Tiger's Confession

As I write this, Tiger Woods, undoubtedly the world's highest paid athlete and probably the most famous as well, has just gone public with a statement in which he says that he has let his family down and regrets “transgressions” he has committed. Since his early morning accident over this past weekend, allegations have surfaced that he has had affairs with several women. Now at this point, only Tiger knows the answer to the questions "Who?" and "How many?" and perhaps in time those answers will be revealed by the relentless investigation of the media. All this to say, Tiger's squeaky clean image is now tarnished. And whether his marriage will survive is hard to say at this point.

A verse from Proverbs came to my mind as I thought about Tiger Wood's current situation. In Proverbs 22:1 we read that "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."  Tiger has a lot of "silver and gold," but due to his "transgressions" he has lost his good name and probably a lot more!  Let's learn from this. Even when we think we have "gotten away" with a sin - we really have not!  Our sin will find us out - some how, some way! And when it does ... the good name we have worked at building for so long can be gone in an instant!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

4 Cops Slain! Why?

Why? That was a question I asked myself when I heard about the assassination of four Seattle area police officers this past Sunday morning. The four were just beginning their shifts, working on their laptops at a local coffee shop. In walked Maurice Clemmons. He pulled out a gun and shot each of the four. In the struggle with one of the officers, Clemmons was apparently shot in his abdomen. He ran for two days before he was finally shot by police in a standoff in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

This story saddens me for many reasons. For starters, I feel for the families of the slain officers. I believe all were married with children still at home. As a result of one mad man's senseless act, wives are left without husbands and children are now fatherless. That not only saddens me - it angers me! Something else that angers me is the revelation that the shooter had been given clemency in 2000 by the then governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. He had been sent to prison for a teenage crime spree, but had his sentence commuted after he demonstrated to the satisfaction of the governor and the parole board that eleven years in prison had changed him. This is what he wrote concerning his change: "Where once stood a young (16) year old misguided fool, who's own life he was unable to rule. Now stands a 27 year old man, who has learned through 'the school of hard knocks' to appreciate and respect the rights of others. And who has in the midst of the harsh reality of prison life developed the necessary skills to stand along and not follow a multitude of do evil, as I did as a 16 year old child."  Unfortunately for the four cops and their families (not to mention other crime victims - Clemmens had 7 pending felony charges in Washington at the time of his death) - his change did not run as deep as he claimed. Now I understand hindsight is 20-20 - but somewhere and somehow the justice system failed!

This brings me to ask about changes you have made in your life. Are they deep and abiding? Or are you just mouthing change while deep down inside you remain the same old ..... whatever. It is easy to claim change ... far more difficult to actually experience it. Now there are a number of reasons for this such as the reality that our sinful flesh bulks at any change toward Christlikeness; and our Enemy (a.k.a. "Satan") sure does not want us to experience change toward godliness; and our entire world system is hell bent on keeping us in line with all of its godless values. All this to say we must PRAY with all our might that God would work deep within us to change us and make us more like Jesus AND we must WORK at disciplining ourselves for godliness. Or as someone once put it: Pray as if everything depends on God and WORK as if everything depends on you!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Hell? No!

In a survey released just a little over a year ago by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, just 59% of 35,000 respondents said they believe in a hell "where people who have led bad lives, and die without being sorry, are eternally punished." And this is down from 71% who said they believed in hell as reported in a 2001 Gallup poll. As I reflected on this finding concerning hell, the following thoughts came to mind:

1. I was not surprised that belief in hell is waning. For starters, who among us like to think about a place where people suffer terribly for all eternity - yet alone believe that such a place actually exists?

2. The Enemy would like nothing better to ease people's fear of any eternal judgment to come. Why should anyone run to Jesus for salvation if, at the end of the day, everyone eventually goes to heaven any way? (by the way 74% of the same respondents believe in heaven)

3. The growing disbelief in hell corresponds with the growing belief in God as a God of love and love alone. Even among evangelical believers, the troubling trend of the disrobing of God of his majestic holiness is a happening! This in spite of the fact that Scripture portrays a God who is as much a God of wrath as He is a God of love, many turn a deaf ear to the teaching of the former and prefer to think of God primarily (if not only) in terms of His love. This is tragic for as A.W. Pink points out, "A study of the concordance will show that there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God than there are to His love and tenderness." If you want confirmation on this - just read through the book of Revelation and note the references to God's wrath!

4. Hell is indeed a real place. It is referred to over and over again in Scripture (and mentioned often by the Lord Jesus Himself). But how can God send someone to hell (that God will do this please see Revelation 20:11-15) for all eternity when the person has sinned for only 60, 70, or 80 years? Doesn't that seem like the punishment is a bit "over the top?" Read the following quote from Lee Strobel's book, A Case for Faith (in which he quotes J.P. Moreland): “You have to understand that God is infinitely greater in his goodness, holiness, kindness, and justice than anyone else. To think that a person could go through their whole life constantly ignoring him, constantly mocking him by the way they choose to live life without him, saying, ‘I couldn’t care less about what you put me here to do. I couldn’t care less about your values or your Son’s death for me.  I’m going to ignore all that’– that’s the ultimate sin. And the only punishment worthy of that is the ultimate punishment, which is eternal separation from God.”

5. The fact that an increasing number of people reject the concept of hell - this does not mean hell is not real (consider that for centuries the vast majority of people believed the earth was the center of the solar system - yet this strong belief did not make it so!). Hell is real and therefore people who continue to live with out Jesus Christ are in danger of eternal judgment. Those of us who have the good news must strive to be more intentional about sharing that good news with others. It is their only hope!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Some Post Thanksgiving Reflections

Hard to believe Thanksgiving Day 2009 is now in life's rear view mirror! But that is the way life is ... it flies by rapidly! As we stand on the door step of December, here are some thoughts to start your week.

1. I love the Thanksgiving holiday! Why? For starters, the day includes my favorite meal - a turkey dinner with ALL the trimmings! Yep! I'd rather eat a turkey dinner over a steak dinner any day of the week! In addition, I love just getting together with our kids and their families and just talking around the table. It's been quite the ride watching our kids grow up! Finally, what a joy it is to spend some time reflecting together on the blessings of God in our lives and then giving Him our thanks! It doesn't get much better than that!

2. Christmas Day is now only 25 days away! Among other things, that means 25 more days of pressure from Madison Avenue to get out and spend money we don't have to buy things we (or others) don't need - all in name of the Christmas spirit. Hmm. The Christmas spirit?  When I think of the spirit of the Christmas holiday I think of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). If we want to do something "in the Christmas spirit" then let's share the gospel with our friends, neighbors, co-workers and classmates. Let's give a gift to a ministry that reaches out to the poor and need, like Children's Fellowship of India or Water Street Ministries. That's what the Christmas spirit is really all about!

3. Given the fact that there are now only 31 days left in this year, let me ask you something. Is there anything you have been planning to do but just have not "gotten around to it?"  Let me challenge you to stop right now and make plans to "get around to it." It may be inviting a friend over for dinner or out to lunch. It may be something your spouse has been asking you to do around the house. It may be a spiritual discipline you have been meaning to tackle or a book you have been meaning to read. But whatever it is you have been thinking about doing --- do it! Before this year is over and a new one arrives!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thanking on Purpose!

Every parent has had the embarrassement of their child receiving a gift and failing to thank the giver of the gift. Children must be taught to say "thank you." It does not come naturally. The default setting of fallen human nature is ingratitude. Therefore we must get intentional about giving thanks!

So ... with Thanksgiving Day just one day away, it seems like an appropriate time for me to ask, "Are YOU intentional with giving thanks?"  The Scripture is clear that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). Wow! Every blessing in life, from the taste buds you will use to taste all the deliciousness of tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast to the antacids you will have to pop afterward to deal with the indigestion (hint: as in so many things, moderation is the key!) - all of life's blessings come from the hand of our generous, gracious and never changing God!

Let me encourage you to get intentional about giving thanks - not just on Thanksgiving Day but EVERY DAY!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Talk about Some HEAVY Reading!

The debate about the current national health care legislation has been all over the news. I must admit I have read and listened to some of the news ... but not all of the news. I am probably better informed about this issue than some, but probably not as informed as others nor as informed as I probably should be. But then I wonder how anyone with a life could be "well-informed" when it comes to the health care legislation that the Senate is about ready to debate. The bill is approximately 2000 pages in length. Now how long would it take the average person to read such a monstrosity (especially given how busy people are these days)??? And I wonder how many of our senators have actually sat down and read and fully reflected on and then digested all the information contained in this bill. The government surely knows how to make things complicated! (I guess we should be thankful that this national health care legislation is ONLY 2000 pages in length. The federal tax code is some 70,000 pages long!).

As complicated as our government makes things .... God on the other hand makes things simple. Take the gospel for example. One does not need to read a 2000 page document filled with "legaleese" and "financialeese" to understand the meaning of the gospel. In fact, John 3:16 expresses the heart of the gospel quite well. In just 26 words, Jesus Christ explains the gospel when he says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Now here is a message simple enough for a child to grasp! No lawyers, accountants, medical experts or economists required!

I for one want to go on record that I am quite thankful to God that he loved me, a sinner and a born rebel, and that His Son took my place on the cross and paid the penalty for my sin!  I thank God for the simple - yet profound - gospel message!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Some Random Thoughts to Begin Thanksgiving Week

1. I wonder how many of us (myself included) are more thankful for the blessings of God than we are for God Himself. Now don't get me wrong, we should be thankful to God for His many blessings - but are we more in love with the gifts or the Giver???

2. I never get over just how quickly life is passing. It seems like just yesterday that I walked down the aisle to say "I do" when in fact that was over 3 decades ago! And now all three of my children have done the same! Wow! All this to say - life is precious - each day, each hour, each minute. Let's purpose not to waste our time but make it count for Christ and His Kingdom!

3. Little children are cute and impressionable. We smile at the former and often times forget about the latter. But all of us who claim allegiance to Christ must keep in mind that there are many sets of young impressionable eyes and ears upon us. We must be sure that our walk is worthy of imitating (see 1 Corinthians 11:1). The old "like father, like son" or "like mother like daughter" is very true.

4. There's no better meal than turkey with all the trimmings (by the way, if you have never tried Isaac Restaurant's  'Thanksgiving on a Bun' sandwich - you MUST do so!). Well, like many places, turkey with all the trimmings is the menu for our Smith Thanksgiving Day feast. But that is not the highlight for me. The highlight is having our entire family around the table, thanking God for His blessings and enjoying one another's company. It doesn't get much better than that. Thank you, Father!!!

And thank YOU for stopping by . . .

pj