Joel Young Blog.com

These thoughts will be complete randomness, but with everything going on in my life right now this is how I think. Hopefully some of these random thoughts will either amuse you or challenge you.

• Why does un-sweet tea exist? It seems to me that it is nothing more than colored water that tastes horrible.
• Here’s an interesting paradigm for you to consider. As a young man my stress drove me insane, and a slightly older man my stress motivates me to new levels of clarity.
• The longer I am married and the older my kids get the closer I am to understanding God’s love for me; unconditional and unwavering.
• Life is a stick of dynamite. It can either blow off your fingers or launch you to heights you’ve never known before.
• My kids have changed my life (that’s weird to say, “my kids,” plural). Reed is the most unique person I have ever known, and Kid #2 (as he/she will be referred to until born) is constantly changing my outlook on life and we haven’t even met yet.
• I’m excited to see my tools again! It may sound weird, but I’m a guy who likes to work with his hands and I haven’t gotten to sand, grind, saw, chop, or hammer anything in a long time. I may feel differently in a month when my honey-do-list is bigger than my excitement.
• Genuine people are a gift from God. It doesn’t matter what they say or do. If they’re truly genuine they’re a blessing.
• I’m glad my wife’s pregnancy cravings are back for one huge reason…BEEF! It’s what we have for dinner a lot in our house these days!

Many things about the past month, and the one to come, of my life have left me in a constant state of wondering. Though it can drive some people mad, I love wondering because it means that the future is unknown to me. That fact alone used to scare the life out of me, but it’s now a welcome emotion. I love the fact that God is the one who is controlling my life, and that all I need to worry about is serving him. It has really simplified my approach to life. Here are some of my current wonderings.

• Will my next child be yet another boy in the fine line of Young men, or will she usher in an era of Godly women for our family?
• How will two children change the dynamic of my family?
• How many children will I have when it’s all said and done?
• What will my new neighbors be like? Will they be receptive or resistant to the message of Christ that our family brings to the neighborhood?”
• Will my wife and/or I ever return to graduate school as we have planned?
• What will Horizon look like in 6 months…12 months…5 years?
• How will my approach to preaching change as I mature?
• What will The Church look like in 10 years?
• What will my son’s true personality be like when he finally starts talking in full sentences? Am I ready for that?

Wondering can do one of two things. It can fill your life with anxiety and dread or it can get you pumped about the future.

“A pleasant illusion is better than a harsh reality”

-Christian Nevell Bovee

For some people, this is the truth that they operate under on a daily basis. Some of us would rather go on living in our own version of reality than step into the real world. This quote didn’t strike me as being particularly deep, but deeply profound. The avoidance of reality, for many, is based on comfort. If we’re living in an illusion, even if it’s pleasant, one day we will snap back to reality and it will hurt. Reality will find us all, and truth applies to everyone. They don’t need our acceptance to exist.

Are you living an illusion?

Pretty scary, right? I was browsing through one of my favorite sites today when I came across some “Home Inspection Nightmares,” and I couldn’t help but look. They’re all pretty funny, but not for a guy who is currently going through home inspections. I mean, I’ve found some pretty ridiculous things in the houses I have rehabbed before, but nothing comparable to these. You’ll have to check out the pictures and stories to see what I’m talking about.

Check it out the full list by CLICKING HERE.

Well, the life-altering news just keeps on rolling into the Young household. As this picture suggests Jenna is 6 weeks pregnant and Young Baby #2 is on his/her way. The feeling that becoming a father of two brings is much different that the feeling of becoming a father for the first time. I guess because this time around we’re supposed to know what we’re doing, or at least a little bit. Either way, we are ready and excited to welcome this little guy/girl into the world and our family and give him/her all the love he/she could ever need.

Those of you who know my wife and I well should probably start praying now that we can find a name for this little one. It took us all nine months to find and decide with Kid #1.

Well, there have been a lot of things that have been, and still are, a long time coming in the Young household, but today I’m referring to our search for a home as it officially ended yesterday. Over a year of looking and many frustrating situations later we found a great piece of earth on which to raise kids, make memories, and retreat from the world. This is a pretty big deal for our family, and in many ways solidifies our move to this area as we continue our work with Horizon.

Big thanks to everyone who has prayed for our search, stored our junk, or listened to our frustrations along the way. You helped us through and, pending inspections, it’s finally over. As most people said yesterday, “It’s time for a PARTY.”

I would agree.

It’s a blessing when…

…Reed, my two year old son, points at me and says, “Da-da.”

…I see my family growing.

…My wonderful wife works all day and the first thing on her mind when she walks in the door is taking care of me and Reed.

…I have the opportunity to talk to my brothers about life, and see their desire for God’s will.

…I have the opportunity and the ability to take an afternoon off and play some golf with friends (or even by myself).

…Reed uses only a handful of diapers in a week, and it seems that potty training is progressing.

…I see that God has given me the perfect companion in my wife Jenna.

…I remember what my parents did to give me a great start in life.

…My biggest problem is living in a two bedroom apartment.

…I get to marvel at the Word of God without having to prepare a sermon.

…God uses me to communicate the intricacies of His Word to His Church by preaching.

…I get to reminisce with friends about the past.

…I see God moving my wife to act outside of her comfort zone.

…I realize that the hardships and difficulty I currently face are in pursuit of God’s will for my life.

…I realize that if I were to receive NOTHING more from this point forward in my life, I would still live in the abundance of God’s blessing.

This morning as I was checking on some Tweets I ran across this little nugget from Steven Furtick that I thought deserved all the attention it could get.

“Some churches are like mushroom farms: the people are kept in the dark and fed manure.”

Do your part to make sure that the church never becomes a “mushroom farm”.

Ok, so I’ve been REALLY hammered with life and work lately and haven’t had much time to update the ol’ blog. My sincerest apologies. I promise that I will resume my normal blogging in a short while with much excitement, but for now let me give your day a little pick me up. If you own a nice guitar (i.e. a Taylor) you know how frustrating this would be. And if you’re a songwriter you can appreciate the poetic justice these guys dish out as they immortalize an airline that broke their guitar. If you’re not a musician you will probably not get the joke or care for the song. But if you are, you’ll probably be rolling on the floor by the time it’s over. Enjoy.

Last week we started an open-ended sermon series at Horizon on the books of 1 & 2 Timothy. These two letters from Paul to Timothy, and really the entire church in Ephesus, have a great deal of insight contained within them. Not just insight into what the church should be doing, but what they were struggling with as well. I don’t want to say that I enjoy it, because that might come across wrong, but I am often encouraged by hearing what other churches are struggling with. Sometimes it’s right in line with what our local church is struggling with, and that can remind us that we’re not alone in our plight.

Looking through the lens of these letter for the past few weeks has helped me to realize that there are somethings that deserve more attention and emphasis than we currently give them at Horizon. And that’s been a great thing.

So here’s my question…

If someone, who knew your church and pastor well, wrote a letter to your church about the work that is being done, what would it say? What things would you be commended for? What things would you be commanded to stop?

Sometimes we don’t see things the way they really are until someone shows them to us.