Yes, you read the title correctly.  I am a girls minister, and a wife, and a mom (of a teenage son no less), and I like Justin Bieber music.  Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not in the crazy, life size cutout of Justin in my room kind of like, but I admit he is on my playlist.

I can blame it on my job.  I need to be “culturally relevant” and at least have a working knowledge of the things my girls are interested in.  I can say the same thing about the “Twilight” books and movies.  Yes, I read them because it was all the girls were talking about, but I kept reading them because I enjoyed the books.

I know there is a line that can be crossed - the line between too much of the world and not enough of God.  And if I’m honest I constantly have to examine myself to ensure I’m staying on the right side of that line.  How can I ask my girls to do something that I’m not doing in my own life?

I recently read the book Stand, a series of essays challenging readers to endurance and perseverance in the Christian life (you can get a free download here from Desiring God!).   In the book Randy Alcorn states that you become the sort of person you choose to spend your time with (this includes people, as well as books, music, and television).  Alcorn writes:

“Television and reading both put us in someone’s company, and remove us from someone else’s company.  You decide: will you be different because you put yourself in the company of Spurgeon rather than Seinfeld?”

Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don’t.  So how do we find the balance?  For now I’m sitting down to read some John Owen, heavy reading but worth the effort.  And yes, I will have my Justin Bieber playlist going as I read.....

*This is the first in a series called "You Know You're a Girls Minister When...." that our blog team will be writing about the first week of each moth!