The Millennials and Religion

I technically fall into the Millennial Generation. A fact which I am not too proud of. Often when I see the characteristics of this generation, I find myself less and less like the average.

USA Today put out this article on the Millennial Generation and Religion.

As a former, and hopefully future youth worker, This article makes me think. Why do kids leave the church once they graduate high school, or college? Why do they not read their Bibles, or pray? These are challenges I believe every youth worker needs to look at especially with students from the Millennial Generation getting ready to leave their youth groups.

Thoughts??? What are you doing in your ministry to reach this generation?

Our future workers

I work in an office. I work in an office with cubicles. Thankfully, I do not have the...uh..privilege...to sit in one. Anyways, my husband saw this and sent it to me.

Kids have toy tool boxes. Toy Kitchens. Toy houses. Toy fire trucks. You get the idea. NOW! They have toy offices. Yup. Toy Cubicles.

Click here to see it.

Just Another Day...

Today it has been 18 Months, 547 Days, 13,128 Hours, 787,680 Minutes, 47,260,800 Seconds since the day I married Ryan.

I cannot believe that it has already been a year and half.

So here are 18 reasons, on the 18th, and the 18th month of our marriage, that I love Ryan.

1. He loves me. Not just the "I love you" as I am walking out the door kind of love. But the love that is unexplainable. The sacrificial, self-less love.
2. He makes me laugh like no one else. I mean laugh where there are tears coming out of my eyes.
3. He is so generous. He loves to give. He always finds little reasons to buy me a present, or flowers. He is also very generous to those around us.
4. He has a way of encouraging me. When I am at my whit's end, he knows just what to say to make it better.
5. He gets me. He knows me so well. All my quirks, and habits. What I am going to say before I can even say it. Or how I would respond to something.
6. He holds me accountable. When I am being a brat, he calls me out on it. When I am doing something I shouldn't be, he tells me.
7. He takes care of me. He takes such good care of me, not in only how he says things but in his actions.
8. He cares about other people. He truly cares about those around him. He wants the best for others.
9. He works so very very hard. I don't think people really know just how hard he works.
10. He believes in me. He is my biggest cheerleader. He does what he can to help make my dreams a reality, even if it is just buying me new baking stuff.
11. He is passionate. When he believes in something, he gives it his all. He doesn't settle for less than best, on anything.
12. He provides.
13. He is incredibly wise.
14. He will do things he doesn't want to do, because it will make me, or others happy. Like grocery shopping.
15. He is dedicated and fiercely loyal. even when he is hurt, or let down, he doesn't give up on people.
16. He is a fighter. He can overcome, and has overcame so many hurdles in life.
17. He is a gentleman. He might not open my car door, but I have never met such a kind man.
18. He is a Godly man. He loves the Lord so much. He prays for me, and our family daily. He cares about church, and making sure we go each Sunday, even when he doesn't want to.

Ryan, even 18 months of marriage, I still love so much. I am so thankful that the Lord has brought you into my life. I couldn't have asked for a better fit than you.

I love you.

Thoughts?

My brother informed me today that Jennifer Knapp, a Christian Artist-whose music I love, has announced that she is gay.

I really don't know how to respond. I read her exclusive interview with Christianity Today. As a Christian, I don't believe that homosexuality is right. But there are so many Christians who live this lifestyle. I still believe that they are Christians. It is such an interesting topic and to some very controversial. As I read other peoples replies, I struggled more. There were the "hate the sin, love the sinner" replies. The "props" to Jennifer. And so much more. I cringed at parts of the article and her response. There was the sense of struggle, with trying reconcile this choice of relationship, and her relationship with God. Trying to make sense of the things she is feeling, and what she knows is truth. My gut is like, "Really? You know truth! Why are you doing this?" But then I reminded of those decisions I make every day, when in my heart I hear "Danielle! What are you doing? You know truth! You know this decision is contrary to that very truth" Don't we all have that battle? Why is it then, when a fellow brother/sister confesses to a struggle such as this, that we judge. We turn away. We cast them out. I am not at all saying that her decisions are right, but I am wondering what our response as the church needs to be? Is it the "hate the sin, love the sinner"? Is it to fully embrace them, and not call out the sin? What is the level of accountability we have in the church? And when do we hold people to that?

I would love to know your thoughts on it, especially in regards to Jennifer Knapp, and the interview with Christianity Today.

Pride

I had a fresh reminder today of pride. I was reminded of how ugly it is. Of how it makes other people feel around you.

I was also reminded of my own pride. The constant battle that rages within me. I hate this battle. I hate fighting pride.

I don’t want to be a prideful person in any way. When I do something great, I don’t want to relish in the glory. When I am strong, confident and successful, I don’t want to alienate others. I don’t want pride to be my ruin, or the ruin of relationships around me.

It’s ugly. It’s annoying. It’s frustrating.

I want to be humble. Thankful for the gifts that I have received. And I want to use those gifts not to make me the better person, but to bless others. I don’t ever want the things I made to do become my confidence, I want the One who made me to do those things be my source of confidence. No more self-glory. No more taking all the credit. It’s time to be rid of this pride.

Some People's Kids....

My friend forwarded this email to me, and well I just had to share it.

Stella Awards

It's time again for the annual 'Stella Awards'! For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico , where she purchased coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it
between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy.

Here are the Stellas for the past year:

* SEVENTH PLACE
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.

SIXTH PLACE *
Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

FIFTH PLACE *
Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT days and survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.

FOURTH PLACE *
Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.

THIRD PLACE *
Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tail bone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

*SECOND PLACE*
Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.

FIRST PLACE *
This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down? $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs.. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motorhome.

Happy Heart

My sis-in-law sent this to me this morning.

I can't help it. I just love these kiddos so much.