Could I Please Explain

"But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).

Just this past Friday night, I returned from a mission trip in the San Francisco Bay area in California. The stories of how God worked and moved are too numerous to probably share. Our team, 20 students and 5 adults, did an amazing job as they were partnered with church planters in the SF Bay area.

Trips like this grow you in numerous ways. For our team, we had some unique growing experiences that stemmed from our time interacting with other student ministries and churches who had gathered to participate in the same mission trip with us. While I HOPE and PRAY that each of my students learned great truths from these situations, I for one was challenged.

Without giving too many details or sharing names, I want to share one situation that arose. A few of our students were gathered outside one of the buildings of the church in which we were staying. One of them had a pen that looked like a cigarette. Now we could debate whether it was wise to have it in the first place, but we won't because we're just dealing with the facts. So as they stood outside the building with it, I am guessing that they were playing as though it were real. A few students from another church believed them to be really smoking a cigarette. After they told their leader, their leader told the project coordinator and the project coordinator confronted me.

Believing that behavior to be out of character for my students, I defended them and then stated I would inquire. That I did. And so I found out that this pen existed. I share that not to publicly criticize my students. Instead, I share it because it was a teaching moment so many of us need.

I wondered to myself how many times I had engaged in real or unreal behavior that was or gave the appearance of evil to others. And just how many times did they make conclusions and I never had the opportunity to clarify. I never had the chance to explain. Had it not been that the other students went to their leader, my students may have always, at least in the hearts and minds of the others, been engaging in questionable behavior.

In addressing this issue with my students, I referenced the above verse. After all, we are suppose to run from every appearance or form of evil. This means we must take responsibility for our actions. Though others shouldn't quickly assume or judge, I am guilty if I give the appearance or evidence of sinful or shady living. This made me introspectively review my own life. I asked myself, "Am I living a life that is holy, blameless and beyond reproach?" Sadly, I couldn't answer with resounding affirmation in regard to every area of my life.

Yet there was something else that stemmed out of this and even bled over into other areas. I, along with some of my students, were faced with our tendency to want to pass responsibility to others. We like taking responsibility when it suits us or makes us look good. We dislike taking responsibility when it infringes upon us or puts us in a bad light. It is so easy to start pointing at others, accusing them or saying it is their fault. It is so easy to say that they are just as guilty if not more. The simple fact is that even if they are as guilty if not more, we ourselves are still guilty and must take responsibility.

And so once again I had to look to my own life. I can be guilty of trying to "weed someone else's garden" while my is almost overgrown. I asked myself whether or not I accepted responsibility, good or bad, when it was mine to bear.

I guess when it all boils down, I was convicted from God's word and my experiences. For having been reading in Colossians, Paul tells us that we were once engaged in evil deeds but we are now reconciled to God through Jesus to live holy, blameless and above reproach. When I allow Jesus Christ to live through me and I take responsibility how I live, this will certainly happen. In so doing, I will abstain from every appearance of evil.

Now there is a lot more to talk about from San Francisco and I will likely spend a few days blogging about it in the days to come. But God's inward work on my life was so much so that I felt compelled to share.

Micah has been a little under the weather lately. He has had a cold and has been throwing up some over the past couple days. He returns to Duke tomorrow for another appointment to check labs and so forth. We're hoping he stays well so we can possibly get away for a few days in the near future for a family vacation. He has done well over the last few weeks as Sarah has been able to travel to Virginia to see her parents and family and to Tennessee to see my parents and family while I have been going a little bit of everywhere.

Please continue to pray for Micah's strength and health. Please pray he beats this cold and whatever else he may be fighting. When he is throwing up, we fear dehydration and hospitalization. We give thanks to the Lord for Micah's last month of being home without any hospital stays. Isaac and Ethan are continuing to do well as you can see from the new pictures added. And as always, thank you for praying and remembering our family before the Father!