ETA

Our current best guess in optimum traffic conditions is to be in Denver between 3:45 and 4:15pm MST. See you then!

Rise and shine and find the golden arches

Now in:
413 S Lakeside Dr
Amarillo‎ Texas‎ 79118

Guessing that barring traffic, we'll be home around 5pm MST.

Where are we now?

Childress, TX

GPS says we'll arrive in Denver at 4pm. However, the GPS isn't counting on 50 teenagers stopping for breakfast and lunch.

On the road

Just stopped at:
2311 Jacksboro Hwy
Wichita Falls‎ Texas‎ 76301

ETA

We are on our way home! We left at about 9pm (CST) [8pm MST]. We are hoping to be in about 4 or 5pm tomorrow (Saturday- MST). I will update this post every 6 hours. See y'all soon!

More Mission Pictures

Just a few more pictures here.

Mission Update

Our group has been working hard here in Galveston. They've all been working on 5 different worksites to do work for homeowners and organizations here.

Steve has taken more pictures, which you can see here.

Some Pictures from Galveston

Steve Cearley has been taking pictures of our youth down here in Galveston. You can see his pictures here: pics.

Arrived!

All 46 youth and 9 adults are safe and sound in Galveston, TX! Thanks for your prayers! More soon.

MISSION TRIP

We Leave this Saturday, June 11th for the Youth Mission Trip to Galveston, TX for hurricane relief work. We'll be partnering with One Mission Galveston to help families whose homes and lives were torn apart by Hurricane Ike.

I'll post on this blog when we arrive on Sunday and again on Friday to let all you parents know our return ETA. Cell phone numbers for me and a few other leaders are in your inboxes. If there is an emergency, contact one of us. No youth should have a cell phone with them. Thank you!

It’s not in the Bible

Demitri Martin has said that “sort of” is a harmless phrase. Although sometimes it can mean everything. Like after certain phrases… “I love you…” “You’re going to live…” “It’s a boy!”

This is true of the phrase, “It’s not in the Bible.” There are variations of course. “Jesus never mentioned it.” "Paul never wrote about it." 'Moses never told a joke about it." Now sometimes this is a really helpful point. Other times, it’s quite misleading.

Does the Bible ever use the words “nuclear bombs” or “chemical weapons" or even "asassination?” No. Does the Bible have things to say about how we treat our neighbors and our enemies? You betcha!

Does Jesus ever discuss cocaine or huffing? Not in my version of the NT. Does Jesus talk about all of us being God’s children, about our bodies as temples and a gift from God? Does he tell us to love ourselves that we might love others? You better believe it.

When thinking about these topics, it would seem like saying “It’s not in the Bible” or “Jesus never talked about it,” could always be dangerous. However, when followed up with… “But the Bible does say….” Or “Jesus did teach…” it can be a useful tool for studying scripture.

“The Bible doesn’t use the phrase ‘premarital sex.’” True, but it does talk an awful lot about the power and consequences of sex, including a heck of a lot of illustrative cautionary tales. It does talk a lot about the special gift from God. It does have a lot to say about loving others as you love yourselves and not ever taking advantage of other people and has a lot to say about relying on God to resist temptations. And just as importantly, it has a lot to say about making mistakes and the overabundance of God’s forgiveness and expectation that we do the same.

“Jesus never utters a word about homosexuality.” True. And he does have tons to say about loving one another, seeking God’s will as found in the holy texts and words of the prophets. And Jesus has a whole lot to say about loving others, feeding the poor, visiting the sick and imprisoned, sheltering the homeless and standing up for the downtrodden. How we doing on that?

Now, admittedly, as a Presbyterian, born and raised, my first instinct to a moral or social quandary is maybe not to say to their friends, “I wonder what the Bible says.” (I'm working on this, thanks to some non-Presbyterian friends) But the next time someone says, “that’s not even addressed in the Bible,” I challenge you to say, “are you sure that’s entirely true?”