Thursday A La Carte

Thursday means ... a la carte. So here are some links to other sites that are worthy of a look ...

1. Our youth pastor showed me this video about the gospel. I loved the way the rapper got the theology of the gospel right and framed the gospel within a worldview. Enjoy!

2. So, what difference does the death of Osama bin Laden mean for our world? Here's an interesting perspective on Did Your World Change When Osama bin Laden died?

3. Here's a great little article by John Piper on why belief in the sovereignty of God matters.

4. Take a quick look at this parody on our society's obsession with technology in general and video games in particular. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Have You Been on an Ego Trip Lately?

The dictionary defines the word, ego as "the mind; the conscious self; one's self image; conceit." The word itself comes from the Latin word for I. When we refer to someone with a big ego ... we are indicating that the person has a "big head," is "full of himself,"or is "stuck up." In other words, to have a big ego is to be full of pride.

But what do I mean by using the phrase "ego trip?" Am I referring to the hip hop magazine of the 1990's by that name? Or the 1984 album by Kurtis Blow (again by that name)? Not at all. The term "ego trip" has to do with the actions an individual takes to draw attention to himself in order to inflate his sense of importance.

In the recent wake of the heroics of the U.S. SEAL team's successful mission against Osama bin Laden, many men have been on ego trips. They have claimed falsely to have served in the U.S. Navy as a member of the SEALs. But this is nothing new. Steve Waterman is a retired Navy diver (what an appropriate last name for a diver, "Waterman!"). He has exposed many a false Seal over the years. According to Waterman, ""There were about 500 SEALs that operated in Vietnam, and I've met all 20,000 of them." 

Among the most recent crop of these phony SEALs is a Harrisburg, PA area pastor. After he was quoted in the Harrisburg Patriot-News as having served in the SEALs, He was called out by Don Shipley, a retired SEAL from Virginia, who is one of a few SEAL's that has been entrusted with a database of all those who have served as a SEAL. When confronted by Shipley, the pastor admitted that he had lied. Why did he lie? In his own words, "It's an ego-builder, and it's just simply wrong."

Now before we go throwing stones at this pastor .... let's make sure that we heed the Word of God on this issue: "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment" (Romans 12:3). All of us like to take trips. But let's strive to avoid the constant temptation to take an "ego trip!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

On Knowing God

This morning I ran across the following thoughts about God that got me thinking. I share them with you in hopes they will also get you thinking about God.

"Over and over the Bible has to say God is not like us (Exodus 8:10; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; Isaiah 46:9) because we repeatedly try to make him like us. We squeeze Him into our own mental universes. We domesticate him and fashion him after our image. But what foolishness! This is the God who created the universe with words. This is the God who destroyed the world with a flood. This is the God who struck down two priests for offering unauthorized incense. This is a God who raises up nations and dashes them to pieces. This is the God who put on flesh, died on a cross, and rose again. This is the God who commands us to present ourselves as living sacrifices of worship. God is not like us, but far more worthy and far more holy. He is not to be trifled with." (Jonathan Leeman, Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day)

I believe Leeman is right on target with these words! The God of the Bible (our God) is a transcendent God. That means he is is above and beyond the world in which we live. He is distinct from his created realm. He is Creator ... we are creatures. And what is truly amazing in light of this reality of who God is ... is the fact that we can know him. Certainly not fully. He is infinite (without limits and unlimitable). We are finite. But we can certainly know him sufficiently. By opening the pages of the Bible, we find our God revealed. And what a glorious God he is! 

So do you really desire to know God? Then get into the Bible. It's the pathway that must be traveled if we are to grow in our knowledge of God! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

A Blog Flashback!

I posted the following back on January 19, 2006. I thought what I had to say then is just as appropriate for today. And given that I spent the past two days at a training conference (and have not had time yet to work on my blog postings for this week), I thought I would post this again for your (I hope!) encouragement!


Move Aside, Dr. Phil - It's Dr. John! 

This morning on the radio as I was driving my “long” commute into the office, I heard an ad with a familiar voice speaking.  It was Dr. Phil.  He was promoting some sort of dating service.  In the ad he made the statement, “When it comes to relationships, it’s all about attitude.”  In part he is right.  The quality of our relationships is impacted either negatively or positively by the attitude we bring to our relationships. But I, Dr. John, think that something else is far more important. I’m talking about our focus.  If we are to have relationships that honor God and enrich our lives, then we must have the right focus – and far too many of us don’t!   

So what is the right focus when it comes to relationships?  God answers this question (I never get over just how relevant the Bible is to day-to-day living!).  In Philippians 2:3-4, we read, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” In Romans 12:10 the Apostle Paul commands us to be strive to honor the other guy more than he honors us! So you see – it all comes down to our focus.  Our default focus is SELF.  When push comes to shove we most naturally think of ourselves first.  But God tells us that we need to reset our default focus.  Instead of focusing on ourselves – we need to focus on others.  We do so as we consider them to be more important than us and seek to honor them above ourselves.  So are your life relationships not working?  Take a look at your focus.  My guess is you are focused on the wrong person.  Get your eyes off of yourself and onto others.  Then and only then will you begin to experience God-honoring and life enriching relationships.

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Mother's Day is Coming!

When I was a youngster, I remembering asking my mom one Mother's Day, "Mom, you have Mother's Day and Dad has Father's Day, when is Children's Day?" She looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and said, "John, everyday is Children's Day!" (I am guessing many of you probably heard something very similar to that. Of course, I did not buy it then. But now, after raising three children I would have to say that my mom was a very wise woman!).

Mother's Day wasn't always observed. It was first declared a holiday by the state of West Virginia in 1910. Four years later, Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Ever since, the day has grown in importance and significance. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother's Day is now the most popular day of the year for dining out. Add to this the billions of dollars that Americans spend on flowers, gifts and greeting cards and one can easily see that the observance of Mother's Day has made prime time!

God tells us that when it comes to our moms, we must honor them. In fact, this command to honor our parents is one of the Ten Commandments, and it is the ONLY one that comes with a promise (see Exodus 20:12). So God means business when it comes to how we treat our mothers! And note that his command to honor does not add the qualifier, "if they are worthy of honor." There is something powerful that happens in the family dynamic when children honor their parents!

So, use this Mother's Day as a reminder of how EVERYDAY you are to treat your mother (and/or your wife as the mother of  your children). Honor her. Esteem her. Give her some love.

Now I must run ... as I just remembered I should go buy my wife a card. She's been a wonderful mother to our children (and now a grandmother to our grandkids!).  To all you moms out there ... Happy Mother's Day! I thank God for you! (and if you want to view a humorous, though often true video of motherhood, check this out!)

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thursday A La Carte

It's Thursday a la carte time again!

1. For those of you who have either been to India or support the work of Children's Fellowship of India, or simply have a love for missions, blogger and author Tim Challis reviews the book, For the Love of India. It is the story of British missionary Henry Martyn, who sailed for India in 1805. Based on Challis' review, it looks like a good read!

2. Here is a great sermon jam on God's holiness. Be careful, it's convicting!

3. Do you thirst for God? Here is an excellent article from Don Whitney on this topic. Enjoy!

4. Since I started with a book review concerning India ... I thought you might enjoy this brief vintage Bollywood television commercial.


Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Passing the Faith on to the Next Generation.

Holding my little grandson Nolan in my arms brought the words of Psalm 127:3 to mind, "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward." Children are indeed a gift from God! But along with the joy of having children comes responsibility. I believe the greatest part of this responsibility is to introduce our children to the Lord Jesus Christ. How can parents do this in a way that will grab and hold the attention of their children (which is no easy task in this technology saturated age in which we live!)?  Here a just a couple of suggestions:

1. Grab their hearts with PASSION - your passion for God AND your passion for them! Your children need to see that  you are passionate about your faith in Christ - that your faith in Christ means far more than just attending church most Sundays or praying before eating a meal. They need to see you as an authentic follower of Jesus. They need to see you in God's Word. Talking to others who don't know Jesus about Him. Giving generously and sacrificially of your resources to the church and kingdom ministries. They also need to experience your passion for them. That  you LOVE them - unconditionally and unfailingly. What you need to shower upon them is the kind of love Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

2. Saturate their minds with TRUTH - God's truth! If the apostle Paul is right that spiritual transformation begins with the mind (see Romans 12:2), then we must be intentional about teaching our children the Word of God (see also Jesus' prayer concerning our sanctification in John 17:17). Given how our culture is moving further and further away from God's truth it becomes all the more important that we take the spiritual training of our children more serious than ever. If we do not, our children will simply "go with the flow" and buy into the lies that permeate our society about how to find fulfillment and significance (which, by the way, is very much the opposite of the path toward these things laid out by our Creator!).

So ... all this leads me to the following questions I offer to you to ask of yourself:

1. How passionate am I about Jesus? Is He merely and add-on to my busy schedule? Or is He truly the center of my life? If my children were asked, what would they say about my relationship with Christ?

2. How passionate am I about my children? Do they feel my love? Do they know I love them unconditionally? Or do they feel they have to earn my love?

3. What is it that I are doing to saturate my children's minds with God's Word (and I mean beyond merely bringing them to Sunday School or Awana - the church is here to assist parents in this area of training up their children for Christ ... it is NOT the church's job to do it!)? Do I ever talk with them about what God is teaching me in Scripture?

Our children are gifts to us. They are on loan to us from the Creator! So ... let's determine to do our best for HIM and for them!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

P.S. - I will be sharing more about this extremely important topic this coming Sunday at Grace (9:00 and 10:30 services).