What I think is amazing is how we look to science to measure everything in the universe and can see how God has designed everything so well. I find it even more amazing when I read articles like this that mess with our concept of how we have everything so figured out. Having all these studies, archeological findings, experiments and hard evidence to prove that everything in the Bible is true is not crucial to my belief in Jesus. Yet the more concrete facts I learn , I can feel my faith decrease ever so slightly. If someone is given libraries upon libraries of irrefutable information about something that isn't tangible (for a silly example, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster), the less faith it takes to believe in something. With tons of evidence, one is left with absolutely no choice but to concede belief--the free will to believe is taken away by force.
Things, like this "Leap Second" just remind me how awesome and great God really is. Like it says in Isaiah 55:9, God's ways and thoughts are much higher than ours. Whenever we think we have God all figured out and are ready to put Him on our shelf because we think we have contained to what we can understand, He throws us for a loop and we have to wrestle with facts and events that baffle our brains. To me, it doesn't matter what kind of new research comes out that may discredit how God perfectly created the universe, my personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the biggest evidence to my faith. So what if that according to our understanding the world isn't as perfect mathematically as we think it should be, God's math is far more perfect than our math! In the next year, make it a point to spend some time with the individual that actually created the universe!! I am sure that relationship will blow away anything else you could possibly understand.
This evening we had a lot of fun with many of our friends who are members of our Adult Leadership Team as we got together for our annual Christmas Party. Our party was scheduled before Christmas, but we got whacked by a snow storm and had to postpone it. We enjoyed lots of food, a white elephant gift exchange, and at the end we presented them all with a small gift as a token of our appreciation for their partnership in youth ministry. It was a wonderful time of celebration, laughter, and friendship. Thank You Jesus for being able to do ministry with friends!
Received this Stranger Than Fiction Article from the e-Journal of Student Ministries: 
10 Minute Moments is a new devotional book by Kurt Johnson designed especially for Jr. High students. I decided to put the book to the test by giving it to Olivia, a 7th grade students who has been following Jesus for about a year. After a few weeks I asked her for her honest feedback. Here it is ... raw, unedited, and straight from the mouth of the target audience:
Today 36 of us had a blast serving Jesus together at our church's annual Senior Saints Christmas Luncheon. What a joy it was to work together to bless others in the name of Jesus! We are so proud of all of you who helped out, and we invite everyone to join us the next time we have an opportunity to serve!
This week we started a 2-part message entitled Live2Give. All students have been challenged to find ways to give of their time, their talents, and their treasure.