Rick Nier...Woo!

I shared with you previously that I am doing a series of stories with preschoolers about Jesus. I can't imagine anything more important to talk with kids about. What if I told you I was friends with the most important person in the entire world?  It’s not your mom or your dad. It’s not me. It’s not even the president of the United States. It’s Jesus, but many people don’t know that. What if I told you that I knew the most important facts in the entire world?  This is a little bit harder because there are lots of important facts in the world, like how long to bake a cookie so it doesn’t get burned. Or how to learn how to ride a bike so you don’t fall down and get hurt. Or how to treat one another. That’s important, but it’s not the most important. The most important fact is that God sent His Son Jesus to the Earth. What if I told you I had the biggest and best news…ever? Have you ever had really good news that you couldn’t wait to tell someone? I have a really hard time...

Here is part of what I shared with my youth group last night. The ability to teach forgiveness means understanding forgiveness. It means living forgiveness. The woman caught in the act of adultery surely understood forgiveness. I want you to imagine this story (but not the act of adultery). You have a guy. You have a girl. And they are doing what they shouldn’t be doing. And they get caught. Yeah, it’s a set-up. Yeah, the guy caught with her should have been out with this woman. But the corrupt religious leaders drag this woman out in front of Jesus. They make this woman, possibly half-naked, stand in front of Jesus and the crowd. As you may know, the religious leaders remind Jesus that the Law of God says she should be stoned to death for committing this sin. As if Jesus needed to be reminded what God’s Law said. Jesus proceeds to draw stick figures (or something like that) on the ground. He tells them whoever is without sin can throw the first rock. People are shocked, they drop thei...

Are you tired? You probably are, so I'll keep this brief. After all, it's Friday and you have certain work projects that have to be finished before the weekend can be enjoyed. ( If your boss catches you reading this, tell him it's encouragement for finishing tasks. In a second, you'll realize that's not a lie. ) My thoughts turn to Luke 5:1-7 this morning. It's when Jesus called Peter to come be a disciple instead of a bad fisherman. Seriously, find one instance in the Bible where it says Pete was a good fisherman. The stories I read all say he wasn't catching anything until Jesus performs a miracle. But I digress.. Peter was tired. He hadn't seen any fruit. Or fish, in his case. No production for the effort. He'd fished all night long and caught nothing. But because Jesus asked, Pete said he would give it one more go. And what do you know? He caught fish. Lots of fish! Two boatloads to be precise. And it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't b...

I don't know if this is an actual post, or simply a post about a series of upcoming posts this school year. See, every so often I lead a chapel time for the preschool ministry at our church. Little kids are not my forte, but it's usually 10-15 minutes of me hanging out with them, asking questions, and attempting to share a story from the Bible. Last year I worked with them on the Fruit of the Spirit, even helping them to memorize Galatians 5:22-23. There is nothing better than hearing 70 3,4 & 5 year olds quoting scripture. So now I'm trying to plan for this year. I'm going to tell them a new story about Jesus each time and I think I will share it with you, for whatever it's worth. I'll call them Jesus & . Why? Because you never get too old to hear a story of Jesus. And the truths we teach our youngest never change. They are the foundation upon which we build our lives. And a good reminder never hurt anyone. Now, I am wondering how to approach te...

Last week I shared about a recent discussion I had with my youth group about how we can know we are saved. You can see that here. Coupled with that discussion, I also offered them Ask Me Anything  cards, an anonymous way they could ask tough questions without asking it out loud.  One teen asked: How do you know for sure that Heaven and Hell exist and aren't just a 2,000 year old marketing scheme? After reminding the group that our room is safe haven from the way the outside world treats one another, I asked them to share their thoughts. Then I offered this: How do we know for sure that Heaven and Hell actually exist and are not just a 2,000 year old marketing scheme? This is a great question, especially in our jaded culture and age. When you think about it, what better way to get people to do what you want than to threaten that if they don’t, they will burn in hell forever? My answer might seem simplistic, but be assured I don’t assume it’s easy. I believe we can kn...

I am reposting this to celebrate my wife, who celebrates a birthday this weekend. This is one of many posts about my wife, whom I love to write about. Without further adieu...  I was not happy, to say the least. My wife's words devastated me. What could she possibly mean? Was she trying to be hurtful or did she actually believe the words she was letting spill forth from her mouth? We may need to get a new alarm clock. I know, I know. I should have warned you so you could put the kids in another room to protect them from such filth. I'm sure you are feeling a bit woozy as I did when she uttered that despicable phrase. I gently reminded her that this alarm clock had been with me since August of 1987. That was the summer my dad decided that my sister and I were old enough to be getting ourselves up in time for school. Here's a picture... But I followed my wife, presumed guilty until proven otherwise, back to our bedroom to see what was wrong with this alarm clock. Su...

I can't even wait to see the picture. I hope it's good. Because if it's not.... There will be tears. Lots of tears. First mine. Then his. It was picture day. Actually, it was the night before picture day. My wife, whom I love, was talking with my 11 year old son, whom I also love...at least for the time. All my wife asked for was that he look nice on picture day. But perhaps the instructions were too vague. When his protests started up, I stepped in. ~No son, a ratty t-shirt and gym shorts do not get it done. ~No son, it doesn't matter that they only take a picture from the chest up. ~No son, you only have an illusion of freedom. Your mom already knows what she wants you to wear and no amount of crying or pouting will change that. His arguments ranged from how he doesn't want to look like a dork (as if clothes really make the man) to how he had soccer practice after school (the reason they made locker rooms). He really didn't want to be the only boy dressed ...

Below is the intro of a discussion I had with my youth group. It occurs to me that this vital question often gets left unanswered as youth pastors can be tempted to be satisfied with teens showing up each week and being involved. I have, at times, hoped that enough positive peer pressure and enough Bible would miraculously soak in by way of osmosis, that just by being a part of my program would change a teen's life. To be sure, being a part can change a person's life, but it's not automatic, and it shouldn't be assumed. Make sure you know! Have you ever wondered if you're really saved? (Saved is such a churchy word. We use saved in other areas of life, i.e. you found my iPhone, I'm saved. But when we use it in church, it takes on a higher level of importance.) So have you ever wondered? Because you've been raised on this perhaps, or you just started attending a youth group or a church, and you just kind of assumed we handed get-out-of-Hell-free cards. (See m...

But I didn't know. It's an excuse I hear from my kids when I call them out for not doing something that was expected of them. For example: Me: Why is your room still dirty? Them: I didn't know you wanted it clean. Me: When I asked you to clean your room, that wasn't a clear representation of my expectations? Yeah, I use big words with my kids. It usually confuses them so they do what I want. I'll walk away mumbling about how they should have known. I didn't know?  This is not an excuse that works real well anymore. I think this applies to many areas of life. Holidays? No one can get to October 30 and say they didn't  know Halloween was coming. Costumes have lined the aisles of stores since just after Labor Day. Don't even get me started on Christmas. I've already seen Christmas trees peeking out in certain stores. Yep, better buy fake trees before all the good ones are gone. They won't plant more until after Valentine...

There is a secret in the book of Revelation. It’s not my secret, mind you. I’m just as in the dark as you are. But there is a secret. As if it wasn’t enough to attempt to comprehend what everything written down means, there is a secret that is being kept from us. It’s found in Revelation 10. John is faithfully taking notes on everything he hears and sees. This, in itself, is a miracle. My apologies to everybody else, but if I get swept up to a vision from Heaven, I probably won’t be taking along a pen and paper. I won’t even care to jot down notes using whatever piece of tech in my hand just became inconsequential to being in God’s presence. But John is taking notes. Copious notes in fact. Somehow this guy remembers 22 chapters worth of Heaven. Meanwhile, if I’m shown a picture for 30 seconds and then asked questions about what I saw, I would likely fail. In Revelation 10, we read of God telling John to put his pen down for a moment. A mighty angel stood and roared like a lion. When he...