April 3rd

No running yet today. I think there might be some time later today to do my run. We'll see. I know that I need to do it.
This morning I read Matthew 3. It is the one that talks about John the Baptist and Jesus being baptized. The story of John the Baptist is really neat. How crazy it was that he just waited out in the desert for God to call him into service and to tell him what to do with his life. John was a "Jesus Freak" and he did everything in his life to live that way. There was no mistaking that John the Baptist believed in what he was doing and devoted his life toward God. It would be interesting to see how that type of lifestyle would be accepted in today's world. I would like to see myself be more devoted toward God and to live my life that way so that people all around me know where I stand.
The way John preached was not one that is really accepted well in our day. From the way that it was described in the Bible, I would compare some of his tactics to those that stand on the corner and say "Repent or go to Hell." I am sure that there were a bunch of people back then that responded undesirably as they do now, but John was doing what he thought best for his ministry.
I would say there needs to be a balance between telling people they need to repent and being able to reach them on a personal level. People today just don't listen and respond to the same things that they did in the past. If they did, it would make some things much easier.