To Dustin and Melissa!

I was talking with Pamela the other night and she told me about someone in their church who is acting 'holier than thou' and I was talking to Melissa and she feels she needs to make a name for herself. eg: she seems to want to go to university to get a status like an MD attached to her name. Now, I know, you are thinking what do either of them have in common but I just realized they are more similar than you think.

See the person Pam and I were discussing has been given a 'status'. He is almost finished college and was asked by the Pastor to be the Youth Pastor. Something in which him and Pam have been working on for the past year or so. In the summer he went and worked at a church in the states and because of the big congregation he feels that the church that he works out of now is not good enough for him. (so to speak) A lot of other things have been happening but that is what I wanted to focus on for today.

Now Melissa is a hostess at the 'lovely' establishment that I work at. She has been tutoring mentally handicapped adults, and has been working on teaching ESL in Thailand coming next spring. And over the last few days has felt compelled to have a title. She feels that she would not be complete without a title/status in society.

Now the first has now been given authority and the second thinks having authority will make life that much better. I don't know, I just think that if Jesus isn't in the equation than who really cares. In a lot of ways I hope God knocks them both on their ass.

Dustin you need God and you never made it anywhere without Him so don't think just because He put you there that you can think its all about you now. You really need to ask God where you should be. And just to let you know-you and Pam made a huge impact in church a few weeks ago-God used you guys to bring 15 youth to salvation. This happened in the little church in Hamilton. What happened in North Carolina? Not saying it wouldn't happen but just having a big congregation doesn't mean anything at all. Most times it means that the church is further away from the Lord then we would like.

And for Melissa, status means diddly. You need to make Jesus your number one priority. I know He isn't. And you seem to be listen to the other one more than God lately. I love you and don't want you to settle for worldly acceptance when the only acceptance you should be aiming for is God's. Status won't get you happiness or fill that gap that you keep trying to fill. Only Jesus can. Albert Einstein expressed this emptiness when he said: "It is strange to be known so universally and yet . . . be so lonely." What greater name in science to have but Albert Einstein and status/fame whatever you want to call it still never filled his gap.

I love you both and I hope you find what I express to be from my heart and the Spirit. Jesus needs to be in the equation and doing His will for your life is the only way that you will truly live life to the fullest!!