Sitting in the library at College listening to Mark Driscoll about to get into some Greek translation and exegesis.

Had a great night with the guys from church at the belrose hotel last night. Just sat back and got to chat with guys my own age and guys at least three times my age. Great stuff. Preaching, journeying, suffering, loving, caring, teaching... all this stuff talked about as men with other men. It was a great night. Really edifying, but also really challenging. I know I came away from it knowing there were attitudes and beliefs that I need to change. Like giving people answers to questions. This is something that I have been learning for a while now, but last night was a great reminder that I am not there yet, and that I still talk too much, or more accurately talk when I shouldn't. There are times and occasions that I need to learn about, and learn the appropriate response. To just journey with people, and not give them an answer to their suffering - they don't want it, any answer you give someone as to why they are suffering and what God's response to suffering is will be trite and glib. It is never what that person needs. That person needs someone to be with them. That person needs someone to love them and care for them. That person does not need answers. That person does not need people like Job's friends trying to calculate an answer as to why he is suffering. He needed people to stand with him and for him loving him and caring for him in the midst of his suffering and time of trial. Us Christians are lousy at timing. And people like me who know they have some Bible knowledge are far too often prepared to give their answers to life's big questions and we never learn to just be with people because we think that those answers alleviate suffering and give hope. No, Jesus gives hope. And we need to be Jesus, because those people need Jesus, and when we stand with people in their suffering they experience the love of Jesus because they have a friend who enters into their suffering with them out of love and compassion and in that place that person is given hope and love and care and they meet with Jesus because in that place Jesus is present. We don't even need to ask Him to be, He just is. Christians need to be more like Jesus.

The book which has been really helpful for me learning about this stuff of less talk and more being present in people's suffering is Revisting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Root. Very worthwhile.