Friday Coffee with PJ

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  And if you are anything like me you are wondering, "How can Christmas be just three days away?" We can stop wondering and embrace the reality that in a blink or two of our eyes ... Christmas will be here (and then gone!). So, I plan to make the most of these days leading up to Christmas to celebrate the reason (the REAL reason) for the holiday: the birth of Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord (and I hope you do so as well). Please pour yourself a cup of coffee (This morning I am enjoying a cup of Starbucks Christmas blend. It has a CHRISp taste that brings JOY to the taste buds ... bottom line, it is SNOW GOOD!). 

1. With people in the United States spending an average of $1000 this year on Christmas gifts, it makes me wonder if in the midst of all this gift giving, Christmas' greatest gift might be lost in the pile of torn wrapping paper and empty boxes. And just what is that gift? It is the birth of a baby in the midst of barnyard animals. One who was born to die. Of course, I am talking about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. A birth long promised by the prophets of the Old Testament. A birth celebrated by heaven's angelic population. A birth wondered at by a group of lowly shepherds. A birth honored by a group of exalted magi. 

I urge you in your Christmas gift exchanges, that you pause to thank God for his indescribable gift (1 Corinthians 9:15). Take a moment to read and reflect upon the following words of the Apostle Paul: 

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

2. Not only can the real reason for Christmas get lost in the holiday shuffle, but, in young 5 year old TyLon Pittman's mind, the very holiday itself can be stolen! The young boy called 911 out of concern that the Grinch was going to successfully pull off a heist of Christmas. The 911 operator was amused, as was Officer Lauren Develle. Develle arranged to have TyLon come to the station and lock up the Grinch! Check out the story here. All of us have a bit of the Grinch in us ... (if you doubt this, just listen to yourself and count how many times throughout your day you complain about something!). Just the other day ... I was in my back yard picking up branches which had broken off our trees during some recent high winds. I caught myself complaining. So I stopped in my tracks and gave thanks to God for the house my wife and I (and the bank) own (though we are getting ever closer to eliminating the bank's share of ownership!). Many people do not own a home. And many people here in the US and throughout the world are, in fact, homeless. So all this to say ... the next time you catch a grumbling complaint rolling off your tongue, STOP! Think about what you are complaining about. Find something to be thankful for ... and give thanks! Don't be a Grinch!

3. I want to close out by offering thanks! First and foremost thanks to God for his AMAZING and sovereign grace which saved me from sin's penalty and is saving me from sin's power (and which one day will save me from sin's presence!). I also thank my wife and kids and kids-in-law and their kids! Thanks fam, for your love for one another and for me! Finally, thanks to my church family! The staff team and elder team that I work with have to be among the best in the land. And add to them everyone else who calls Grace Church at Willow Valley their home! I can think of NOWHERE else I would rather be serving Jesus than RIGHT HERE at Grace! You all are the best! A very merry and joy-filled Christmas to you all! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj