Coming to Grace This Sunday! (Oct. 10th)

This coming Sunday, October 10th, we will be welcoming a very special guest to our worship services. Dr. Augustine Hibaile will be sharing about the dynamic ministry God has given to him in the Central African Republic (and surrounding countries as well). Several years ago, God led him to leave his teaching ministry (at a leading Bible Institute in the C. A. R.) and launch the Center International for the Development of Ethical Leadership. The Center is located in the capital city of Bangui.

The C.A.R. is among the most impoverished countries in the world. According to statistics provided by the United Nations, 86% of the people live in poverty, 62% live on just $1.25 per day and 82% are deprived of electricity. Having spent two weeks last September in Bangui, I have no doubt that these stats are correct (and I was in the capital ... certainly far from the most impoverished parts of the country). Dr. Hibaile has a passion to alleviate his people's suffering ... brought on by both their material poverty and their spiritual poverty. This is why he launched CIDEL. He realized that unless the corruption that exists among leaders in his and other impoverished countries was addressed, no long lasting solutions to dire situation could ever be achieved.

Each Monday for about an hour or so, Dr. Hibaile meets with the Prime Minister of the C.A.R. They discuss the problems facing the country. They spend time in Scripture. They pray. The PM desires to fulfill his responsibilities in a God-honoring manner. Dr. Hibaile is helping him achieve that goal.

If you attend Grace (and even if you don't), I urge you to be sure to be hear on Sunday (at either 9:00 or 10:30). This man's story is an incredible one! One that will stretch your faith and challenge your heart! I hope to see you here!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Take Up Your Cross!

Jesus makes it clear in Luke 9:23, that if we want to follow him we must "pick up our cross DAILY." What does it mean to "pick up our cross?" Often I have heard it said that it means to carry the burdens we have been given to bear. So my occasional neck pain (caused by degenerative disc disease) is a cross I must bear. For others it might be a controlling mother-in-law, an obnoxious boss or a 1991 Chevy. However, if this were the case ... all of humanity would have crosses to bear ... not just those who choose to follow Christ. So just what is Jesus referring to here? Donald Whitney in his book, Simply Your Spiritual Life, gives one of the best answers I have ever read concerning this question. Here's is take:

"As Jesus was willing to go to the cross to do the will of the Father (Philippians 2:8), so we must be willing to follow Jesus to the cross, daily dying to any desires that conflict with His so that we may daily live for Him. While we may truly speak of glory inaugurated by the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, identifying with following Him in this world involves suffering. Indeed, there will be no end to cross-bearing this side of Heaven.

The theology of the cross simplifies the spiritual life by standing as its primary reference point. Everything in Christian spirituality relates to it. Through the cross we begin our spirituality and by the power and example of the cross we live it. Ask God to show Himself afresh to you through the Bible's teaching of the cross and where this theology needs fresh application in your life."

Are you DAILY taking up your cross as you seek to follow Jesus?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

P.S. - To read the full article by Donald Whitney - check it out at http://biblicalspirituality.org/takeup.html

A Vending Machine God

You can get a lot of different things out of vending machines these days. Most often when we think vending machines we think of beverages (sodas, water, hot coffee, etc.) and snack items (candy, gum, lifesavers, peanuts, pretzels, etc.). But vending machines offer a lot more! In Italy, for anywhere between $5 and $8 you can get fresh pizza. At airports in Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Bergamo and Moscow you will find "Gold to Go" machines where you can buy a few gold bars! Across the U.S., if you looking for, say leeches at 2 AM for your early morning fishing trip - no problem. Just look for a Live Bait vending machine which you can find in a number of fishing-friendly states. All this to say ... if you are need of something - there is a good chance you can find it in a vending machine somewhere.

Now there's nothing wrong about this retail approach to selling goods that the public wants to buy. I for one have been glad to find a coffee vending machine when I was nowhere near a Starbucks or a McDonalds. But we must be careful that we do not allow our fondness of vending machines impact our view of God. I say this, because far too many do. As they think of God they see him as the "Ultimate Vending Machine." God is there to grant my every request. All I have to do is make a deposit (i.e. - a prayer) and voila ... there's my answer! In his book, The Papa Prayer, Larry Crabb warns against this false view of God:

"The most common image of God that we don't admit to but still hold is akin to Santa Claus or to a smiling buddy, with this difference: you don't have to relate to a vending machine. Just put in the coins and collect your treat. I wonder how much of our worship and declarations of love for God express the same sentiment felt by a satisfied consumer walking away from a vending machine, biting into his Snickers candy bar. We pray right. It works. The parking lot opened up. The lump disappeared. The new job came along. Let's pray more. Let's insert more coins. God is good." (The Papa Prayer, p. 107)

Is this how you view God? (be honest!). Is he merely the Ultimate Vending Machine upstairs? If so ... let me encourage you to get into the Bible and seek the answer to this question: "What is God really like?" You may want to start by reading Isaiah 40:1-31; Revelation 1:10-18; or any one of the four gospels (for to see Jesus is to see the Father - John 14:9).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Final Exit

On December 7, 2007 Alcides Moreno was doing what he did every work day: washing windows on one of the many Manhattan towering skyscrapers (by the way - you could not pay me enough to do that job!!!). As he and his brother, Edgar Morenes worked on their scaffold that morning on an East 66th Street high rise, the unthinkable happened. The platform collapsed. Alcides and his brother plunged 47 stories to the ground below. Edgar was killed instantly. But somehow Alcides survived. During the first few weeks following his fall, Alcides received 24 units of blood and underwent 14 surgeries. Today, according to his wife, he still struggles quite a bit mentally. He can only manage simple tasks and forgets things easily. In her words "He's only 45% there."

Now that is one incredible story! How did this guy manage to survive a fall from 47 stories up? I don't know. Really, only God knows. He is the one who holds the keys of death in his hands (Revelation 1:18). So bottom line, it is God who determines when each one of us will exit this life and enter the next. And that will occur according to HIS perfect plan! We all can take comfort in that!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

The Social Networking Phenomena

Social networking in cyberspace was almost unheard of just a decade ago. Now it consumes the life of many. The following incident that occurred in Australia illustrates just how much social networking has become part of our lives ... especially for the younger generations:

"When two Australian girls, ages 10 and 12, got stuck in a storm drain, they were lucky to have a cell phone and reception. And they quickly put that technology to work. No, they didn't call 911- they updated their Facebook statuses to "Lost under the streets." The girls were eventually rescued, but only after friends called for help." (Readers Digest, September 2010 issue)

This obsession? dependence? involving social networking causes me to ask some rather important questions. Have we gone too far with such social networking venues as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.? Does involvement in these hurt or help our relationships with others? What appropriate roles should these play in our lives - if any?

This coming Wednesday (October 6 at 6:45) we are launching our Wednesday Night Live ministries at Grace. In addition to ministries for children (Awana - this will be our first year for this exciting children's ministry - and Boys Brigade), we are be conducting a brand new ministry that we are calling Pieces. This ministry, involving teens and adults, will look at a variety of cultural and societal issues through the lens of Scripture. The first issue to be addressed? Social networking. So if you have questions like I have about social networking - I encourage you to join us. For more information on this (and other ministries of Grace Church at Willow Valley), please check out our web site at gracewv.org.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Got Faith?

Martin Luther, the man who unintentionally launched the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he nailed his 95 theses to a door at the University of Wittenburg, Germany had the following to say about faith:

"Faith is a living and unshakable confidence; a belief in God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake." - Martin Luther

Does that describe your faith in God?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Some Friday Morning Humor with a Point

I ran across this brief commercial and it made me laugh. I thought it would make you laugh, too! Enjoy!




Wow! That mouse sure was strong - and it all had to do with eating the right cheese! We as Christ-followers need to be strong to fight the battle in which we are engaged. Only a steady diet of God's Word will make us strong enough to do so. How's your intake of the Word???

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj