Bad choices such as those aren't in the least bit prejudiced. They aren't limited to any one socio-economic group, one racial group or even one age group. God gave us all free will and many times we abuse it by making one bad choice after another.

It seems that everyone has an opinion as to why our world is "going to hell in a hand-basket." Some say that it is because we have taken God out of our schools and the result is a decay of our moral fiber. Others say it is because parents are so busy just trying to make ends meet, that the kids are basically raising themselves. My opinion, for what it is worth, is that we have fallen into a trap/mindset that I call the "20 Minute Jesus" syndrome.

Think about it ... a typical church service reduces our Lord and Savior to roughly 20 minutes. Learning about Jesus is scrunched in between the greetings and announcements, the music, the tithes and offerings and the special music and altar call.

"But what about Sunday School and Bible Study?" you ask. What about churches that don't have Sunday School? Yes, they do exist. What about those who can't make it to the Bible Study nights? How are those folks going to ever learn enough about Jesus to decide that worshiping Him is a good choice?

If Sunday services are going to be more about fellowship and less about "Jesus is the Son of God who died for you and your sins. Let me teach you about Him and His Father," then why don't we just call them what they are ... Sunday Social Clubs?

The youth services fall into the same traps more times than is safe. How many times in America is Wednesday night youth more about food and fun and less about Christ and living as a Christian? In order to "pack the house," we frequently cram the "20 Minute Jesus" fix into youth as well. We pat ourselves on the back for giving our teens a "safe and positive environment" to hang out in, while we call ourselves growing their faith! When playing Uno, basketball and table tennis and eating hot dogs and chips gets more airtime than learning how to survive this world we live in as Christians, there isn't much in the way of faith or growth!

We wonder why the divorce rate among Christians is as high as it is among non-believers, why good church kids get pregnant, father children, drink/drug/party and why things are just as bad among church families as other families. Well gee Virginia - maybe it's because of the "20 Minute Jesus" thing we've got going.

How far do you believe a marriage would go if you only spent 20 minutes a week actually TALKING to your spouse about your lives? How do you think your kids would turn out if you only spent 20 minutes a week actually TALKING to them about their lives and choices? We do better than 20 minutes with the people in our lives, yet when it comes to our Savior, our salvation and our relationship with Christ, the best we demand is 20 minutes a week!

Following Christ is a relationship, not a 20 minute blip on your weekly radar. Relationships take time and effort. Can you honestly say that 20 minutes of Jesus a week is a strong foundation for a relationship? For me, I can't. This life is too short to spend less time learning about Christ than it takes to watch a half-hour sitcom.

Ask yourself this ... if Jesus came to your house today and wanted to sit down and get to know you, would you throw him out after 20 short minutes? If your answer is no, then why do you do it every Sunday?