Some of you know that I have been on a journey to become a Licensed Methodist Minister. This was definitely something that just happened to me seven months ago. I have reflected on how in the world I got here. I knew my faith was growing the last fifteen years of my life, but really how did this journey happen for me?

As the Gospel of Matthew tells us, "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" Jesus put children in the middle of His ministry. We should take a lead from Jesus and put children in the middle of the Church. Did you know that almost 80% of people currently active in churches decided to follow Jesus before they were 18? Children are so open to learning what it means to trust in God. They are more mold-able than ever. They are forming their understanding of relationships, love, the world, and God. We need to become intentional about making sure they get the right impression.

I recently read an article covering the recent shooting at the Synagogue in Poway, California. You likely have heard or read the story, but if you have not, a young man walked into the synagogue intentionally targeting Jewish worshipers and killing one and wounding others. As the news has filtered out, it has been discovered he was a "faithful" member of a Christian church. In his seven page manifesto explaining his reasons for perpetuating this atrocity, he credited his theology and faith.

Can it possibly be that the back-to-school season has come to graduation season so quickly? It sure doesn't seem like it. More shockingly, this Sunday we will honor a group of young adults that had their ACTUAL first day of school (you know, kindergarten, Pre-K, 1st grade) not all that long ago.

There is not a minute by minute account of what Jesus did after the crucifixion and His resurrection. Sometimes when I try to think through one gospel or another, I become very literal, and I start to wonder "what could Jesus' resurrection life look like if they were all combined?" To reconcile the Bible accounts of the resurrected Jesus, I found a graph online and have included it below to show the possibility of how accounts overlapped.