Friday Coffee with PJ (Special New Year's Edition)

One of my New Year resolutions is to continue to enjoy my Friday cup(s) of coffee. Another is to enjoy coffee on the other six days of the week! Given all the benefits of drinking coffee, why stop?! This morning for this last day of 2018, a bit of poetry for you. Enjoy! 

Tis the morn of 12/31

The last day of the year, 

And I’m thanking my God

That I’m well and still here!

 For this year that’s now passing  

Was a rough one for sure, 

With hurricanes and floods, 

gun violence and wars. 

But in the midst of it all 

God is still on His throne,

No matter what lies ahead, 

We won’t have to groan! 

 Instead we look to the sky

As we wait for the Son,  

Following His plan to

Finish the work He's begun!

A Blessed New Year to You and Yours! 

Thanks for stopping by . . ,

PJ

Coffee with PJ - Christmas Eve Edition

As I sit here drinking my coffee this Christmas Eve morning (hmm ... is this my third or fourth cup?), I want to give you, my readers, some insightful words that will help enrich your Christmas celebration. These words come from the excellent book, Knowing God, written in 1973 by J.I. Packer (this evening I am sharing The Watchman's Tale about a night watchman in the town of Bethlehem - it was while a night watchman as a college student that I first read Packer's book!). I hope Packer's words encourage you in your worship of the Christ child this Christmas season. 

"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).

"We see now what it meant for the Son of God to . . . become poor. It meant a laying aside of glory; a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice and misunderstanding; finally, a death that involved such agony—spiritual even more than physical—that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it. (See Luke 12:50 and the Gethsemane story.) It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely human beings, that they through his poverty might become rich. The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.


Rejoice in this indescribable gift of God! And repent of your sin and believe the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ! 

Merry Christmas! 

PJ 

Friday Coffee with PJ

Once again this week, I was reminded of the wonderful benefits that come from drinking the brew made from coffee beans. If you doubt my opening statement, take a moment and check out 75 Amazing Benefits of Coffee ... then pour (or buy) yourself a cup and begin your journey toward better health! 

With Christmas just five days away (if you count today), I thought I would focus some thoughts on the Christmas holiday. Recently, I saw a commercial featuring a local television station's news team (anchors and reporters) expressing holiday wishes to their viewers. Only one (of over a dozen) used the expression "Merry Christmas!" For the rest, "Happy Holidays!" was the greeting of choice. 

What should we take from this? Are these people anti-Christmas? Or did they just want to include the entire holiday season (Christmas and New Years) in their holiday greetings? Since I have not asked them, I would be hard pressed to know for sure. But I do know this: the Christmas season is losing its religious content as  it is becoming increasingly secular in nature. 

A U.S. District Court Judge, Susan Dlott delivered our culture's verdict on Christmas when she stated the following about Christmas in one of her rulings: "The celebration of Christmas as a national holiday cannot be viewed by any reasonable person as an endorsement of religion. The holiday itself is so imbued with secular connotations that, indeed, its religious origins are lost on many." 

So what does this mean for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ? Understanding this should compel us to redouble our efforts not to allow our culture's view of Christmas to distract us from the true meaning of Christmas. This is best summed up by what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "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). God the Son, willingly stepped from the brilliant glory of the throne room of heaven into the dark recesses of the womb of a virgin named Mary. This began his journey to the cross upon which he would die a violent death to pay the penalty for our sin rightly demanded by a just and holy God. In taking our place, he faced the wrath of the justice of God so that we would never have to! So the true meaning of Christmas begins with a birth and "ends" with a death. For Jesus was born to die! But his journey did not end with his death. For the true meaning of the Easter holiday reminds us that death could not keep Jesus in its cold and icy grip. Today he lives and we who celebrate his birth this Christmas do so knowing that we worship and serve a living savior! 

My friends, if you have any questions about the true meaning of Christmas and how you should respond, I encourage you to view this video by GotQuestions.org. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

My apologies for missing the past several Fridays. I was off last week, and the previous couple of weeks I got caught up in the Thanksgiving holiday and a few other unexpected activities. But glad to be back with you. So, pour a cup of your favorite roast and join me for a few thoughts in this edition of Friday Coffee with PJ. 

The dictionary defines stress as, “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension.” According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly half of the people in the United States feel stressed. Gallup’s managing editor commented on the recent findings by pointing out, “Collectively, the world is more stressed . . .  today than when we’ve ever seen it.”

These feelings of stress only seem to increase during the holidays. With so many places to go, gifts to buy, packages to wrap, cookies to bake, people to visit – life can become quite hectic. And all that busyness just adds to the feeling of stress.

Are you feeling “stressed-out?” I have felt a bit stressed this week. With writing my script for my Christmas Eve drama (The Watchman’s Tale), prepping this Sunday’s sermon, and trying to fit in planning for the new year (not to mention the various meetings and other “pastoral responsibilities”), I am definitely feeling “the squeeze!”

Whenever we feel stress coming on – we need to follow the advice of the apostle Paul.  In Philippians 4:6-7 he writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

So during this “tis the season to be stressed-out” time of year – when you start “feeling the squeeze” try hitting your knees. Take whatever it is causing the stress and hand it over to God.  Let Him handle it. And then sit back, kick back and enjoy His peace. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj