Friday Coffee with PJ

It's Friday! It's coffee day! (well, EVERYDAY is coffee day for me!) .... but today I hope to share some thoughts with you over a cup of coffee (or maybe in the midst of this heat and humidity you might want to drink your coffee on ice ... or even go for some iced tea - not quite the caffeine kick but still better than nothing!).

1. Facing a presidential election with the two most unpopular candidates in the history of presidential politics ... many of us are at a quandary as to how to vote. My son-in-law sent me an open letter written by Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska. According to my son-in-law it was "exceptionally well written." I agree! I think you would find it helpful. You can find it here. 

2. On Wednesday of this week, a portion of Lancaster County experienced significant flooding. The area involved was primarily East Lampeter Township and a small portion of West Lampeter Township. Both of these municipalities are located just east of the city of Lancaster. I live in Willow Street, just south of the city. Whereas the flooded areas (aproximately 4 miles or so north east of my location) received upwards of 7 -8 inches of rain (in just a few hours) ... my rain gauge measured a mere 1 1/2 inches. A friend who lives just a few miles southwest of me told me that he had barely enough rain to water his lawn! Another friend who lives just a few miles further from me said they saw no rain at

all!  Wow! From flooding basements and stranded cars to just some cloudy skies ... all within just a few miles! Amazing but not all that surprising. That is the nature of summer Thunderstorms. They can develop in one area and totally miss nearby areas. And what happened one Wednesday is the weather effect known as "training." This occurs when storms develop and slowly move over the same area over an extended period of time. This is what results in the high rainfall amounts. This reminds me of life. All of us go through storms. I may be going through one ... and you may not. Storms have a way of developing ... dropping their pain and hardship ... and then moving on. At times, the storms of life do "train" where they come one right after another. And this makes life tough! Now ... I don't know where you are in your life journey. Maybe the sun is shining and has been shining for quite some time. Or perhaps you are in the midst of a flooding "storm." But whatever the case, we must always keep in mind that our God is sovereign over the circumstances of our lives. So if the sun is shining and "all is well" in your life --- then you need to THANK God for this blessing!  But it you are struggling through hardship --- then you need to TRUST God through it, knowing that his eye is upon you and he has you firmly in his grip!

3. Finally ... today I must officiate a memorial service for an individual who many would say died before his time. His death is just another reminder of how fragile life is. Every single one of us will one day follow in this man's footsteps. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that "It is appointed unto to man to die once, and after that comes judgment." All of us will die. But there is an "after that" (death). And what comes after death is judgment. My friends are you ready for that judgment? It is coming as certain as death will one day come calling for you. If you are not sure you are ready ... I urge you to take a few moments to check out two ways to live: the choice we all face. 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj