(Reuters) – Boys should be routinely vaccinated against the human papillomavirus or HPV in an effort to protect them from oral, anal and penile cancers, and to extend protection of girls from cervical cancer, U.S. vaccine advisers said on Tuesday. (Full Story)

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which causes genital warts and has been known to cause cancer. This recommendation, as tough as it it to hear, underscores just how pervasive sexual activity is among our youth.

I am more than a bit unnerved by the announcement as the father of two boys. My boys are not school-aged yet, but this announcement gives me a view into the world of their future. It is a world where sexual activity is more dangerous than ever – not just emotionally and spiritually, but threatening their very lives.

It doesn’t make sense to offer an opinion regarding the vaccine itself. I am not a health professional, nor well-researched. I am just grieved by the need for such a vaccine, especially in the likes of 11-13 year old boys. I would like to say that statistically boys and girls in the church are more abstinent and therefore safer, but that is not the case.

We are in a sad state…Lord Jesus, have mercy!

That being said, there is always hope in Christ. God is not rocked by STD’s, regardless of how young the victim. His Kingdom will see the eradication of them all. God’s prescription for sexual intimacy in marriage still stands as the best chance for “safe sex.”

I know the sadness I feel is His sadness at the harming of His children. I hope this will be a wake-up call to parents to talk to their kids about sex.  When should that be? I recommend while they are still in single-digits. When their doctor will be talking about these vaccines just a couple of years afterwards, it only makes sense.

These are just random musings, but I felt compelled to write about the issue.

Jesus invites us into his resurrected life. However, the way to that life is to follow his example. If we are to experience the joy of his resurrected life, we must also endure death at the cross. It is not a physical death, but surrendering to the reality that Jesus suffered on our behalf.

There are a lot of areas of my life where I want to experience Jesus’ life – my relationships are first on the list. Even my sex life makes the list. But I am reminded on Easter that in order for something to be resurrected, it first must die. Am I surrendering my life and all that it is about to Jesus so that it is his resurrected life that makes it live rather than my dead, sinful “life?”

Bottom line:
For something to be resurrected, it first has to die!

    “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

    “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

    “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

- Matthew 21:8-11

Yesterday was Palm Sunday – the day where we recognized the events mentioned in this passage of scripture. It is called Palm Sunday because the people laid palm branches down on the road to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem as he entered the city. Today, we might call this “the red carpet treatment.”

We have red carpet events when celebrities gather with lots of pomp and circumstance. The Hollywood elite show off their expensive clothes, expensive smiles, expensive bodies and glory in their status as icons of American culture. Such gatherings are mobbed by fans and photographers vying for a glimpse of their favorite celebrity. There is always an important event such as an awards banquet or movie premier for which the celebs gather.

Of course, Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, as it is sometimes called, was modest by comparison. He rode the colt of a donkey, a cloak as his saddle. He was welcomed with much fanfare. However, he was not in Jerusalem to be served, but to be the servant of all. Many had heard of his teaching and his fame was growing. But, the event Jesus was looking forward to was not an award in a worldly sense. Rather, he was being exuberantly welcomed to his brutal death on the cross. These people really had no idea who Jesus really was or why they were celebrating. It was just a herd mentality sweeping the city as the feast of Passover was about to begin.

While pondering these concepts on Palm Sunday, this modern-day analogy came to mind. I asked myself, “Do I roll out the red carpet for Jesus?” I believe I do in the form of church worship. But, do I really know why I am celebrating, or am I just participating, just going along with the crowd? What does Jesus mean to me personally?

One thing I know is that Jesus still serves us today. It is the most profound paradox that the Lord of all creation lives to make intercession for us (see Hebrews 7:23-25). He not only provided the payment for our sins, but he is a continual advocate for us to God our Father. Jesus, whose passionate death we celebrate this week, is alive and awaiting the opportunity to triumphantly enter the hearts of all who will welcome him there. May my heart continually be open to his coming!

Of course, the exact opposite is true for many. The holidays weren’t a time of great joy or celebration. You may have all sorts of family drama or for whatever reason Christmas is not very festive. Getting back to work is exactly what you have been looking forward to for those weeks while everyone else seemed to be smiling it up.

There are still others who don’t have any work to return to. You’ve been out of work so long it sounds like a fairy tale. Christmas, the gift-giving and receiving, has just been another unwelcome reminder that you don’t have a regular paycheck.

No matter what category you fall into, we can all use a good dose of perspective. What is God’s unchanging view? What is really important and how does that translate into my day-to-day activities?

What comes to mind for me is to focus on the eternal first and surrender the rest of it to God’s control. So what are those eternal things?

I have heard it said that only two things will be in heaven:

1. Jesus
2. People

That boils down to one word – relationships.

I want my life to be rich in relationships – both with Jesus and others. So while I am packing away the trimmings from the holidays, I am reflecting and mentally packing away the baggage that the holidays can carry. All the family drama, the resentments, hurts and disappointments – I am putting into God’s able hands and seeking His power to surrender and forgive. I am making a mental checklist of all the folks I need to mend things with. I have some awkward conversations to have and some new habits/routines to establish with my wife and kids.

What I am realizing is that the work I need to get back to won’t earn me a paycheck. I am back to work of course, trying to make ends meet. But my heart is mostly wrapped up with the work of repairing, deepening and forming relationships. My connections with Jesus my Savior and other people are the only things that will endure into eternity.

That sure puts things into perspective!

If you are interested, my church used some video of my testimony in Part 1 and 2 of the current sermon series called “Frantic”. It was really neat to take part. You can see them at these links:

http://www.therevolution.tv/sermons/play/frantic/part1
http://www.therevolution.tv/sermons/play/frantic/part2

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

13 Keep me from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

14 May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Two key words here: reactions (emotions) and responses (choices we make as a result of those emotions).

1. It is okay for me to have emotions, even bad ones. They are, in fact, a gift from God. However, they are very powerful and can lead to very poor choices if I am not careful. Emotions can only be dealt with through validation. I need to know that it is okay for me to feel this way. The best way for that to happen is by talking about my feelings with another “safe” person. (The Purity Report Partner Guidelines are a great way to create those safe relationships.)

2. I am responsible for the choices I make, even bad ones. Our will is also a gift from God. But, when fueled by negative emotions, we can make some really stupid choices. Sometimes, we get those responses (read choices) so ingrained that they are practically automatic. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Drawing this distinction has opened up a lot for me. It is okay for me to feel crappy about things. I also have the power to choose how I am going to respond. If I have automatic responses in play (addictions) then I need to find a way to slow down the cycle of stimulus (emotion) and response (choice) so I can choose differently!

I wrote a blog post a while back that adds more to this called “Stimulus and Response.”

pray continually;
1 Thes. 5:17

I have often read or heard this verse and come to one simple conclusion: I am not praying enough. That may be true, but is too simplistic and I don’t believe it really gets at the heart of this exhortation. Yes, we should pray without ceasing. However, it does not set right with my heart when my first-glance reading of scripture brings feelings of inadequacy because of a New Testament standard I feel I could never live up to.

This drives a lot of people crazy. I am one of them. Why? Because it feeds a culture of denial. Every time I respond with that answer untruthfully, I am putting a little band-aid on my heart in an attempt to hide. The problem is hiding from others leads to hiding from myself and God too. I start to believe that things are “Fine” even when they are truly rotten.

My people are broken – shattered! -
and they put on Band-Aids,
Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’
But things are not ‘just fine’!
- Jeremiah 6:14 (The Message)

Obviously I am not going to spill my guts to everyone I talk to. But, I need to be spilling my guts somewhere! My freedom and the health of my relationships, with Jesus and others, depends on it.

I don’t want to live my life floating in a boat on a river called DENIAL.

It goes like this: Focused intensity over Time multiplied by God equals unstoppable Momentum.

Rather than try to reproduce what other bloggers have already written, I decided to go to YouTube. Lo and behold! Dave Ramsey delivered essentially the same talk at a church a while back. It is well worth checking out. Here is the first part of the message (it is broken into four parts).

These are the direct links to the other three parts of the message.

The Momentum Theorem Part 2 0f 4

The Momentum Theorem Part 3 of 4

The Momentum Theorem Part 4 of 4

Okay, so you may be asking what this has to do with our primary vision – to help those who struggle with or have been hurt by sexual sin find healing. It is because at times, recovery is hard. In fact, there are times when you feel like you are sliding backwards (read backsliding). It requires a lot of focus, intensity and consistent application of them over time to make it in recovery.

You will not find wholeness through half measures!

We have to trust Jesus to help us focus, to stay intent upon the prize of purity and to sustain us in good times and in bad. We can capture momentum in recovery, like in any other arena of life. It does get easier, but not until we apply ourselves to it.

This simple theorem is a great reminder. Write it down, memorize it, and remember it when things are going well…and when things aren’t going so well. God will multiply our efforts to live for him, and that is what this is all about.