A Thought for Your Weekend

"God is more concerned about our character than our comfort. His goal is not to pamper us physically but to perfect us spiritually." (Paul. W. Powell as quoted by Charles Swindoll, The Strength of Character).

Wow! This is a powerful quote - and especially needed for us Christ-followers here in our culture which places such a high value on personal comfort and convenience!

Thanks for stopping by,

pj

Another "Blog Flashback"

I posted the following post back in July 2005. I thought it was worth repeating.



A Surprise Visitor

It had been 16 years since we had last seen her. She was a fellow home schooler in the days we lived in the Pittsburgh area. Her kids and our kids sometimes played together. Out of the blue, she called yesterday. She had dropped off a son at a camp in Reading, then drove to Willow Street. She called us from the Weis Market. Of course, we invited her over. She could only stay a short time - and we made the most of it. We (mainly Sharon) caught up on her family - she on ours. Sharon and I were saddened to hear that her husband had died two years ago from cancer (at the age of 53). With two of her kids still in high school, things have not been easy for her.

After she left, I was struck at the effort she made to come see us - knowing that the visit would be brief. Obviously, she felt a need to see us, even though I would not have called us the best of friends. But people need people. It's what the New Testament is always talking about in its "one another" passages. How about you? Are you making people a priority in your life? Seeking to reach out to family, yes, but also to co-workers, neighbors, classmates? I am glad Nancy, hurting as she is, made the effort to stop and look us up. I am hoping to learn from her example! After all, Jesus calls us to love people, right? You will find Jesus' call in Matthew 22 - it is the second great commandment!

Thanks for listening,

Pastor John

Talk About Amazing!

This past weekend, the Rubik's Cube championship was held in Budapest Hungary. For many of us this multi-colored cube puzzle has been just that - a real puzzle. I don't know how many times I have tried to line up all the colors - but I do know how many times I was successful (would you believe a big fat zero?). I guess that is why I am amazed at the weekend's results, among which include the following: the fastest time to solve the puzzle: 9.86 seconds. The fastest one handed time: 21.13 seconds (average of five tries). The fastest time to solve the cube using only one's feet: 49.33. And for me the most amazing figure was the best time turned in by a BLINDFOLDED competitor: 1 minute, 7 seconds! And I can't even solve the cube with both eyes open, both hands working, and taking my good old time! In my book, these guys are amazing!


There is no doubt, as I said earlier - for most of us, the Rubik's Cube is a complex puzzle. But so is life. In our fast paced, ever changing, always challenging world - we are hard pressed to make the right call, the right decision. Life can be even more confusing than the Rubik's Cube. That's why I am glad that God gives us HIS wisdom. And the best way to access this wisdom is to reverentially read and apply His Word to our daily life. This won't eliminate the challenges before you - but it will give you much needed help to meet them head on. Life can be confusing - but you don't have to get mired into hopeless attempts to solve its puzzle.

Thanks for listening,

pj

Think about This!

I read a quote this morning that really got me thinking. It is from the pen of C.S. Lewis (God in the Dock). Lewis writes, "Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important."

He is absolutely right on with this. Christianity is either true or it isn't. It can't be both. There is no - "If this works for you ... OK then, for you it's true. I just can't buy into it." The truth (or falsehood) of Christianity exists no matter if I or you or anyone else "buys into it" (or doesn't buy into it). Given this (and I realize that many 'postmoderns' out there will not give this to be true - but that is a posting for another day), then what C.S. Lewis says here is of the utmost significance. Many people would say if asked, that God and their Christian faith is fairly (i.e. "moderately") important to them. But as Lewis points out, this is not an option. Christianity is either totally irrelevant and meaningless (if false) or absolutely the most relevant and significant reality about our existence (if true). There is no "middle ground."

So, as you watch your kids play soccer this weekend or cheer on your favorite football team or spend some time shopping at the mall - think on this question: Does the way I live my life demonstrate my belief that my faith in Jesus Christ is "of infinite importance?"

Thanks for listening,

PJ

Words of Comfort in the Midst of Days of Difficulty

Recently I ran across a surgeon whose name was Dr. Payne (pronounced, "PAIN!"). Now how would you feel if you were going into surgery and the surgeon introduced himself to you, "Hello. I am Dr. Payne and I can assure you, that you have nothing to worry about?" Somehow, coming from Dr. Payne - I don't know if I would find much comfort in his words!

We followers of Jesus Christ, however, can find much comfort in the words of the One who has the name that is above all other names (see Philippians 2:10-11). Jesus as Lord of lord and King of kings speaks to us in the midst of our difficulties when he says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). If you are going through some tough times, I trust you will find hope in HIS words!

Thanks for listening,

pj

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