Friday Coffee with PJ

Recently I enjoyed a cup of Tanzanian coffee making a WAWA pit stop. I enjoyed it so much I stopped at another WAWA store to grab another cup. All this to say if you see a WAWA, be sure to stop and try this coffee. You will NOT be disappointed! Thanks again for joining me for a quick edition of Friday Coffee with PJ. 

1. You all know what it is like to wish for some extra hours in your day or even a few extra days in your week to wrap up your never ending, always growing to do list! All too often it seems like there’s WAY too much to do and WAY too little time in which to get it all done! Oh the tyranny of the urgent!

This reminds me of a story I once heard. Long ago when Africa was still relatively unknown to the outside world, a European explorer was taking a group into the African interior. He had hired a native guide along with a number of other natives to help carry the supplies. After a mid-morning break on the third day of a fast-paced march, the Africans refused to resume their trek. When the European explorer asked the guide the reason for their refusal, the guide told him, “They just need a little more time to allow their souls to catch up to their bodies.” 

I think all of us could learn a lesson from these guys. Just as Jesus would get away to be alone with his Father (Mark 1:35) – we too need to be sure to do the same. As fast-paced as 21st century American life can be at times – we all need to take time to allow our souls to catch up to our bodies. So why not today take your Bible and unplug from the world around you (You mean like my phone? Yes! Exactly what I mean). It will be time well spent! 

2. I have been gleaning a lot of insights and help for living out my faith through the use of Tim Keller's devotional on Proverbs, God's Wisdom for Navigating Life. In his reading for April 22nd, he offered up the following insights on Proverbs 18:14:

"There’s nothing more important than maintaining your inward, spiritual life. A broken body can be sustained with difficulty by a strong spirit, but a broken spirit cannot be sustained by even the physically strongest person in the world. We are taught that our happiness is based on external things such as beauty, health, money, and status. Here we are being told, 'No, it has nothing to do with your outward circumstances. Happiness is determined by how you deal with your circumstances from inside, how you process, how you address, and how you view them.' Is there anything that is crushing your spirit?"

His question is one worth pondering! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

6 comments:

Fred J. Lauver said...

I'm enjoying your blogs, Cousin. I wish I would have thought of that to my employer years ago--I'm waiting for my soul to catch up with my body!

jsmith@gracewv.org said...

Thanks cousin Fred. And thanks for bringing a smile to my face!

viola said...

Thanks for your refreshing words. As the semester comes to a close and the summer course begins.... your words are a great reminder!

jsmith@gracewv.org said...

Thanks for your encouraging words, Viola. And grateful you found in my words encouragement as well.

Carol Rappaport said...

Love that phrase. Next time I sit down to rest after I'm working hard I will say "I'm just letting my soul catch up to my body!"

jsmith@gracewv.org said...

Me too!

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