understanding youth

Love Your Children

This sermon is based on Colossians 3:12-14. SERIES OVERVIEW: Yogi Berra once famously said: “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” I think we would agree. We all love the idea of loving others. After all, love is the definitive distinctive of a disciple of Jesus; and it’s our most memorable mandate, our most important imperative, and our most dynamic and decisive decree. That’s why it is called the Greatest Commandment. So, there you have it. In theory we love it! But then there’s practice. And loving everyone, everywhere and all the time just doesn’t seem all that practical. Now, don’t get me wrong. We love it as an idea, and we love to love people who love us and who are lovable, but some people just don’t fit that description (maybe because we don’t know them or maybe because we’ve known them for

Who Are You?

I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. I remember the chill in the air as I stood at the bus stop, waiting in silence with three or four other kids. I remember feeling lost as I stepped into a building that would occupy my days for the next four years. I remember the first words spoken to me, as I stepped hesitantly into what I thought was the classroom I belonged in: “Who are you?” I remember the first huddle of fellow students I approached. Who are you? I remember the questioning glances and puzzled expressions. Who are you? I remember a single thought, bouncing around in my head and seeming to constrict my heart with its existential urgency. Who are you? Sometimes, we forget what it’s like to wonder about our own identity. After all, we have jobs. We have families. We have responsibilities