Thursday A La Carte

Believe it or not, Thursday is here again!  Here is my a la carte offering for today:

1. Brian Croft offers some suggestions on how to encourage your husband or your wife. These are great questions that we should be asking our spouse.

2. Hudson Taylor was a pioneer missionary to China and no stranger to suffering. During his years in China he buried his wife and four of his children. Tim Challies quotes from Hudson's letters during and shortly after the death of his eight year old daughter, Grace. All I can say - "What faith!" 

3. Here is a strange yet fascinating youtube video (2:56) of a woman from Oregon who underwent dental surgery and came out not only with dentures but a strange new accent. She claims to be suffering from "foreign accent syndrome." 

4. An NBC Today Show interview of the Duggars family .... 19 kids and counting! 

5. A bit of humor ... enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Don't Be Fooled!

Police in a Kansas City suburb were called by a resident whose children claimed to have spotted a gator lurking in the woods adjacent to a nearby pond. When the police arrived they immediately spotted the alligator. Having been instructed by a conservation agent to shoot the creature if found (and if they considered it dangerous ... uhm, just when is a gator on the loose NOT dangerous?), they quickly fired off two shots. When the second shot ricocheted off its head ... the officers crept closer only to discover that they were shooting at a cement garden ornament. (Now in their defense, it was growing dark at the time and the reptile was partially hidden in the think vegetation. Certainly a mistake that any of us could have made!).

As I thought about this rather humorous incident, it did remind me of a spiritual truth. So often temptation comes our way offering to meet our needs and innermost desires and it looks like the REAL deal. As a result we turn our backs on the one true REAL deal (i.e. Our Father in heaven) and we go after the stuff and fluff of this world, none of which will truly satisfy the inner cravings of our hearts. Only the God who made us can do this (see Psalm 73:26). How about YOU? Are you looking for your fulfillment from the offerings of this world? Or the God who made this world?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Your Donut? Caffeinated or Decaff?

Back in 2007, Dr. Robert Bohannon, a molecular scientist/café owner, believed people could benefit from other caffeine options other than coffee or tea. So he came up with the idea of putting caffeine into some popular sweet treats like the ever popular donut. He pitched his idea to some popular chains like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts – but he struck out with them. Apparently they were unwilling to lay out the dough for Bohannon’s idea.

Hmm. I am sure there are many among us who like the idea of more options for caffeine intake. We live in an overworked, under-rested society. Most of us don’t get enough sleep. Therefore the need for caffeine (How many of you don’t feel awake until you have had a cup – or a pot – of coffee? I sure can relate to that!). But lately I have been sensing a growing conviction that I need to take better care of my body. After all, I only get one! So I had better take care of it. And given the truth that my body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit – I have even more motivation to care for it well. All this to ask all of us – are we being good stewards of the body that God has given us? That means getting adequate amounts of sleep, exercising on a regular basis, eating healthy, etc. Let’s determine to take some steps toward a healthier lifestyle!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

PS - This coming Sunday we will be taking a hard look at the Fourth Word of Grace ("Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy"). Understanding and putting this commandment into practice in our lives will lead to a greater rest for both body and soul. I hope you can join us on Sunday (9:30 or 10:00).

The Struggle to Pray!

If you are anything like me, you struggle to pray. Yes, you know it's important to pray. Yes, you know God commands us to pray and that He delights when we do. Yet you (and I) struggle to pray with any kind of consistency.

This morning I read a description of what we are doing when we pray. I think if we keep this description in mind, it will help us to pray more! Here's what this author had to say about our praying:

When we pray, "we are addressing ourselves to the great sovereign God of the universe and are presenting our adoration, confessions, thanksgivings and supplications to him. He is hearing these prayers and responding to them consistently, perfectly, and wisely out of his own inexhaustible abundance" (James Boice, An Expositional Commentary on Romans, Volume 2, p. 891).

When we keep in mind Boice's description of prayer - I believe we will pray more!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

I Just Don't Get It!

I often run across Christians who have no hunger for God's Word. Given the importance of the Scripture - I just don't get it! How can one be a declared follower of Jesus Christ and yet have no hunger for His Word? A lack of hunger that is manifested in no desire to sit under its teaching; a lack of any kind of consistent personal Bible reading AND study; no attempt to memorize even one verse per week. When I reflect on this sorry state of so many belivers today, it is no wonder that the church is as weak as it is!

If I just described you ... then let me encourage you ... no URGE you to ask God EVERY day to give you a hunger for HIS Word. Decide TODAY on some sort of plan to begin interacting with the Scripture on a more consistent basis. Jesus asked his Father to sanctify his followers by the truth which he identified as the Word of God! So if you want to be sanctified ... to become more like Jesus Christ, then you must make the Bible your best friend and constant companion. And as you get to know it better, you must strive, with the Spirit of God's help, to "put it into practice" (See Matthew 7:24-27). To do less is to miss God's blessing (see Psalm 1:1-6).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thursday A La Carte

Again, some links for your Thursday that might help you in your journey of grace:

1. I am sure you have heard your child (or some adult) say the words, "That's not fair!" Here's a insightful article by Ed Welch, FAIR is a four letter word.

2. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan with a sermon jam on Free and Better! Great, heart-moving stuff!

3. Here are some brief but encouraging comments from the pen of Charles Spurgeon, the great London preacher of yesteryear!

4. From Ligonier Ministries on Embracing the Truth. Brief. Well put. A must read!

5. For today's bit of humor ... check out the speed that this guy can clap. Amazing!


Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

A Plastic Lion!

On each of the past five days my wife and I have traveled to Hershey to help our daughter and her husband with their infant son, Nolan (four weeks old today!). Nolan was a patient at Hershey Medical Center. He had to have a kidney removed due to a tumor that was growing on it. He is now doing well and returned home yesterday. All that is needed now is to hear the results of the biopsy.

Sitting on the floor near the elevators on the ground floor (Nolan was on the children's floor which is the seventh floor) is a sculpture of a nittany lion (the nittany lion is the mascot of Penn State University -- Hershey Medical Center is the teaching and research hospital of Penn State University). For the first several days I passed this lion, I assumed that it was stone. That is until I decided to tap it with my fist one day, only to discover that it was made of plastic! I was surprised! It had all the look of stone! But it was not. Plainly put, it was a fake stone sculpture. I felt cheated!

As I reflect on my life ... I can see that I can be a lot like that lion. Fake. Inauthentic. Putting on shows that make me appear to be more spiritual ... more in touch with God than I really am. In doing so, I may fool those around me and even fool myself. Yet I NEVER fool God! He sees me as I am (Hebrews 4:12-13). This is both comforting and sobering. It comforts me to know that God sees me as I truly am and yet STILL loves me!  Thank God for his unconditional and unfailing love! But knowing that God sees the real me can be quite sobering. I might be able to deceive others - but NEVER God! May this thought move me (and you) to be more consistent in saying "Yes" to righteousness and "No" to sin! After all, one of our life's most fervent desires should be to please him who gave us his all!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj