Life a Weblog for Young Adults

We might wonder why Jesus cares so much about our money. It seems like it’s all about the Benjamins (or Jacksons, as the case may be), and our relationship to them. Apparently Jesus is incredibly concerned about money, and as this passage concludes you see why: “No household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money” (Luke 16:13).

It wasn’t until the arrival of my church’s second youth pastor that I discovered the reason our first had left. I suppose there’s wisdom in hiding potentially jarring realities from high school students, but when I heard my brother whisper, “Let’s hope this one’s not gay” under his breath, it struck me like a bus.

Something scares you. It’s not terrorism, economic recession, global warming, or gasoline prices that could hit 10 bucks per gallon by the time you’re done reading this. These things might worry you, but something else makes your palms sweat and your pulse hit triple digits: asking someone out on a date.

DayBreak—an after school program and Saturday outreach ministry—began as all good things begin. A few people saw a need that God had been preparing their hearts to meet. One of those few was Julia Harper.

In 2000, a group of people held a carnival as an outreach to the children of their community. Julia Harper was among those who had been praying and looking for a way they could minister to kids in one of the neediest communities in the city. “God was exposing me to the people He was grooming me to serve—He was preparing my heart to serve.”

On a recent trip to North Carolina I had some free time for an afternoon of climbing and hiking. Naturally, I was famished afterwards and stopped at a homey restaurant for lunch. Sadly, what seemed to promise a great, home-cooked meal was a disappointment with things like gravy out of a can and instant potatoes. I thought for sure I’d be getting the real thing!

Most people spend way too much time on mundane tasks. With a little forethought, you can expedite the routine and use leftover energy for things that really matter.

If we could, we’d all probably hire a personal assistant to help with day-to-day hassles, whether it’s yet another trip to Target for cereal and cleaning supplies or tackling that seemingly bottomless basket of laundry. But since most of us don’t have a Hollywood salary, we’re stuck taking care of life’s must-dos ourselves. With a few quick fixes, though, routine activities—from grocery shopping to bill paying—don’t have to be so time-consuming.