Lost Without Lost

Here I am wondering what I'm doing starting a blog. Am I just doing this to keep up with the latest trend? Am I doing this to fit in? Part of me says that it will be fun while part of me just views blogging as another "thing" to add to my crazy to-do list. This past summer I had the opportunity to speak during one of our Super Summer sessions. The topic I was speaking on brought up the point that as leaders, we have to rid ourselves of anything that might hinder us as we lead. While we all can think of the bad things in life to get rid of (time spent online, time spent watching TV, just being lazy, etc.) we also had to realize that there are a lot of good things that can hinder our relationship with God. My fear is that this will take away time I should be spending with God, but my hope is that I will be able to use this free resource to express what I am learning as I grow closer to God. As a dad and a husband, I will naturally use this as a place to talk about my family, but I also hope to use this as a way to deepen my relationship with the God who created me.


From the title, you may already know what I'm talking about or you may have no clue. For the past couple of years I have held to a tradition on Wednesday nights. As a youth pastor, Wednesday seems to be the busiest day of the week for me. Sure, Sunday's can be pretty hectic, but since I am responsible to teach on Wednesday nights, I spend a great amount of time preparing for and conducting Wednesdays. After getting home from church, I usually just want to veg and not do anything. Enter one of my favorite TV shows into the picture: LOST! From the first episode of Lost, I was hooked. Being that Lost is on Wednesday nights, I have for the past couple of years finished church on Wednesday nights, helped put Emily to bed, and watched Lost. It is something that I look forward to since I am able to unwind from a long day at church. Even though the summer months do not include new episodes of the TV shows I watch, I am usually so busy with youth ministry activities that I don't have time to watch TV. So, I don't mind getting my Lost "fix" if you will.

No big deal until you find out that your TV show will not be starting until February of 2008. There goes my tradition. To be honest I really miss coming home from church and being able to watch Lost. I have tried to replace it with other stuff on TV, but it nothing else does the trick. Part of me knows that this is silly and the show will start next year and part of me feels bad for allowing something other than God to draw so much of my attention. I am not saying that watching Lost on Wednesdays is a bad thing in and over itself, but I do know that I must balance my desire to watch a TV show that will end after about 45 minutes with my desire to spend time with God. He is truly our greatest treasure and nothing this world has to offer can compare to Him. So, while I may feel "lost without lost," I am never lost because I have eternal life through Jesus Christ.