What in the world are you doing?

When I was a kid my parents, either individually or jointly, asked me many times after another booger-headed moment in my life: "What in the world are you doing?" Most of the time that came as part of an incident (one of millions like this) where I obviously wasn't thinking about what I was doing, who was going to suffer from my decision, or what the consequences might be for me and/or others.

This came to mind as we were attending a youthworkers conference recently. It first came to mind as I watched scores of people walk by the IsleGO Missions booth we had set up in the exhibit hall of the conference. The thought was in response to the way many of the attendees were dressed; so many were old enough to know better but still trying to dress like the teens they served.

With the passing of many hours in the exhibit hall, watching people (one of my favorite activities) caused the sentiment of this phrase to greatly change. You see, hundreds of people came by with arms loaded with ministry resources they had either been given or they had purchased. Some were so loaded they needed 3-4 bags or backpacks to hold it all. Many couldn't hold it all, so burdened under their load that it often spilled out onto the floor around them. That was when it came to mind again:

"What in the world are you doing with so much stuff?"

I flashed back to when I was still full-time in local church student ministry and attended conferences like this one. I remember going back to my office with all my "swag" from the latest convention and sorting through it. Sadly, a lot of it ended up in File 13 never to be used or seen again. So much information, so many resources, that I couldn't even read it all, much less use it!

The next picture that flashed through my mind (obviously a short trip for any thought) was of my ministry friends in other countries that only dream of such a wealth of tools for ministry. They serve in places where there is no Christian bookstore, no internet, no such conventions, with no resources and no hope of finding any.

Again I remembered why I do what I do - to connect the needs of the Church outside the U.S. with the abundance of resources inside our country. If we can just connect THEIR need with our BLESSINGS it is a win-win situation as they receive the needed materials to change their students' lives and we get to be a part of the blessing. So let me ask you, no pun intended, what in the world (literally) are you doing with the blessings God has given you? What difference are you making in the world outside your church and community with the abundance of God in your lives?

Just a thought...I need to go now. Somewhere in one of my swag bags from the convention is a finger rocket with John 3:16 printed on it.