I believe there is one day that stands out as the scariest day of my life: the first day of high school. The first day separates the men from the boys; and on that day, we are all boys.

I entered my first day of high school as a quiet loner and kept telling myself that my new school was simply a larger, more over-crowded version of my previous experience (except for the giants that roamed the halls in search of terrified freshman to eat). I was determined to survive my first day, so I came prepared. I had a list of all my classes, with the teacher and the room number. My first class: 9th Grade Social Studies.

I checked the room number and then proceeded to fight through the sea of bodies. Pure determination brought me to the other end of the school, and I emerged from the crowd in front of my classroom with time to spare! I confidently marched in and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief. The teacher entered, greeted us, and began to read off the role call. He got to the B section, but I didn’t hear my name. He continued on to the C and D sections. Maybe I was a late edition to the class so I’ve been moved to the bottom of the list? Panic started to build as he finished the list having still not called my name. “Did I miss anyone?” He asked, but I was too shy to answer. “Ok, welcome to 11th GRADE MATH!” My heart skipped a beat. Slowly my hand raised into the air. “Um sir, I think I’m in the wrong class, unless you are secretly Mrs. Franzen and ‘Math’ is code-word for ‘Social Studies…’” As I was led to my real classroom, I discovered that I had not only gone to the wrong room but was on the wrong floor entirely!

The world is moving quickly in the wrong direction. There are all kinds of ideas, religions and philosophies out there, and it has resulted in a lost world that doesn’t even know it’s lost. But, there can only be one Truth. In Matthew 18:11 Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” On our own, we are wandering through life like lost sheep. We may think we know where we are going, but we are headed for disaster. I desperately needed someone to show me the way before I ended up in the wrong classroom. The good news is this: Jesus came as a shepherd to lead us in the right direction. He came to show us the way to abundant life, both here on earth and for all eternity. One of the greatest hymns of all time says this: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” I pray that more people in this world can echo these words every day.

I am a task-driven person. My brother and cousin are much different. They represent the attitude of “It will get done eventually, so why worry about it now?” When we recently took a forty hour road trip, conflict was inevitable.

I was determined to leave by 9AM on Monday morning unless some sort of natural disaster hit (in which case we would leave at 9:30). But by the time the other two said their good-byes, went out for breakfast, packed their bags, found their passports, and re-packed their bags, it was nearly 10:30! When I finally got them in the car I was determined to put some miles on the speedometer before the entire day was lost! By the time we pulled up to a Motel 6 it was nearly 2 in the morning and I was not a popular leader. I marched in, demanded a room, and dragged my party upstairs. I approached room 209 and stuck my key in the door. Nothing happened. I tried again; still nothing. I was growing impatient, so I did what any intelligent man would do; I tried it again. With the door still locked I turned to my cousin and ordered him to try his spare key. In frustration, he began swiping his card in and out of the door lock as fast as he could. It sounded like a woodpecker was pounding on the lock until it was drowned out by an even louder noise. This noise, however, came from inside the room. I thought we had just awakened The Cave of Wonders when a booming voice rang out: “WRONG ROOM!” My cousin turned white, “Ok,” he squeaked. I sheepishly pulled out the receipt to discover our room was number 219 not 209. My popularity had just taken another dive!

In my Christian life I often find myself rushing to serve God, but failing to check with Him first. When it seems like God is not blessing my efforts, I get confused and angry. I cry out in frustration because I am serving Him with all my heart and He doesn’t even seem to be happy with me! This is when God gently reminds me that He is the Lord of my life. He has a will; I was just too busy to listen. We can get so caught up in serving God that we don’t seek His will first! It’s no use pouring our hearts into serving God if it’s not what He wants us to do. Had I taken the time to listen at the front desk of the hotel I would have known that, no matter how hard I tried, my key would not work because it was the wrong room. The next time we attempt something for God, let’s wait on Him to give His approval first, otherwise we may get stuck at a locked door.

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5

Grandmas are great for many reasons (especially their marvelous ability to bake pies that would make Willy Wonka proud), but they all share one thing in common: their ability to embarrass their grandchildren. My grandmother is not generally known for her reserved, introverted nature. She is famous for coming to my grandfather with 3 or 4 women she met in the airport bathroom who need his spiritual council. She has never met a stranger, and is constantly engaging in conversation with anyone who will listen (well, listening isn’t even required!).

When my grandma visited me at work one day I felt a little uneasy. She walked through the doors and memories of purple sweaters given as Christmas gifts flashed before my eyes. I looked for a place to hide, but the lunch rush had just started and a crowd was forming behind her. With a big smile she called to me and waved, informing all of her new friends in line that I was her oldest grandson, whom she is very proud of. In horror I suddenly realized she didn’t want anything to eat, but had come to take a picture of her grandson at his first job! Ages seemed to pass as my grandma fumbled with her new digital camera (which, apparently, nobody had taught her how to use!). The worst part wasn’t even the picture, but the comments I got from every single person who came behind her!

Have you ever found yourself embarrassed about your faith? Have you been afraid that people will find out you’re a Christian? After all, Christians are not known for receiving the warmest hospitality. History is filled with stories of martyrs who died proclaiming their faith, yet I often find myself worried what others will think of me. Although the world is free to push their philosophies in your face (including the “un-biased” views of atheist university professors), it is considered “pushy” or “preachy” to take a stand for Jesus. While we should never force our views on other people, the Bible calls us to speak up! Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this…generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (1 Peter 8:38) If there is one day we won’t want to be ashamed of following Christ it will be on the day of His return. All other reasons for denying Him will fade away in the glory of His second coming. And why should we ever be ashamed of the one who gave His life for us?

As embarrassing as it was to have my grandma show up that day, I realize now how much she loves me and how often she has sacrificed for me over the years. I still have a copy of that picture she took, and I keep it as a constant reminder of how much she loves me. We have a God who loves us infinitely more. Are we ashamed of Him?

I have a wild imagination, so a couple days after seeing The Dark Knight I remained a prime target for a scare. It was about 11:00 p.m. and I was in my apartment when something caught my eye. I dismissed it as a mind trick but the hairs stood a little straighter on the back of my neck. Out of curiosity, I decided to check my window (it is the perfect size for a psycho clown to enter!) when a figure jumped from the shadows and pounded the window, shrieking at the top of its lungs.

Now, every man plans for a situation such as this. They dream of calmly defending the attack with expert karate moves while casually bantering with their foe over the death of their father until defeating the enemy and leaving him tied up and unconscious on the doorstep of the police station. Unfortunately, this is NEVER what happens.

After I pried myself off of the ceiling, collected my wits, and changed my shorts, I walked to the window to find my friends Michelle and Kristen. When they finally stopped laughing at me, we had a great discussion on the new Batman film. While we were talking, Michelle brought up an excellent observation. She pointed out the contrast found in the character of Harvey Dent.

In the beginning of the movie, Dent is a hero who stands for everything right. However, Dent’s life is altered by a series of tragic events, including severe burns to his face, and he becomes evil. Or does he?

Michelle pointed out to me that the evil was there all along; it was only exposed later. Dent had some serious character issues from the beginning, but he hid them well. However, trials have a way of bringing out either our best or our worst qualities.

When do we find out the most about ourselves: during easy times or hard times? I have found that the trials of life always force me to look long and hard into the mirror of my soul. These are also the times I am the most desperate for God. Psalm 66:10 says, “For You, O God have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.” Silver is put in the fire so that everything of no value can be burned off, leaving only the most precious material. God may allow us to go through hard times so that our true character is revealed. Although we may not realize it at the time, He does this out of love. He wants us to become beautiful silver, without all the unattractive rock surrounding it. Trials show what is keeping us from being all that God wants us to be. We are left with the choice of giving in to our dark side or allowing God to burn it away. So the next time God holds up a mirror to your character, don’t be discouraged by what you see; He is showing you a work in progress, and the response is up to you.

He stared at me from across the table, his eyes cold, his face expressionless. “Your mission,” he said, “should you choose to accept it, is to help the four of us eat this entire Black Forest cake.” The challenge was made, and four sets of eyes eagerly watched for my reaction. The suspense hung in the air like a cloud. “Waitress,” I called, “would you be so kind as to bring us five forks?” Five Friends…one cake…so it begins.

At first we ate with speed, driven by an inner force awakened in every man when food is involved. A crowd gathered as the continuous action of fork-to-cake-to-mouth whirled into a blur. With grim determination we ate; each of us focused only on the bite ahead. However, as time wore on, our original dreams of glory turned into questions of survival. One friend (apparently aided by the quadrupled sugar level in his blood stream) stood to his feet and shouted, “I can’t take it anymore! I qui…” He was cut short as a hand cracked across his head. “Pull yourself together man!” urged Jeff, the oldest of the group. Finally we came within sight of our goal as one piece remained on the plate. There it sat, staring at us in disdainful mockery. The sound of Jeff’s voice rang out, “Brothers, today we are faced with a choice. We can choose to let shame rule over our lives and be left wondering what could have been. Or, we can choose this day to look disgrace in the eye and defeat it. SO WHAT WILL IT BE?!” With a great battle cry we lifted our forks into the air and plunged them into our enemy. A thunderous applause shook the restaurant as the last bite of icing disappeared behind my victorious maw.

This goofy story illustrates what often happens in the Christian life. When we start our spiritual journey, the excitement is so great it seems like we can never get enough of God! Our friends are there to feed our excitement and we jump in with both feet, enjoying the bounty of our faith. However, as time passes, we experience hardships that shake our foundations. We allow ourselves to be separated from God. I have seen many Christians who come to a crossroad in their faith and choose to leave it all behind. Jesus never said the Christian life would be easy, but asks that we persevere until the end. In the book of Revelation (3:7-22), there is an interesting contrast between the church of Philadelphia and the church of Laodicea. The first church stayed faithful to God through the hard times while the latter sat on the fence and became lukewarm. God promised to bless the first church and carry them through the trials, but the second He would vomit out of His mouth. I find myself asking, “What church am I?” Which church best describes you? Will you keep going until the end or choose to quit when the going gets tough? Choose today to persevere.

There is a common stereotype that white boys can’t dance. Some misinformed individuals obviously have never heard of Justin Timberlake, Vanilla Ice, or…did I say Justin Timberlake already? Sick and tired of the label stuck on our fellow Caucasians, my brother and I decided to set the record straight once and for all.

We were at a college fellowship in Botswana, Africa. After an intense game of 21 on the basketball court, I was on my way back for a seventh hamburger when… “Everybody, it’s time for our dance competition!” Dance competition?! I frantically tried to escape but was trapped by the crowd. I shrank back into the shadows, attempting to blend in. “We need some white boys out here; where are Mike and Dan?” I froze, hoping that if I remained motionless nobody would notice me. My brother did the same; but we were outnumbered about 15-1, so it was not hard to find the terrified white boys in the crowd. A cheer erupted as we were dragged on to the dance floor. The competition was simple: follow the group number and try not to mess up. However, we seemed to be the only ones unfamiliar with the dance! Finally, my brother and I locked eyes and seemed to have the same idea. Breaking off from the rest of the group, we started with a basic top rock to pump up the crowd and progressed into a power circle. I could feel the beat of the music matching the rhythm of my heart as I coin dropped and began to spin. From my windmill I could see Dan astonishing the crowd with The Worm. Jumping back to my feet, I hit them with a deadly combination of the Shopping Cart, Sprinkler and Robot. Dan flipped out of his Darkhammer, gave me a high-five and stretched into a Pike. Thoughts rushed through my head: Why had I not auditioned for the lead role in “Step Up?” Would I let fame ruin me after I won “So You Think You Can Dance?” When did Dan learn to do a Headglide? The music ended and the results were announced: “Everyone has advanced to the next round! Well, almost everyone. Mike and Dan, thank you so much for participating!” Some people have no appreciation for potential.

A hypocrite can also be described as a “pretender.” They give the outward impression of something, but it is a false image. Jesus did not appreciate hypocrites. In Matt 6:5, He warns us not to act as if we are more spiritual than we are. However, one of the biggest problems the world has with Christians today is hypocrisy. The world doesn’t need to see pretenders; they need to see real people transformed by a real God. I could only fake my way so far through a dance competition before it became obvious to everyone how good I really was (or wasn’t!). The same is true with my faith: If I am faking, it’s only a matter of time before people see right through the charade.

August 31, 2007. The day I look forward to all summer: the last day of my summer job. While driving home, I suddenly realized that in my haste I had neglected to pick up my insulated lunch bag from the refrigerator. The thought of going back to get it briefly occurred to me, but I dismissed the idea and continued on my way. I assumed I would never see that bag again. I was wrong.

Late June, 2008. The town hired me back for a third summer, due I am sure to the labor shortage, not my impressive skills with a landscaping rake. After a particularly grueling morning of trying to figure out the difference between a Robinson and a Phillips screwdriver (why can’t they just call them “The Square One” and “The Star One”? Life is too complicated.), I finally arrived in the lunch room. As I opened the refrigerator, a grey lunch bag on the top shelf caught my eye. It looked vaguely, eerily familiar. It was my old lunch bag! Like being reunited with a long lost friend, I eagerly ripped the bag open, but the smile on my face evaporated when I discovered the bag was not empty. Something was inside it! In horror I peered within to find a plastic container with mysterious contents. Although it now looked like chocolate cookie dough, I vaguely recalled that it was once hamburger casserole. My supervisor gave me a look that said, “You really shouldn’t, but I am just as curious as you are.” I summoned up my courage and yanked off the lid! The sudden combustion of lethal fumes exploded into the atmosphere. I heard the silent screams in my head as the lives of thousands of (apparently unused) brain cells were ruthlessly cut short. Lights danced before my eyes. I swayed and stumbled to the nearest chair. My supervisor (who apparently had forgotten his earlier encouragement) gave me some sage advice that day: “Mike, throw that bag away!”

It is not easy to forgive people. It is much easier to get angry, bottle things up inside or even end a relationship. However, I’ve found the longer I refuse to address a problem, the worse it gets. I may push it into the corner of my heart and try to forget, but it sits there and festers until one day I realize its stench has leaked into other areas of my life. When Jesus prayed the model prayer, He said: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Jesus knew we could not enjoy God’s forgiveness if we refused to forgive others. We can try and overlook our need to forgive someone but the odor of unforgiveness will only grow worse until we can’t ignore it any longer.

In my attempt to be accepted and admired, I had made many changes in my life: I switched my clarinet for a set of drums; I replaced my mushroom haircut with a “spikier” one; I started buying jeans instead of sweat pants; and I traded in my Star Wars books for…uh…harder-to-read Star Wars books.

I thought I had tried everything, but still the ladies took no notice of me! I thought I had run out of options when I got an idea…an awful idea…I got a wonderful, awful idea! I would dye my hair! The best way to get girls to notice me was to drastically change my appearance! But not just any careless moderation of the tresses would do. My hairdresser worked her magic, and when she spun my chair around, I gazed at the masterpiece she had created. The sides and back were my natural brown, the top was bleached blonde and the bangs in front were a bright fire-engine red. It was perfect! However, the room in the hairdresser’s studio was rather dark, and when I stepped into the light I realize that it was not so much red as…oh please no…PINK! I HAD PINK HAIR!

Horror struck me as I realized I had to face my classmates in less than 15 hours. In desperation, I called my cousin Anita and made her buy every hair dying kit she could find and rush to my rescue. We decided to bleach the pink out and leave the top blonde, but after five different attempts to strip the color from my locks, the pink was still visible. To make matters worse, somehow word made it to my school before I did, and I had been dubbed “Mike Pinkaby.” On the bright side, people DEFINITELY noticed me the next day.

As Christians, do people notice us? Do we stand out in a crowd? If so, is it positive recognition? The sad reality is most Christians are known for what they don’t do rather than what they do; people know what they are against but have no idea what they are for. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” When people look at me, I want them to see Jesus. I want everything I do to point towards the God who saved me. I don’t want people to notice me; I want them to see God. God is the light in our lives, but how bright is that light shining?

I am not a morning person. I do not enjoy rising before the sun to go for a jog, eat a healthy breakfast, or read the newspaper while the rest of the world sleeps. I prefer to hit the snooze button on my alarm as many times as I can…and then once more. My breakfast consists of the granola bar I grab on my way out the door. I get my exercise by running to my car, and I catch up on world events by tuning in to my car radio. Despite my unhealthy morning habits, however, I can always rely on my trusted alarm clock. Or so I thought.

I am currently in a hotel in Malaysia, but I clearly remember the talk my father gave me the night before we left for the airport. Like most international flights, they know you have plenty of time to sleep on the airplane (despite being sandwiched between two extremely large people, having no leg room, and being assaulted by the sound of four crying babies), so they always make the departure time as early as possible. On this particular flight, that time was 6:45 a.m. Since we live 45 minutes away from the airport and must clear long customs and security lines, our meeting time was 0400. “Mike,” he told me, “Make sure you are IN THE DRIVEWAY at 4:00 in the morning. That doesn’t mean ‘leaving your apartment at 4:00.’ It means ‘in my car pulling out of my driveway at 4:00.’” I assured him that, as a twenty-three year-old-man I was a responsible adult, and refused his offer to give me a wake-up call.

I abruptly awoke the next morning to the annoying sound of my cell phone. As I scrambled to answer it, my eyes darted to my alarm clock. It read 4:05. My dad is going to eat me with a side of French fries. After a rather short and somewhat direct conversation with my father, I proceeded to race around my room throwing anything I could find into a suitcase. I flew out the door and raced to my parent’s house, remembering the numerous items I forgot to pack as I turned into their driveway. This was going to be a long morning or a short life.

How many times in our Christian life are we caught off guard because we were careless? How often are we shocked by sin in our lives because we didn’t notice when it entered? It is easy to coast through life without paying attention, but spiritual idleness carries severe consequences. In Luke 22:46, Jesus found his disciples sleeping at his most critical hour. My dad once told me, “The forces of evil never sleep.” That is so true. Judas was extremely busy on the night he betrayed Jesus, but the other eleven disciples were sound asleep. There are spiritual battles being waged all around us and if we are not careful, sin will entrap us before we even realize it.

Being trapped in a dark room is a terrifying experience. The sensation of total blackness overwhelms you. You can’t tell which way is up and which is down, where you are going and where you have been, or even what lies just ahead of you. The less we see, the less we have control over. A dark room is filled with uncertainties, and it is not a place we want to find ourselves in.

I remember sharing a room with some of my siblings and cousins on a summer trip years ago. We all piled into a room filled with bunk-beds for the night, but sleep never came to me. When I was a kid, I was always the last one to fall asleep at sleep-overs, and things had changed little since then. I have also found it hard to sleep in foreign surroundings, and such was the case that night. As the sound of snoring started to fill the room, I sat in my bed wide awake. After what seemed like an eternity, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I figured I stood a better chance of getting some sleep on the couch in the next room, so I got out of my bed and headed towards the door. However, the second my feet hit the floor I lost all my bearings. Never had I been in a room so utterly dark, and I started to panic. I desperately reached out for something to grab on to but found nothing. The noises in the room seemed to get louder and the blackness thicker. I had no idea where I had come from or where I was going. The minutes dragged on as I stumbled through that room, terror gripping my stomach, until I finally cried out to God. With tears streaming down my face, I begged God to save me from the weight of the darkness around me…and there was the door. I turned the handle and stepped into the light, and never had I known such freedom.

The world is a dark place. I only need to skim the front page of a newspaper to know that evil runs rampant in our world. People are lost and are desperately searching for answers to their pain and hopelessness. Where can we find freedom from this darkness? Where is the light? God wants to call us out of the darkness and into the light (1 Peter 2:9). We are so lost in the shadows that we can’t even find the door, but Jesus is there to lead us to the light. Life is filled with evil, but there is One who will guide us. We don’t have to live in confusion anymore! Have you let Jesus guide you to the light, or are you still stumbling through the darkness?