To LIVE & LOVE Responsibly

Just a quick update with hopefully and much longer one to follow in the near future. The past 10 days as been pretty busy, tragic, and completely exhausting. I am heading off to Butler, PA this coming weekend for the start of class #2 out of the 3 I will take consecutively until the third wraps in May (every other weekend out of town and lots and lots of reading and paperwork).

A week ago Saturday our community, and teens/families in our church, suffered the loss of 19 year old Andrew Marketich. Because this is my personal blog I will share that alcohol, reckless driving, and being out at 2 AM = the complete tragic and preventable nature of his loss. Andrew was very close to one of our families and I knew him through my work at the local Christian school where he graduated from in 2006.

I was asked to co-officiate the funeral and embraced the opportunity to help in any way possible. It was very difficult to spend 3 hours at the viewing and repeatedly witness people physically, emotionally, and spiritually go through that part of the grieving process. The most tragic reality was that many of Andrews peers do not have a living understanding of Jesus Christ. Though many others do, I cannot escape the eternal dangers of those who choose to live a silent faith among their peers and those they have the greatest influence. This thought came out as a rather emotional challenge to my students Sunday morning. When will WE share the hope that changes everything... including times like this! If we do not... what does that say?

^{Matthew 10:32-33 ~ 32}"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven

If you have ever questioned why Ashley and I don't drink... this is why! We will not live a double standard. We will not defend the use of something that by in large is the destruction of the physical and emotional lives of individuals, greatest contributor to violence, crime, and sexual misconduct. We will not make an option something that is completely and utterly misused and abused in the hands of teenagers and young adults. Pick this debate up with me after you stand in the principals office of your local high school with two state highway patrolman waiting to tell a brother and sister that their mother has just been killed by an underage young adult driving drunk (incident 3 years ago). Let me just try and see how anyone can justify the utter stupidity of the thought "drink responsibly". How about this... LIVE RESPONSIBLY... LOVE RESPONSIBLY! For this I am growing increasingly passionate!

Please pray for the Marketich family and Andrews friends. Andrew leaves behind three brothers and one sister. Pray that those of his friends who know the living Christ will have opportunity to share with those that do not.