Wanna see a Miracle?

Burning bush.  Parting of the Red Sea.  Angelic appearances.  The walls of Jericho.  The resurrection.  All were crazy awesome miracles.  And you and I didn't get to see a single one of them.  Just once, wouldn't it be awesome to see a miracle?  Why did Moses, the prophets, and the apostles get to have all of the fun?  It would be amazing to actually see God doing something real in my life.  It would be a huge anchor for tough times when doubt creeps in.  But it seems that spotting a miracles is harder than finding Waldo in those old picture books.

Which is harder: Spotting a miracle or finding Jesus in this biblical Where's Waldo pic?

The Cure for Fear

Spiders.  Crazed gunman.  Car accidents.  Public embarrassment.  The dark.  Each of us is afraid of something.  What are your fears?  Better yet, how do you deal with them?  There is a Bible verse that I've known for years that tells us we were not given a spirit of fear but a spirit of adoption.  Michaela did something that made a light bulb come on in my head in regard to that verse.

Ever Changing Me

Yeah... I want to watch this...

Just a simple thought today.  Last night, after Christy and I had finished an episode of Bones, I was skimming through the Netlix menu.  I spotted TinkerBell and the Secret of Wings and my reaction surprised Christy and actually embarrassed me if I'm honest.  I saw it and said something along the lines of, "Sweet!  I haven't seen this one yet.  I'll have to watch it."

Now, before you think I've lost my mind, let me inform you that I meant that I would have to watch it with Michaela, you know, my 17 month old daughter who is in love with TinkerBell.  However, if I'm totally honest, I find myself legitimately interested in seeing this next movie.  I've seen two of them already and want to see how the next portion of the tinker fairy's saga plays out.

Call me girly or soft or whatever but I never would have reacted like that or wanted to see this movie at all two years ago.  The point is, Michaela has changed me.  Her interests have somehow become my interests.  Things that excite her are actually somehow starting to excite me.  The more time I spend with her, the more my interests are being transformed by her.  Hopefully, this will work both ways and she will be a big Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and, more importantly, Jesus fan when she grows up.

I'm not actively trying to be like Michaela or gain her interests.  I didn't have a conversation with my heart or personality and try to convince myself to like the things she likes.  It just happened as I spent time with her.

That, I think, is exactly how it works with God.  We don't start off like God.  We each start off with our own set of selfish and sinful desires.  But the more time we spend with God the more we will begin to change.  I'm not talking about trying to change ourselves by quoting doctrinal statements or telling our heart to change.  I'm talking about just spending time with God and it just happening.  Being in His presence and praying and reading His Word will change us.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. -- Romans 8:29

God wants to make us like Jesus.  How?

When we spend time with Jesus, the desires of our heart will begin to change to match His.  We become less self focused and more others minded, less concerned about our kingdoms and more concerned about His.  I've seen it happen to me.  I'm not perfect yet, but I'm also not the rude, selfish, arrogant, sarcastic, intellectual bully I used to be... though he does still rear his ugly head on occasion.  How about you?  Have you been changed by His presence?  Are you trying hard to change your own desires?  Have you tried just sitting at His feet and spending time with Him in His Word, worship, prayer, and fellowship with His people?  I hope so, because it's a close relationship with Him that changes us.  

May you find yourself ever more like Christ as you spend your time with Him.

Follow Hard

I think I would have said no to Jesus.

I mean, why on earth did Peter say yes?

Matthew chapter four tells us that Peter and his brother Andrew were fishing.  It was their job.  We know that Peter was an average kind of guy.  He had a home, friends, and a family.  We also know that Peter was married because Jesus heals his mother-in-law in Luke chapter four.  He's married and he has a job, a home, a wife, a family, and friends.  All reasons to say no.

Jesus, a complete stranger, walks up to Peter and Andrew one day while they are fishing.  Peter didn't know Jesus.  To Peter, Jesus was just some preacher he had heard people talk about.  Jesus hadn't even done any amazing miracles yet.  He was just some preacher.  And Jesus walks up to Peter and says, "Come and follow me."

More Than Normal

After taking a break from my blog over the very busy summer, I'm back to writing again.  I'm not sure if I'll be writing three times a week again this year.  We'll just have to see how it goes.  As this new school year starts, I wanted to share a word from Daniel with you teens and young adults, though it certainly applies to everyone.

Judges that give Two Thumbs Off

I'm going through Judges with the youth group and came across a really rough story that gave me a pretty strong warning.  Judges is a tough book to study and go through because it was a time when everyone, including most of God's people, had turned away from God and were living in tremendous sin.  The time period is summed up at the end of Judges with its final verse.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.  (Judges 21:25)

Imagine a world where nobody cared what God or anyone else thought.  Imagine a place where everyone did whatever they wanted and whatever they thought was right.  People took what they wanted and only looked out for themselves.  This is the time of the judges.

When Dad Says No

That's a picture of my daughter Michaela.  Before you call DCFS, I'll fill you in on a secret: The picture is totally photoshopped.  I love her with all my heart and I delight in her.  I'm happy when she smiles and it makes me sad to see her upset.

This morning, I was holding her and eating my breakfast.  She is at the point now where we are feeding her the standard mushy baby food but also giving her a few small solids like Cheerios.  So every time I brought my English muffin up toward my mouth, she would reach out to grab it and try to eat it.  I'd lovingly look at her and say, "No, no, no, this is for Daddy."  She'd stare at me with her pretty eyes and start playing with the tablecloth.  I'd take another bite and she would reach out again.  This happened the whole time I ate.

Feature Friday: Discerning good and bad movies/music/tv and more

Is it OK for me to watch ________?  It swears a little, but can I listen to _________?  As a youth pastor, I get those kinds of questions a lot.

Media like movies, music, books, and television are more than just pass-times.  Each of them has messages that they are conveying whether those messages are obvious or not.  This is especially obvious when we look at movies.  Have you ever left a movie theater inspired or changed in some way.  The movie Up moved me to tears and made me want to spend more time with Christy.  The movie The Grey left me discouraged.

Movies, music, television, and other forms of media influence us.  They plant ideas in our heads.  They encourage us to emulate the characters. . . not always in good ways.  They paint a picture of what is important in life.  As Mark Driscoll says, "They preach sermons."

When I was a new Christian, I used to think music and movies couldn't influence me.  As a new Christian, I was trying to give up swearing to honor God and I was failing miserably at it.  That's when my youth pastor told me to stop listening to Eminem and ICP.  If you didn't already know, every other word in their songs is a swear word.  I gave up their music and suddenly it was easy for me to stop swearing.  That's when I realized the stuff we watch and listen to influences us, whether we admit it or not.

BUT, we can't just give up watching, reading, or listening to anything that includes bad things like immoral sex, swearing, violence, rape, etc.  If we did, we would have to stop reading the Bible!  What we need is wisdom and discernment to make sure that the things we are letting in front of our eyes and ears are not influencing us to sin. Below are some guidelines to help you make those decisions.  But first, let the spirit of this verse guide you as you think about this issue.


Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  --  Philippians 4:8

What rules have my parents given me?

This is short and simple.  If you are a kid, then honor your parents' rules on this.  If they say don't listen to music that swears then honor them in that.  Follow their rules.  Its as simple as that!

What areas of sin and temptation do I especially struggle with?

Figure that out and avoid media that contains those things!  Years ago, I couldn't stop swearing and a major reason was that everyday I was listening to an hour minimum of music that swore non-stop.  Do you struggle with lust and have a hard time keeping your thought life pure?  Then let me suggest that shows, movies, and songs that talk about sex are bad for you.  That means you should probably avoid B96 and shows like How I Met Your Mother.  If you were an alcoholic, it would be stupid to go to a bunch of parties where alcohol is served.  The same thing applies here.

Does it make sin look normal, good, fun, or rewarding?

The Bible's stories and content are full of sin.  Lot sleeps with his daughters.  Judah solicits a prostitute.  Jacob is a deceitful coward.  The list goes on and on.  But the Bible shows those things for what they are.  It shows that they are sin.  It shows the terrible consequences that come from them.  It also doesn't give us every sinful detail. 

Many movies, music, shows, etc. do the opposite.  They portray people living lifestyles of sin and imply that those actions are normal, good, and healthy.  In increasing ways, they give us more and more of the lurid details.  They even go as far as claiming these things are rewarding!  Going back to How I Met Your Mother, Barney sleeps with hundreds of women in a life full of one night stands.  Is this character shown as heartbroken, disease ridden, or immoral?  Not really.  He is happy, successful, wealthy, charming, and one of the funniest characters on the show.  These are subtle messages that work their way into our thinking and influence us.

If a show is constantly telling you that sin is normal, good, fun, or rewarding, then its only a matter of time and exposure before you begin believing those lies.

Does it make righteousness look strange, boring, foolish, or unrewarding?

A show  or song can portray sin as a good thing.  Likewise, it can make a holy life look like a bad thing.  A prime and funny example is Ned Flanders on the Simpsons.  He is the go-to Christian guy on the show.  Often times, his faith is portrayed as silly and dorky.  A more serious example are the myriad of shows and movies that portray virgins who are waiting for marriage as losers.

If a show constantly portrays what the Bible says is right as strange, boring, foolish, or unrewarding, then its only a matter of time and exposure before you begin agreeing with those messages.

Am I being entertained by something that grieves God?

For this one, you have to look at what portion of the show or song you are enjoying.  Be honest.  When you watch Saw 4, what is it that is entertaining you?  For most people who enjoy those movies, its the gore.  So the entertaining part of the movie is watching a human being get tortured.  Does that sort of thing entertain God?  Nope.  We have a problem here.

You can argue that  you know its fake and would never really be entertained if this happened in real life.  I would argue that the fact that you draw entertainment from pretending a person is being tortured reveals something sinful within your heart.  I would also argue that if you keep feeding that sinful corner of your heart's weird and perverted desires, you will end up stepping closer and closer to that sin in real life.

On a similar note, I honestly can't understand how Christians can listen to music that swears nonstop and talks about sex and violence.  What profit is there in that?  What are you training your mind to think about?  Why are you OK with being entertained by sinful things?      

What is my personal level of maturity?

If you show a five year old a movie that has one joke with a swear word in it, they will likely be repeating that word for days trying to get a laugh.  If you show a fifty year old Christian who doesn't swear that same movie, he probably wouldn't be tempted to go around swearing in the slightest.

Part of this comes down to the very tricky issue of knowing your own maturity level regarding various issues.  Are you mature enough to hear a swear word without repeating it?  Are you mature enough to watch a movie with a person dressed immodestly and not have lustful thoughts?  Are you mature enough to look away from that movie when you need to?  These are tough questions to answer honestly.  I'd encourage you to error on the side of caution.

Conclusion

Those are questions I tend to ask myself when I'm considering a questionable movie or song.  Its a tricky subject because its not an issue we can address legalistically.

The movie Crash, for example, is filled with bad language, racism, violence, and even has a scene where a woman is sexually abused.  Yet I fully recommend that movie to Christian adults mature enough to handle it.  Why?  Because that movie leaves you disgusted with racism and disgusted with the way the characters are treated.  It causes you to hate the sin you see in it and that is a very good thing.

In the end, we Christians need to realize that everything we spend time watching, reading, and listening to has an influence on us.  We need to weigh the value of it all.  We need to make sure we are not sticking temptation in front of our faces to do its worst.  We have to be careful to discern the messages in media to take what is true and reject what is false.  I hope these questions will prove helpful for you as you process through the things you watch, read, and listen to.  Let's be careful what we allow to influence us.

PS. Pluggedin.com is a great Christian website that reviews tons of movies, shows, songs, and more.  Check it out.  I tend to visit it before going to see a movie I'm not sure about.  You may find it helpful.

Sins of Omission

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."  --  Edmund Burke


I don't know if you've heard that one before, but its a pretty famous quote.  Movies that aim to inspire us to courage often throw this line in somewhere.  Books that cover the horrors of the holocaust, wars, and other injustices often use this line right at the beginning or the end.  Its very common for this quote to be used for the larger than life type of situations where it is clear to us all that good men and women need to stand up and do something rather than just let the world be as it is.

But does that apply to everyday life as well?  On Tuesday, I wrote about the way Jesus would bravely defend those in need and fight against those who would oppress them.  So what about the person who gets bullied at our school or the guy at work that nobody treats well?  What about the shouts we hear outside our house of an angry man yelling at his wife?  What about the person on the bus or train in front of us who looks so depressed?  All throughout the day, are we the kind of people who do nothing?  If we do nothing, can we really call ourselves good?

Theology Tuesday: Passive or Agressive?

Turn the Other Cheek?  

Its one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible.  But what does it look like in real life?  Should Christians never stand up for themselves?  Should we allow others to harm us and take advantage of us?  Should we let people cut us in line, cheat off of us at school, and bully us?  Is it ever OK for a Christian to fight back with words or fists?  Must we always be pushovers?  What does the Bible say about this?

Excuses, Excuses

I love my wife.  Even when she has a problem with something I'm doing, she doesn't yell at me or criticize me.  She lovingly expresses what she'd like me to do differently.  What a godly example.

So this week, she had asked me to start cleaning up after myself more around the house.  I used to do this pretty well, but lately I've been slacking and she's been picking up after me.  As we were talking, I found myself trying to excuse my behavior.  But when I look at what these excuses are really saying, they just fall apart.

Excuse:  I'm at work all day, when I get home I want to relax a bit.
Implication: So I should be able to sit around from 5 PM til bedtime without lifting a finger around the house.

Holy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday.

Today is the day we remember the Last Supper, Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal and arrest, and the beginning's of His false trials. 

One thing that tends to get missed is a message that Jesus shared with His disciples right after the Last Supper.  He shares with His disciples some of the most beloved and powerful pieces of the whole Bible.  I believe He wanted these ideas to guide them through His coming death and resurrection.

So as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, lets take a look at what Jesus said to His disciples in preparation for the most significant weekend in all of history.

God Does the Heavy Lifting

Ever feel like God was asking you to do something beyond you?  I'm not talking about just the ridiculous, but the more normal stuff too.  Are you shy and bad with words and then the Holy Spirit urged you to share the gospel with a stranger on a bus?  Are you quick to anger or from a long line of yellers or drama queens and then read that Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers"?  Have you made a mess of things and know you need to confess but feel overwhelmed by the possible consequences?

Its easy to feel overwhelmed by some of the things that God asks us to do whether we read it in His Word, hear it from our spiritual leaders, or just plain feel convicted in our heart.

Before I went to college, I worked my butt off over the summer to save up enough money to buy a macbook and pay for some of my tuition.  When the summer was over, I was ready to buy my laptop when the Holy Spirit convicted me.  Suddenly, I realized that I was about to get something for myself and I hadn't given any of my money in the offering plate to God.  I strongly felt like the Holy Spirit put a number on my heart to give to my church, but, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to afford my laptop.  I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it through my first year of college without a laptop.  It seems small to me now, but I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed by what God was calling me to do.

God does that though, doesn't He?  He asks us to do these overwhelming and huge things for Him.  It happens in the Bible all the time.  Take Moses for example.


So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."  --  Exodus 3:10

Now talk about an overwhelming task!  "So Moses, listen.  The Pharaohs, you know those guys right?  They've been oppressing the Hebrews as slaves for about four hundred years now.  So why don't you go and tell them to stop it?  Then free the Hebrews and take all one million of them out of Egypt.  Sound like a plan?"

As you can imagine, Moses was totally overwhelmed.  Moses tries to get out of it five times.  Take a look at what he says and how God responds.


Attempt #1


But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"  And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."--  Exodus 3:11-12


Attempt #2

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"  --  Exodus 3:13-14

Attempt #3

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?" Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. . --  Exodus 4:1-3

Attempt #4

Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."  --  Exodus 4:10-12

Attempt #5

But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.  --  Exodus 4:13-15

Five times Moses tells God that he can't do it and reminds God of all the things that could go wrong.  Five times!  But what does God do in each case?  Does God tell Moses to go figure it out on his own?  No.  God tells Moses that in one way or another, He will provide.  To paraphrase...

Moses:  God, who am I to stop Pharaoh and save the people?  God:  I will be with you.

Moses:  But I don't even know what to say if they ask who sent me.  God:  You need my name?  Here, its Yahweh.

Moses:  What if they don't believe my story and think I'm crazy or lying?  God:  I will perform signs and miracles through you.

Moses:  But God, I don't know how to speak or lead.  I can't do this.  God:  I made your mouth and I will give you the right words to say.

Moses:  You've got the wrong guy!  Send someone else!  God:  You're getting on my nerves here Moses, but I will send Aaron with you so you don't have to go alone.

And we know the rest of the story too.  When Pharaoh said no to Moses, did Moses have to do the convincing?  Nope, God sent the ten plagues and Moses just sat back and let God do the heavy lifting.  When they are trapped between the Pharaoh's army and the Red Sea, did Moses have to save the day?  Nope, he just had to hold up a stick and God took care of the heavy lifting by parting the entire sea.

God does the heavy lifting.

When God asks us to do overwhelming things, its easy for us to freak out and be too afraid of what might happen to actually do it.  We worry about looking foolish and failing.  We worry about not having what it takes.  But the beautiful thing about God is that He doesn't leave us to do it alone!  He is with us.  When He asks us to do something for Him, it doesn't matter if we have what it takes because He certainly does!

You may not know what to say to that stranger on the bus, but doesn't the Holy Spirit who lives within you?  You may not have what it takes to control the future and all of the possible obstacles or outcomes, but doesn't almighty God?  You see, when God calls you to do something, He doesn't leave you with the heavy lifting.  He takes that upon Himself and gives you the strength and grace you need.  The heavy lifting isn't for you to do.  You know what is for you to do?  Trust and obey.

Back to my laptop story.  The Holy Spirit had put a number on my heart to give to God and my church in the offering.  The number was bigger than 10% of what I had made that summer.  If I gave that money, I couldn't get my laptop and I was kind of worried that I'd fall behind in school without one.  I trusted God and gave the money anyway.  About a day later, without me sharing this story, my dad told me he wanted to help me pay for my tuition and my mom told me she wanted to help me pay for my laptop.  It doesn't always work out that quickly and neatly, but I learned a lesson that day.  I was so worried about the future that I almost let it scare me out of obeying God in the present.  But when I obeyed, God reminded me that He is big enough to take care of all of the details and that I should leave the heavy lifting to Him and just concern myself with obedience.

Whatever it is that God has called you to do that you are struggling with, I urge you to trust him.  Whether its as small as my college laptop issue or as big as the Exodus story, God is able to do the heavy lifting.  He will do His part.  Will you trust Him and obey?

Giving 100% for God

*I've decided to move Theology Thursday to Theology Tuesday (or maybe Tough Tuesday...).  Thursdays have become a more and more busy day for me lately with meetings and weekend preparations.  Tuesdays are less packed and it will be easier to tackle the tough questions then.  So, Proving God Exists Part 6 will be up on Tuesday.*

I was reading a bit in Colossians today when an old verse struck me in a new way.


Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men... -- Colossians 3:23

Represent Jesus in ALL You Do

I was at a Denny's last Friday with a friend and we got to talking about the tip.  That's when I shared something I had heard before.  If you go out to eat at a restaurant and you aren't going to tip well, then don't you dare pray before you eat your food!  One of my favorite pastors, Mark Driscoll, said that.  Do you know why?  He says that Jesus is generous and loving and the church should be too.  And when the waiter sees you bow your head to pray before you eat, he will connect the dots and realize you are a Christian.  Then when he gets no tip or a lousy single dollar tip from you, he will connect the dots (consciously or subconsciously) that Christians are selfish jerks.

Feature Thursday:

*I'll be answering one of the Theology questions tomorrow instead of today due to some time constraints today.*

I've said it before, but it bears repeating, "I am a nerd."  One facet of my nerdiness is that I like Stargate SG-1.  I watched an old episode last night with my wife and a friend.  Without giving too much away, the plot was something like this... The bad guy had kidnapped and brainwashed one of the main characters.  Teal'c is his name.  The other main characters rescued Teal'c and brought him home.  Hooray!  But the job wasn't done.  Teal'c had been so thoroughly brainwashed that he believed the bad guy on the show was his god and that the good guys were his enemies!

Feature Friday: AGT-Something Wicked This Way Comes

Howard Stern is joining America's Got Talent as a judge.

I enjoy watching the occasional episode of AGT on my day off on Hulu.  Last season was incredible with the Silhouettes and Team Illuminate.  I was rooting for those two acts.  Not only is it fun to watch for the serious competition, but the show is fun to watch because of all of the failed auditions and wacky participants.  After all, anyone and everyone is allowed to audition!  That brings in a lot of entertainment.

Unfortunately, it also brings in a lot of things you may not want to see.  Last season featured an act from a male pole dancer who danced in high heels.  I found myself fast forwarding through his acts quite quickly.  The only judge who seemed to agree with me that this was distasteful and the opposite of entertaining was Piers Morgan.  That man has class and on many occasions he fought to remove acts that were distasteful and classless.  In many ways, he held the gates and protected the show from being overrun with poor content.  Alas, Piers Morgan is leaving the show.  And he has a replacement: Howard Stern.

Rest to the Glory of God

Do you remember the stories of the mighty prophet Elijah?  He's the man who prayed that God would hold back the rain and God withheld rain for three and a half years.  Then he prayed again and it rained.  He's the guy who outran a chariot drawn by horses.  He's the one who didn't just die like the rest of us, but was taken into heaven in a fiery chariot!  He's also most often remembered for standing up all alone against the many prophets of Baal and defeating them in a worship contest.

But do you know the story of his depression?  Elijah had been serving God hard.  All day, every day, he was going all out for God.  He preached to a people who didn't want to listen.  He rebuked a people who grew angry instead of repenting.  Every day he lived among a people confused by idols.  After his victory against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, the evil queen Jezebel ordered him hunted down.  As if Elijah didn't have enough problems, he is now running for his life.  He is burned out, exhausted, hopeless, and afraid.  The prophet was depressed.

The Lesson of the Seat Hogger

Normally, I put up Feature Friday blogs about a recent movie, song, or news article.  But since the big talk of the town is the new Twilight movie and I can't stand them enough to write about them in length, I'll be sharing something I saw in real life this week. 

So I was riding on the train this Wednesday when I saw this.  Notice anything wrong here?  There were a lot of people standing who had no seat, including an older woman not shown in the picture.  The seat in front of me, as you can see, was occupied by two plastic bags.  A few people who got on the train would actually look right at the seat, then at the guy next to them, and back at the seat.  But the guy sitting there looked the other way every time.

Study, Do, Teach

I've been reading through Ezra for a class I'm taking and wanted to share some thoughts with you.  Ezra was a spiritual leader among God's people after they had returned from exile.  They had returned to a pretty ruined land and were in the process of rebuilding the city, the walls, the economy, the temple, and their relationship with God.  Ezra was used by God to lead the people in some of these areas, most important of which was their relationship with God.  Here is the verse that the whole book of Ezra is famous for and my thoughts on it.

 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. -- Ezra 7:10