Friday Coffee with PJ

Friday. Coffee. A few random thoughts. Welcome, my friends, to Friday Coffee with PJ! Oh ... and by the way, here is another article - this time from Consumer Reports - on the benefits of drinking coffee! 

1. What should one of our chief aims as we attend church on Sunday mornings? Obviously the worship of our AWESOME God is at the top of the list (or at least should be). But let me suggest to you another VIP (Very Important Purpose) you should be striving to do every Sunday you walk through the doors of your church facility: ENCOURAGEMENT! And I am not talking about yours ... I am referring to YOU encouraging OTHERS! The New Testament makes it clear that we all need to be on a mission to encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith when we "come together!" Consider: 

Hebrews 3:13  "But exhort (encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

Hebrews 10:24-25  "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

So as you head out the door to attend services at your local church on Sunday, do so ON MISSION to encourage those you encounter. And the funny thing about encouraging others? As you do so, you will be encouraged in the process! 

2. Earlier this week, I drove my 5 year old grandson, Nolan, to our house from preschool ... a whopping distance of about 1/4 mile! In that short time we were in the van together, somehow we got on the topic of how his dad works out. I asked Nolan if he ever worked out ... and he replied, "I don't lift weights, I only do cardio!"  Ha! Even this little guy is picking up how important it is to keep our hearts in shape! Well, not only do we need to pursue things in life that will promote good heart health ... we must be just as concerned (if not more so) with the condition of our spiritual heart! In the Old Testament book of wisdom, we are urged, "above all else, guard

your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Now there are many steps we can take to do this. For starters, saturating our heart and mind with God's Word will do this. Knowing and living the Scriptures will go a long way toward guarding our hearts (Psalm 119:9-11)! In addition, prayer flavored with praise and thanksgiving will also do the same (Philippians 4:4-7). Knowing how vital this latter step is, we are launching an emphasis this coming Sunday at our church that will lead us as a church family into a deeper practice of both praise and thanksgiving. The Thirty Days of Praise and Thanksgiving initiative will be worth every minute put into it. God is worthy to be praised (Psalm 18:3) and we must thank him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As we do, we will guard our hearts against such things as pride, bitterness, covetousness, anger and more! 

3. My wife's journey continues. Now that her femur has healed, she is scheduled for a knee replacement revision on Friday, December 16th. The surgery will also involve the removal of the plate and screws used to repair her broken femur. This gives us plenty of time to get "stuff" done prior to the surgery. Your prayers are much appreciated. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj