A Real Zinger for So Many of Us!

I just came across a quote by J.I. Packer that nailed me between the eyes and then pierced my soul deeply. Please take a moment to read ... and then reflect on what he has to say.

"If we ourselves have known anything of the love of Christ for us, and if our hearts have felt any measure of gratitude for the grace that has saved us from death and hell, then this attitude of compassion and care for our spiritually needy fellow-men ought to come naturally and spontaneously to us . . .It is a tragic and ugly thing when Christians lack this desire, and are actually reluctant to share the precious knowledge that they have with others whose need of it is just as great as their own."

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

A Cow Takes a Dip!

This past Monday evening, Kathy Wydareny of Spartansburg, SC was minding her own business, going through her normal Monday evening routine. That routine was broken by what she called a "giant woosh." So she grabbed a flashlight and proceeded to go out to her back yard to investigate. To her disbelieving eyes she discovered a cow had fallen into her covered swimming pool!She immediately called 911 (It took 5 men from county rescue to pull the cow out of the pool - they used a sling). It seems the cow wandered over from a neighbor's farm and mistook the pool cover for solid ground, which the cow discovered was a HUGE mistake when the "solid" ground moooooooooved!

Hmmm. The mistake this cow made -- is the same mistake that I see a lot of Christ-followers making today. They think they are on solid ground, when they are not. Now just what do I mean by this? Far too many Christians are embracing beliefs that are not based on a solid biblical foundation. One reason for this is that many of those who are teaching from America's pulpits are giving a watered-down gospel at best and another gospel at worse (see Galatians 1:6-9 to hear what the Apostle Paul had to say about those who were distorting the gospel). To show you what I mean, check out the following excerpt of an interview done by Larry King on CNN. His guest? Joel Osteen, pastor of one of the largest (if not the largest) church in America. Just listen to his lack of clarity on what humanity so desperately needs to hear - the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

So ... in closing, let me encourage  you - if you claim to be a follower of Jesus - whenever you listen to anyone teach the Bible, follow the example of the Bereans who listened to Paul preach. In Acts 17:11 we read, "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." 

Let's go and do likewise!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thanksgiving Day Just around the Corner!

With the Thanksgiving holiday just a week from tomorrow, I thought I would post something that would get you thinking about thanksgiving (and not just for Thanksgiving Day). So here is a quote about giving thanks from the book, Radical Gratitude: Discovering Joy through Everyday Thankfulness, by Ellen Vaughn.

"Developing the meditative habit of constantly whispering thanks to Him - no matter the situation - is in fact a mustard seed of life-changing power. Radical, for it goes to the root of who we are. Small, seemingly insignificant, yet it has the power to change our lives and blow our socks off, right in the midst of the everyday. When we really give God thanks in everything, we are acknowledging that He is sovereign and that we trust Him. And we find that it changes us." 

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

UNFRIEND?

Each year, Oxford University Press tracks how the English language is changing. When the results are in, the publisher selects one word which seems to best capture the mood of the year. This year's New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year is the word "unfriend." It means to remove someone as a friend on a social networking site such as Facebook. 

Now you may or may not be a part of Facebook's social network. For better or for worse I am. I first got started just after my youngest daughter's wedding. Her new brother-in-law posted a number of wedding photos on his Facebook site. Wanting to see them, I of course, had to become a registered Facebook user and then send him a friend request. Fortunately for me, he was willing to confirm me as a Facebook friend!

Now being a Facebook friend requires very little. In fact all it takes is a couple of mouse clicks and you are in. In fact, I have some Facebook friends that I barely know ... and regularly receive friend requests from people I do NOT know.

However, being a friend in "the REAL world" is much more demanding. The Old Testament book of wisdom, Proverbs, has much to say about friendship (the word "friend" in some form appears 25 times in the book!). One of these verses speaks about the Facebook social community (and other such cyberspace relational sites). Proverbs 18:25 reads, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." This verse contains a warning to those of us who use Facebook type sites to do our social networking - and it is this. Having lots of friends on Facebook is simply having a lot of COMPANIONS -- people who you might "know" and who might "know" you. But if we are to really make it in life - we need those friends who stick closer than a brother. This type of friendship can stay connected via a site like Facebook - but I do not believe it can be nurtured into a deep relationship there. All this to say -- do not neglect face-to-face contact with your friends. For it is there that you will find yourself growing together and your hearts bonding!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

What We MUST Know

We live in an information world. The latest news is only a click away. Knowledge that was once attainable only through books in a library can now be accessed from the privacy and comfort of one's own home by surfing the Internet. According to research, the total store of human knowledge is now doubling every 8 years! Wow! That is an astonishing fact! Consider also the following: 80 % of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today. EVERY MINUTE these scientists add 2000 pages to man's scientific knowledge, and the scientific material they produce EVERY 24 HOURS would take one person FIVE YEARS to read! About half a million new books are published EACH YEAR!

So we are being overwhelmed with knowledge with no chance to even come close with knowing it all! Even highly specialized doctors do not even come close to knowing all there is to know even within their narrow specialty! SOOO .... how should we respond as we seek to stay afloat in this ocean of knowledge? Consider the following quotes:

"Of all the things you might ever study or reflect on, nothing could possibly be greater than God. So your view of Him automatically has more far-reaching ramifications than anything else in your belief system. What you think of God WILL automatically color how you think about everything else - especially how you prioritize values; how you determine right and wrong; and what you think of your own place in the universe. That in turn will surely determine how you act." (John MacArthur, The Jesus You Cannot Ignore)

"This is what the LORD says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,  ²⁴ but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD . . .' (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

How well do you KNOW God???

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Insomnia!

Early yesterday morning (I think the clock read 3:11) I had to make bathroom run. After crawling back under the covers, my mind clicked into gear .... forty-five minutes later I climbed out of bed, frustrated that I could not get back to sleep. I threw on my robe, pulled on my slippers and walked out to pick up our morning paper (which arrived yesterday shortly before 4:00 - I knew that because I saw the headlights of the delivery person's car shining through our bedroom window's blinds). Once back in the house, I settled into my favorite recliner and read the sports page. About fifteen minutes later, my eyes began to grow heavy -- so I threw on a blanket and turned off the light. And the sleep that I could not find while laying in bed ... crept up on me and I slept until just before 6:00. Yes, I wish I had gotten a bit more sleep, but I was thankful that I got the sleep that I did.

Now that is not the first time I have battled insomnia ... and I am sure it won't be the last time either! According to emedicine.com, an estimated 30-50% of the population is affected by insomnia, and about 10% suffer from chronic insomnia. Given these stats, I am sure you can most likely relate to my experience.

Now what makes my bouts with insomnia so baffling is the ease at which I sometimes find myself falling asleep. I can be watching the evening news (either 6 PM or 10 PM) and fall fast asleep. And there have been a few times in the past in which I have been talking to my wife (or a roommate on a mission trip) and have fallen asleep in the middle of a sentence (with me speaking!!!). So I just don't get it! Sometimes sleep comes easily and at other times it is very elusive. And as to why this is so, I must confess that for the most part I am clueless!

Of course, the reason we all hate these bouts with insomnia is that we need our sleep. And when we are deprived of sleep, our minds become foggy and our spirits grow grumpy - and that is not a great way to tackle our day! But this is NOT so with our God. Unlike us He requires no sleep. In fact, he never sleeps. And for us, that is a very good thing. In Psalm 121:4 we are told that the God who watches us, "will neither slumber nor sleep." So you and I never need to worry that when we are facing a crisis God might be sleeping through it. No. Never happen. God is always watching over us - 24/7/365. And I for one am very glad!!!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thank You, Vets!!!

Today's date is November 11th. That means today is Veterans Day. Now for most of us, today is pretty much like every other Wednesday. We got up, got ready, and headed to work. Some of the "luckier" ones among us woke up to the delightful thought of a day off (if this is true of you - enjoy!). So as I sit here at my desk working away ... I do want to express my thanks to the veterans who might happen to read this posting today. Serving in the military is not my idea of a comfortable experience. This is especially true when our country is at war (as is the case now). In a world that is distorted by sin and in which evil often gets the "upper hand" - armed conflict is often unavoidable if freedom is to be preserved. So if you have served in our military - whether a year ago or a half a century ago (or are serving right now) - THANKS FOR SERVING US!  Because of your sacrifice we are secure.

And if you are not a veteran - please be sure to thank one today.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

One Weekend, Two Church Visits

This past weekend while in Indiana, I had the opportunity to visit two churches. The larger of the two I visited on Saturday evening (this was the first time I had ever visited this particular church). The other I attended on Sunday morning. This second church is one that I have visited several times before. As I reflect on my experience, a few thoughts come to mind:

1. The church is alive and well on planet earth (or at least in certain places!). In both churches I observed people who were engaging in ministry and worship and were passionate about their faith walk. Praise God!

2. Not every church does "church" the way we do. And that is OK. The "different strokes for different folks" adage comes to mind here. Having said that, I must say that the bread and cup celebration that I experienced in the Saturday evening service left me wanting more! The whole segment took no more than five minutes (which included the distribution of the elements). Jesus told us (in regard to the bread and cup), "This do in remembrance of Me." However, there was a woeful lack of attention given to Jesus and His sacrifice for us as we observed the bread and cup. It left me feeling that this was something the church had to "squeeze" into their worship script for the service. It also made me so very thankful for how we practice the Lord's Supper, giving a whole 1 1/2 hours to the practice (and if you have never participated in a three-fold communion service - which is based on the events of the Last Supper - I encourage you to join us at Grace this coming Sunday (Nov. 15) at 6 PM in our Family Life Center).

3. There's no place like home! I love my church. Yes, it's not a perfect church. But is a church that lives up to its name. Grace is in the fibers of our church - and I love it! So to all who call Grace Church at Willow Valley "home" - I want you to know that I am privileged to be serving you for Jesus' sake!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Home from Indiana . . .

I pulled into my driveway about 10:30 last night (Sunday night). I will hopefully post to my blog tomorrow. Until then, remember that God wants us to live a BRAVE life - not a safe life! (probably the topic for a future posting!).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

PS - Pictured is my granddaughter Ella as she cheered on the Phillies in the World Series (too bad the Yankees got the last laugh!).

Holiness or Happiness?

From what I see and hear among American Christians today, I would judge that most see the pursuit of personal happiness as the major pursuit of their lives. One major reason why this is so is due to the teaching so many Christians are receiving today. Please take a moment and read the following excerpt from J.I. Packer's book, Rediscovering Holiness: Know the Fullness of Life with God:

"What do we Christians mainly preach and teach and produce TV programs and DVDs about these days? The answer seems to be not holiness, but success and positive feelings - getting health, wealth, freedom from care, good sex and happy families. I remember seeing in a Christian journal a group eight new 'how-to' books reviewed on a single page. How long, I wonder, is it since you heard about eight new books on holiness? Shall I guess?" 

He then goes on to write, "If we play down or ignore the importance of holiness, we are utterly and absolutely wrong. Holiness is in fact commanded: God wills it, Christ requires it, and all the Scriptures - the law, the gospel, the prophets, the wisdom writings, the epistles, the history books that tell of judgments past and the book of Revelation that tells of judgment to come - call for it." (if you want biblical support for this statement, please see the following: 1 Thessalonians 4:3; John 8:11; Matthew 5:19, 1 Peter 1:16, Titus 2:11-14, Ephesians 4:21-24, 5:25-27; Revelation 21:27; Hebrews 12:14; 2 Corinthians 7:1 - and I could go on ... but I will stop there!)

Hmm. J. I. is right here. Far too many of us have bought into the American right to the "pursuit of happiness" when we should be striving to pursue the biblical mandate to be holy. How about you? Given much thought lately to your state of personal holiness? (Oh and by the way ... the path of personal holiness results in a deep and enduring joy which is a far better state of soul then "happiness" which is so dependent on our external "happeninings!")

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj