Therefore...

This was part of the last youth group email I sent out and I thought I'd share it with you on this Monday morning...

Some days it's really hard to turn on the news and check email and find out that things are not going as we've planned. Some days it's very easy to get down about this, but other days, it's ok. Right now I am smiling very big at the wonderful things in the world.

Let me tell you why.

When I was in college, I spent Tuesday nights in a dilapidated gymnasium in the heart of the ghetto, working with an inner-city childrens ministry called ReaLife. This group of elementary-aged children were sassy, dirty, loud, and by the end of the night I would feel like the only thing I had done for the past 3 hours was crowd control. We taught a Bible lesson, but it was easy to get discouraged and think that nothing was sticking in their already corrupted young minds. One night I rode back to school with a guy named Doug. While everyone else in the car looked exhausted and worn down, Doug had an effervescent glow about him. "I'm so excited for next week," he grinned. "Why's that?" I asked. Without missing a beat, he said, "Because I have hope."

Whatever problems and distressing situations we find ourselves in, we have a true freedom in Christ that allows us to endure all things, knowing that in the end we are heirs of the Kingdom. We win. Not only do we win in the end, we have victory over sin even now, and God allows us to live beyond our abilities when we find strength in Him. Whether it's working with a difficult childrens ministry, pressures at school, or whatever you are facing, may you be filled with hope. 1 Peter 1 has been on my mind a lot lately, and I hope you'll all read it sometime this week :-)