MY BLOG POSTS

Teens do not get enough sleep. Many consider that a point of pride, staying up all night or coming to school on two hours’ sleep. Others feel that it’s just necessary. They “have” to stay up late. Some of you guys talk about sleep as if it’s a luxury you can’t afford, like getting Yeezy’s or a Supreme hoodie.

Friends, you NEED sleep.  Some of you are trying to do more than you should, sacrificing sleep when should just be saying “no” to some of your activities. You could actually feel better, improve your grades, and enjoy life more if you just got consistent sleep.

Sleep Makes You Smarter

Your brain needs rest. It actually processes information while you sleep! Conversely, a lack of sleep slows your brain down. It inhibits your ability to focus in class, to retain information, and to think critically. Being awake and focused in class can actually decrease the amount of study time you need. When you are focused on actively listening in class, you’ll learn the information (imagine that!), and then all you have to do is review your notes for the test rather than having to stay up all night to teach yourself the material you slept through.

Sleep Makes You Healthier

Your body needs rest. You can hurt yourself if you’re tired – especially if you’re driving while tired.  But even even outside a car, people hurt themselves significantly more often when tired than when alert. Lack of sleep has been shown to lead to obesity and diabetes. People who are chronically sleepy have higher risks for just about every health problem, in fact, from heart attacks to strokes. Healthy people take care of their bodies – and getting proper sleep is just as important as getting proper nutrition and exercise.

Sleep Makes You Happier

Your soul needs rest. People who are constantly on the move, always trying to squeeze in “one more thing”, are stressed out people. And stressed out people are not happy. In fact, studies show a link between sleep deprivation and depression. When we’re tired, our moods are affected, so we tend to be more short-tempered. Our patience wears thin, and people annoy us more. We struggle with loving others (which should be one of our primary concerns) when we’re tired. Additionally, our judgment is impaired. We can make stupid, sinful decisions when tired that we might not make if we were alert and thinking more clearly.

Even God rested on the 7th Day! Not because He needs sleep, but as a model for us. WE NEED SLEEP. When our bodies are rested, our minds and our souls are ready to serve and to learn and love.

And we need consistent sleep – not 4 hours one night and 10 the next. You can’t be all God has called you to be when you’re walking around exhausted. So let go of the excuses – and the phone, Netflix, video game, even the homework – and go to bed. On time. Every night.

This week, Christians around the world are looking forward to Easter — Resurrection Sunday. We are talking about Jesus, watching films about Jesus, reading stories about Jesus.

Yet, many people don’t really know who Jesus is. Some say he was a good teacher, a kind man, maybe even a prophet. But those definitions fall short of who he was. In fact, CS Lewis says it best when he argues:

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Jesus was crucified because He claimed to be God – a capital offense to the religious leaders of his day. Blasphemy. Except, of course, that Jesus wasn’t blaspheming. He was speaking Truth. In fact, one of the many statements that upset those religious leaders was when Jesus stated, “I am the way, the Truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

This statement offended people two thousand years ago, and it offends people now. One way? Isn’t that narrow-minded? Arrogant? Unfair? And, sadly, too many Christians have backed away from this Truth, have watered down the reality of who Jesus is in an attempt to make him more “likeable” to the masses.

But Jesus doesn’t need to be made likeable. He doesn’t need us to make excuses for Him. He doesn’t need to be repackaged into some Dr. Phil that makes people feel better about themselves. Jesus doesn’t need our help.

We need His.

People can choose to believe anything they want about Jesus. God gives us that freedom. But that doesn’t change the reality of who Jesus is: God in the flesh. He came to earth, not to make people feel better, but to provide forgiveness for the sins that keep us separated from Him. He offers eternal life  to “whoever believes on Him.” (John 3:16) But he doesn’t force that belief on anyone. It is a gift. A free gift.

If you want to know more about Jesus, read the Gospel of John. Don’t read books about the Bible. Read the Bible. See what Jesus said, what He claimed, what He taught, how He lived and died. See Jesus for who He is – not a madman, not a fool, not a great human teacher, but God in the flesh. And wake up Sunday celebrating that reality, falling at His feet and calling Him Lord

Please don’t be offended. Don’t think this blog assumes people are idiots. I’m not writing my next post on how to wash your hands — I promise. But I have realized that many of us struggle with having conversations. Myself included. I’d rather speak in front of a group of 100 than sit down for a one-on-one. It’s awkward, nerve-wracking, uncomfortable. In a world where words flow like Niagara Falls all around us, finding just the right words without drowning under the weight of them all can be daunting. Sitting alone with someone and being asked to carry on a conversation can feel like being handed a barrel at said falls.

So here are two easy tips for those of you, like me, who have some struggles with this issue. For those who don’t…tell me what it’s like to be you.

Stop Talking

I hate silence. It makes me REALLY uncomfortable. So I fill silence with random talking about random subjects that neither I nor the person I’m talking to even care about. What I need to do is just be quiet. If you’re like me, you’ll be shocked to know that some people enjoy silence. Crazy, right?? My husband is one of those people. It took me years to understand that when he’s quiet on a long car ride, it isn’t because he’s thinking about what a horrible conversationalist I am, but because he simply enjoys thinking. Quietly. Also, some people just take longer to talk than others. I’ve learned that if I stay quiet longer than five seconds, I open the door for those friends to share their thoughts.

Ask Questions

What about when you’re one-on-one with someone and you’ve run out of stuff to talk about? Ask questions! Again, I’ve learned this from my husband. He’s a master at asking questions and getting people talking. The easiest place to start is with basics, “Where have you lived?” “What are your hobbies?” “Do you have any siblings?” Those can launch people into long, often really interesting discussions. As they talk, ask more questions. You discover they lived in Oregon — ask them about the state. What’s the best food there? The best places to visit? The most unique fact about their town? They have three siblings – where are they in the birth order? Are their siblings very similar or very different from them?

The bottom line is actually biblical (imagine that!) – we are told to love others and value them. What better way to demonstrate someone’s value than by getting to know them? Focusing the conversation on the other person, rather than living, as I too often do, with the idea that it’s all about me, helps us get out of our heads, humble ourselves, and seek the best interests of the other person. You’ll discover ways to encourage them, just by listening and asking questions. Over time, you’ll learn how you can pray for them.

Conversations don’t need to be scary, especially when we remember that they don’t need to be about us. Focusing on others is liberating. So go to that party, sit next to that stranger, try out that new class. Come on in – the water’s fine.

I live about 15 miles from the beach. Beaches, actually. Some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. At Coronado Beach, the sand actually sparkles. At La Jolla, seals and sea lions lay on the rocky walls, barking at visitors. Imperial has a long pier that takes the beach-goer out over the ocean without even having to get wet. 

I’m thinking about that this morning because we’re heading to the beach in a couple hours. Not sure which one. But it’s Spring Break, and I realized that I haven’t been in months. Like six months. Maybe more. And I live FIFTEEN miles away. It’s shameful, I know. Those of you who don’t live near beaches probably think it’s criminal of me. I know when we go, we’ll see people who have driven hundreds of miles, flown thousands, just to get in a few days at the beach. And here I am, able to go anytime, and I let half a year go by without a visit.

While it’s pretty pathetic that I take for granted living near these world-class beaches, I realize there are far more important spiritual blessings that I take for granted, as well. I take for granted that I can talk to God any time I want. I take for granted that I can know Him, through His word. I take for granted that I have the freedom to meet with other believers, to talk about Him and hear what He is doing in others’ lives.

There’s no sin in taking for granted living near the beach, though whenever I go, I realize how much I love the sights and smells there, the reminder of how huge our world is and how creative our God. But there is sin in taking for granted my relationship with God, for allowing time to pass without talking to Him, listening to Him, sharing Him with others. Because He is so near, I can put God off — postpone time with Him because I have other things to do. But, friends, what can be more important than talking to and listening to our Father? He gives peace and joy and wisdom and hope. He is air and bread and water. We are here for His glory, and we are created for His pleasure. When we live for ourselves, forgetting Who He is, neglecting time with Him, we miss out on the abundant life that is only found in abiding in Him.

So, though I enjoy the beach, and I really will try to go more often, I can’t allow myself to treat the Creator of the Universe the same way I treat His creation.

“but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jn. 4:14