Matthew 25:35-40

So many people like to take these verses literally and think that Jesus is just talking about helping the poor. But I think it's about so much more. Yes, we need to actively help the poor, but we also need to help everyone in need no matter what the need is. Some people just need someone to talk to, some people need help getting through financial struggles, some people need help with a family crisis. This is the essence of what church should be about - serving others. What's cool is that the church is finally starting to get this. We've made it about us for so long, but now we're starting to see that it's not really about us at all. JM

Fun At The Gym

So this morning I went to the gym. I always start out doing the bench press where you lay on your back and push the weight off of your chest. I like doing free weights because I think they are cooler than using like a machine. That's for sissies.
Anyway, so I start doing my little bench press thing and it feels really easy. The goal is to do 12 reps, and it was going really well. I got to 10 and it still felt really easy. I wasn't straining all that much. I do rep 11 and it feels pretty much the same. So I go for rep 12. I lower the weight down to my chest and begin to push up, but the weight doesn't move. Odd. I try again and can't move the weight.
So there I am with 225 pounds stuck on my chest (it was really only 135, but 225 sounds so much more impressive). When I was a kid and would work out in my basement, I'd just lean the bar to one side, let the weights fall off that end and then it would tip the weights off of the other side. But that didn't really seem like a viable option.
I'm going to have to ask for help (if you know me you know that's a pretty big deal). I try one more time to see if magically I've regained my strength or the weight has become lighter, but I still can't budge it.
Thankfully, this guy goes "you need some help?". I said something like "Yeah, I got stuck." Then with like one finger he lifts the weight off of my chest. Pretty fun little incident to start my morning. Maybe one day I'll get strong enough to lift my own weights. For now I'll just stay small and wussy. JM

Matthew 14:24-33

I love that Jesus cares about us even when we get ourselves into trouble. A lot of times we bring our own demise on ourselves through poor choices, hasty decisions, or just lack of foresight. But Jesus still cares. We might still get a good talking too, and we'll probably still have to deal with the consequences, but Jesus cares enough to reach out his hand and save us. It would be easier to watch us drown, and we brought it on ourselves, but he cares so much that he wants to help us. JM