Helpless...

My first two years in youth ministry made me feel helpless. I felt helpless to touch the pain of people who were struggling, unable to help people with struggles that were outside of my experience. I could rifle off Bible verses to them, but for those of you who have tried this, you know the result. So I decided to go to grad school to get a masters in counseling (mind you, my intention was never to become a professional counselor, but rather to be able to help people who I encounter throughout my ministry and in every area of my life. I must say that Trinity (my school) has been an AWESOME experience and I've learned so much from it. I've learned about myself, others, and hopefully how to help people.

However, I'm pretty convinced that no matter how much training you get, there will always be people who will be able to make you feel helpless. This weekend, I met one. I had the opportunity to go speak at a youth retreat for a church in my hometown in PA (ironically not the church I went to). After one of the sessions, a girl came to talk to me. Through many tears and painful cries, she explained that her parents had died when she was young and that she couldn't even remember their voices. Her brother, only a year and a half older, had walked out of her life and doesn't communicate with her any more. "How can I trust in a God who has taken so much from me? If God is loving, why did this happen? I don't have anyone to look up to and whenever I trust someone, they let me down."

My teachers at Trinity would be proud of me for not giving any of the pat answers that this girl has probably heard before, that someday it would all make sense and God has a plan. What do people mean by that anyways? That her parents dying was planned by God? That He wanted it to happen? That God directly plans every action and decision that's made. This is the only logical conclusion if this were part of God's plan. God's plan is to redeem an elect group of people through His Son and to create a new earth for His people. Are all the details planned as well? I don't think so, but I'm open to hearing comments from others, as this is an issue I think about a lot. I don't think that God's foreknowledge of all that will happen includes his predestination of all events.

I am communicating with this girl through email and helping her to struggle through her feelings of anger and doubt toward God. If you've got any wisdom, comment...

Inaugural Ride

For those of you who don't ride motorcycles, there's a good chance this post will bore you to pieces. Today, I came home from school and flushed the radiator on my bike. First of all, you must understand that these things always take longer than expected. After finishing, I called a friend to hang out, but he was busy. It was 47 degrees, so I decided it was time for my first good ride of the season.

As I hit the semi-open road, I once again felt the wind in my face and the rumble of the engine directly beneath me. I stopped at the gas station and treated her to a nice tank full of premium gasoline. As I twist my wrist, the 1100 CCs are at my command and I pass cars with ease. It is here that I escape from the pressures of life and the responsibility of homework, and I just ride. All that exists is my bike, the road, and the sound of classic rock coming through my stereo. I thought about nothing, I worried about nothing, and I ended up exactly where I started. But I was not the same. Riding season is open...