What The????

Romans 12:2

The Message (MSG)

Place Your Life Before God

12 ^1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:2

New International Version (NIV)

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

 

 

Well, Good Morning Lord. I just had this 19 year old girl ring the door bell and say she's homeless. How did she get here? Where is she from?

So its 5 o'clock and my alarm goes off as usual. I turn it off, as usual. I try to go back to sleep, as usual. It goes off everyday at 5am. I don't want to forget to set it on the days I need it to go off, so I just keep it set. I can go back to sleep if necessary.

 God, why did she pick my house. Just random? So I don't let her in. I mean, this is crazy. She's been drinking, she says she lives in Naperville and she's been put out by her mom. A friend told her she could stay and then the friend put her out. She's walking and decides to ring my doorbell and ask me to call the police for her. I give her the phone to call the police. Her cell is dead. Now this all sounds calm and orderly, but it wasn't.

My mom is saying don't let her in, she may not be alone. True, true. But I give her the phone anyway. Something in me just felt like she needed help. Teenagers, People, children in general are not all bad. Sometimes they just need a little help. She called the police.

She stayed outside. Mom was not going to let her in. Police came, eventually. Searched her, then took her away. Hopefully somewhere warm where she can get some help. My daughter looked at her to see if she knew her. She was a young white girl with just a hoodie, no real coat. I thought about giving her a blanket, but I didn't. I let her call the police. My family again thinks I did too much, I now think I didn't do enough.

Father God, how do we respond in a situation like that? Protect ourselves is what I hear and I agree. Thank God nothing bad happened. It could have gone either way. I trusted you God. I thought it was another trust exercise from the Lord. That is something I need to work on. Trust. Maybe the Spirit told her to try that house. She could get some help there.

Then there's the teen from BHS who brought the gun to school over a 69% on the math test. Threatened the teacher, then wanted to kill himself. Of course my daughter cuts his hair and his dad's hair. His dad comes in and tells her the story. People love to talk to their barbers. It's the stranger on the bus syndrome. We tell the most intimate details of our life to complete strangers, who can do absolutely nothing about it. That's one thing I remember from my communications classes.

I have a student in 8th grade who tried to kill himself in school last year by hanging himself with his coat in the bathroom. Whether he did it or someone did it to him, both are bad. People are stressed out.

Now the big shot is coming on Monday. I'm excited about this visit. I look forward to the opportunity to do better. To impress and to be impressed. We need a leader who is not going to jump ship at every big wave. That's what I like about our president. When the going got tough, he didn't just give up, throw up his hands and give up. He stood with us in the mire. He may not have been right but he didn't run away. He stood firm. Come what may, stand with us. Don't abandon ship. Don't tell your staff you have your resignation typed and ready, even if you do, and that every day you want to quit. How does that instill confidence? Heck we all want to quit, but we don't. Somewhere along the way somebody has to dig their heels in and say this is worth fighting for. Is this my dig your heels in and fight for situation. I don't know but it just seems like too many people are willing to walk away. Not enough investment in the future. Who am I to talk. I am just as ready to leave as the next person. We need some unity. OOOOhhhhh, today is Unity Sunday. God what are you doing. You are amazing. I love you.