A Big Time Dive!

If you have paid any attention to the news media in the past couple of days, you may have heard the name, Felix Baumgartner. Baumgartner  set an all-time record this past Sunday for the highest sky dive ever done. The Austrian skydiver's jump from over 128,000 feet (that's just over 24 miles!) broke the old record, set in 1960 by a whopping 25000+ feet (over 4 miles!). His peak speed during his free fall of 833.9 mph broke the sound barrier. In doing so, he became the first human being to do so without the use of any type of craft. Just what was going through his mind as we was falling toward earth?

“The exit was perfect but then I started spinning slowly. I thought I’d just spin a few times and that would be that, but then I started to speed up. It was really brutal at times. I thought for a few seconds that I’d lose consciousness. I didn’t feel a sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself. We’ll have to wait and see if we really broke the sound barrier. It was really a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”

Many have applauded Barmgartner as an example of courage and faith (talk about a "leap of faith!"). Others have questioned the huge amounts of money (estimated in the multiple millions of dollars) spent on such a stunt. But no matter what camp you might be in .... all must admit that in doing what he did, he caught the world's attention (it is  estimated that over 8 million watched the live stream coverage of his jump - let alone the many more millions of people around the world who tuned in to the voluminous subsequent media coverage given to Baumgartner's feat). 

As I pondered on his world attention grabbing feat ... the thought entered my mind that we who choose to follow Christ should be living lives that do just that ... grab the attention of the world around us! Here is how the apostle Paul put it in his second letter to the church at Corinth: 

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj 

PS - If you have yet to see video of Felix's jump ... check this out! 

STRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life can be somewhat stressful at times ... yes?  YES!!!!!!!!! Encountering stress is not an "if" it is most definitely a "when." For life in this fast-paced, broken world often immerses us in situations and events that cause our hearts to throb and our heads to pound. Anxiety and fear raise their ugly heads within us and get an iron-like grip on our souls.

So ... what should we do when we begin to feel overwhelmed by stress?  We need to follow the example of King David ... who in his lifetime faced much stress. In Psalm 131:2 he writes, "But I have calmed and quieted my soul . . ."

Now that sounds like it's easier said than done! So how can we calm and quiet our souls when our world is churning around us? In the 1700's a woman by the name of Katarina von Schlegel wrote what has become one of the favorite hymns of the Church. We don't know much about this German believer, but we do know from the words of this hymn that she was a woman who knew the value of trusting in God. And that, my friend, is the real key to dealing with stress. Take a moment and read through the lyrics of this hymn. And if you want to experience the beauty of the hymn when set to music, check out this Youtube video. 

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to your God to order and provide; in every change God faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake to guide the future, as in ages past. Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow for forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

So What's with "Amen?"

I was not raised in a "churched" family. That means we did not attend church (although for a brief time my twin brother and I were sent off to Sunday School at a nearby Lutheran church). God was present in our home but only in a nominal sense. So I was taught a few "stock" prayers as a child. At supper it was "God is great and God is good,  and we thank Him for our food; by His hands we all are fed, Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen." And then there was the bedtime prayer: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Gramps, Inky and Tipsy (my dog and cat) -- although as I reflect back I don't think I ever prayed for my cat!), etc. .... Amen."  Now as a youngster, I really did not understand all that I was praying (especially with that bedtime prayer ... I mean what little kid thinks about dying and having the Lord take his soul? I did not even know what a "soul" was!). I also did not really understand what that "magical" word "amen" was all about. All I knew was if you tacked it on to a prayer ... then somehow God would be more prone to hear and respond.

I wonder how many Christians really get the meaning and the importance of that four letter word? This morning, I was reading some comments on prayer written by Martin Luther, the "father" of the Protestant Reformation. Luther understood the meaning and reason for using the word, "Amen" to end a prayer ... any prayer. Take a moment and read what he had to say.

"Finally, mark this, that you must always speak the Amen firmly. Never doubt that God in his mercy will surely hear you and say “yes” to your prayers. Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of Christendom, all devout Christians, are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain. Do not leave your prayer without having said or thought, “Very well, God has heard my prayer; this I know as a certainty and a truth.” That is what Amen means" (from the book, Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer). 

So for Luther, closing prayer with an "amen" is important because it demonstrates that the one praying really believes his prayer has been heard and that God will respond in accord with his perfect will (see 2 Corinthians 1:18-20).

SO ... the next time you pray ... say that "AMEN" with a heartfelt confidence that the God of the universe HEARD you and will RESPOND!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings with a hope that you will be inspired, encouraged, stretched in your journey of faith!

1. Did you ever wonder what the teaching known as "The Prosperity Gospel" does to the true biblical gospel? Here's a short but insightful answer. 

2. Here's a thought provoking article from the gospel coalition site on why we should still sing hymns in our worship services today.

3. Here is a video that reveals what an astronaut sees at night while orbiting the earth. I found this fascinating!

4.  All of us have friends who are struggling in their marriages. So ... what can you do? Here is a helpful article from Focus on the Family listing ten ways to help such a couple.

5.  Are you a "radical," "passionate," "edgy" Christian? Hmm. Here's an interesting article from David Powlison discussing the need for a moderate makeover (vs. an extreme one).

6.  And on a lighter note . . . 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Pursuing Holiness

Personal holiness. Now there are two words that we don't hear all that much about in the Church of today. And that is unfortunate .... VERY unfortunate. Perhaps it is why the Church today in America is miles and miles wide and inches (at best) deep! 

You see, personal holiness should be an urgent priority of Christians. The Apostle Paul urged the Corinthian believers to bring holiness in their lives to completion (2 Corinthians 7:1) and the writer of the book of Hebrews encouraged his readers to strive for holiness for without it they would not see God (Hebrews 12:14). 

Given the importance of personal holiness, here is an excerpt for Kevin DeYoung's excellent new book, The Hole in our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness. But a word of caution ... what he says here might be convicting to your soul!

"Christians often equate holiness with activism and spiritual disciplines. And while it’s true that activism is often the outgrowth of holiness and spiritual disciplines are necessary for the cultivation of holiness, the pattern of piety in the Scripture is more explicitly about our character. We put off sin and put on righteousness. We put to death the deeds of the flesh and put on Christ. To use the older language, we pursue the mortification of the old man and the vivification of the new. 

You can think of holiness, to employ a metaphor, as the sanctification of your body. The mind is filled with the knowledge of God and fixed on what is good. The eyes turn away from sensuality and shudder at the sight of evil. The mouth tells the truth and refuses to gossip, slander, or speak what is coarse or obscene. The spirit is earnest, steadfast, and gentle. The heart is full of joy instead of hopelessness, patience instead of irritability, kindness instead of anger, humility instead of pride, and thankfulness instead of envy. The sexual organs are pure, being reserved for the privacy of marriage between one man and one woman. The feet move toward the lowly and away from senseless conflict, divisions, and wild parties. The hands are quick to help those in need and ready to fold in prayer. This is the anatomy of holiness."

Oh that we would pursue personal holiness in this unholy world with a passion!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Back with a Thought from Vacation

Hard to believe that last week during our Ocean City, MD vacation I was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. Had never done that at OCMD in October before! Had not planned on going into the water. Did not even bother to pack my swim trunks. Yet as we sat there on the beach, basking (or was it baking?) in the warm early autumn sun, the ocean was calling my name! So I just had to jump in! And since I wanted to towel off afterwards so that I was not soaking wet when we climbed into the car, I ran up to the boardwalk to buy the cheapest towel I could find. I came back with a yellow and pink flowered rag of some sort (which normally I would never have thought of buying!) - but for my purposes it filled the bill! And since the air was warm and the water temps comfortable - I immensely enjoyed my time of being tossed by the waves.

But there are other times in life (many, in fact) that I do NOT enjoy being tossed by the waves of life. If you are anything like me, I am sure you would much prefer that the waters upon which we sail through life would always be peacefully calm (picture the surface of a lake that looks like a sheet of glass). But as we both know, that is not life (at least not THIS life). Our journey here on earth has lots of waves (or to switch metaphors), many speed bumps and pot holes (and at times, much worse).

So how should we respond to the waves that our generated by the storms of life? Run and hide (which many do by immersing themselves in video games, movies, and other forms of entertainment)? Escape the pain (which others do via drug and alcohol consumption OR by spending lots of money on stuff they really do not need and can ill afford)? Nope! Rather God tells us that when we face the trials of life we must take courage (John 16:33) and by faith trust God to do HIS work IN us THRU these painful times of life (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).

This, my friend is easier said than done. But with God's help it must (and can) be done!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

UNPLUGGED!

This morning I am starting a week's vacation ... which means I will not be posting to my blog this week. In fact, I am going to attempt the unthinkable in this digital age ... and that is to do my best to unplug (for the most part) from all my TDDs (Technology Driven Devices). Therefore, no posts until I "get back in the saddle" next week.

Until then ... ."The Lord bless you and keep you (and yours), the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give your peace" (Numbers 6:23-24).

²⁶ Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj