1. There is something about shopping at a family owned super market. My wife and I have been shopping at one (Darrenkamp's Market at Willow Valley Square) ever since they moved to this location from Willow Street back in 1998. Yesterday I entered Jane's Cafe (located in Darrenkamp's) for a meeting. As I walked up to the register to pay for a cup of coffee, Joe Darrenkamp (one of the owners of the store) was standing there with an empty cup in hand. "Here you go, Pastor John. Enjoy a cup of coffee on me" (So I guess you could say I literally enjoyed a cup of Joe!). Now why did Joe do this for me? He was simply being a good neighbor. And we as a church try to be a good neighbor to Darrenkamp's. Our church facility stands adjacent to Darrenkamp's Market. Once a month we make our facility available (at no cost) for Darrenkamp's to hold meetings they must have with their team members. It is how we as a church family try to be good neighbors. How about you? Are you working at being a "good neighbor" in the neighborhood in which you live? Do you even know your neighbors (many people don't!)? Being a good neighbor may very well be the first step toward leading a neighbor to Christ. So ... why not start today?
2. Tomorrow I will once again perform a pastoral task that I have done many times before: officiate a memorial service. The deceased was/is a man of faith. His faith was/is in Jesus Christ. Therefore, at the moment he breathed his last on this earth, he began to live. To really live. To live as he had never lived in this life. How so? The answer is found in the following words that Jesus spoke to a grieving woman in John 11:25-26: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" You see, for those who have placed their trust in the substitutionary death of Christ to pay the penalty for their sin that a just and holy God demands ... that person shall never die. "But wait, John, you said you are doing this man of faith's funeral tomorrow. Didn't he die?" Yes. He died physically. But the death Jesus is talking about here is the second death .. the ultimate death that awaits all of those who do not believe in Christ (Revelation 20:11-15). But for believers "in Christ" we shall never have to face the ultimate death from which there is no escape. Instead we will experience an existence that is better by far than the best this world can manage to offer (Philippians 1:23). How about YOU? In the words of Jesus himself, "Do you believe this?" If you have any questions about what I have just written, please take a moment to check out, Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.
3. Next Thursday my wife returns to yet another round of x-rays. The surgeon will be looking for indications that the bone stimulator is doing what it is designed to do: promote the healing of Sharon's broken femur. As you think of my wife, please pray for her. Ask God to graciously work through this amazing medical device to heal her fractured bone. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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