I posted this on Twitter and Facebook this evening after we learned that our flight to Houston is planned for 2:00 a.m. Yes, that's a.m.

Sooo… what to do in the Charlotte airport after everything closes and your flight doesn’t leave until 1:45a? Ask me a question, and I'll blog you a response.

Here's the questions so far and my attempt at answers;

From Viktor:

What's your biggest regret in life (so far)? If you could command Apple to make a particular product (be realistic), what would it be? What are you most afraid of (other than bears)?

Answer: A)My biggest regret is my confusion of moralism with Christianity through my early years of college. To boil it down in a nutshell, I gave my life to Christ when I was seven, and I grew consistently in my understanding of Christian teachings. I lived a "good" life. However, my faith was more about avoiding sin than loving God and others. I vividly remember being powerfully convicted by the Lord one night in college when I was looking up a verse on "love" and seeing the pages of references to "love" in the Bible. He hit me upside the head that evening and coaxed me away from moralism to a love relationship with Him and others.

B) An Apple product.. an iPhone with a tactile keyboard. I do get weary of the touchscreen keyboard. I miss the ability of my Palm Treo to type without looking at the screen. Another product would be a true AppleTV in which Apple not only produces a set top TV but also creates a new form of video distribution, much like it did with iTunes and the iPod.

C) I think you meant bees. I hate bees/wasps and stinging insects of all kinds. I have very sweet blood and so I'm a constant attraction to them.

From Eddie Brown:

How do you personally handle hard questions about the faith? (The big stuff) - looking for method of thought more than specifics on hot-button topics.

Answer: First of all, I try not to respond immediately to hot-button issues. I've found that I (and others) tend to spout rather than thoughtfully respond when someone pushes one of those controversial topics. I resist emailing people in response to those issues also simply because they can't hear my tone of voice, and I really don't want my thoughts being forwarded around without my permission. I press for a one-on-one conversation, if at all possible. I want to respond to tough questions and controversial issues in a relational way, communicating truth with love.

Second, I've found over the years that hard questions about faith typically fall into general categories. So, I've created files on issues with links, articles and thoughts on each one. It's interesting to observe that some topics seem to occur cyclically - about every 3-5 years. I don't know why. It's just a personal observation.

Does that help?

From Kendra Johanson:

If you could say anything to Miley Cyrus, what would it be?

Answer: I know Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, but I Miss You, Hannah Montana. You've got all of us Kicking and Screaming over your Wrecking Ball, and maybe it's time for you to Start All Over. When I Look at You, I see Someone Else - a young adult Obsessed with attention. You need the Forgiveness and Love you sing about.

I sincerely hope you'll discover the complete acceptance and love of Jesus Christ, that He'll remind you of your roots and bring you home in faith, humility and repentance.

From Katie Kass:

Tell Addie that Angry Birds is not as important as snapchating her lonely bestfriend😫

Answer: I'm in another area of the terminal, plugged into a wall. I'll text her though.. She's an equal opportunity ignorer. She's been giving us the cold shoulder too.

From Stephen Kestell:

What kind of hardships are there in a life of ministry, and how does one do it with a willing heart?

Answer: Great question, Stephen, and it's almost too broad to answer. However, depending on where you serve in ministry, you'll encounter: financial hardships, bickering among church members that gets personally directed at the minister at times, vengefulness, backbiting, temptations galore (we who are called to serve God have a big target on our backs), and many others.

In addition to these, sometimes we as ministers make a mess of things simply because we attempt to manage or lead in areas where we're not trained. We blame people for being "unspiritual" when actually we may be operating outside of our strengths and simply be incompetent in an area. That's not wrong to admit, but unfortunately, we may have created a church culture in which the pastor is expected to be an expert in all areas.