Earlier this month two teens in Steubenville, Ohio, were convicted, in a very public trial by judge, of raping a teenage girl during a night of partying late last summer. The teens themselves obviously showed poor judgment in their treatment of the girl, but they weren’t the only ones involved who made bad decisions. Friends and peers who witnessed the incident but failed to intervene, those who joked about the situation on social media, and adults who brushed off what had happened also exercised poor judgment. God gives us the freedom to make decisions and calls us to make wise and holy judgments. LinC reminds us that even though we are all recipients of God’s grace, God—who is also a God of judgment—holds us accountable for our decisions. Key Scriptures: Genesis 37:3-36; 42:18-22; Ezekiel 34:11-31; Matthew 25:14-30. It’s spring, a season when lots of people spend weekends and afternoons outside, working in the garden. There are all sorts of gardens, each with its own purpose. And every type of garden must be carefully tended, each in its own way. As followers of Christ, we must tend to our spirits much as a gardener tends to his or her garden. Next week LinC talks about the many ways in which we can tend our faith so that we can grow in our relationship with God.
