1. In addition to Peet's Costa Rica coffee, here's another recommendation for you. Let me preface this with a statement. If you are anything like me, you wish you would be praying better and praying more. In fact, I would guess that the average Christian if asked to draw up a list of things they would like to improve in their walk with God, "my prayer life" would be somewhere near the top. With that said, here's a suggestion about a tool which I have found very helpful. It's a series of little books published by the Good Book Company. The book I have been using the past month or so is 5 Things to Pray for Your Church. I have found this book to be an excellent help in guiding my prayers. It is very life practical and solidly grounded in Scripture! This leads to praying with more confidence, knowing we are praying according to the will of God (1 John 5:14). The result of this being that I have found myself praying better .... and praying more (by the way, I have been so helped by this book, I have ordered two additional books in this series). So check out the book. It is also available on Amazon in both paperback and kindle versions.
2. This past Sunday evening, I tuned in to watch the Super Bowl along with over 100 million other viewers. Now I am not the football fan I once was. But I still enjoy watching a good game. And the game between the Eagles and Patriots was just that. The second half in particular went back and forth, with the final outcome in doubt until the final play ("Hail Mary" passes are successful about 3-5% of the time). I am sure fans on both sides were on edge as Tom Brady reared back and threw. Moments after the ball fell harmlessly to the turf, I heard loud bangs coming from outside. The Eagle fans in my neighborhood had begun their celebration! A celebration which culminated with a parade yesterday morning through my old turf of Center City Philly (attended by some 2 million ecstatic Eagle fans).
All if this reminds me of human history. Often it seems like evil has the upper hand (think of the world wars of the last century or the increasing moral confusion of today). But then there are those times when God breaks through and his goodness and righteousness is exalted (think of the Great Awakening of the 16th century and the growth of the church in China across the course of the past several decades). But unlike the back-and-forth Super Bowl contest, the contest between God and evil has an outcome that you can be sure of! God is the God of history (a story which is HIS-story!). And the day is surely coming as described in the closing chapters of the Bible's final book (Revelation) when the Sovereign God will bring history as we know it to an end. This will happen when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth (see John 14:3 and Revelation 22:12-13 ... these are just two of many verses in the Bible which tell of the return of Christ). Bottom line, in this cosmic battle between God and Evil ... God is going to win! Knowing that, let me ask you a question. If Jesus were to return tonight, would you be ready? No one knows the time of his return (Matthew 24:36). But this does negate the fact that one day (and I believe that day is sooner rather than later) he will no doubt split the sky as he returns to planet earth. If you have any questions, doubts, etc. - please take a moment to check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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