Friday Coffee with PJ

Once again Friday has arrived! So ... you know the routine ... pour yourself a cup of your favorite brew. Not only will you enjoy a delightful way of waking up . . . but you will enjoy a multitude of health benefits that coffee offers (so quick ...drink up before researches change their tune!). 

1. I am sorry I missed you last week. Our family was on what has become our annual beach vacation. It may not be the most relaxing vacation of my year ... but it is a boatload of fun! Watching "the little kids" interact with one another can be a downright hoot at times (they are 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 years of age). And of course, I just love spending time with them. But what I need to remember is that I am a bit older than I was when I played with my own kids! One of the things I tackled was to haul the grandkids around in a little red wagon (see pic). Fun? Yes! But I sure wished I would have skipped that activity! As a result of the pulling and pushing of the wagon through the sand, I pulled a muscle in my lower back. That was last Thursday. Eight days later, I am still in pain (although it is finally

improving). All this to say ... we must always be aware of our limitations. This is especially true as we age (as this past year has proven to me ... but I guess I am still a slow learner!). Yes ... we have limits. In fact, we have many of them. But our God does not! The theological word to describe God concerning limits is the word "infinite." This means God is not limited in any way ... nor is it possible for him to ever be limited. Wow! Talk about a great God! And to think this great God is our Father! Is he YOURS? If you can't really answer that question, I suggest you check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face. 

2. Back in 1997 my oldest daughter graduated from high school. Now, 18 years later, many of the babies born that year are in the process of heading off to college. Wow! Time sure does fly! And how the times have changed since then! Jim Denison provides the following ways that today's world differs from the world of 1997: 

Beloit College has just published its annual list of factoids about students entering their first year of college. They Have never licked a postage stamp Have always used cell phones with Wi-Fi access Had their first steps recorded by proud parents using camcorders (the students probably don't know what one is) Improved their reading skills with the Harry Potter series Have always watched television in high definition. In 1997, the year of their birth, Princess Diana died in a speeding motorcade crash.  Titanic won 11 Oscars.  Seinfeld was the most popular TV show.  Beanie Babies were the most popular Christmas toy. Now consider how our culture has changed morally over their lifetime. In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres was one of the first well-known celebrities to "come out" as homosexual; now same-sex marriage is the law of the land.  That year, debate over legalizing physician-assisted suicide began accelerating; it is now legal in five states and being considered by five others. In 1997, there were 13.9 million illegal drug users in the U.S.; today 24.6 million Americans use illegal drugs, representing a 50 percent increase relative to the population.  Since 1997, the percentage of unmarried couples living together has doubled.  The percentage of Americans with no religious affiliation has nearly doubled to 22.8 percent, representing 56 million adults in America and outnumbering Catholics and mainline Protestants. Indeed our world has changed quite a bit in the 18 years since my daughter graduated from high school. Some of this change is for the better, much is not. And as we seek to navigate through this ever changing world ... we must cling to reality that the God we serve NEVER changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In him we can find the stability we need amidst the turbulent change that surrounds us! Thanks for stopping by . . . pj