Friday Coffee with PJ

Here are some thoughts to enjoy with your morning cup of java ... or tea ... or OJ ... or whatever you
beverage of choice might be!

1. This coming Sunday our church will host a service in which we honor law enforcement ... both those who have given their lives in the line of duty and those who are currently serving. This service, now in its 29th year is our church family's way of saying to our law enforcement community here in Lancaster County that we are behind you! We are praying for you! We support you! And we thank our God for you! The service which begins at 10:30 is always very well attended. For more information on the service, please go to our church web site and click on the Police Sunday graphic on the home page.


2.  Sharon and I celebrated the day of our 35th anniversary by driving to Gettysburg. Given that we are big history fans, we knew we would enjoy the day. We were not disappointed. One of the highlights of the day was our time spent in getting this Victorian era photo taken. We had several costume options to choose from. We finally settled on that of a Union officer (I insisted that I be a general!) and his wife. In the process of taking the photo, we learned several things about those early days of photography. Notice in the picture that we are not looking at the camera. The reason for that was the primitive belief that if one were to look into the camera that somehow it could steal one's soul. Therefore, you made sure NOT to look into the camera! You also might have noticed that we did not smile. There are several reasons behind that. For starters, the process of early photo taking required a long exposure that could last upwards of fifteen minutes. Try holding a smile for that long! Secondly, since most people, if they ever sat for a photograph, would do so only on rare occasions, it was thought that a serious expression was most appropriate for such an occasion. Finally, the fact that many people did not have nice teeth due to poor dental care just might have kept those teeth hidden!  But I must say ... after a lifetime of looking into the camera and saying "cheese," it was difficult NOT to do so. I've been trained to look and smile! As you go through your day today .... look into the eyes of the people that cross your path and give them a smile. Who knows, that might just open a door for further ministry!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj