rare … 05.31.08

rarely do you find a couple who gets married and remain that way for a very long time. today i did a funeral of someone who was married for 46 years. imagine 46 years. that’s a very long time especially in the days of the britney spears kind of marriage – 1 day; in the day of flavor flav where marriage is being trivialized, and the other so called reality shows. truly this couple honored their vow that says “until death do us part”. it took death to part them. how our teens need to see more of this. it would surely give them hope. i heard denzel washington the other day say he has been married for 30 years. i went wow! not in hollywood. but not everyone see marriage as a piece of paper, or as britney or flavor flav does. it was very hard watching this widow today mourn the death of her husband. by the way he died of cancer – that deadly disease. this is a reminder that life is so fragile. handle it carefully. in all your handling, put the Giver of life in his rightful place – 1st place (john 14:6)

be the judge … 05.29.08

michael hernandez, now 18, is accused of killing his friend, Jaime Gough, in a bathroom at the middle school in 2004. Both boys were 14 at the time. he killed him by cutting his throat and stabbing him 40 times.  Miami-Dade Circuit Judge John Schlesinger asked Hernandez if he understood that if he is convicted of first-degree murder he will be sent to prison for life.  ”It means, if you do go to prison with a life sentence, you come out in a box,” Schlesinger said. “You do understand that, right?” ”Yes, sir,” he replied.  BE THE JUDGE: insanity?  no conscience?  cold blooded murderer?  a wicked heart?  product of environment? should he get the death penalty? life sentence?  how would you rule?

what were they thinking? … 05.28.08

in st. lucie county – florida, a nude 18-year-old woman who admitted dealing marijuana was arrested after crashing her vehicle into a utility pole with a naked man as a passenger, according to an arrest affidavit obtained tuesday. arriving deputies found the woman and a passenger — a naked man — and both said they’d just had sex. In the back seat, investigators turned up a purse with roughly 5 ounces of marijuana, a glass pipe, plastic bags and a digital scale. “I asked Douglas if this was for personal use and she said she deals it,” the affidavit states. Investigators found alcohol bottles and cans in the driver’s and passenger’s areas. let me ask you, what was she thinking? what was he thinking? do you have an answer? i have some thoughts but i will await to hear yours.

teen shot dead … 05.27.08

on sunday night (05/25) two teens went prowling through one of our neighborhoods in our city. they were armed with crowbars as well as at least one handgun. they encountered police at one of the residence they were in the process of breaking into. there was an exchange of gunfire. one of the teen (18 y/o) was shot and killed. the other (17 y/o) was caught and will be facing numerous charges including second degree murder and attempted murder (a police officer was shot. thankfully he wasn’t killed).

think about the ramifications. a young life snuffed out. another over. families on all sides grieving, hurting, breathing a sigh of relief, and the list goes on. was it worth it? i wonder if that question was posed to the teen captured what would be his response?

hmmh! what do you think?

as you ponder this difficult question, keep both sets of families in your prayers.

memorial day … 05.26.08

happy memorial day!  that is what some people may say on this day.  normally people look forward to this day as a day of beach and barbeque.  i raise my hand as one who often does.  yesterday in church as i thought about memorial day, i began to think in terms of memories.  past memories both good and bad.  its amazing how the bad memories flood my memory bank.  those memories tend to rise to the top of the charts real quickly.  amazing!  on this day, may you think of those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  if i think about them it helps me take my mind off me.  i wonder what it is like for those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.  on this day, my prayers go out to all the heroes and their families who paid or is paying the ultimate price.  god bless you all! THANK YOU!!!!

class of ‘08 … 05.25.08

today we recognized our graduates – the class of ‘08 in church.  we gave them their props because so many teens today do not graduate from high school.  many drop out for various reasons.  we gave each graduate a photo album with class of ‘08 on the cover.  this time of year must be sad for some parents who had great hopes and dreams for their teenager.  they feel the pain of disappointment.  this is a time of rejoicing for some while a time of sadness for others.  if you know of a family who is feeling the pain of such, be an encouragement to them.  let them know that it is the teen’s choice and not theirs.  speak hope into their lives. this is not the end of the world.  many successful people today did not finish high school.  who knows!

spider’s web … 05.23.08

have you ever watch a spider spin its web?  it’s incredible just to watch the stages.  now i know it is a very long process.  i have never seen one from start to finish, but i have seen different stages of the building process.  i have at times unknowingly walked into them.  it is a disgusting feel especially when it is in your face.  the spider had in mind one thing when it spun that web.  surely not you, but small flying insects that would unknowingly fly into it.  this web is able to withstand high winds and heavy rains.  it is just amazing.  that web represents the many webs being set for our teens.  many of whom will unknowingly walk right into it … they never saw it coming.  stay tuned for more on this matter ….

don’t judge book by cover … 05.20.08

have you ever felt like you were certain about something but then later found out that you were wrong? what do you do when you find out that you were indeed wrong?  i have done so a few times only to find out that i came to the wrong conclusion. when i do, i try to remedy the situation if i possibly can.  recently i heard of a situation where a female who had all the outward signs of a flirt was wrongly “diagnosed”. someone came to the conclusion that she must have been sleeping around with all the guys she was seen with. wrong! lesson: don’t judge a book by its cover.

mosquito effect … 05.17.08

have you ever gone to a place where mosquitoes are swarming around?  what are the chances that you will become bitten by at least one of them?  whenever you try to build relationship with teens you will at some point bcome “bit” by them.  most times it is not intentional but it just happens.  what do you do when that happens?  do you “bite” back?

urban youth workers conf … 05.16.08

it’s hot out here in calif. it feels like we are totally exposed to the sun. wats gud is that we are learning how we can even better serve teenagers. one of the things i was reminded of today is that teens are looking for leaders who will break things down for them so that they can understand the why of life so they can follow. don’t just tell them to do it. show them. help them. lead them. they’ll follow. but do it in a simple & genuine way. be real with them!