Growing up is hard. We should just admit that up front. It leaves us with a lot of questions and often teaches us a lot of painful lessons. One of the questions I hear often as a pastor is from both youth and parents, "Can I read this, is it okay?" So my task today is to try to answer what Christian young people ought to be reading. To help us in this task, let's think of our reading habits as a healthy diet. Some things are important, others should be ingested in smaller quantities.

It should go without saying, but in today's world it does not, so, the first thing we have to do is read. Just like everyone needs to eat, you really do need to read. In a world of tweeting, texting, and You Tube viewing, reading seems almost old-fashioned. But I encourage everyone to read. A recent survey found that 33 percent of people never read a single book after graduating from high school. That same survey found that 40 percent never read again after college. Don't let this be you! Proverbs 4:7 tells us to "get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding." How better to do this than through reading? A love of reading will enable you to teach yourself whatever you want when you get older. Every scholar in the world can be at your fingertips to teach you, if you just are willing to pick up a book, sit down and read. And yes, reading can be a form of entertainment. One that enlivens the mind, captures the imagination, and makes your pulse race, as you just have to turn the page and start the next chapter.

My family and I recently went on a trip. One of the things I had to do before we left was to plot out a route. I looked at different options, checked the weather, and chose one way because, all things considered, it seemed like the best way to get to our destination. It is simply a fact that to have a successful trip you have to know where you are going. You can't just get in a car and wait to see where you end up.

The same is true for everything else in this life. To be successful, we have to know where we are going. This applies to us as individuals as well as to congregations. But the good news is that we don't have to wonder about our destination. God has already plotted the course for us. The Bible is God's map for our lives. We just need to read it and find out where it is that God wants us to go. Based upon Ephesians 2:1-10, let's see where we are going, why we are going there, and how we plan on getting there.

"Sez who?" Parents will cringe when these words come from their children. They usually indicate a rebellious attitude. We hear it from children when they are told they must or must not do something that they disagree with. In adults, we don't usually hear the words spoken, but the same reaction against authority might still be there. "Sez who?" are words we don't like to hear because they often have this negative and rebellious origin.

But there is a positive aspect to these words that we should carefully consider. When we are taught something or directed to do something, it is perfectly right to ask for the basis of a teaching or a command. Does it come from God or from man? If it comes from man, is it based on the Word of God or not? If the Bible teaches it, God has said it.