Scrutiny.

Being able to encourage someone is such a awesome gift to have.

I have thought lately alot about encouragement and how often I have messed up when it came to situations where what was needed was love instead of judgement.

I think it possibly was because I grew up with a very legalistic view of Christianity.

I was the kid who constantly needed to do the right things to prove to myself that I was worthy of God's love.

It's funny how I think about it now and catch myself doing it.

I imagine this was the reason I constantly felt like I needed to go and have a massive emotional moment with God again to be free from my mistakes and when I didn't have that moment I assumed God wasn't speaking to me at the moment because He was so completely ashamed of me.

Talk about messed up....

I don't have any idea where this thinking came from. I came from a home that was filled with love.

Alot better than most of my teenagers have......

I eventually grew up and stepped into a Pastoral role where you are examined and scrutinized and looked at to set a example or to be the epitome of Holy. I have never had a issue doing this but it I think it set me on a course where I applied that same scrutiny to those who were in my charge.

If there is one thing I could stress to new youth pastors its that there kids/teens are going to mess up.

They aren't perfect and neither are you as a minister. If anything your probably just more polished but in some cases that teenager..... that can let things go and just love a person.............

has more of a heart like Jesus than the Pastor who can't.

Scrutiny is a hard thing to take. Most people don't want people to judge them.

Yet we all judge.

in some way we all judge.

from looks to behaviour to dress to attitude to actions.

We all scrutinize and judge others.

Which is why I think being a encourager is such an amazing thing.

It is taking a break from judging someone and turning your eyes upon them in a positive manner.

I can think of one situation off the top of my head where I was able to do this.

Some people were simply very bad at something but I was able to ignore how bad they were and focus instead upon the way they have improved.

I want more moments like these.

Lord

I want to try to encourage someone today....

Help me try really hard to have people leave from being around me and feel as if they have just received something that builds up what they are doing with there life.

Because our time is too short to be spent on destroying each other.

amen

again....

I am going to give this blog another chance. Maybe It will redeem itself to me. or myself to it...I guess we will see...

So with my first blog of 2 years. Here it goes. 

I am a Generation of:

Love,Hate,Agnostic,Atheist,Rebellious,Angry,Disruptive,Tee-Totaler,Bored,Dogmatic,Scum,Christian,Lousy,over-paid,misunderstood,non-caring,rapists,Unwed Mothers,Crappy Fathers.

We run around continually thinking we know it all yet in the end we truly know nothing. I find myself realizing that the more I know the more I realize I know nothing. 

We are a Generation that votes based on race and color. A Generation that is proud of our ignorance. A Generation that throws off the sacrifices of our past and does not care or understand our elders.

We believe that we have the truth. That we have something to offer when in reality, the ones with light more often than not get enclosed by those who are overpowering with there dark. 

A Generation of Musicians that are not worried about 401k's or the "Future" and end up on the streets to prove it. What sells is what sells and nothing that has the wrong image will ever accomplish anything. Because we are force-fed from the day we are born what we should and should not be a part of. 

Accept

Eat/Drink

Believe/Disbelieve

and ultimately we end up making the same mistakes of those who have gone before us. 

We are a Generation of disappointments and screw-ups. 

A Generation that has bred 13 year old pregnancies.

A Generation that has ostracized ourselves from each other and things we do not want to partake of.

The idea that we "must" do something is so far-gone that we never are put in a situation where we are held accountable for letting someone down.

The Princess will get eaten by the dragon with this "Generation" because it's too much work to climb the walls with the suit of armour or it might be too much work for the horse we ride in on to get us there fast.


We are not who we need to be.


but we are a Generation that is loved.


Romans 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
   "For your sake we face death all day long;
      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.