Hey guys,
First I (Dave) want to apologize for not having a July update. We were finishing up our summer groups and also had to move (long story) so the busyness grabbed most of my attention and I completely forgot to write the blog. Anyway, we have finished our summer teams which took place non-stop from mid-May through the end of June. It definitely makes things busier for us when we have groups, but it is a blessing at the same time. It is cool to see teens and even adults leave their comfort zone to come serve alongside us at the site. One of my favorite parts is seeing the groups overcome the language barriers and form relationships with the boys. It is great to see how God's love and how we can show His love to others, is not limited to speech and being able to verbally communicate with each other.
During this summer we had the rare opportunity to have four different young men who came to serve at our site who were not, nor did they claim to be, believers. As I prayed about how to best minister to these young men, God just kept bringing me back to the idea that "there can only be one truth". It’s so popular now to be accepting of everyone and say that no matter how you live that it’s ok and no matter what you believe it’s all rainbows and butterflies. But in reality, not every path can lead to heaven and not all "gods" are the same. I would talk to the guys about this idea and explain how if several religions claim they are the only true religion, then how can all of them lead to the same place. Only one can be truth and the others have to be false. I think a lot of people "choose" what they believe based on what’s easiest to accept, but if it is simply not true, then where does that leave you?
Those of you who know me, know I'm not always much for political correctness so here comes a prime example. In light of all the news coverage of racist cops, black lives matter, transgender, homosexual rights, chosen identity, separate bathrooms, Trump vs Hillary….I personally want to encourage Christians to not care about public opinion or the personal feelings of someone else when you are deciding what is ok and not ok. If you claim to be a Christian, you are called to a higher standard. I think we as Christians need to get back to the basics of what matters. What does God's word say about a certain issue and how would Christ have reacted to those issues? In the end, we can form our own opinions but our opinions aren't worth the post we put in the comments section of some ridiculous article. If our "opinions" do not match up with God's Word, then we are completely wrong in our thinking. We need to focus more on what God says about these issues than what the media or our friends think about these issues.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
