 Crazy Love, Chapter 2 Review by Wes Olsen | |
You might not finish this article. Seriously. It has become quite apparent to me that God wants me to understand this fact: I could die before finishing this article. Right now. Any time. In chapter 2 of Crazy Love, Francis Chan points out the obvious and obviously ignored fact, that we are essentially not guaranteed our next breath. It's a grim thought, I know, but one we must always consider. This thought does have eternal consequences. Lately, I have personally been thinking about this, and not because I want to, and not necessarily because I read this chapter - as a matter of fact I was thinking about this prior to opening up to this chapter. I was thinking about Carley Henley this week. She was the young lady that unfortunately committed suicide at the UW two weeks ago. I was thinking about her because her family visited our church prior to this tragic event, and I got to meet her and her dad. Thinking about this really shook me, because she seemed fully alive in spirit to me, and yet her time was too short. Pray for her family please. Sunday, I had another moment of life being short, slap me in the face. This came through the television news show, 60 Minutes. One segment talked about a film reel found of San Francisco over a hundred years ago. It was amazing footage taken from the front of a trolley going down Market St. It was quite fascinating. This fascination turned to something very eerie as they interviewed a man who investigated the origins of the film, and found the movie to be filmed one week prior to the April 1906 earthquake that completely leveled San Francisco. Now as I watched the film, I realized that most of the people on the film smiling and waving had no idea that in one week they could all be gone for eternity. James writes, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). This is what God showed me this morning as I breathed out into the cold air. My warm air from my body hit the cold air and created a mist from my mouth that was there, then gone. This is our life. So if this is our life, what are we doing with it? Do we spend time worrying and stressing out about it, or do we trust in our God and rejoice! Do we spend it thinking, "It's all about me!", or are we good stewards with our time and money, making the most of God? There is much to be said about thinking of how short of time we have to live, but we have to and it should change us. Finally, this last summer I battled with depression, that at it's worst, left me with thoughts of suicide. God was able to break in during those moments and show me that I was really depressed because I was not trusting Him, but in myself. So, humbled, I began trusting Him again, and I could feel the dark cloud in my mind lifting, bringing me relief. I was able again to rejoice! Not to long after, I read this from chapter 2, "Frankly, you need to get over yourself" (p.44). Indeed I did. Jesus is everything. Don't waste your life! The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jas 4:14). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. | |
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| Important Dates: | |
10/20/10, Youth Group, 6:30 - 8:30 10/24/10, Registration and Down Payment Due for Encounterfest 10/27/10, Youth Group Costume Party, 6:30-8:30 11/3/10, Youth Group, 6:30-8:30 11/10/10, Youth Group, 6:30-8:30 11/12/10 - 11/14/10, Encounterfest 2010 @ Camp Berachah 11/17/10 & 11/24/10, NO Youth Group - Enjoy your Thanksgiving! | |
Shorewood Foursquare Ignition Youth Ministry Staff
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