Blogger Caught in a Lie!

Rebeccah Beushausen is 26 years old and lives in Mokena, Illinois. She is also a blogger who recently confessed to authoring an Internet hoax on her blog. She had claimed to be pregnant and that her baby had been diagnosed with Trisomy 13 syndrome. This is a chromosomal defect that can lead to severe mental retardation and death. Rebeccah claimed that although counseled to abort the baby, her deep Christian faith would not allow her to do so. Her story attracted quite a following as her blog registered over a million hits. Followers of her blog wrote with promises to pray for Rebeccah and her unborn baby, April Rose. Many even sent gifts to a P.O. box she had listed on her site. Rebeccah was actually forced to confess and issue an apology when one of her readers recognized the photo of the new born April Rose as a photo of a very life like doll.

Now WHY this woman concocted this story and led so many to believe her lie - I just do not know. But one thing I do know is that if this woman was being true about her "deep Christian faith" (and who knows, perhaps she was lying about this, too!)she should have known better. The Bible talks much about how we talk ... and one thing we are told plainly is that when we talk we "shall not bear false witness" (Exodus 20:16). We are also admonished in the New Testament to "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor (Ephesians 4:25). So let me encourage you today to learn from this woman's experience ... it is always best to TELL THE TRUTH!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Some Random Thoughts to Start the Week

Usually I am off on Mondays, but this week due to my schedule I am in the office. I thought I would post a few random thoughts about this that and the other thing.

1. Yesterday I got to thinking about our resurrected bodies and the question popped into my mind: When we receive our resurrected bodies, will those who die younger appreciate their new bodies as much as those who die of old age? After all, those of us (and I am getting ever closer to this experience) who undergo the affects of aging experience a lot of unpleasant, uncomfortable and downright painful days where our bodies just "ain't what they used to be!" So if we do indeed have memories of life on earth (and the account of the afterlife that Jesus gives in Luke 16 would seem to indicate that we will) - I would think that those who die later in life and have gone through aging process will indeed appreciate their new resurrect bodies more so than those who never had this earthly experience (see 1 Corinthians 15:42ff).

2. Being a grandparent is such a blessing! I was reminded of this when our son and his wife brought our grand baby Ella to our worship service for the first time yesterday (of course, she was nice and quiet until I started to preach my sermon --- but my guess it was just her way of shouting "Amen, preach it Papa John!"). It was a joy to introduce baby Ella to so many of our friends here at Grace!

3. The Word of God is powerful ... and effective. One of the passages from the Bible that I read yesterday as part of my message was Isaiah 55:10-11, which reads: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." God's Word will ALWAYS accomplish God's purpose. And God's purpose for us is to be conformed to the image of His Son. So if we are IN God's Word ... striving to KNOW it ... and striving to OBEY it - God will make us more like Jesus! You see, I believe in the sufficiency of the Bible, which I define as follows: The Bible is sufficient to provide the Truth I must KNOW and OBEY in order to live my life to God's glory and be conformed to Christ's image. Do you believe this? What does your frequency of interaction (reading, meditating on, studying, memorizing) say about your belief (or non-belief) in the sufficiency of the Bible?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Today Is My Wife's Birthday!

Today my wife, Sharon turns ... (if you want to know, you will have to ask her!). So I am taking the day off and spending it with her. But before I sign off, think on the following quote:

"Christianity thrives not by trying to offer people what they already have, but by offering them what they desperately lack - namely, the Word of God and salvation through Jesus Christ."
(George E. Veith in an article titled, "Postmodern Times: Facing a World of New Challenges and Opportunities")

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Phony Toni

Toni Braxton has won six Grammies and is probably best known for her mega-hit song, hit "Un-break My Heart" and her appearances on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." Well just imagine that you paid over $50 for a ticket to hear the popular singer in concert. Part way through the concert you realize that the Toni Braxton performing before you is not really Toni Braxton at all, but the Braxton celebrity impersonator Trina Johnson-Finn. Think you'd be a bit upset? The concert goers who actually experienced this were. They pelted Johnson-Finn with trash and booed her off the stage. Then authorities arrested her and she spent three months in jail awaiting her hearing which finally arrived this week. The judge acquitted her and she has returned to her Las Vegas home (By the way, all this happened in Suriname which is the smallest country in South America. It is located on the northern coast of the continent, just to the north of Brazil.).

Now as to whether this celeb impersonator was really in on the scam or was just used by the concert promoters - I do not know. But I do know this - impersonators are all around us. An impersonator is simply someone who pretends to be another. All of us from time to time pretend to be someone we are not. We pretend to be the guy who as it all together. We pretend to be the woman who is really spiritual. And why do we do so? Unlike the impersonator in the above story, we don't do it to entertain. But we do it in order that others would think better of us. When we do this we forget one important truth. We might be able to fool those around us - but we can never fool God. So let's stop pretending and get real!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

A Lesson from Early Morning T-Storms

Yesterday morning I was awakened by a crack of thunder which was shortly followed by another. Noting that it was pitch dark outside, I took a look at the digital time display on my cell phone which I keep on my nightstand while I sleep. Through half-opened eyes I noted the time: 3:34. Yea! I should be sleeping right now, not listening to thunder resounding through the heavens!

But thunderstorms do not get our permission as to when they will arrive overhead. They just show up! And, as was my experience yesterday (and if you live in my vicinity probably yours too)- storms often come at very inopportune times! Now what is true of thunderstorms is also true of "lifestorms." You know, the turbulent times in our lives caused by unexpected and unwelcome trials and difficulties. But when these tough times come, we must keep them in perspective ... God's perspective, that is! So ... the next time an unanticipated "storm" arises in your life, remember this mandate from the Word of God: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Often You See What You Are Conditioned to See!

Take a quick look at the candy bar pictured here. What do you see? A Hershey Bar. Right? Well, yes and no. Look again. It looks like a Hershey Bar. Same coloring package and same lettering style as a Hershey Bar. Even starts with the letter "H." But if you look closely you will see that the letters spell out the words, "HERETHEYARE." This is actually a photo I took of the wedding favor that was given to all the guests at a wedding I officiated this past weekend up at the Hershey Rose Gardens. The favor was a cute way to go along with the Hershey theme (the wedding toast was done with chocolate milk in champagne classes!). I must admit when I first glanced at the favor, I thought it was a regular Hershey Bar (which it really was once you took off the special wrapper). Several of the other guests at my table also confessed to the same mistake. We all took a look and saw what we were conditioned to see - a Hershey Chocolate bar.

There is a lesson here for those of us who claim to follow Jesus. We must condition ourselves to see Jesus Christ in all of life. Not just our church experience. Not just those times when we are listening to praise music on our ipod as we work out at the gym or on a car CD player as we drive to work. We must intentionally work at seeing Jesus and His Father and the Spirit in every arena of life. He's there. Always! As He states in Hebrews 13:5b, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So no matter what you might be doing .... where you might find yourself ... condition yourself to see God. And as you do, it will transform your life!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Have You Thanked a Cop Lately?

I have had the privilege of serving my community as a police chaplain for close to 9 years now. As each year passes, my respect for law enforcement personnel continues to grow. The job police do is a tough and thankless job. Yet think about about the chaos that would exist in our society if it were not for the police! (just the thought makes me shudder!) A police officer I know sent me a link to the following Paul Harvey commentary about police. I would encourage you to take the 3 minutes required to watch this you-tube "video." Then make a commitment to pray for our police officers and if you see one, take a moment to thank him or her for serving us!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj