Staff Day Away

Usually on a Wednesday morning, our Grace Staff gets together for our weekly staff meeting. We meet from about 9:00 to 10:45. The meeting involves a brief devotional thought, lots of discussion on what's happening (or not happening and should be!) and prayer. Today, however, will not be a routine Wednesday. Our staff is going to experience a "Staff Day Away." This is something that we aim to do about twice a year. We select a site that is away from Willow Street where our church facility is located (but not too far away that it takes forever and a day to get there!). Today we are heading to Black Rock Retreat Center. Black Rock is located about 25 minutes south of here. Once there we will spend the day in the Word, in prayer, and in discussion and goal setting. Our schedule calls for us to depart Black Rock about 3 PM to return to the offices (and then prep for our first Family Night of our fall season!).

Now we get away so we can unplug from all those things that can tend to interrupt and distract us from what we want to accomplish - seeking God, bonding together and getting on the same page as we seek to move forward in fulfilling the church's mission. I wish we could do this more than just twice a year. And I wish I would make more of an effort on the personal level to do this for myself. In fact, all of us would benefit greatly by intentionally building into our lives an occasional "Day Away." A day to unplug from the world and get quiet before God. Jesus did this (Matthew 14:23) and he encouraged his disciples to do the same (Mark 6:31). Let me encourage you to look at your calendar and select a day between now and the year's end to take a "Day Away with God." And if you are serious about doing so and would like some direction on how to go about doing this, please get in touch with me. I have some pointers I think might help!

Thanks for listening,

pj

The Dead Sea Is Dying!

The Dead Sea, (a.k.a. the "Sea of Salt"), is a body of water 42 miles long and 11 miles wide and is bounded by Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. It is the lowest point on earth, sitting at 1,378 feet below sea level. With a salinity of 30%, it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. As such, it is unable to sustain life and therefore the name, "Dead Sea."

Well the Dead Sea is dying. The sea is shrinking at a rate of 3 feet per year. At its current rate of disappearance, it appears that it will be history as early as the year 2050. The primary reason given for this crisis is the diversion of water supplies from the Jordan River, the main source of the Dead Sea's water. Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli authorities are looking at solutions to try to save the Dead Sea (such as piping ocean water in from the Mediterranean Sea to the west - the "Med-Dead" plan - or doing the same from the Red Sea to the south - the "Red-Dead" plan.) Whether either of these plans are implemented or some other plan is devised, action must be taken to avert a major ecological disaster.

All these efforts to keep the Dead Sea from dying, remind me of all the efforts people in our culture undertake to put off the affects of aging and the advance of the inevitable end of our days on this earth. But no matter what we do, unlike what might be successful efforts to save the Dead Sea from dying, our efforts are destined to fail. For all of us are destined to die. But as I mentioned in a blog posting last week, as followers of Jesus - we do not have to fear death! Death is only the door to a paradise of unimaginable dimensions! Do you know Jesus Christ? Have you ever reached out and by faith accepted the free gift of salvation he offers to all who come to Him? If you have any questions about where you might be heading for eternity, please contact me (jsmith@gracewv.org). I'd love to "chat" with you!

Thanks for listening,

pj

A Thought For Your Weekend

This morning as I was doing some devotional reading in one of my favorite books, I came across the following words. Read them ... think about them ... apply them to yourself.

"The point is this: We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things; and when we trade that treasure for lessor things, everything is disordered. The sun of God's glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul. And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit. But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart. The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center." (John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, p. 21).

Thanks for listening,

pj

Death WILL Come Calling!

Yesterday, I googled the word, "death" and came up with over 390 million hits! The first site listed was http://www.deathclock.com/. Curious, I went to the site. Once there I found out that by entering some pertinent personal information (like date of birth, gender, Body Mass Index, etc.) the site would calculate my personal date of death. So, with some hesitation, I entered all the data, clicked "check your death clock" and waited. After what seemed like hours (which I am sure were just seconds) my date came up. I sure was relieved to see the date, December 22, 2029. But then I looked at my calendar and realized that is just 22 years away! Gulp. I was hoping for at least another thirty!

Now of course, there is no way this clock can be sure. All it is doing is going on statistics relative to length of life (to prove this, I did all the same data and changed my gender. If I were a woman I could count on living an additional 6 years - all because women on average live longer than men!). But there is one thing that is "dead" certain - all of us will one day die (unless the Lord Jesus returns for us before hand!). Statistics tell us that one out of every one dies! The Bible reveals to us the reason we all will die. In Romans 6:23 we are told that "the wages of sin is death." And since "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23) therefore all of us will die. So even though none of us know when death will come calling -- all of us know death will come. No matter how much we might try to deny or escape or delay this fact -- death will come. For the follower of Jesus, death is not something to fear! Jesus himself has conquered death, freeing us from its grip and its fear (see Hebrews 2:14-15). This is why the Apostle Paul states with such passion in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Thanks for listening,

pj

Now That's Some Piece of Real Estate!

Not too long ago, my wife and I were taking a walk when we came upon this sign. After reading the sign, I checked with my wife to see if she thought we should make an offer. An acre of real estate for just $1.7 million - sounds like a real deal! However, our credit card's spending limit was not quite enough!

The old saying that with real estate it's all about location, location, location - is definitely true. The acre being advertised for sale in this sign is located on the waterfront in Bar Harbor, Maine. Definitely a prime location! And if I had the financial capacity to do so, I would possibly think seriously about making an offer. It is incredibly beautiful in that part of Maine! (I wonder if they would accept an even million? Hmm...)

Now as valuable as this piece of property is - there is real estate far more valuable. In fact, the real estate I am thinking of is "out of this world!" It is the real estate of heaven (yes, heaven is a real place - just as real, if not more so, than that acre of waterfront property in Bar Harbor!). If you have not read the Bible's most complete description of heaven recently, let me encourage you to read the final two chapters of the Bible (Revelation 21-22). I just read it and WOW! I am more than ready to go there!). But unlike the acre in Bar Harbor, the real estate of heaven is not for sale! It has already been paid for -- by the blood of Jesus Christ. How about YOU? Are YOU trusting in Christ's sacrifice (and his sacrifice alone) to gain your entrance into this wonderful eternal place called Heaven? Jesus is indeed the ONLY way (see John 14:1-6).

Thanks for listening,

pj

Sunday Evening at the Emmys

This past Sunday evening (at least I think it was Sunday), television handed out its annual Emmy awards. One winner, comedienne Kathy Griffin said the following as part of her acceptance speech: "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus ... This award is my god now."

Bottom line, Griffin spoke blasphemy (now there is a word you don't hear much of any more - but it is a word that occurs some 3 dozen times in the Bible!). According to the Bible, it is Jesus who is holding this entire universe together by the power of HIS word (see Hebrews 1:3; also Acts 17:28 declares that it is in God that "we move an live and have our being"). So Jesus in fact DID have something to do with Griffin winning her award (because the last time I checked, you had to be alive and acting or performing in some way in television to win an Emmy).

In mocking Jesus, Griffin was hoping to be offensive. Really? Yes! After the winning the award, she was asked by a reporter about her speech. Among other things, she told him, "I hope I offended some people. I didn't want to win the Emmy for nothing." Well Griffin succeeded. She offended many (a number of the major media outlets edited out this remark). But she had better worry about the One who bore the greatest offense. Judgment day is coming (Hebrews 9:27). And if she continues down her current path, only death and destruction await her (Proverbs 16:25).

Will you join me in praying today for Kathy Griffin and countless others who need to repent of their sinful rebellion against God and receive the free gift of salvation in Christ?

Thanks for listening,

pj

Flashback to November 2005 Post: A Lesson from The Family Circus

I don’t know about you, but I love the cartoon family of Bill Keane. Perhaps it is because his “keane” sense of humor is just as keen as mine! In a recent cartoon, little Billy and his younger brother are watching squirrels scampering about gathering acorns from the ground. Billy says to his brother, "Look at those squirrels. They’re real busy and they have nuttin’ to do!”

How many of us are real busy doing “nuttin?” We scurry from one activity to the next while accomplishing little if anything for God and His Kingdom. I encourage you to take some time out and evaluate your life. Time is too valuable a resource to waste and Jesus just may come back sooner than any of us think! So let’s seize the moment and live it for Jesus! Before your time of evaluation pray these words: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day!),

pj