1. The news of late has been BAD ... horrifically so. And Orlando Florida has been at the center of most of it! Last Friday evening, a former finalist on NBC's hit show The Voice, Christina Grimmie (who claimed to be a Christian), was gunned down signing autographs after a performance. Then just a bit over 24 hours later, a crazed gunman, declaring allegiance to ISIS opened fire in a crowded gay nightclub, killing close to 50 people and wounding several dozen more. Finally on Tuesday, at a Disney owned resort, a two year old toddler was dragged away by a large alligator. The next day the toddler's body was found. These are dark days . And to think all of this horror struck in Orlando, home of the "happiest place on earth!" All of this illustrates a painful and sad reality: this world in which we live is a world that is ... like a vending machine that does not deliver the candy once you put your money in ... "out of order." And the only One who can possibly put it back in order is the One who created it in the first place. And please don't blame God for all of this evil and darkness around us. This is our doing, not his! Our first parents chose to walk away from God and his plan and to live their way. All of us who have been born into this world since, have this same defiant heart. We are born rebels! But in the midst of this darkness, pain and grief, there is GOOD NEWS. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, God so loved this world (and us rebels in it!) that he sent his one and only Son into our world. That's right! God the Son became one of us, lived among us and then died for us on the cross! So that anyone and everyone who places his or her faith alone in Christ alone can have the hope of a newer and better life ... beginning here and now but finding its absolute fulfillment in the eternal home that awaits all of God's people. All of us have a choice to make. I hope, my friend, you make the right one!
2. I am still basking in the Stanley Cup championship won by my former city's NHL franchise Pittsburgh Penguins (in case you missed it, they hoisted the cup in victory this past Sunday evening). The other day, someone accused me of "just saying" I was a Penguins' fan because they never heard me talk about the Pens or hockey in general. Well ... that might be true. I don't talk a whole lot about sports (especially compared to a lot of guys). But that does not mean that I don't follow certain teams. So .... to prove that I was not merely jumping on the bandwagon of a championship team, I produced a photo of my wife and me which was taken a few weeks ago. In it I am clearly wearing a Penguins hat. So the evidence clearly testified of my allegiance to the Pens. But how about our allegiance to Christ? What evidence can you (and I) point to that will testify of our commitment to Jesus? That's a question all of us should spend some time answering. We will be better for it!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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