So here I am again trying to make myself relevant in a world where relevance is relevant. Content, not so much. Wisdom, only if it is relevant to one's current immediate situation. And I'm not trying to make "myself" relevant. Only trying to find a way to make what is really relevant relevant in a world where everything is irrelevant if it is not immediately applicable.
Trying to get the Word out that once you get it, all the distractions like reading blogs are not needed. Where something richer, deeper than immediate stimulation, entertainment or self gratification soothes the savage soul with a Word that lasts and lasts and lasts.......
You're not ready to hear it yet. Your ears are not yet open. There are still too many distractions. You have to wait. And I'm not ready to give it to you. This is a learning curve. Remember?
Relevance is paramount in this world of irrelevance.
ReplyDeletecool
ReplyDeleteDear Pastor Dan,
ReplyDeleteWow, I've the honor to post the first comment?
Relevency: The now vs the long term: with hundreds of cable/satellite channels to watch and the internet (email, facebook, twitter etc.) our children are being driven to focus on the "immediate". Both parents (or a single parent) are too busy working to pay the bills to spend the time with their children that is needed. They have little time left to consider long term consequences. Consider the hordes of recent college graduates leaving school with a worthless degree and $100K in educational loan debt. If you can encourage confirmands to study a relevant occupation, (sorry, they are tougher) like engineering, nursing, medical tech, optometry, pharmacology etc. you will have changed a life for the better.
Taking such message to several confirmands is one thing, taking it to a public school with 100's of children might be harder (a Christian Pastor speaking to students? Enough to choke a present-day school board). So, the message might be better received as "community citizens" talking about how they achieved success and their advice to students wishing the same. God playing a role in their lives could be recognized in their talk. I volunteer to speak next winter if needed. Our children face a tougher time in the job market than I did. Rising nations such as China and India are now attracting their graduates to stay, rather than seeing them immigrate to the US (where many of our children choose soft majors that don't fit with industry needs). This removes high paying employment jobs in the US, and along with those jobs go the taxes that support our society.
Dan, I admire your efforts at PLC and to make a difference in our earthly world.
Best wishes to you and Cheryl and God bless you,
Brent Doyle
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8
ReplyDeleteThat Word is synonymous with Love with Jesus Christ with Faith. Amen