I have an answer to that one. I do believe that all things will work together for the good of those that love God. I believe that God uses any situation that we find ourselves in, even the dark ones that we hate more than any other. I believe that in those dark moments that God is working and moving and that we will emerge changed and transformed into more of the person that God desires us to be.

But as Christians are we called to say that? Are we called to tell people this in the midst of their struggles? Or are we called to be with them in their struggles and share in their journey at that point? I don’t have any answers to this one, so I guess I will have to give it some more thought and time. Please feel free to share with me your thoughts as well.

It was announced today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, that Ken and Barbie are a couple once again.  Apparently Barbie announced this change in their relationship status on her Facebook.  Yes, take a second and let it sink in that Barbie has a facebook.

Apparently after Ken and Barbie reunited on the set of Toy Story 3, they have been so enamored with one another they couldn’t stand their seven year break-up any longer.

Yep, I am writing a post about toys being in relationships!

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!

We have pledged as the two youth groups to raise enough funds to build at least 10 wells to provide clean water to places around the world who are in need.  We have also pledged to work together on building a Habitat house locally.  Both of these goals must be completed by the Fall Retreat 2011.

We have some ambitious and amazing youth who want nothing less than to go out and change the world.  I can’t wait to see how God keeps moving in their lives, and hope that you will continue to support and pray for them!

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I can feel it coming in the air tonight! And I don’t mean Phil Collins or even Mike Tyson doing an odd punching dance to that hit song. (And quite frankly, you shouldn’t even get that reference.)

Every time the weather changes I do two things: 1. I smell candles at the Yankee Candle store. 2. I miss fall retreats.

I can’t really explain it, but there was something magical about going to a fall youth group retreat as a teen in Massachusetts. Something about it being cold and being able to see your breath feels holier than a Spring retreat. I simply find thick sweaters and items made of down to be more holy than tank tops or skorts.

And now that we’ve entered October, churches across the country are getting ready to take teenagers on fall retreats. In preparation for that, kind of in the same way that the Nashville airport uses country stars to give you public service announcements over the intercom, I thought I would give you a public service announcement today about fall retreats. (Next time you fly into Nashville, you’ll hear them. “This is Garth Brooks, please don’t pet police dogs, they will bite without mercy.)

Here are 19 things every fall retreat needs:

1. A bonfire

Church retreat fires come in two sizes: 1. Too small to generate heat to even roast a marshmallow and 2. Large enough to be seen from out of space. (Expect people to confess things around the fire too, campfires make Christians 87% more honest.)

2. A rival youth group at the same location

Nothing says, “worshiping God on a retreat,” like a rival youth group you can pull pranks on who happen to be renting the same facility you are.

3. A bullhorn

Every youth minister I’ve ever met has owned a bullhorn. I think they must give them out with their diploma at seminary.

4. A wild card guest speaker

Will he swear? Will he do some message illustration that involves whipped cream? Who can tell, he’s the wild card, a youth speaker brought in from somewhere else to knock out the retreat like the Wolf in the movie Pulp Fiction. I hope to one day play this role as a speaker.

5. The guy who brings his acoustic guitar.

“What? I didn’t even realize I had this on my back. Want me to play one of the three songs I know? Oh ladies, if you insist!”

6. Something confiscated.

Not sure what this will actually be, but during the retreat, at least one thing should be confiscated. A cell phone that should have been turned off, a bag of fireworks, some sort of woodland creature caught to be placed in the girls’ cabin. Take your choice.

7. The girl who under packed.

“Wait, what? This is October? All I have is shorts! Instead of wearing something warm, I’m going to walk around the entire weekend blowing into my hands and telling you how cold I am. Brrrrrr.”

8. The van that breaks down on the way there.

Churches tend to spend more on designing their website than they do on keeping their vans fireproof. (Did I just namedrop a Kirk Cameron movie?) If you’re going on a fall retreat, expect to be on the side of the road at some point at least 3 times. (This is not to be confused with the “cool van.”)

9. A location that closely resembles the set of a horror movie.

If the place you hold your retreat doesn’t look like a wooded/haunted abandoned campground where an ax murderer may or may not vacation, you’re not trying hard enough.

10. Someone who fears they will die without the Internet for 48 hours.

Oh the torture. The torture! Someone is going to complain about being cut off from humanity without the Internet. Tell them what they are experiencing is called “the year of 1996,” and whole countries managed to survive without the Internet.

11. A conflict with the year’s best college football game.

This might just be a Southern thing, but without fail, but youth group retreats always happen on the same weekend as the best college football game of the season. I’m sorry, but I bet this year you’re retreat will conflict with the Auburn vs. Alabama game.

12. The Saturday Night Cryfest

You’re going to cry on Saturday night. Go ahead and accept that. It’s happening. Your emotions will get going and before you know it, as my friend Tyler says, you’ll be right in the middle of “sloppy agape.” Count on it.

13. The Good Cop/Bad Cop youth group leaders

What a twosome! Every retreat needs a youth group leader that everyone loves and then one that everyone is afraid of. Assign the bad cop to the pastor’s kid. We need it, I promise.

14. The hot seat

No retreat is complete without an incredibly awkward moment where each teen sits in a chair in the center of a circle and everyone else tells them at least one compliment. Such a sweaty good time.

15. At least one moment to “go be by yourself.”

Every retreat I ever attended had this moment. It usually coincides with the cryfest. The minister tells you, “Think about what we talked about tonight and go sit somewhere by yourself for a while.” And then you do, and something horrible happens.

16. People who throw stuff away out of guilt.

Music, movies, magazines, start a bag labeled, “Things I’m getting rid of on the retreat, but might purchase again in four weeks.”

17. Somebody who tries to “make purple.”

There’s going to be a few people who try to sneak off and make out. This is not a maybe, this is a definite. (Here are 11 ways to prevent it.)

18. At least one sprained ankle.

Count on this.

19. The Youth Minister thrown into a body of water.

At Centrifuge at Gordon College in Massachusetts, they had the most disgusting pond I’ve ever seen in my life. And for some reason we always threw our youth minister, Kurt Andre, in it. Find a body of water on the first night you arrive at the retreat and then start planning.

Who is it in YOUR life that you are not real good at showing mercy and love to?  Who is that you need to forgive?  What people do you need to ask to forgive you?  What relationships do you need to restore?

I really hope and pray that this week you attempt to do some of that.  Please do it.  Show the love of God to others, not crazy human judgment.

Now I’m sure that she really didn’t mean that her faith in God would be decided on whether or not Mississippi State scored a touchdown, but that is what she said.  And it has me thinking, what exactly determines if we believe in God or not?  How often do we make claims, or hear somebody else make claims, such as “I’ll believe in God if….” or “If God is real then He will….”

Is this faith?  Can you believe in God without seeing?

But things are getting a little bit ridiculous.  I read last week that his fans are so rabid that Twitter may have servers dedicated especially to Justin Bieber followers/tweeters.

And last night he won a VMA.

But none of this compares to how poor Bieber is being used now.  Many of you may not care about politics, but this is weird.  I read an article today that a political group is now running an ad telling Bieber’s fans to tell their parents to go out and vote in the upcoming midterm elections.  They are saying that since he is too young and Canadian, that the parents of his fans must rise up for him and vote because, “whomever we elect in the 2010 midterm elections will impact his future and ours.”

I’m all for people voting.  I think it’s very true.  I’m all for kids encouraging their families to vote to better their futures.  But to do it for Justin Bieber….I think things are going just a little bit too far!