Friday Coffee with PJ

Yesterday I took the day off and my wife and I took our two 5 year old grandsons to Lake Tobias. Two years ago we did the same with Ella when she turned five. All three of them enjoyed it immensely! So did Grammy and Papa (and I slept really well last night!). Thanks for stopping by for a brief visit (and feel free to pour yourself a cup of that wonderful brew known as coffee!).

1. I like to read.  I always have.  From my days of Dick and Jane and Dr. Seuss to the present, books and I have been on very friendly terms.  When I read, I am always looking for what I call “a golden nugget.” A while ago, while reading a devotional book by John Piper – I mined one.  Piper was writing about ten lessons he had learned from his father.  Here is Lesson #6:  “A Christian is a great doer not a great don’ter.”   Piper went on to write the following about this lesson: “We were fundamentalists – without the attitude.  We had our lists of things.  But that wasn’t the main thing. God was the main thing.  And God was worth everything” (from his book, Taste and See, p. 34). I wish every Christian would have the opportunity to read those words.  Far too many of us live out our faith with an emphasis on the “don’ts” and give little thought to the “do’s”.  All of us need to be reminded that as we live this life – God is the main thing.  And, in the words of Piper, He is indeed “worth everything!” (See Psalm 73:25). 

2. Back to yesterday's trip to Tobias. Our grandsons really enjoyed the safari ride and seeing all the snakes and other "eerie" creatures in the reptile house. But I think their favorite activity was playing in the gravel which covered the roads and walkways throughout the park (and I am thinking .... "I paid $40 for them to do this?" Ha! Boys will be boys!). But is this still true in our society? The movement to legitimize transgender behavior is well entrenched today. So much so that if a person questions the legitimacy of it they are labeled a bigot and a transaphob. Public schools and other public places are being pressured to allow transgender students/customers to use the bathroom which correlates with their gender identity (which, unsurprisingly, is causing great concern on the part of parents, even in liberal communities).  So what should our response as Christians be? For starters, educate yourself on the issue. A good place to start would be Mark Yarhouse's book, Understanding Gender Dysphoria.  And if you are parents of younger children, you may find the following two articles helpful: 8 Points from the American College of Pediatricians on Gender Identity in Children and The Transgender Conversation You Need to Have with Your Family.  And above all, we need to always keep in mind that we must speak the truth in love.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj