PJ's Spiritual Meanderings

From Darkness to Light

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

As Mathew records his gospel account of Jesus Christ, he reaches back into Isaiah chapter nine and quotes this promise that was made of the promised Messiah:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

^{the people dwelling in darkness}

have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.”

(Matthew 4:15-16)

Jesus brought God's light to the people of Israel. The majority chose to reject that light. And thus, for the past two thousand years, the Jewish people have, for the most part, lived in spiritual darkness (see Romans 11:1-7). But there is coming a day, I believe, when God will do an incredible work among the Israeli people (Romans 11:25-27). I also believe that God has already begun to do amazing things in present day Israel. For the past decade and a half, I have had the privilege of serving on the board of Hebrew Christian Fellowship. In the past five or six years, God has providentially brought us into partnership with a number of ministries in Israel that are seeing significant growth. I encourage you to go to the Hebrew Christian Fellowship website. Once there, click on the word AFFILATES. This will take you a listing of the various affilate ministries that HCF is working with ... all at work bringing the light of the gospel to those who live in the land of Israel. This is indeed an exciting time to be alive!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Stretch Your Mind!

2012-01-31T08:08:00.002-05:00

The other day while driving my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter from her house to mine, she looked out the window of the car and said, "Papa, that's right and that's left." Funny thing is ... as I looked in the rear view mirror she got it right ... correct that is! At that point I am thinking, "Man, I did not get my right and left sorted out until I was in 8th grade (OK .. a bit of an exaggeration there, but I am sure it was Kindergarten before I got these most basic of directions down!). I am also thinking ... "No way does she really get this!" So once back to the house I put her to the test. "Ella, raise your right hand." Without blinking an eye she raised her right hand. "Now, Ella, raise your left hand." Immediately she threw up her left. Wow! She does have it down (and I have tested her a couple of other times ... always with the same correct response.).

I must say that one of the aspects of grandparenting that I have enjoyed most is watching my grandkids learn new things ... whether it's learning to crawl or walk or speak (or in this case, learning right from left.) Little children are like a sponge when it comes to learning. And that it is a good thing. But it saddens me to think that as we grow into adulthood, that so many of us lose that "sponge-like" quality. The desire to learn begins to fade. We become content with the status quo. We shift our minds into neutral.

Friends, take a look at where you are right now in life. Don't be content with the status quo when it comes to your mind. Seek to stretch it. Work it out. The Bible has a lot to say about our minds (see Matthew 22:37; Romans 12:2). Let's not be guilty of "dumbing down" our minds. Rather let's seek to grow in a deeper understanding of God and our world.

What are you doing to enrich your mind?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Pray On in Faith!

2012-01-29T06:22:00.001-05:00

As one of my resolutions for this year of 2012, I am endeavoring to read three chapters each week from the Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer. Again and again as I have read, I have been challenged by the words of this man. Here is just one example for you to "chew on."

"The faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centers itself on a powerful person. Faith in Christ's ability to do and to do greatly, is the faith which prays greatly."

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Spend Time in God's Word!

2012-01-27T12:08:00.003-05:00

Last year I read one of Sam Storm's devotional books on the psalms (More Precious Than Gold: 50 Daily Meditations on the Psalms). As I read, I found my mind being sharpened, my faith being strengthened, my heart being warmed and my soul being encouraged. For me it was a great read. Below are his concluding remarks on his devotional meditation on Psalm 119 ... the longest of the 150 psalms and one which should be read on a regular basis (my humble opinion). Please take a moment and read (and then re-read) Storm's remarks.

God's Word is exquisite, sublime, splendid, and sweet. God’s Word is powerful, faithful, righteous, and true. God’s Word is great, glorious, grand, and good. Why? Because in it we see God. Through it, he draws near. By means of its truth, we experience the incomparable joy of knowing him and seeing him and beholding the beauty of his infinite elegance. Hear, O Lord, our prayer: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law!” (Ps. 119:18).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2012-01-26T05:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday means ... a la carte!

1. J.C. Ryle's 8 profitable ways to read the Bible.

2. Some interesting thoughts on What is Grace?

3. Steve Lawson ... on Jonathan Edward's first of seventy resolutions.

4. Chuck Swindoll with a brief devotional on Job 38, How Big Is Your God?

5. And on a lighter note ... here is a brief video that made me say "OOPS!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

An Invite to Cruise

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I received a mailing from American Express (Amex). Not unusual as I do have an Amex card. From time to time Amex sends out a promotional piece in an attempt to get its cardholders to "sign up" for ... whatever. Yesterday's piece was promoting 7 night Mediterranean cruises on ships of the Costa Cruise Line (does that name sound familiar?). After opening the mailer, I noted that the first cruise listed was on board the Costa Concordia (Now that name SHOULD sound familiar! It's name has been plastered all over the Internet, radio and television news the past two weeks as a result of it's capsizing off the Italian coast). The brochure states that the Costa Concordia will be sailing from February 25 through October 29, 2012. Not going to happen. With the ship now resting on its side ... half submerged in the Mediterranean ... the ship is not going to go cruising anytime soon (click here for an interesting BBC article on how the ship could be salvaged)!

What was the cause of this accident? A tragedy which resulted in the nighttime evacuation of 4,197 people, the deaths of 16 people and the injuries of 64 - with at least 16 still reported as missing (the numbers of missing and dead could be higher as there are reports of unregistered passengers who were aboard the ship at the time of the accident). The investigation into the cause is still underway. One of the more popular theories as to the cause concerns the captain. Some believe he had ordered the ship to sail close to the Tuscan island of Giglio in order to "put on a show." Cruise ships would often do this .... lighting up the ship and blowing the ship's horn to delight the passengers on board and the local population on the island. Reports have also surfaced that one of the ship's crew wanted to get close enough to wave to someone he knew on shore.

If "showboating" turns out to be the cause, it should not come as a total surprise. We humans are born to "showboat!" When we enter this world, we do so with a will that is bent totally toward the satisfaction, promotion and even glorification of self. The last thing we want to do is humble ourselves before a holy God who demands our submission. Instead, we want to live life the way WE want to live it ... at the pace WE want to live it ... with the people WE want to live it. Until we are willing to "own up" to our self-centeredness, we will never be able to enjoy life as our Creator intended.

Friends, beware of this spirit of "showboating." Jesus stated it clearly and powerfully. If you want your life to count for what really matters ... if you want to experience fullness of joy and pleasures forever more (Psalm 16:11), you must humble yourself before him (1 Peter 5:5-6). Get rid of your pride (1 John 2:16) and realize that apart from Jesus Christ you can do NOTHING (John 15:5).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Thought for You as I Reflect on Joe Paterno

2012-01-24T08:31:00.001-05:00

Ever since I can remember, I have followed Penn State football. And ever since I can remember, Joe Paterno was the coach .... that is until a Pennsylvania grand jury report became public (this report detailed a number of alleged instances of child sexual abuse committed by former coach Jerry Sandusky). From that report, it became evident that when JoePa became aware of an allegation against Sandusky, although he did what was legally required, he in all likelihood did not do what was morally required. I am referring to his failure to follow up the accusation of alleged child molestation by Sandusky. Paterno did report to his boss what graduate assistant coach, Mike McQueary had told him about what he witnessed concerning Sandusky and a young boy in the showers. But he failed to follow up with his boss or anyone for that matter. In his own words of regret, Paterno said in his last interview (just two weeks ago), "I wish I would have done more." As a result of this failure, Paterno was abruptly fired by the university's board of trustees.

I wonder how many of us will utter those same words when we get to the end of our lives. As we contemplate our mortality ... as we prepare to leave this life and enter the next ... as we look toward standing before God Almighty and giving an account of our lives (2 Corinthians 5:10) ... will we also speak these words? "I wish I had done more showing my children how to love God." "I wish I had been a better witness for Christ at my workplace ... school ... neighborhood ... among my extended family." "I wish I had given more of my financial resources to the work of God's kingdom." "I wish I had spent more time praying." "I wish .... I wish .... I wish ..."

As we reflect on Joe Paterno and the great, yet tarnished legacy that he leaves behind, let's learn from what may be his darkest hour. Let's determine not to leave undone what we know we should be doing (James 4:17)!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

An Amazing Man with a Strategic Ministry

2012-01-23T05:54:00.000-05:00

I first met Dr. Augustin Hibaile in September of 2007. He visited our church one Sunday. And unlike most visitors who may drive a few miles to join us, Dr. Hibaile flew several thousand miles! This man has one of the most strategic ministries of anyone I have ever met. In 2005 he left his post as a professor at a Bible institute in the Central African Republic (CAR) and launched a new ministry. The ministry is called CIDEL (Center International for the Development of Ethical Leadership). It is Dr. Hibaile's passion to teach Christian ethics, rooted in the gospel of Christ, to government officials. Initially, his ministry was confined to his own country. But it was not very long at all before Dr. Hibaile was receiving invitations to neighboring countries in central Africa.

In a recent update, Dr. Hibaile shared how three of his CIDEL board members are serving at the highest levels of government within the CAR. In addition, he meets on a weekly basis with the Prime Minister of the country. God is using this man in a remarkable way!

Please take a moment right now and pray for my friend. And if you would like more information, take another moment and visit the website of the Friends of Cidel.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Prayer for Your Weekend

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a prayer for your weekend based on a Puritan prayer from the book, The Valley of Vision. Take a moment to reflect on this prayer ... and then make it your own!

O God of mercy, God of grace,

I must confess that all too often

I take your amazing grace for granted.

I do not thank you, nor do I praise you

nearly enough

For giving to me what I in absolutely

no way deserve or merit.

O Lord, I am astonished at the difference

between my receivings and my deservings,

between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,

between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.

Who made me to differ but You?

What do I now have that I did not receive from Your gracious hand?

Father, may you bless me so that I will live

Every day, every moment in the full awareness of your grace.

May I never tire of offering You the thanks and praise

That You, and You alone deserve!

In the name of the Three-in-One,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

An Amazing Video

2012-01-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across this video (:23) shot from the International Space Station in one of its orbits over Africa. In it you can see lightening flashes from t-storms over Africa and the Milky Way out into space. Wow! As I watched it (several times!) I was reminded of these words of King David:

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
(Psalm 8:3-4)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2012-01-19T05:30:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday ... and that means it's a la carte day on my blog.

1. Do you remember the "man with a golden voice" who was found living on the streets of Columbus, OH about a year ago? Here is a 3 minute video update of where he (Ted Williams) is now.

2. What is technology doing to our brains? Mike Wittmer offers some thoughts in a brief article, your brain on technology.

3. Wow! Here is a great prayer from Scotty Smith: A Prayer for Gospel Vision.

4. Ed Welch writes about how the angry person really doesn't see himself as having a problem. He also points out that anger has some very subtle expressions that we fail to see. This is a good read!

5. On a lighter note ... Brian Regan, how come dinosauers don't talk? (1:17)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Captain You Can Count On!

2012-01-18T13:56:00.002-05:00

ROME -- "You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me?" the Coast Guard officer shouted as the captain of the grounded Costa Concordia sat safe in a life raft and frantic passengers struggled to escape after the ship rammed into a reef off the Tuscan coast. "It is an order. Don't make any more excuses. You have declared 'Abandon ship.' Now I am in charge."

The above words opened a news article in this morning's Lancaster newspaper. Frankly, I was somewhat stunned that an Italian Coast Guard officer had to tell (and in no uncertain terms) the captain of the disabled cruise ship to return to his ship. I mean, whatever happened to "a captain must go down with his ship." Compare the actions of the captain of the Costa Concordia with those of the captain of the Titanic who was last scene on the bride of the sinking ship after having given the last order to abandon ship. His body was never found.

Hmm. This got me thinking about our captain. His name is Jesus. He is the King of the universe ... and He is the Master of our souls. When the "ship" of our lives hits stormy weather, threatening to sink us, we don't have to fear. Jesus Christ is at the helm. He is steering us through all the obstacles that lie in our path. And he will bring us one day to a anchorage in a safe harbor. There we shall find awaiting us a paradise that we can right now ONLY IMAGINE! Are you grateful that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the Captain of your soul? (And if he is not ... why not?).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Think Heaven!

2012-01-17T13:50:00.001-05:00

Living in consumer driven America with all of its toys, gadgets and creature comforts, it is very easy to lose sight of heaven. And that, my friends is not only a shame ... it is to our great detriment. Please take a moment and reflect on the following quotes before you resume your busy routine.

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2)

"It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." (C. S. Lewis)

"Aim at Heaven and you will get earth "thrown in": aim at earth and you will get neither!" (C. S. Lewis)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Transforming Prayer

2012-01-16T08:08:00.000-05:00

One of my nine resolutions for this new year of 2012 is to "pray better, pray more." Therefore, when I saw what looked to be an interesting Kindle book on prayer on Amazon for just $2.99, I decided to purchase it. One chapter down ... and I am very glad I did. The book is titled, Transforming Prayer: How Everything Changes When You Seek God's Face. To give you just a taste of the book ... here is an insight that gripped me:

"Prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God. God’s face is the essence of who He is. God’s hand is the blessing of what He does. God’s face represents His person and presence. God’s hand expresses His provision for needs in our lives. I have learned that if all we ever do is seek God’s hand, we may miss His face; but if we seek His face, He will be glad to open His hand and satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts."

(Henderson, Daniel (2011-01-01). Transforming Prayer (p. 27). Bethany House Publishers. Kindle Edition.)

If you have a kindle (or iPad), I highly recommend the book. Especially if you have that same desire as I do to "pray better, pray more!" At the bargain price of $2.99 - it's a purchase you don't want to miss out on (no guarantee on how long Amazon will keep the price that low.).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

John 3:16 in Prime Time!

2012-01-15T07:09:00.000-05:00

Just in case you did not watch the Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots playoff game last night, below is a youtube video of a commercial that Focus on the Family aired during the second quarter of the game. I agree with the little girl at the end of the commercial ... "Wow!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Want to Get Away?

2012-01-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, Southwest Airlines ran a series of television commercials in which people found themselves in very embarrassing situations (one featured a woman fixing her eye contacts while looking into a restroom mirror ... only to realize once she could see that the restroom she was in was a Men's Room!!! -- for another example, click here).

This morning, as I was reading the newspaper, I ran across a story that immediately reminded me of Southwest Airlines' commercials. Earlier this week, the final movement of a New York Philharmonic Orchestra performance was interrupted by the distinctive "Marimba" iPhone ring tone. When the iPhone first began to ring, maestro Alan Gilbert gave a glaring look of displeasure in the direction of the ringing iPhone. When it continued ... he made a verbal request to silence the phone. When that failed, he stopped the orchestra entirely. He then said to the phone's owner, according to WQXR's classical music blog: "You have a phone ... Fine, we’ll wait." At that point, the audience applauded loudly ... and many voiced their desire to see the culprit thrown out of the concert hall! According to the guilty concert goer, he had just been given the iPhone the day before by his employer. He thought he had silenced the iPhone. What he did not realize that even when the phone is on vibrate, if the alarm app goes off, it will sound! Oops! Hey buddy ... want to get away?

I can relate to this guy's embarrassment. This past Tuesday I attended a meeting with a group of pastors. Shortly after the individual leading the meeting began to pray, my iPhone blared forth a song. This surprised me as I knew I had the phone on vibrate. So ... I tried to turn it off ... and after several seconds was successful (or so I thought!). Moments later ... as the prayer continued ... my phone once again blared out in song! This time I was successful in quieting the phone. But ... talk about a moment when I wanted to get away!

Life is often like this. It does not often work the way we want it to work. And this should come as no surprise. We live in a broken world that is becoming more broken by the moment (Romans 8:21). When life's brokenness causes us embarrassment or grief or heartache or stress of any kind ... we must remind ourselves of the promise Jesus offers to those who follow Him:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Thursday A La Carte

2012-01-12T05:30:00.000-05:00

Thursday means .... a la carte! Enjoy this week's offerings!

1. Will e-readers (think Kindle, IPad, Nook, etc.) one day replace real books? Or will there always be a place for print and paper - even in the midst of our digital age? Check out this video, The Joy of Books.

2. Movies? Jesus? Some Christians seem to get more excited on the newest offerings from Hollywood than they do about Jesus. Here are some thoughts from John Piper on what to say to a Christian friend who appears to "love" movies but "lilke" Jesus.

3. I have been often approached by upset Christians who have thought that perhaps they had committed the "unpardonable sin." R.C. Sproul gives some great insight into answer the question, What is the Unpardonable Sin?

4. Perhaps you have decided to practice journaling here in the new year of 2012? If so, here are some tips on jounraling you might want to check out.

5. Finally ... on the lighter side. comedian Tim Hawkins sings about his favorite restaurant.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Faith and Prayer

2012-01-11T09:55:00.001-05:00

If you glanced at my PowerPoint slides from this past Sunday's message, you would have noticed that one of my goals this year to help me pray better, pray more is to read through E.M. Bounds' 8 volume collection on prayer. Now don't get too impressed. E.M. writes in an easy reading style ... and his chapters are relatively brief. My goal is to read 3 chapters each week.

Recently, in a chapter in which he discusses the relationship of faith to prayer, he makes the following comments about faith and prayer which really struck me ...

"Faith grows by reading and meditating upon the Word of God. Most, and best of all, faith thrives in an atmosphere of prayer. It would be well, if all of us were to stop, and inquire personally of ourselves: 'Have I faith in God? Have I real faith-faith which keeps me in perfect peace, about the things of earth and the things of heaven?' This is the most important question a man can propound and expect to be answered. And there is another question, closely akin to it in significance and importance-'Do I really pray to God so that he hears me and answers my prayers? And do I truly pray unto God so that I get direct from God the things I ask of Him?'

E. M. Bounds. Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, The: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer (p. 21). Kindle Edition.

Good questions, eh?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

A Prayer for Your Tuesday

2012-01-10T06:55:00.002-05:00

Here is a prayer for your day today .... taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

O Fountain of all good,
Nothing exceeds your power,
Nothing is too great for you to do,
Nothing is too good for you to give.

Infinite is your might, boundless your love, limitless your grace, glorious your saving name.

Let angels sing for sinners repenting, prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed, Satan's captives released,
blind eyes opened, broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered, the self-righteous stripped,
the ignorant enlightened, and saints built up in their holy faith.

I ask great things of a great God.

Amen

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

My PowerPoint Slides from January 8, 2011

2012-01-08T12:16:00.002-05:00

Here are the PowerPoint slides I used in my message today titled, "Resolved!"

2012 resolutions message january 8, 2012

View more presentations from John Smith

Thanks for stopping by . . . pj

My New Year Resolutions

2012-01-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

New Year resolutions often get a bad rap. Why? Because as most of you know (and have probably experienced) ... most New Year resolutions are forgotten by Valentine's Day (if not before!). Since our track record of keeping such resolutions is poor ... we simply don't make them. Ahh ... the path toward guilt-free living!

I believe this is rather unfortunate. I believe the making of resolutions can be an effective practice that God uses in our lives to move us further down the road in our journey of grace. I am convinced that one reason Jonathan Edwards has left such a mark upon the Church was his practice of keeping an ongoing set of resolutions. These resolutions served to keep him spiritually "on track" in the midst of his pressing ministry obligations. I believe the making and keeping (at least trying to keep :)) of resolutions will do the same for us.

Last year I put together a list of resolutions for 2011. Some I kept ... others, well .... But I am determined to once again put together a list of resolutions for this new year of 2012. And I will strive, with God's help, to keep them. Even if I don't do all I set out to do ... even if I were to accomplish just one quarter of my goals - wouldn't I still be further down the road than if I had not made any resolutions at all? The answer to that question, my friend is obvious.

Here is my list - please pray that I will ... by God's grace and for His glory ... keep them as best as I can!

My Resolutions for 2012

To be read twice each week.

1. I resolve to seek God in all oflife, realizing that only in Him will I find the fullness of joy.

2. I resolve to immerse myself inScripture, knowing that the Word of God is the only reliable foundation forlife.

3. I resolve to pray better and topray more.

4. I resolve to better shepherd mychildren and grandchildren in their own personal faith journeys.

5. I resolve to better love my wife,seeking to imitate the example of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church.

6. I resolve to be more intentional insharing my faith.

7. I resolve to renew my commitment asa member of the elder team to shepherd our church family with integrity ofheart and skillful hands. I resolve to engage in those things that will move mein that direction.

8. I resolve to better care for mybody, knowing that as a follower of Christ my body is the temple of the HolySpirit.

9. I resolve to do my utmost to keepthe above resolutions all by God’s grace and for His glory!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

A 911 Call You'll Want to Hear!

2012-01-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers posted the video below of a five year old's conversation with a 911 dispatcher. It made me smile and laugh ... and that's a good thing. This life is far too often cold, dark and downright painful. It is NOT the world God designed us to live in ... and that is why we find ourselves hurting so often. Oh for the day when God makes all things new (see Revelation 21:1-5)! But until that time, we need to push forward - no matter how tough the going gets! I find that sometimes, a bit of sweetness (as evidenced by this little girl) lifts my soul. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The Rise of the Planet of the Twins!

2012-01-05T10:58:00.001-05:00

I have not posted since Monday as I have been a bit "under the weather." After a visit to the doctor yesterday ... and starting a round of meds, I am feeling somewhat better today. My voice is gradually returning (it got lost somewhere early Tuesday). I am doing my best to rest it so I will be up to preaching on this upcoming Sunday.

My twin and I at age 2
(can you guess which one is me?

Did you hear that the birth rate for twins here in the United States is up ... I mean up substantially? I am a twin. And when I was born 8 1/2 minutes after my brother ... we were among a pretty select group! In 1956, only about one in every one hundred births were twins. I was reminded about our "special status" when people would always ask my parents, "How are the twins?" My guess is that many of them did not even know our names!!!

Today ... the U.S. birth rate for twins is now about 1 in every 30 births. Quite the increase! And I am not surprised by that as our church family saw two sets of twins born within a couple of months of one another in 2011. Now there are a number of reasons for this increase (check out the AP news article).

As I reflected on this trend, memories of growing up as a twin flooded my mind. Of course, there are memories of stories that my parents and older sisters would tell of us twins' escapades as toddlers (like washing all of my dad's ties in the toilet -- hey, we were just trying to help mommy do the laundry!). But there are also memories of laying in bed at night and playing flashlight tag or just talking about school and friends.

Oh ... and there's one other memory I have that makes me chuckle. My twin and I developed a language that only he and I could understand. That was just fine and dandy when we were just communicating with each other ... but made it difficult when we wanted to communicate with those outside our twin circle. In fact, our speech was so bad that when we hit elementary school, we had to go to speech class every week. There a speech therapist would show us a flash card and teach us to pronounce the word correctly. So ... I guess I learned something from those sessions as I seem to get most words pronounced correctly!

Well, my brother and I had our "secret" language ... but I am so glad that God does not have some "secret" language. He speaks to us plainly in His Word, the Bible. You don't need to decode it ... you don't need to get a graduate degree to understand it. But you do need to be IN IT! SOOO ... are you REGULARLY in the Scripture? Do you have some sort of Bible reading plan? And are you working that plan? If you want to check out some really good (and really diverse) Bible reading plans, go to YouVersion.com. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can even download a free app (it's what I use).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Prayer for 2012

2012-01-02T11:31:00.000-05:00

One of the devotional books I enjoy using is titled, The Valley of Vision. It is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. Often the Puritans get a bad "rap." However, the one area you cannot "rap" the Puritans is their knowledge of God. You talk about deep! They did not merely know "about" God ... they knew Him personally and intimately. This clearly is evident in the prayers they have left behind. Below is one such prayer. I recommend that you take a few minutes ... and make this prayer YOUR prayer to God as we launch out on yet another new year.

LORD, high and holy, meek and lowly,
You have brought me to the valley of vision,
Where I live in the depths but see You in the heights;
Hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Your glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter Your stars shine;

Let me find Your light in my darkness,
Your life in my death,
Your joy in my sorrow,
Your grace in my sin,
Your riches in my poverty,
Your glory in my valley.
Amen.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Guilt? Regrets?

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

As you look back at the year we are about to leave . . . perhaps you have some regrets about things you said or did. Maybe you are being hounded by guilt. Questions like, "How could God ever forgive me?" plague your thoughts. If so ... I encourage you to take the four minutes to watch the video below of Casting Crown's song, East to West.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Final A La Carte of the Year

2011-12-29T05:30:00.000-05:00

Here is my final a la carte posting of the year. Enjoy!

1. What do you do if you wake up feeling on the "fragile" side? John Piper has some great insights! A good read!

2. Take a moment to reflect on Ray Ortland's favorite quote of 2011. It may just be mine as well!

3. Here is the most viral (shared) CCEF Facebook video of the year.

4. Kevin DeYoung talks about the place (and vital need) for sowing in the evangelism process.

5. On a lighter note ...

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Our Not-So-Much-Anymore Prelit Christmas Tree

2011-12-28T14:38:00.001-05:00

This year, when my wife and I decided to decorate the house for the Christmas holiday, we decided to "down-size" our effort. So that meant we left undisturbed in their attic resting place some of the decorations from last year's Christmas display. But we still put up our tree. We have an artificial tree. Have gone the artificial route for as long as I can remember. Why artificial? For starters, you can use it year after year. And since we never pay full price for our tree ... it pays for itself in just a few Christmases. In addition, you never have to worry about watering it ... nor do you have to worry about any allergies kicking in (and they have been known to do so in the past). And so artificial Christmas tree it has been!

A number of years ago or so, having grown weary of stringing the tree with lights ... we went out and bought a pre-lit tree (on sale, of course). I have so enjoyed putting it up year after year, especially knowing I would not have to go through the hassle of making sure the lights were all evenly spaced throughout the tree. However, last year ... the lights on a section went out. No problem ... I just threw on an extra string of lights that we had lying around. This year, upon putting the tree up and plugging all the lights in ... I noticed another section had grown dark. On went another string of lights. Then ... just the other day ... I noticed yet another section was out. SO ... on went another string. (Do you see where this is going?) Bottom line ... our pre-lit tree is fast becoming a non pre-lit tree! Yahoo ... back to where we started from!

I guess I could be disgusted by all this ... but I am not. After all, lights won't burn forever. Or will they? Thankfully, I can think of one light that will burn forever. The light of Jesus Christ in His gospel! That is a light that no force, seen or unseen will ever be able to "outen" (as they say in Pennsylvania Dutch). And to think, God gives us the opportunity to shine this inextinguishable light into this dark world in which we work and play. Why ... don't we do it more?

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Merry Christmas Plus One!

2011-12-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

One of the gifts I received for Christmas was a collection of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christmas sermons. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and then executed by the Nazis for his complicity in a plot to assassinate Hitler. He was hanged just one month before the fall of Berlin and the end of the war. But though he died an early death (he was 39 years old) - his writings have lived on for some 80+ years.

Early on Christmas morning, I opened this book thinking to myself, "What better day to read one of Bonhoeffer's Christmas sermons than Christmas Day?" It did not take long before I was blessed by this German pastor and theologian. Here are his words ... and I trust you will be blessed by them as well.

"We have selected from the Christmas story only the pleasant bits, forgetting the awesome nature of an event in which the God of the universe, its Creator and Sustainer, draws near to this little planet, and now speaks to us."

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Christmas in a Nutshell

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a great video that does a really nice job (and in a very creative way) in getting to the heart of the true meaning of Christmas. Enjoy!

Hoping you and yours have a very blessed Christmas!!!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Wow Video!

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a video in which a 19 year old girl receives the surprising news that she is going to be adopted into a loving "forever" family. Her reaction is priceless. But it got me thinking about how God has adopted us into HIS "forever" family! How blessed we are to be part of God's family! Enjoy (and be sure to have a tissue or two handy ... my eyes perspired quite a bit!)

And for some background ... click here.

Thanks for stopping by . . . pj

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

Thursday A La Carte

2011-12-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday ... at that means some stuff from here and there. Enjoy!

1. For those of you who are Tolkien fans, the first trailer for the new film, The Hobbit is now out. The film is scheduled for a December, 2012 release.

2. Is the celebration of Christmas a Pagan Ritual? R.C. Sproul provides an insightful answer.

3. Here's an superb video about the Real Christmas! Worth the 9 minutes to watch!

4. Ed Welch of CCEF writes about "I can help you . . . in six words." A helpful read!

5. Finally on a lighter note . . .

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Let's Talk!

2011-12-21T08:21:00.001-05:00

The rise in digital technology is changing the way we live. Probably the most noticeable change has come in the way we communicate with one another (just take a look at the demise of the U.S. Postal Service as an example).. Increasingly, face-to-face contact is being replaced by social networking sites (eg: Face Book, Twitter and others), email and texting. Some have shared real concerns about this change ... that as communication becomes more digital ... it becomes less personal. Others brush this off as no big deal. So .... should we be concerned about this trend? Or is it really "no big deal?"

I must cast my vote for the "we need to be concerned about this" view. Now I have a number of reasons for this which I would love to share, but since my time today is limited, here are two of the more important. For starters, consider the nature of communication itself. Research tells us that when we communicate with others, the words we share are only approximately 10% of the process. The rest of communication occurs via our voice (tone, pitch, words we stress, etc.), our facial expression and our general body language. All of this is missing from our digital communication (OK, I realize that if you want to send an angry email to someone you can use 24 point, bold, red, all caps font or to express some other emotion just use an emoticon :) - so there are ways to creatively work some of this into our digital communication. But really, who takes the time to do so?). For this reason, digital communication has a lot to be desired.

Here's a second reason why we should be concerned about the rise of digital communication (and the subsequent decrease in face-to-face communication). A recent study by the University of British Columbia revealed that people are more likely to lie when texting vs. when the use more personal forms of communication (audio, video conferencing, or face-to-face). According to one of the researchers, "Less self-awareness, greater anonymity . . . more distance between people -- it leads to less moral behaviour." Makes a lot of sense to me. Reminds me of something Admiral Lord Nelson had to say about the men of the British navy, "Every sailor is a bachelor when beyond Gibraltar." Say what? For those of us who are somewhat geographically challenged, we might not understand what he was getting at. But here's what he meant ... In his day, when a man's ship got beyond Gibraltar (i.e. - beyond the bounds of the British Empire), he became anonymous. He was known to no others (but his shipmates) and what he did would never become known back home (because what happened on a ship's tour, remained on the ship's tour!). He was free to pursue his own selfish desires. And so with digital communication forms. It is by its very nature more anonymous and less personal. So it is much easier to deceive the other party.

So ... what is my point in all of this? Do I think you should throw out your smart phone or shut down your computer? Hardly. But I think all of us need to take stock in how we communicate. Make sure that with those important relationships in your life - that you give them some quality "Face Time" (I am NOT referring to Apple's Face Time here!). And when you are communicating digitally, be sure to be upfront and honest.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

For unto You Is Born this Day a Savior!

2011-12-20T08:57:00.001-05:00

As we count the days down until Christmas Day, take a moment to reflect upon these powerful words from Max Lucado in his book, In the Grip of Grace:

"Ponder the achievement of God. He doesn't condone our sin, nor does hie compromise his standard. He doesn't ignore our rebellion., nor does he relax his demands. Rather than dismiss our sin, he assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences himself. God's holiness is honored. Our sin is punished . . . and we are redeemed. God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream: perfect before God."

What a gift we have been given! Jesus gave his all ... and faced the wrath of God for OUR sin so that we would not have to! Praise Him!

"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Lancaster's Central Market Got Mobbed!

2011-12-18T08:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Central Market in downtown Lancaster was the target of a flash mob. Unlike some in which windows get smashed and tires slashed ... this one pointed shoppers to the real meaning of Christmas. It all happened about 9:30 yesterday morning. Approximately 125 people appeared from out of the crowd and began singing the "Hallelujah Chorus." Many were wearing Santa hats or reindeer antlers. All could sing. And sing they did! For four minutes or so they serenaded the shoppers, many of whom were thrilled to be experiencing their first flash mob experience (here is a YouTube video of such a flash mob in action).

I am so glad that there still remain some who want to keep Christ in CHRISTmas!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Some More Advent Quotes . . .

2011-12-16T06:02:00.000-05:00

I thought I would include a few more advent quotes for you today ... given that Christmas Day is now just 9 days away. Take a few moments and let these words saturate and stimulate your mind, heart and soul!

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

"Christmas is the time to remember that Christ not only came, but he stayed, he lived, he cared. Christmas is more than one remarkable event. It was . . . the beginning." (Max Lucado)

"The Child in the Bethlehem manger was more than a sweet and innocent infant born in extraordinary circumstances - He was first and foremost the almighty God of the universe who humbly came to earth in human flesh to seek and to save the lost." (John MacArthur)

"Adding to Himself all that is essential to humanity, the Son of God walked the earth as the God-man Jesus Christ in order to meet our deepest need - nothing less than perfect atonement for our sin, that we might be reconciled to our most holy Creator (Romans 3:21-26). In doing so, He provided the clearest revelation of who God is as One whose very disposition is to go to the ultimate lengths to benefit His people." (R. C. Sproul)

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Thursday A La Carte

2011-12-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

1. There are always new books coming out which describe a person's near death experience. As Christians it is sometimes hard to know what to make of them. Here is a brief video (2:30) from Stand to Reason's web site with a "take" on these so-called visits to the afterlife.

2. Some people really get upset when they see the word "Christmas" written as "Xmas." But is this really something we need to stress over? R.C. Sproul has some interesting comments on this in a brief article, "Does writing 'Xmas' take Christ out of Christmas?"

3. Here is an example of what TRUE LOVE is really all about! A great video (1:50)!

4. How is COMMUNITY supposed to work in a church? After all, our default setting (of our fallen humanity) is self-centeredness. So how do we get beyond that so that we can experience intimate community? Ray Ortland offers up an answer. (The answer is really from God ... Ray just points it out for us!)

5. Finally ... on a lighter note ... enjoy (especially those of you who enjoy eating a gold old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwhich)!

Santa's Place at Christmas

2011-12-14T08:44:00.002-05:00

Leatrice Ann Eng, is a 58 year old teacher at George W. Miller Elementary School in Nanuet, NY. During a recent class discussion about the North Pole, one of her second graders pointed out that the North Pole was where Santa Clause lives. Teacher Eng quickly replied that not only does Santa NOT live at the North Pole ... but he is NOT real and it was parents who placed Christmas gifts under the tree! Ouch! In the days following her remarks, Eng was overwhelmed with calls and emails from angry parents. To make amends, Eng called each of her student's parents to apologize for her statements. I guess she'll go down in the history of that town as "The Eng who stole Christmas!"

All of this brings to mind the matter of Santa's place in Christmas tradition. Christians differ markedly concerning the "Santa issue." Some exclude him entirely. In their view, Santa has usurped the place of Jesus and has become an idol of the Holiday Season. Other Christians go right along with the flow and tell their children that Santa is real ... and go on to do the full blown "Santa Thing." However, I believe there is a better approach than either of these.

The Santa tradition is actually based on figure from history, St. Nicholas of Myra. Here is an excerpt of an article from gotquestions.org.

"Although Santa Claus is a mythical figure, his creation is based in part on a great Christian man named Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in the 4th century. Nicholas was born to Christian parents who left him an inheritance when they died, which he distributed to the poor. He became a priest at a young age and was well-known for his compassion and generosity. He had a reputation for giving gifts anonymously, and he would throw bags of money into people's homes (and sometimes down their chimneys) under the cover of night to avoid being spotted.

Nicholas passed away on December 6 sometime around the 340s or 350s AD, and the day of his death became an annual feast in which children would put out food for Nicholas and straw for his donkey. It was said that the saint would come down from heaven during the night and replace the offerings with toys and treats—but only for the good boys and girls. There are many different versions of the legend of Saint Nicholas, but all are the inspiration for the jolly, red-suited gift-giver that we now know as Santa Claus."

When our kids were little, we chose to include Santa in our Christmas tradition. But we did so by telling them the story of the real Nicholas of Myra. We emphasized his compassion and generosity as examples to imitate in our own lives. And of course, we told them that the fact that Santa Clause was not real would be "our secret." We didn't want them to be the one's to "spill the beans" for their little friends who believed in Santa's existence.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

3 Advent Quotes to Chew On!

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Below are quotes from three giants of The Faith. Christmas is certainly a time to say "Wow!"

"He became what we are that he might make us what he is." Athanasius (4th century Bishop of Alexandria)

"God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man." C.S. Lewis (20th century writer and apologist)

"The mystery of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding." Martin Luther ("Father" of the Protestant Reformation)

Thanks for stopping by . . . pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-12-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's offerings ... enjoy!

1. Ray Ortland shares Elizabeth Elliot's six ways she has found help in the midst of loss and suffering.

2. With all the hubbub over Herman Cain and the accusations of sexual harassment and infidelity that have been lodged against him ... we are forced to consider the question, what role does a candidate's private life play when it comes to whom we elect for public office? Al Mohler gives some insight!

3. Regrets. We all have them. But how do we live with them. Ed Welch of CCEF writes on this topic.

4. Here is a pretty cool video (4:57) of a flash mob singing a song for the season!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

An Advent Thought

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

John 1:1, 14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

I get "blown away" every time I try to wrap my mind around the reality John expresses in these words above. The Eternal Word, God Himself, became flesh! God took on human DNA. His little body grew and developed just like any other baby's inside his mother's womb. Consider the following journey of the Christ-Child as he developed within Mary's womb (descriptions gleaned from pregnancy.org):

At five weeks, his heart begins to beat. His lungs, brain and other vital organs begin to appear. At seven weeks, his eyes, nose, fingers, and teeth (below the gum line) start to form. By week 10, his fingerprints already are evident. At 12 weeks, his vocal cords begin to take shape, and his liver and pancreas begin to function. By week 14 he may have learned to suck his thumb! By week 16 his heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood per day and he has learned how to breathe! At week 19 his scalp hair is beginning to grow. At 23 weeks, he is able to hear sounds. He begins to open his eyes and blink at 26 weeks. At 30 weeks, his toenails are almost fully formed and he is capable of shedding tears. He begins to dream (about what, I would not know!) at week 32. By week 34 his eyes are open when awake and closed when asleep. At 36 weeks, the only organs that still must mature are his lungs. His skin is growing increasingly "baby soft." By week 39, he may have a full head of hair. And by 40 weeks, he should have made his grand entrance into our world!

Wow! To think God the Son left the glories of heaven to go through all of this! And why did He choose to do so? In his own words:

Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Take a moment and thank God for the Son's willingness to take on human flesh so that we might take on his righteousness!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Do Babies Who Die Go to Heaven?

2011-12-06T03:58:00.001-05:00

This is a question that many a parent has asked when they have lost a little one .... whether it be before birth ... or after. And it is no doubt a question that needs answered - and not with some sentimental response that has no foundation in Scripture. But the light of God's Word needs to be shone on this troubling question.

So ... is there any biblical rationale for believing what we would all like to believe - that YES, infants who die go to heaven? You might be surprised to find out that there is. Below I have listed some links to articles ... and one book that will help you find understanding on this issue. I encourage you to take the time to check these out. And if you know of a friend or family member who has recently lost a little one, you just might want to point them in the direction of these helps.

- John Piper, What happens to infants who die?

- Al Mohler and Dan Atkin, Why we believe children who die go to heaven.

- From Truthsaves.org, Infants and salvation.

- John MacArthur's book, Safe in the Arms of God: Truth from Heaven about the Death of a Child.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Just What I Want to Eat!

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

The headline in this morning's paper caught my eye. It read, "Horses could soon be slaughtered for meat." My first thought was the meat would be for pets (dog food, cat food, etc.). But as I read the article it was clear that the article was referring to meat destined for my dinner plate! Hmm. "Pass me another 'horseburger' please." Now that's just what I want to eat! (NOT!) But, according to this article, horse meat could soon become available for human consumption. This as a result of the recent lifting by Congress of a five year ban on the funding of horse meat inspections.

Now whether this happens or not, I guess we will have to wait and see. I am sure the horse lovers of America will do all they can to keep it from happening. Who knows, maybe a group of horses will join the cows on television ads encouraging viewers to "Eat More Chicken!"

When it comes to eating, it is important to eat healthy. I am not sure how healthy or unhealthy eating horse meat might be (I am guessing that all depends on who you talk to) - but eating a portion of "roast horse" sure does not sound appetizing!

In the spiritual arena ... we MUST eat healthy! We must feed our souls what our souls need to grow. And that is a regular, solid portion of God's Word (Psalm 1:1-2)! How much interaction do you have with the Bible? If you want some help in this area to ramp up the time you spend with God in HIS Word ... let me suggest you check out what Matthias Media has to say about Regular Bible Reading.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-12-01T05:30:00.000-05:00

Here are my a la carte offerings for this week. Enjoy!

1. Does the Devil have a "playbook" that he follows in his attempt to derail us in our walk with God? Here's a thoughtful article by Ray Ortlund that answers that question. It's a good read!

2. Here is a video (1:42) which shows how the most fascinating window ever made by man was installed. The location of this window might surprise you!

3. Leading family devos .... who is doing it at your house? Who should be doing it? Here is an brief blog posting on this topic.

4. Scotty Smith on the Gospel Coalition offers a prayer for grace to forgive as Jesus has forgiven us.

5. R.C. Sproul talks about the need for the Christian to be EVER READY!

6. Finally ... on a lighter note! You go DOG!

Seasons Come and Seasons Go!

2011-11-30T06:25:00.001-05:00

Last week I ran my lawn mower for the final time in 2011. Now I can put it away and get my snow blower ready for use. None of this surprises me. A quick glance at the calendar hanging on the wall behind my desk reminds me that today is the final day of November. Tomorrow (December 1st) brings with it the first day of meteorological winter (December, January, and February are the three coldest months of the year and are therefore labeled "winter" by the professionals who track our climate and forecast our weather.). Ouch! Did I just write "winter?" Yep! Hard to believe but winter is literally at our front door! But it just seems like it was summer yesterday! Yep! But seasons come .... and seasons go. Before we can brew our next cup of coffee, the warm breezes of spring will be telling us that it's time to retrieve the lawn mower from storage!

In Daniel 2:20-21 we are told that God changes times and seasons. In fact, the changing of the seasons demonstrates the faithfulness of our God. Now I know that some would argue that the changing seasons are all due to the rotation of the earth ... but who is it that designed the earth in the first place (see Genesis 1:1)? And who is it that holds the universe together and keeps it running (see Hebrews 1:3)?

So as the seasons change ... take a moment and thank God for his faithfulness. Indeed "morning by morning new mercies we see ... GREAT is THY faithfulness!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Black Friday ... Cyber Monday ... Where are we Heading?

2011-11-29T13:08:00.001-05:00

The top news stories the past few days have been all about what are arguably the two most important days of the year to our country's retailers: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Given the preliminary data, retailers must be feeling pretty good. According to the National Retail Foundation, a record 226 million shoppers were out and about. And these shoppers spent an estimated $400 each on their purchases. Wow! That's a lot of people spending a lot of money!

As for Cyber Monday, there are no figures out yet to say just how many were shopping online yesterday .. but sales did top one billion dollars for the first time! Again ... a lot of people buying a lot of stuff (I saw an interesting segment on NBC evening news last evening in which the NBC reporter shadowed an "aisle runner" in a million sq. foot Amazon warehouse in Phoenix. This guy's job was to fill orders ... so he had to know where to go to get the items for the order. On a busy day, this guy can walk up to 15 miles!).

I am so glad that I can say that the only store I stepped into over the weekend was a grocery store. For one, I don't like huge crowds. In addition, I would just as soon not get caught up in the consumerism that drives these events. If others want to do so ... that's OK with me. Just don't ask me to go along (in fact, I think I have only been shopping on a Black Friday once in the recent past). I also did not order anything online yesterday. If you did (and got a deal) - hurray for you! But as for me and my house ... we were busy with other things!

In light of all of this hubbub (of a number of people buying stuff they do not need to impress people they do not like with money they do not have) - I want to offer up a word of caution (keep in mind, please, that I am NOT against buying and exchanging Christmas gifts ... and many who did go out did so to catch some bargains to help their own budgets to go a longer way - certainly not a bad thing at all.). Please do not lose sight of the real reason for Christmas. It is Christ's birth that we celebrate. So let's do all we can to keep HIM central. Don't get caught up with the consumerism that so marks our culture. And as you shop ... please remember the poor among us - whether they be near or far. Giving a gift to Water Street Ministries here in Lancaster or Children's Fellowship of India would certainly be Christmas gifts that would please our God!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ellen Vaughn, in her book, Radical Gratitude: Discovering Joy through Everyday Thankfulness, writes, "Being thankful is not rocket science. Though the topic of gratitude goes as deep as the grace of God, it does not require tough biblical exegesis or advanced degrees to practice it. It just requires obedience."

Well said, Ellen. So my friends, let's practice obedience and be thankful today (and EVERYDAY! - see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I want to go on record for thanking God for all of you who from time to time visit my blog. My whole purpose in writing these postings is to encourage you in your faith journey. If I can help one person deepen his/her love for God with something I write, I am glad (and grateful to God that He has used my imperfect and feeble efforts).

I trust you all will enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

What Can I Thank God for Today?

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Scottish pastor Alexander Whyte was much loved by his parishioners. Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers which greatly encouraged his flock. One very gloomy and stormy Sunday, his church members whispered among themselves, "What can the preacher possibly find to thank God for about this wretched and miserable day?" When Whyte began his prayer that morning he surprised those present by beginning his prayer with these words, "We thank Thee, Lord, that the weather is not always like this."

There is a valuable lesson in this story. No matter how dark the day ... no matter how difficult the situation ... no matter how deep the discouragement we find ourselves in ---- there is still something that we can find for which to thank our God. Think with me. It doesn't matter if today's events are "good" or "bad," IF you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you NEVER EVER have to go it alone! God himself has promised us that he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). And if we have the God of the universe as our constant companion - what else could we ever want that tops that?

Take a moment this Thanksgiving season and thank God for the relationship you have with him through His Son Jesus Christ! (and if you do not have this relationship or are not sure, please click here.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

When It Comes to Gratitude, Silence Is Not Golden!

2011-11-22T08:50:00.001-05:00

Given that this week is Thanksgiving week, I thought I would focus my postings on the topic of giving thanks. With that in mind ... consider the following quote:

Author G. B. Stern once said, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”

It is not difficult to understand what this writer is stating here. Just this morning, a friend pointed out to me how few people say "Thanks!" to him when he holds a door open for them (and even if those people are thankful ... their silence sure does not communicate that!). Indeed, silent gratitude is NOT much use to anyone!

One "walk thru" the Old Testament book of Psalms certainly bears this out. Over and over again, we are urged to give thanks to God (see Psalm 30:4; 33:2; 97:12; 100:4; 106:1; 118:1). Why? When we verbalize our gratitude to God, we let him know that we appreciate the gifts that he gives to us ... gifts that we are NOT entitled to ... gifts that we have NOT earned ... gifts that we in NO WAY merit. Rather - these gifts flow from his grace! And therefore .... when we thank HIM, we acknowledge that EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT that we enjoy is from His merciful hand ... His gracious heart (James 1:17).

I encourage you to do what I plan to do this week ... to draw up a list of blessings for which I want to thank my God! And I hope I don't run out of ink in the process!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Lesson from a Cell Phone Stalker!

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Recently, Dutch authorities charged a 42 year-old woman with stalking after she allegedly called her 62 year-old ex-boyfriend some 65,000 times - all in the past year. When questioned, she claimed the calls were not excessive and he denied any such relationship (a classic, He-said - She said!).

As I thought of the huge number of calls this woman allegedly placed to this man (and even if he did have a relationship with her, I could see why he might want to end it!), I did some quick math. Assuming the calls were made over a 12-month period ... she would have placed a call to him once every five minutes of every single day (assuming 8 hours of sleep each day when no calls would have been made). That's a lot of phone calls!!! Then I got to thinking about how often I "place a call" to my Father in heaven. I must admit, my zeal to connect with my Abba in heaven can't compare with this woman's zeal to communicate with the man she "loved."

I think there is a lesson here for us all. Give it some thought!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-11-17T05:30:00.000-05:00

Here are my Thursday offerings for your consideration ... enjoy!

1. Parenting surely has its shares of "ups" and "downs." And often ... we fail to "get it right" no matter how hard we try. Here is a great little article about one father's failure and what he learned from it.

2. Here is a brief video (2:16) that I found quite moving, The People of the Second Chance: Emmanuel's Story.

3. Fanny Crosby wrote over 8,000 hymns, many of which are still sung today. Here is a great video (3:34) that talks about the life of this blind woman who had great spiritual insight!

4. When and why is anger essential? Paul Tripp gives his answer to this question ... a good read!

5. Here is a brief video of a prayer offered up to God by assistant Nebraska coach Ron Brown before last Saturday's Penn State - Nebraska football game. A prayer in which JESUS is mentioned!

6. On a lighter note . . . from the Cosby Show (1:14).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Letters from One Devil to Another

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

C.S. Lewis is widely recognized as one of the leading Christian writers of the last century. Among his many popular works is one titled, The Screwtape Letters. This collection of 31 letters are written by the character Screwtape, an older devil in Satan's civil service. Screwtape writes these letters to his nephew, a young devil named Wormwood, who is just entering into hell's work. In these letters, the veteran Screwtape is giving advice to the novice Wormwood, who has just been assigned his first "patient." It is a fascinating look at temptation from the perspective of the tempter.

One of the many insightful passages in the book concerns C.S. Lewis's observation of how Christians view the demonic world:

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel and excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."

Actually, our view of demons and spiritual warfare should be somewhere between these two extremes. Is spiritual warfare a reality? Absolutely! Therefore, we must prepare for it (see Ephesians 6:10-18 and 1 Peter 5:8-9). But should we be blaming every temptation we face upon some unseen demonic tempter (a.k.a. "the demon of fear," "the demon of lust," or "the demon of anger)? Of course not! Not only do we struggle against the temptation of the Evil One (and his hordes), but we also struggle against our sinful flesh and the evil world system in which we live. So ... get ready to do battle, for the spiritual battle will come. But don't obsess about it! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus as you run the race set before you (Hebrews 12:1-2)!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

So What Is Fearing God All About?

2011-11-15T06:50:00.001-05:00

Over and over again, the Scripture talks about fearing God (Genesis 22:12; Job 1:8; Proverbs 1:7; 1 Peter 2:17). But what does it mean to fear God? I am afraid most Christians today would be hard pressed to give any answer that comes close to the biblical meaning of fearing God. In his book, More Precious than Gold: 50 Daily Meditations on the Psalms, author Sam Storms offers the best definition for fearing God that I have ever run across. Take a moment to read what he has to say ... and then come back and read it again.

"To fear God means to live conscious of his all-pervasive presence, conscious of our absolute, moment-by-moment dependence on him for light and life, conscious of our comprehensive responsibility to do all he has commanded, fearful of offending him, determined to obey him (Deuteronomy 6:1–2, 24; 8:6; Psalm 112:1; 119:63; Malachi 3:5), and committed to loving him (Deuteronomy 10:12, 20; 13:4)."

So .... do YOU truly fear God?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Lesson We Must Learn

2011-11-11T10:49:00.001-05:00

The child sex scandal that has rocked Penn state University has evoked a moral outcry from sports fans and non sports fans alike. And rightly so. The alleged acts of abuse and the subsequent coverup by university officials is shameful. My heart goes out to the victims who have suffered and their families. I, too, wish Joe Paterno had done more!

There is one "takeaway" from this mess (among several that I could offer you) that I would like you to think about, and that is this: sin always complicates life (for it is very destructive in nature). In addition, covering up sin leads to even more grief (for a biblical illustration of this, consider King David's experience of sin and coverup as detailed in 2 Samuel 11:1-27 and Psalm 32:3-5).

So the next time you sin - don't seek to coverup - rather OWN UP! Turn from your sin and confess it to God (1 John 1:9). And if you must take other actions (restitution, confrontation, etc.), ask God for the courage to do whatever you should do ... no matter the consequences. It's the right thing ... and e God-honoring thing to do!

Thanks for stoping by,
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday means .... a bunch of stuff to get you thinking ... or smiling ... or ....

1. Angry Birds is a wildly successful e-game ... how successful? Would you believe people around the WORLD collectively spend 300 million minutes EACH DAY playing this game? What does this say about the world in which we live? Check it out here.

2. Can you thrive in a marriage that isn't? Counselor Julie Lowe gives solid insight as she answers this question.

3. As Thanksgiving approaches, you may want to check out this book for children on the native American Squanto. It is written by the same author who has written the recent bestsellers on William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Check out info here! You can also go right to the Amazon.com link for the book right here.

4. On a lighter side ... a brief video that got me laughing about household finances!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Indiana Wants Me

2011-11-09T05:30:00.000-05:00

Indiana Wants Me is the title of a song written and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter R. Dean Taylor. The song came out in 1970 and became a top ten singles hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The song is written about a man who is wanted for murder in the state of Indiana. So as much as he wants to return to family and friends in Indiana ... because he is wanted by the law there ... he knows he cannot return.

Every time I must head to Indiana for Grace College and Seminary Board meetings, I think of this song. Indiana wants me (at least Grace College and Seminary do!) ... but unlike the man in the song ... I must go. So I will be heading to Winona Lake, Indiana today (I have chosen to drive the 600 miles) and returning Saturday evening. Please be in prayer for the 20 or so board members and the senior administration as we meet to discuss some exciting initiatives that are on the table for the schools. In these challenging economic times, equipping young people with the tools needed to live for God's glory in this ever increasing secular society is a real challenge. Ask God to grant us the wisdom and the faith we need to make the decisions that will further God's work among, in and through the students of Grace College and Seminary.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Simplify Your Spiritual Life!

2011-11-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

"Does your spiritual life sometimes seem more like a burden than a blessing? Does your spirituality seem to exhaust you as often as ti refreshes you? Have your spiritual practices become 'just another thing to do' in an already overcrowded, stress-filled schedule? If so, then you need to simplify your spiritual life."

This words are among the opening words of Don Whitney's book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed. It is a book that I have read more than once! I highly recommend it to you. In reading what Whitney has to say and applying some of his insights to your daily life, you may just find that rest that Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28-30!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Prayer for Today - the Lord's Day

2011-11-06T06:29:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite devotional books is a collection of Puritan prayers. The book is titled, The Valley of Vision. Here is a portion of one of these prayers that deals with the Lord's Day (Sunday).

O Lord, my Lord,

Give me in rich abundance the blessings the Lord’s Day was designed to impart;

May my heart be fast bound against worldly thoughts or cares;

Flood my mind with peace beyond understanding;

may my meditations be sweet,

my acts of worship life, liberty, joy,

my drink the streams that flow from thy throne,

my food the precious Word,

my defense the shield of faith,

and may my heart be more knit to Jesus.

Amen.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

An Amtrak Lockout!

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday morning a number of commuters arrived at the Lancaster train station shortly after 5:00, only to find the doors to the station locked. As the crowd of would-be train travelers grew, so did the frustration at the inability to get into the station. Eventually, the crowd was ushered into a side entrance by some construction workers. The commuters' relief at finally being able to get in was quickly replaced by anger when they realized that the door at the top of the steps that led to the train platform was pad locked with a metal bar. Not wanting to miss the incoming train for Philadelphia, the crowd pushed on the door until the bar snapped. They all made the train ... but were not happy about the experience. When contacted about the fiasco, an Amtrak spokesperson blamed it all on "a scheduling error."

All this brought to mind the story Jesus tells in Matthew 25 about the ten bridesmaids. Five were wise and five were foolish. They all took their lamps and were waiting for the late night arrival of the bridegroom. The five wise bridesmaids each took a flask containing extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed and did not arrive until midnight, the five foolish bridesmaids found that their lamps were going out. They asked to borrow some extra oil from the five wise women but were turned away. The wise bridemaids did not have enough to fuel their own lamps and loan some to the others. So while the five foolish bridesmaids went off to purchase the needed oil, the bridegroom arrived and took the five wise bridesmaids with him to the marriage feast. When the other five returned, they found the door locked. When they knocked and asked for admittance, they were refused (see Matthew 25:1-13).

I hope and pray that all of you who read this ... will not be refused entrance when the King of kings returns to establish his eternal Kingdom. If you are wondering how one makes sure he is ready ... please read this. Your eternal destination is on the line!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-11-03T05:30:00.000-04:00

Here are my a la carte offerings for today. Enjoy!

1. Here is a fascinating story from CNN about an autistic basketball manager. Be sure to grab a tissue before watching this one!

2. I found this trailer of Blair Linne performing The Perfection of Beauty, from Shai Linne's fourth album, The Attributes of God quite fascinating! For more information, check out Rapping the Attributes of God on the Gospel Coalition site.

3. John MacArthur offers up some real food for thought as he shares two clear concerns he has about the Young, Restless and Reformed Movement.

4. Robert Rayburn of Ligonier Ministries writes about the fact that There is Nothing Like the Church!

5. All of us have memories of being told by Mom and Dad to eat what was on our plates .... even if that meant eating Brussels sprouts (which I hated ---- and still do!). Here's a cute Cosby clip that made me laugh. I hope it makes you laugh, too!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Looking for Solid Role Models!

2011-11-02T08:24:00.001-04:00

The other day when my son was walking down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand with his two year old daughter, she looked up at him and said, "Daddy, you're my hero!" Talk about a touching moment!

But that got me thinking. Our kids need role models. And those role models should begin at home. Moms and dads should be role models for their children. So, moms and dads, what kind of role model are you for your children? Can you honestly say that from the deepest places in your heart that you hope your children grow up to be like you?

Moving beyond the home ... where can we find decent role models? The most visible class of people in our culture are those with celebrity status (think professional athletes, actors and actresses, musicians, etc.). Although there are some exceptions, the majority of these individuals are not what I would call "solid role models!" So ... where can we find some solid role models for our kids (and for us adults, too)? How about in the pages of the Bible?

Consider Joseph. As a young man he found himself experiencing the bitter taste of slavery in a foreign land. This came about as a result of betrayal at the hands of his own brothers! Certainly we would understand if he had chosen to wallow in self-pity as a victim of his circumstances. But no, he rose above all that. He had the moral courage to say "NO!" to the seduction of his master's wife ... not wanting to dishonor either his earthly master or his God (Genesis 39:7-9). He also refused to allow bitterness to take root in his heart. Rather he chose the path of forgiveness when reunited with the brothers who betrayed him (Genesis 50:15-21). Certainly Joseph qualifies as a wonderful role model for us.

How about David? Here was an individual (who showed how imperfect he was in the account of his sin with Bathsheba as related in 2 Samuel 11) who as a young man showed great courage in his showdown with the Philistine giant, Goliath. When none of the veteran soldiers of King Saul's army was willing to go and face the giant in "winner-takes-all" contest, David went! And he did so because this pagan was dishonoring the name of the God he loved and served (1 Samuel 17:45-47). David fought (in a fight that few gave him ANY hope of winning) because he wanted all to know that God is God and no one else!

I could go on and list many others (Ruth, Daniel, Esther, Peter, Dorcas and Paul are just a few who come to mind) who, though not perfect, yet made a mark for God. I would encourage you to consider these people and how they lived. Choosing to imitate them will help you become the man or the woman that God is calling you to be!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

The Big Problem with Covetousness!

2011-11-01T07:37:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of this year, one of the commitments I made to further my knowledge of God's Word was to read through the four volume commentary on the book of Romans written by former Philadelphia pastor, James Montgomery Boice. It has been a refreshing experience! This morning I read chapter 205 (of a total of 239). This sermon (as his commentary is pretty much the transcripts of the messages he preached --- and he preached for four years from the book of Romans!) covers Romans 13:8-10 . Boice titled this message, The Debt of Love. In the course of his comments, he discusses the last of the Ten Commandments which forbids coveting. Here is what he has to say (and its quite insightful and convicting!):

"The biggest problem with covetousness is not the trouble it gets us into (such as huge amounts of financial debt) ... It is rather that it makes us insensitive to the needs of other people. For instead of helping us to see who they are and what their needs are, covetousness makes us jealous of others with the result that we see only what they have - and want it. If we loved other people, we would want good things for them rather than letting their good things make us want more for ourselves."

Well said, Dr. Boice. Let's determine to think and pray on this ... and truly love others as God desires us to love!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Think on This!

2011-10-31T12:10:00.001-04:00

I am sure most Christians would agree that as followers of Jesus our lives should be different from the lives of unbelievers who surround us. Yet, far too frequently, we Christians tend to blend right in with our ungodly world. I believe this occurs because so many believers do not take the gospel seriously! God calls us as Christians to be a community of those who "love God, even to the contempt of self" as opposed to those who "love self, even to the contempt of God" (the words quoted are the words of the early church theologian, St. Augustine in his work, The City of God).

So ... my friends, are we learning to love God ... even to the contempt of self? That is what God is calling us to do!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The Heroes Among Us!

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

When the tornado hit Joplin, MO on the evening of this past May 22nd, Mark Lindquist and his co-worker, Ryan Tackett did what they had been trained to do. The two worked for a social agency in a group home, caring for three middle-aged men with Down Syndrome. Since the home had no basement and since the men moved too slowly to be relocated, they pulled out three mattresses, placing the men underneath them. Ryan and Mark then climbed on top to weigh the mattresses down. When the EF-5 tornado's 200 mph winds blew through, the house was destroyed. The three Down Syndrome men were killed. Tackett and Lindquist survived, Lindquist barely so. His injuries were so severe that his body swelled to the point he was unrecognizable. He was in a coma for several days and was only identified by the tiny green flecks in his eyes. He is still recovering from his injuries.

Now if you know anything about social workers you know that they give a lot and get paid a little. Lindquist did not have medical insurance because he could not afford it. But he figured that since his injuries occurred while on the job, workman's comp would cover his bills. He figured wrong. The insurer denied his claim, "based on the fact that there was no greater risk than the general public at the time you were involved in the Joplin tornado." Considering that his medical bills have topped 2.5 million dollars AND he has more surgery planned, to say Lindquist was disappointed would be quite an understatement. The insurer's decision angered Lindquist's friends, employer and even Missouri state legislators. Yet in spite of this growing mountain of debt and the controversy swirling around him, Lindquist is still very grateful. "I'm a walking miracle!"

I first read of Lindquist, his heroism and his dilemma, in Monday's paper. On Tuesday I read that on Monday (perhaps even as I was reading the story), the insurer did a 180! They have now agreed to pay Lindquist's expenses. My guess is the insurer came under great pressure as a result of the AP story which I read which had been published nationwide and even in some international markets. But whatever the reason, Lindquist is one who is getting his due!

As I reflect back on my life, I could list a number of "heroes" that I have encountered. Men and women who have generously given of themselves to the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many have gone unthanked and unappreciated. But I know ... even if they never receive their due here ... one day they will! (Matthew 19:29; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). And the reward received by these "unsung" heroes will last forever! Praise God!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-10-27T05:30:00.000-04:00

Thursday means ... a bunch of stuff that you might (I hope) find helpful for your faith journey!

1. Have you ever found waiting upon God (Isaiah 40:31) difficult? Paul Tripp offers five reasons why God calls us to wait.

2. Tim Tebow is a name that even non-football fans probably recognize. Tebow became a national celebrity when he became the first sophomore to ever win college football's most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy. After winning a number of other awards, he was drafted by the NFL's Denver Broncos and has just won the starting quarterback job. But not everyone is a Tim Tebow fan. You see, Tim is an outspoken Christian ... and for that fact alone many are hoping he fails. Really? Check out Denny Burke's post, Why is Tebow Hated So Much?

3. Here's a touching story of long-lasting marital love and commitment (72 years long!). You probably heard this account of an Iowa couple who died one hour apart ... holding hands! Check it out (but grab a few tissues before you do!).

4. Is there a difference between happiness and joy? Certainly! Check out this brief devotional from Ligonier Ministries.

5. On a light note, from the Bill Cosby Show: How Mothers Deliver a Baby!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

So What Are You Advertising?

2011-10-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

Recently, a Lancaster man was arrested on the suspicion of breaking into and burglarizing a local bowling alley. Now I am not sure of the evidence which pointed police in this man's direction, but I did hear of some evidence that appears to confirm his guilt. When arrested, the suspect was wearing a brand new sweatshirt ... bearing the name of the bowling establishment! Put that together with the fact that at least one such sweatshirt was listed among the stolen goods ... and voila! Nothing like advertising your guilt!

We as Christ followers can learn something from this. Really, John? Yep! Like this alleged burglar, we also need to be involved in advertising ... not our guilt but rather God's grace. What I am referring to is the gospel of course. This gospel is the GOOD NEWS that God so loved me (in spite of who I was ... a rebel who wanted absolutely nothing to do with HIM) that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16). His Son humbled Himself, came to this earth as one of us and eventually died a violent death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). And why did Jesus Christ do this? In order to face a righteous God's wrath against our sin so that we would never have to do so! (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10) As a result we can enjoy a relationship with the Living God! (1 Peter 3:18; John 17:3).

So .... my question for all of us this morning is this: "What is it that we are advertising in our lives?" I hope and pray that increasingly the answer to that question will be "The gospel of Jesus Christ!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .

What's the Big Deal About Worship?

2011-10-23T06:05:00.001-04:00

In just a few hours, the family here at Grace will gather to worship our God. Why is it so important that we do so? Consider the following quote by Manley Beasley, a prominent Southern Baptist evangelist who ministered in the middle to later years of the 20th century:

"'A glimpse of God will save you. To gaze at Him will sanctify you."

Right on brother Beasley!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Peanut Butter and Evangelism

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Recently the media has issued the follow warning: Shoppers prepare yourselves, the price of peanut butter is going up ... way up!" And when they say "way up" the media is not in this case guilty of overhype. J.M. Smucker Co. which makes Jiff peanut butter has announced a 30% increase. Other pb makers have also announce planned increases ... some as high as 40%. What does this mean for the average consumer? According to the National Peanut Board based in Atlanta, this cost increase will add about 4 cents to the cost of a pb and jelly sandwich. Now that might not sound like much ... but when you take into account the fact that Americans eat enough pb each year to make approximately 10 billion pb and jelly sandwiches ... that 4 cents adds up ... to a total of $400 million! Wow! That's a pile of money that could be spent on other things!

Why the increase? Simply put it's Economics 101. The supply of peanuts is down (due to the drought in the American South) while the demand is up. That equals higher prices! Now since I LOVE my peanut butter giving it up is not an option. So I plan to spread it on a bit more thin. Perhaps with this strategy I can keep my increase to just a penny a sandwich! All this to say ... this painful-to-my-wallet jack in the price of pb is due to a lousy harvest!

Just the other day as I was reading through the gospel of Matthew, I came across a verse in which Jesus talks about a harvest. But he was not talking about a harvest of peanuts. Here is what he said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 13:37-38). The harvest he was referencing was the harvest of souls. Note he calls it "plentiful." So there is a lot of harvesting to be done ... but the problem is that there are not enough workers to do the harvesting! So he urges us to pray that the Lord Himself would send workers out into the harvest. So ... let's pray ... and let's also be part of the answer to this prayer. As we go through our routine, let's do our best to point people to Jesus Christ!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday's A La Carte Offerings

2011-10-20T05:30:00.000-04:00

Hey it's Thursday ... that means it a la carte day. Enjoy!

1. How does God speak to us today? Tim Challies has some great insights in answer to this question.

2. As Christians, we often refer to the truth that God is sovereign. But what is he actually sovereign over? Check out Justin Taylor's (gospel coalition) list. Quite encouraging!

3. Here is a video (6:56) in CEEF's "Ask the Counselor" series in which David Powlison discusses what the Bible says about divorce and remarriage.

4. Here is another brief video (2:00) with John MacArthur talking about the interceding of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.

5. On a lighter note ... a video (2:34) featuring one of my favorite animated character from the Ice Age series of films.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Let My People Think!

2011-10-19T09:06:00.002-04:00

There are times when I look at what people do and I askmyself, “WHAT were they thinking?” Thatquestion popped into my mind as I viewed the evening news recently. Shawn Wiemer, a Detroit area man, made a 3 AM stop at a convenience store. The clerk, taking note that Wiemer was drunk, must have asked him if he was driving. Wiemer quickly pointed out that he brought a designated driver along ... his 9 year old daughter! To read more about this bizarre story, check out a Los Angeles local newscast coverage of the story.

Many people today just don’t think (OK, perhaps theirsituation is not as extreme as the situation above – but people would rather beentertained and amused today than think). God calls His people to THINK! In1 Peter 1:13, Peter tells us that we must be “preparing our MINDS for action.” Jesus Himself told us we are to love the Lordour God “with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our MIND” (Matthew 22:37). So Godcalls out to all of us, “Let my people think!” If you need some guidance on what you need to think about, open yourBible and read Philippians 4:8and THINK!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

When You Need Help . . .

2011-10-18T14:23:00.000-04:00

There is a rather bizzare movement that has taken hold in America ... and I am not talking about the "Occupy Broad Street" movement. Unlike the "occupy" movement which is anti-corporate greed, this movement is all about anti-crime. It has been fueled in part by the rash of superhero films that have made it to the screen in the past few years (think Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, the Green Lantern, Captain America ... just to name a few). Inspired by these comic book world superheroes, a growing number are donning superhero costumes in the real world. And they are doing their best to go after the bad guys. Take for example, Benjamin Foder. His hero name is Phoenix Jones and as PJ (Phoenix Jones) he wears a black mask and a matching muscle body suit. He belongs to a Seattle area group of superheros known as the Rain City Superhero Movement. These individuals all don various superhero outfits as they do their part in attempting to keep crime in check.To read more about this phenomena, check out the real life superheroes web site (the site lists approximately 600 members worldwide.)

Being a guy who has seen a few superhero movies and in my youth read more than a few superhero comics, I must admit I kinda like the idea of a superhero appearing out of nowhere in my hour of need. But really, I don't need a superhero. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe dwelling inside of me in the person of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:15-17). So why would I need some guy in a cape to save me when God's Spirit is always with me? I think I will take my chances with God. How about you?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

iWill Connect: Sunday October 16, 2003

2011-10-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

Technology can be quite useful in life ... except for those times when it doesn't work at all. That was the case this morning. Our computer in our sanctuary was very uncooperative and therefore we were unable to use our projector. So for those in our our early service, I have posted my message slides from this morning.

Fall 2011 i will connect- oct 16 p js sermon slides (2)

View more presentations from John Smith

Thanks for stopping by . . . pj

Just What Is Mormonism?

2011-10-14T13:43:00.003-04:00

As a result of recent comments connected with the group of Republicans campaigning for their party's nomination, the Mormon faith has been in the news. Milt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and one of the leaders for the Republican nomination is a Mormon. Some have attacked him on those grounds, labelling Mormonism as a cult. Others have defended him, claiming that Mormonism is simply a denomination of Christianity (like the Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians are distinct denominations within Christianity). So, what is the reality? Is the Mormon faith a cult, squarely outside the teaching and beliefs of orthodox Christianity. Or is it at its core truly Christian?

If you want a soundly reasoned, true-to-the-Bible answer to this question, check out this article, "Is Mormonism a Cult? What Do Mormons Believe?" And if you want to dig a little deeper, Kevin DeYoung on the Gospel Coalition blog has a more indepth article.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

What is the Mission of the Church?

2011-10-13T05:30:00.000-04:00

This has been a busy week ... and I have not had time to collect any goodies for you. Instead ... here is just one for your Thursday. This extended quote is from a book I just picked up titled, What Is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert.

In 1933—in the depths of the Great Depression and in the heyday of theological liberalism—J. Gresham Machen tried to answer the pressing question: What is the church’s responsibility in this new age? His answer was spot-on back then, and it is no less true three-quarters of a century later:

"The responsibility of the church in the new age is the same as its responsibility in every age. It is to testify that this world is lost in sin; that the span of human life—no, all the length of human history—is an infinitesimal island in the awful depths of eternity; that there is a mysterious, holy, living God, Creator of all, Upholder of all, infinitely beyond all; that he has revealed himself to us in his Word and offered us communion with himself through Jesus Christ the Lord; that there is no other salvation, for individuals or for nations, save this, but that this salvation is full and free, and that whoever possesses it has for himself and for all others to whom he may be the instrument of bringing it a treasure compared with which all the kingdoms of the earth—no, all the wonders of the starry heavens—are as the dust of the street. An unpopular message it is—an impractical message, we are told. But it is the message of the Christian church. Neglect it, and you will have destruction; heed it, and you will have life."

DeYoung and Gilbert follow-up Machen's quote with these words: "It is not the church’s responsibility to right every wrong or to meet every need, though we have biblical motivation to do some of both. It is our responsibility, however—our unique mission and plain priority—that this unpopular, impractical gospel message gets told, that neighbors and nations may know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, they may have life in his name." (Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert (2011-09-06). What Is the Mission of the Church? (p. 250). Crossway. Kindle Edition)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Birds of a Feather - Flock Together!

2011-10-12T10:56:00.003-04:00

This morning as I was preparing my morning coffee, I heard what sounded like a whole lot of birds chirping away. So I stuck my head out my front door and sure enough ... the sky above was black with black birds ... chirping and flying to who knows where. And they just kept coming and coming and coming. There must have been a couple thousand of these birds. And from the best I could tell ... they were all starlings.

As I thought of this ... I thought of the old expression, "Birds of a feather, flock together." I did some research and found that the origin of this phrase dates back to the 1500's. The saying simply means that those of similar taste tend to congregate together. This is not only true of birds, it's true of us humans, too. We tend to hang out with those that have the same likes (or dislikes) as we do. Case in point ... I don't hang out with people who like to do scrap booking - because that is something that is not on my radar screen of "likes." But invite me to watch a football game with the guys and I am there (unless it's the New England Patriots!).

SOOO ... who are the people that you tend to associate with? This is a more important question than you might think. In a number of places, Scripture gives us guidance on the type of people we should be hanging with (Proverbs 13:20; 22:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:33). You want to be wise? - spend time with wise people. You want to be gracious? - spend time with gracious people. You want to become more like Christ? - then look for people who exemplify him and seek to spend some time with them. Remember ... "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Our Foggy Future

2011-10-11T07:53:00.000-04:00

This morning when I walked out my door to retrieve the morning newspaper, I was greeted by a blanket of fog – a blanket that was quite heavy early on (at least surrounding my house). So I was very glad to see that much of the fog had dissipated by the time I had to hop in my car and head off for my day. I don’t know how you feel about driving in foggy conditions … but I don’t like it one bit! I like to see clearly what lies ahead of me when I am driving – which is something that isn’t going to be the case on a real foggy morning!

Living out our lives is a lot like driving in the fog. We can only see so far ahead. As much as we might like to be able to see around the next corner, it is fruitless to even try. Only God knows what lies before us as we walk (or run!) through our daily routines. But isn’t that a comfort? Knowing that the God who made me and saved me has my days in HIS hands brings me a lot of peace. And peace is in short supply in our anxiety saturated world. I hope you can find peace today knowing that you and your future are in the Almighty’s hands.

Thanks for stopping by,
pj

Life Doesn't Work So Well Alone!

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

At Grace Church, we believe that God calls us to do life together ... because life works best in community. That's why we are launching our new and improved small group ministry. We call our groups Life groups. We take seriously the exhortation in Hebrews 10:24-25 which demonstrates just how important it is do journey through life TOGETHER with other followers of Christ.

Here is a brief video that demonstrates the foolishness of trying to do life alone!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-10-06T05:30:00.000-04:00

Here are my Thursday offerings:

1. Ligonier Ministries features an excellent interview with Joni Erickson Tada on The Purpose in the Pain. A great read!

2. Ray Ortland on the unBeatitudes. Ortland is "spot on!" as they say across the Atlantic.

3. Need some help in teaching children who are reluctant to change. Here is a great video (5:14) from CCEF (Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation).

4. Here is a heart warming video of a little baby who hears his mother's voice for the very first time! Wow!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

7 Billion and Counting!

2011-10-05T09:43:00.001-04:00

According to the United Nations, sometime toward the end of this month, the world will welcome it's 7th billion human being onto the planet. Seven billion! That's more than a boatload of people! To help you get a handle on this vast number ... think of this: If you were to count the world's population (counting at the rate of one person per second), it would take you over 220 years to do so! Wow! That's a lot of people!

The Bible makes it clear that each one of these approximately 7 billion people who live on earth is an image bearer of God's. Now sin has twisted, distorted and broken this image - but it is still there. The Bible also makes it clear that God commands every single one of these fallen image bearers to repent (Acts 17:30). The reason given for this command is that God has fixed a day on which he will judge all of humanity (Acts 17:31-32). Repentance and judgment are two concepts one does not hear much about today ... even within the church. But they are biblical words that describe biblical realities. And we must not lose sight of this!

So ... as you think about your 7 billion fellow human beings ... pray for them! Ask God to work in them so that they will heed his command to repent and thereby be ready to face the Judge on that day God has fixed.

Tonight at Grace Church we launch our Wednesday Night Live programming. As part of our evening activities, we will be sponsoring what we are calling an "All Souls Prayer Gathering." This gathering will meet the first Wednesday of each month and will be a focused time of praying for the lost souls around us, both near and far. If you are in the area, I invite you to join us. And if you are not, I encourage you to spend some time praying for those around you who do not know Christ.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Courageous: The Movie

2011-10-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, since it wasrainy and quite cool, my wife and I decided to head for a matinee at our localmovie theater. We had wanted to see the new movie, Courageous (produced by the people who came out with Fireproof). The movie proved to be a good fit for a rainy day. It wasan entertaining film with a great message. This morning, I received an emailfrom the producers of the film ... in part it read:

"Whatan amazing Opening Weekend for COURAGEOUS! Thank you for the roleyou played in helping this film reach a wide audience—it was the No. 1 newrelease of the weekend. What did people think of COURAGEOUS? Itscored it an A+ on CinemaScore—one of just four films to do so this year.

Whileopening in fewer than half of the theaters as the three other new releases—andthree holdover films—COURAGEOUS finished No. 4 in the box officethis weekend. And in the per-screen average, COURAGEOUS was byfar the No. 1 movie of all movies playing in 1,000 or more theaters.Talk about exceedingly, abundantly more than we can hope orimagine!"

Not everybody isthrilled with the film. On RottenTomatoes.com, even though moviegoers gave thefilm a 93 rating (out of 100, only one film was rated higher), movie criticsgave it a lowly 31. Here is what the critics were saying, "While the filmmaking isfairly competent, Courageous is overall worthless to anybody who doesn'tsubscribe to its dogmatic agenda."

Hmm. Quite a harshstatement from the critics. Why such a statement? Could it be because the filmmentions the name "Jesus" several times ... and NOT as an expressionof profanity? Could it be because the gospel is given in no uncertain terms?

I would encourage you togo and see the movie. Especially you dads out there! You won't bedisappointed!

Thanks for stopping by .. .

Ask a Question - Get a Flower!

2011-09-30T09:53:00.002-04:00

This week is the week of the West Lampeter Community Fair. The fair officially opened at noon on Wednesday and concludes tonight at 10:00 PM. Since 1991, our church has hosted a Baby Comfort Station ... a clean and comfortable place for parents to bring their babies to change them and feed them. In addition, we also put up some displays that highlight some of the ministries of our church.

This year we added three new features. The first was a small display which listed all the other church sponsored booths and encouraged people passing us by to check them out too. After all, we do not see ourselves in competition with other local churches. So if we can promote what they are doing, so much the better for God's kingdom! The second addition involved the use of QR codes. This matrix barcode includes our church web address. By scanning it with a smartphone, the person is taken immediately to our church's web site! QR codes, initially developed for the automotive industry, are now hitting Main Street America. Once you are familiar with what one looks like (see picture) you will begin to see them ALL over the place!

The final addition this year was a flower giveaway. The flower was a small plastic sunflower which "dances" when placed in the sun (it is solar powered). On the base we placed a sticker with the church's web address, just in case someone was looking for more info on the church. Now to get a flower, you had to ask a question. Last evening was my evening to staff this giveaway. I realized early on that I had to specify the type of question I was looking for (spiritual, God or Bible related question). Before I clarified this, I was getting questions like, "May I have a flower please?" or "Could I have a purple one?" Once I clarified, I got some very interesting questions which included, "Who does God talk to today?" "Why is there suffering in the world?" "Why did God allow Jesus to die?" "What was Adam and Eve's last name?" and "Will my pets be in heaven?" (and many, many more!). But not everyone could either think of a question ... or felt comfortable asking a spiritual type question. When this became apparent I offered to ask them a question (and I promised not to make it difficult! I never had anyone turn me down on my offer!). The question I usually asked first was their name ... followed by this question, "Katie, does God love you?" Almost always I got a "Yes!" in response. To which I then asked "How do you know that He loves you?" This often led to me being able to point them to gospel rich verses like John 3:16 or Romans 5:8. It was great! (now I know that if you were counting, I often asked three questions and not one ... but the kids and adults did not seem to mind!).

As I was driving home, I thanked God for the opportunity to plant gospel seeds in a lot of minds and hearts. Would you please pray with me, asking our merciful God to water these seeds (and the seeds planted on Wednesday and the additional seeds, God willing, to be planted tonight)? Our desire is to see many come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-09-29T05:30:00.000-04:00

Here are this Thursday's offerings ... enjoy!

1. Who are you? Tullian Tchividjian, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida (and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham) offers up some excellent insights in his article, Our New and Exalted Identity.

2. Here's a brief reminder (:40) of what should be happening when biblical community is truly functioning as biblical community!

3. Amazing Grace sung by a little girl with an amazing voice! Enjoy!

4. If you are looking for a wonderful family film ... from the makers of The Blind Side comes Dolphin Tale ... click here for the trailer. Also coming out tomorrow is the movie Courageous (from makers of Fireproof). Click here for trailer.

5. Here are seven steps to family worship. Good stuff!

6. And on the lighter side . . . here's a Budget Rent A Car commercial that made me laugh.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Commitment?

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

"People by the millions are bailing out of jobs, careers, businesses, relationships and life in general. Many of these people lack commitment to a cause, lifestyle, purpose, or outcome. When it gets a little tough, uncomfortable, or they don't get the results they thought they would as quickly as they thought they should, their response is: 'I'm outta here.'"

The writer of this quote (from and article on EzineArticles.com) identifies one of the biggest problems in our society - that of a lack of commitment. Sadly this aversion to commitment has infiltrated the church of Christ. Many Christians have no clue as to the existence of such biblical mandates as "discipline yourself for godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7-10). And if believers are aware of Paul's example of disciplining his body and keeping it under control as he runs his race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), they shrug it off as irrelevant. This is tragic. For commitment is really at the core of our faith. When confronted with the gospel, we must make a choice ... a commitment. The commitment we choose at this point is indeed the most important choice we will ever make!

Now most of us who call ourselves Christian get this (but regrettably, not all do - see Matthew 7:21-23). But what so many of us don't get is that the commitment Jesus Christ calls us to make is not a "once-and-done" commitment. Rather, it is a commitment we must make every single day. In Luke 9:23, Jesus states clearly that if anyone wants to be numbered among his followers, then that person must "deny himself and take up his cross DAILY" and follow him! The commitment we must make and keep is an every-day commitment.

But exactly what does this commitment look like on a day-to-day basis? Beginning this coming Sunday during our Sunday morning teaching time, I will be unpacking what it means to follow Jesus. We will be looking at five basic commitments that define what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I hope you can join us ... and if you can't, please check out our church web site for the PowerPoint slides and audio of the messages.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Now That's Perseverance!

2011-09-27T08:24:00.001-04:00

Amos Wayne Richards, 64, of Concord, N.C. set out to hike Utah's Little Blue John Canyon back on September 8th. He said he was inspired to take the hike after seeing the Oscar-nominated movie "127 Hours." The film was inspired by the moving story of a hiker who in the same canyon found himself pinned under a boulder. The man freed himself by cutting off his arm. Little did Richards know that he himself would have a story that would be told to the nation. At one point during his hike, Richards suffered a ten foot fall that left him with a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg. The shoulder he was able to manipulate back into place (ouch!), but he could do nothing for his shattered leg. So he did the only thing he could - crawl. He eventually crawled for four days and over five miles before being spotted by a search helicopter. Richards did some things wrong (like not informing any one of his plans for starters, something National Park Rangers stress hikers - especially those hiking solo - should always do!). But one thing you've got to admire about this guy is that he never gave up. Despite the hot desert sun, meager provisions (two protein bars and a little bit of water he was able to collect from some passing showers), the rocky terrain, and what must have been gut-wrenching pain - he pressed on!

In a day and age of always wanting to do things the easy way (ala Staples - "That was easy!") - we need reminded that often life does not always work that way. Life is not always easy. In fact, it is often downright tough. Painfully tough! We need to acknowledge this reality. But then we need to press on. But as we do - we must always remember that we are never alone (Isaiah 41:10) and that the one who went to the cross to save us has overcome, assuring us of our final victory (John 16:33).

So .... no matter how tempted you are to quit when the path you are on grows difficult - don't! Jesus Christ is your constant companion and he will one day lead you to your eternal home!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

So ... What Should a Sunday Worship Service Be All About?

2011-09-25T06:52:00.000-04:00

As I write these words, Grace Church will gather for its first of two corporate worship celebrations. Something that has already happened 38 times this year (and over 1100 times since I began pastoring here in 1989!). So ... since this is something that we as a church do with weekly regularity, are we doing it "right?" Is there even a "right" way to worship together as a church?

Kevin DeYoung, on the Gospel Coalition blog, offers up Five Thoughts on Worship. It will take you only a few minutes to read, but it will prove to be a wise investment of those few minutes - no matter how busy you might be!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Money and Stuff in the Midst of a Tough Economy!

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Bible has a lot to say about money and possessions (see Proverbs 23:4-5; 1 Timothy 6:6-10). Given these difficult economic times, it would be wise for all of us who follow Jesus to think about ... and pray about how we view "stuff." To help you ... here is a prayer from Scotty Smith as posted on the gospel coalition web site.

A Prayer about Stuff and Contentment

LovingFather, we continue to live in a difficult economic season. Some of us whothought we’d be retired in a couple of years are now thinking it’s ten, ifever. Some of us have lost jobs, even homes. Some of us are selling stuff anddownsizing out of necessity, not choice. Some of our marriages are beingstressed to the point of breaking. Some of us are actually being tempted to stealfor the first time. Lord, we need wisdom, we need a work of your Spirit, andsome of us really do need jobs.

Father,we look to you. Give us the perspective and power of the gospel as we make harddecisions, and reflect on our relationship to money and “stuff.” Free us froman attitude of entitlement and place within us a Spirit of contentment. Whendid we first assume the right to excess? When did abundance get relabeled asneed? Why did we think only first-century disciples of Jesus would everactually have to pray for daily bread?

Inour “iWorld” of new gadgets and cool widgets, help us ponder the fact that overhalf of the population on the earth exists on three of our American dollars, orless, a day. Free us to share with others from the much or little that we have.Help us to raise our children not to love money as much as we have. Don’t letus grow bitter, shame-filled or fearful.

Father,if we would wear ourselves out for anything, let it be to become rich towardyou (Luke 12:20–21)—to have the gospel so penetrate our hearts that we cry outwith spontaneous joy, “Who do I have in heaven but you, O Lord, and being withyou I desire nothing on the earth . . . You are my portion, sovereign Lord.”

LordJesus, you who were immeasurably rich in all things became incomprehensiblypoor for us, so that we, who were desperately poor in sin, might be madeinconceivably rich in grace. We worship and adore, with humility and gratitude.We thank you for the daily bread of both wheat and the gospel. So very Amen we pray,in your holy and gracious name.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Thursday means some different links to some articles/videos that I think you will find helpful in your journey of grace.

1. There is no escaping the Digital World in which we live. Here are some good tips for parenting kids in our Digital Age.

2. From the Counseling One Another Blog .... Six Reasons to Be a Faithful Member of a Local Church.

3. From Life, Famous Quotes that Were Never Said - The lesson here is that we need to be careful whenever we quote someone else (or even think twice before quoting another - could that be gossip?!).

4. Ed Welch on the vows we make, "I'll NEVER . . . do (that) again!"

5. And on a lighter note ....the video Love Tap (4:50). Make time to watch this ... it's good!

A Cat's Tale

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Willow, a calico kitten who went missing five years ago has finally turned up found. And what makes this story so unusual is that Willow went missing in Boulder, CO and was found in New York City - a distance of a mere 1800 miles! Willow's owners never thought they would see their cat again. But thanks to a microchip implanted in Willow's shoulder, authorities were able to determine the identity of the cat's owners. For more details on this amazing story, check out this ABC news report.

We will never know just where Willow's journeys took him during those five years (apart from his final destination that is). Yet all that time he carried the mark of his owner with him. This is true of all of us who have given our lives to Jesus Christ. God is now our owner (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and he has sealed us with his Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). Just as Willow was eventually reunited with his owners, there is coming a day, when our journeys on this earth are over ... that we too will be united with our Master... forever in that place called heaven.

How about you? Are you living your life here in light of your life there?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

A Thought for Your Monday Morning

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

C. S. Lewis once said, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next." Hmm. Now that's worth thinking about!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Saying "NO!" to Sin!

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

All of us, if honest, would admit to struggling with temptation and sin. The Apostle Paul referenced his struggle in these words: "For I do not the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing" (Romans 7:19). Hmm. Can you identify with him? I sure can! And the struggle will continue for all of us until we exist this life and enter the next.

Now this does not mean that we just give up! We must continue the struggle as Paul urges us to do in Romans 6:12-13 as we say "No!" to sin and "Yes!" to God. And as we continue in the struggle we have this promise from God: "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

If you are serious about saying "No!" to sin .... keep the following words in mind. They are are a good reminder of the ugly side of sin!

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay" (Source unknown).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-09-15T05:30:00.000-04:00

Some offerings to help you as you seek to follow Jesus Christ . . . enjoy!

1. From the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Should I Try to Forget My Past?

2. Tim Challies with some great thoughts on Teach Me to Pray!

3. A great site .... Mathias Media's The Briefing . . .

4. From the Gospel-Driven Church blog, How to Be Used for God's Glory. Good stuff!

5. Will everyone ultimately be saved? Tim Keller responds (:54).

6. And finally . . . on the lighter side!

What Are You Leaving Behind: Grace or Debris?

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the recent visit of tropical storm Lee, thousands of items of debris have been carried by the Susquehanna River and dumped into the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to the debris of nature (tree limbs, eroded soil, etc.), a lot of man-made items have found their way into the Bay, including mattresses, a yoga mat, a seat from a portable toilet, lumber and much, much more. But this does not really surprise anyone, given the extensive flooding which occurred on the river and its various tributaries. It is something we would expect to see.

This reminds me of life. We are a people who far too often live our lives in the flesh vs. in the Spirit. The Apostle Paul contrasts these two ways to live in Galatians 5:16-26. When we live according to the influence of our sinful nature, we leave a wake of debris behind us (just read Paul's description of the works of the flesh in verses 19-21 and you will readily see what I am talking about). However, when we walk in step with the Spirit of God, then he begins to grow His fruit in us. So would you rather have your life marked by sexual immorality, envy, anger (just to name a few) OR would you rather be known as a person of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

Let's learn to live our lives 24/7 "in the Spirit." That's when we will begin to mark the landscape of our lives with grace rather than debris.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Everything Sad Is Going To Come Untrue

2011-09-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday marked the tenth anniversary of the devastating terror attacks that resulted in the deaths of close to 3,000 innocent people. Now what is remarkable about the decade since 9-11 is the growth of the evangelical church in New York City. According to a report published by the web magazine, A Journey through NYC religions, "Almost 40% of evangelical churches in Manhattan Center City were founded since 2000. In September and October 2009 one new evangelical church opened its doors for worship every Sunday." That is a remarkable rate of growth brought about by God working His grace through Christians who grieved (along with their neighbors, co-workers, classmates) --- but who grieved "not as those who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Timothy Keller, well-known author and pastor of the influential Manhattan based, Redeemer Presbyterian Church spoke at a 9-11 memorial service commemorating the fifth anniversary of the tragedy. The service was held at St. Paul's Chapel in Lower Manhattan and was attended by numerous families of victims. Also in attendance were President George and First Lady Laura Bush. Keller concluded his remarks by pointing out the "secret" to Christians' ability to grieve with hope. He did so by referencing a scene from Tolkien's final volume in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here is what Keller had to say that day:

"In the last book of the Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee wakes up thinking everything is lost, and upon discovering instead that all his friends were around him, he cries out, 'Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead! Is everything sad going to come untrue?' The answer is yes. And the answer of the Bible is yes. If the resurrection is true, then the answer is yes. Everything sad is going to come untrue."

Hmm. Everything sad is going to come untrue. A biblical truth (Revelation 21:4-5) and a comforting truth! Thanks be to God that one day all sadness will be a fading memory in the rear view mirror of our minds!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Start Your Work Week with an Important Reminder!

2011-09-12T10:49:00.001-04:00

Here is a great video sermon (3:19) that will remind all of us Christians of our King - the One to whom we pledged our allegiance to each and every day. Enjoy!

That's My King! from Albert Martin on Vimeo.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

2011-09-11T06:47:00.001-04:00

Today we remember the tragic events of 9-11-01: the victims, the heroes and our world which so desperately needs Jesus Christ. To help you remember, here is a link to some 9-11 memorial videos.

Also ... all day today (Sunday) you can hear music and messages at IPrayRadio.com.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Our Desperate Need for Authentic, Biblical Community

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday we began a 3 Sunday sermon series on biblical community (Doing Life Together: Because Life Works Better in Community.) Here is a great video that talks about the fact that we weren't created for isolation.

Community from Crossway on Vimeo.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thursday A La Carte

2011-09-08T10:32:00.000-04:00

Once again, as I do every Thursday, I offer you some various links, some of which, I trust you will find helpful as your walk your journey of grace!

1. What is the most important word in the entire universe? Here is one individual's answer!

2. Here's a fascinating look at THE GOSPEL - definitely worth the 11 minutes it requires to watch!

3. Here's a quick but powerful read by Kevin DeYoung on what happens when we say to God, "You were right and I was wrong."

4. "God, why are you letting this happen to ME? It hurts!" Ever said or thought these words? Here is a brief posting on three purposes of God in your suffering.

5. As you know, the tenth anniversary of 9-11 falls on this upcoming Sunday. America Remembers 9-11 is an all day, all night prayer program on September 11 - a full 24 hours of prayer in all US time zones. You can sign up to pray at the America Remembers 9-11 web site ... and you can listen to messages and music on IPrayRadio.com.

6. Finally, on a lighter note - if you thought parenting your kids was tough!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

What We Often Forget about the Great Commission

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Most Christians are familiar with the "Great Commission." My guess is that many could even recite it pretty much from memory. Probably the most familiar "edition" of the GC is found in the gospel of Matthew:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (vv.19-20a).

Most of us however, miss the fact that the GC begins with a declaration ... and an amazing one at that! Just before issuing the commission to his disciples, Jesus declares, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (v. 18). Concerning this declaration, author Michael Horton writes, "This is the rationale for everything that the church is called to do and to be. The church's commission is indeed directed by a purpose ("making disciples of all nations"), but it is driven by a promise." And what a promise!

So as you go ... remember that as an ambassador for Christ, you represent Him who reigns OVER ALL! Wow! It gets no better than that!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Something To Chew On.

2011-09-06T14:38:00.001-04:00

I love to read what saints of bygone years have written. So often they say it so much better than I ever could ... no matter the topic. With that said, here is a quote from Thomas Chalmers about he Bible (Chalmers was a mathematician, an economist and a leader in the Free Church of Scotland, whose life spanned the years from 1780 to 1847). Concerning the Bible he had this insightful statement:

"The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you and do what the Bible bids you."

Now that is good, solid advice!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Labor Day Thoughts

2011-09-05T07:40:00.001-04:00

I am guessing that a lot of backyard picnics might have to be moved in today. Looks like more rain is coming our way today (and for much of this week). So as you spend some time sitting in your lazy boy on this Labor Day holiday, take a few moments to reflect about your labor.

1. If you are employed (and with 9% unemployment, there are many who are not) - thank God for His provision of your job (James 1:17). In addition, thank him for the health you have that allows you to work and provide for your family (Deuteronomy 8:16-18).

2. When you return to work, give your employer the best you have to give (Ephesians 6:5-8). Work as if working for Jesus Christ. In doing so, you will be a positive testimony for Him - something that those in your workplace need to see!

3. Finally, be sure to honor God with the firstfruits of your labors (Proverbs 3:9). Doing so is an act of faith on your part in which you say, "God, here is a portion of my income. I am going to trust you that at the end of the week I will still have enough to pay all my bills."

Happy Labor Holiday to one and all!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Coming Up Short

2011-09-02T03:00:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I finally got around to doing something I had been putting off ... going to the bank to make a deposit. Now it's not that I find going to the bank unpleasant (like going to the dentist!). It's just that with automatic deposit of my pay check, I don't need to go nearly as often. So when I do, I see it as an inconvenience, knowing that I will most likely have to spend some of my time standing in line. But yesterday I had about five checks I had accumulated across the past several weeks, so to the bank I went. It turned out to be painless - and took very little time out of my day.

The next morning, when I checked my online bank statement, I noticed the deposit from the day before was listed. I also noticed that the amount was a few hundred dollars less than I thought it should have been. So I checked my deposit slip and sure enough, the amount on the bottom line was indeed short. Now this was NOT due to any mistake by the bank. It was totally MY error. I had done my math wrong which resulted in the shortfall.

I wonder how often we do this very same thing in our relationship with God. We shortchange ourselves. How so? Bottom line, we fail to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Instead we pursue the stuff and fluff of this world, only to come up short in filling that "God-shaped" vacuum inside of us. In the "busyness" of our schedules we often "don't have time" for the spiritual practices that the Spirit of God will work through to shape us into the image of Christ. So things like Bible reading, personal prayer and worship, serving others, community worship and biblical fellowship with God's people - all take second place (if they even make it that high on the ladder of our priorities).

All this to say .... we would all benefit if we just STOPPED ... got off the carousel of life ... and evaluated our lives. Just as I discovered when taking a closer look at my bank deposit ... we might see that we are shortchanging ourselves -- and robbing God of HIS due!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj