To Indiana and Back

Well I made it ... to Indiana this past week. With Sandy throwing air travel into major disarray, I had some doubts, but my flight was one of just a handful of flights that did make it out of Harrisburg International Airport on Tuesday morning (flying west vs. east helped, I am quite sure!).

Once in Winona Lake, I had a great week of meetings as part of the Grace College and Seminary Board. We discussed a lot of tough issues facing the schools (which is true of EVERY educational institution trying to provide students with a quality and affordable education). We also made some difficult decisions. But I walked away from the meetings VERY encouraged about the future of Grace!

That reminds me a bit of life in general. We face tough issues. We make difficult decisions. But at the end of the day we can be optimistic about our future. How so? For those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, He holds our future in HIS hands. So no matter what the future eventually brings our way, we can rest assured that future first passed through the hands of the one who loved us enough to die for us! And you know ... that's enough for me to say, "It is well with my soul ... today, tomorrow, forever!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Hello Sandy!

Today Lancaster County, along with much of the East Coast is shut down. Even as I type these words, the sounds of rain tapping on my windows and the winds howling as they blow through my back yard remind me that Sandy is no average woman. In fact, she's no woman at all! Hurricane (or is it Frankenstorm?) Sandy is still churning about 150 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, NJ. It is projected to make landfall about 8 PM this evening .... and from there make a bee line for southern PA. Yahoo!  But with all the rain and wind that it is bringing ... it is effectively shutting down life as we know it ... malls, schools, businesses, airports ... and the list goes on and on. And as Sandy continues her march westward, we all hold our breath .... will the power stay on? Will my roof stay on?  Time will tell. Tomorrow I am scheduled to catch a flight out of Harrisburg to head to Indiana for several days. Hmm. Maybe ... maybe not!

All I can say ... is that I am glad that my God is a rock!  No matter what storm blows through - we can anchor ourselves to our God and know that we will never be moved (Psalm 62:6-7).

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

PS - If you do not hear from me the rest of the week it is because I was able to make my way to Indiana.

Thursday's Offerings

Here are this week's offerings of a little bit of this and a little of that . . .

1. With the big election less than two weeks away . . . here is a summary of an excellent sermon by Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church on the the Christian's responsibility to government.

2. Ever get to the point where you find yourself mired in the pit of discontentment? You know you should be content ... but you just don't know how to get there. Here is an insightful and helpful post on the topic.

3. We just celebrated children this past Sunday at Grace. Why? Well if children mattered to Jesus, then they had better matter to us (see Mark 10:13-15)! Thinking of children reminded me of this brief devo from Chuck Swindoll, Everybody "Act Medium." 

4. Hmm. Ever wish you had that voice of the soloist who just rocked the room with her song? Or perhaps the skill of the IT guy who knows how to fix every single computer problem this world has ever seen? But if you don't have the voice to be the next American Idol winner or if your computer skills are not really all that skillful ... will that keep you from being all that God wants you to be?  Check out Ray Ortland's thoughts on this right here. 

5. What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Ed Welch has some great insights right here. 

6. With Halloween less than a week away, how should Christians respond to this holiday? Here is a thorough and though provoking article from Grace to You. 

7. On a lighter note . . . 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Making Wise Decisions

All of us must make decisions every day. Some are small, almost insignificant (hmm .. which pair of socks should I wear today ... how about these hot pink ones?  Nah! Not my color!). Others are much (and sometimes MUCH) larger and significant (uh, which health plan should I choose at work?). So when it comes to making the right call, does the Bible give any insight?

The book of Proverbs (the Old Testament book of wisdom) offers us the following three strategies when it comes to making wise decisions:

1. Fear God. Proverbs 9:10 and Proverbs 15:33 make it clear that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. To fear God means to respect and honor him ... acknowledging the place he has as sovereign ruler over us and our world. This makes a lot of sense. If our relationship with God is out of whack, then how will we ever be able to make consistently "wise" decisions? It just won't happen. After all, it is HIS world in which we live and work and play ... AND make decisions!

2. Consult the Book. Proverbs 2:6 tells us that wisdom comes to us via God's mouth. Since the Scripture is from God's mouth (it is "God-breathed" - see 2 Timothy 3:16-17), it follows that there is much wisdom to be found in the pages of the Bible. Again, nothing surprising about this. After all, there is no wiser being than the God who knows anything and everything there is to know! So to consult the book that he authored is guaranteed to give us the wisdom that we need.

3. Get advice. Proverbs 11:14; 12:15; 15:22 all state the value of seeking advice from others. But the key here is to get your advice from the RIGHT kind of people (I have heard advice given by so called Christians that's been absurd and downright contrary to God's will ... quite scary!). SO ... what kind of person should you seek out for advice?  How about a WISE person?  OK. So what does a wise person look like? For starters, seek out someone who fears God (Proverbs 15:16). If you want godly advice, go to a godly person! Secondly, look for an individual who is humble (Proverbs 11:2) and teachable (13:10). Don't go to Mr. Know It All. Don't seek out Mrs. Been There Done That. Rather, seek out a person whom you know has a humble attitude about himself. Thirdly, get advice from a person who has control of his tongue (Proverbs 10:19). Someone who controls their tongue is wise (it takes a huge amount of wisdom to know when to speak ... and when not to speak). In addition, if you seek out advice from someone who tends to "run at the mouth," be prepared for others to know your business! Finally, if you really want wise advice, seek out those who have a passion for the lost (Proverbs 11:30). This may not seem to make much sense on the surface, but think about it. A person who has passion for the lost understands the reality of eternity and the judgment that waits each and every person. Living in light of that understanding, they don't get caught up in this world, but tend to stay focused on what really matters. Now that's a person from whom I want to get advice.

So the next time you have to make a decision ... keep these three strategies in mind: Fear God, consult the Book and get advice (from a wise person!).

Thanks for stopping by  . . .
pj

Enjoying the Rail Trail

Yesterday was one of those gorgeous late October days that you dream of ... sunny and mild with the trees arrayed in their full autumn wardrobe of reds, oranges and yellows. Since Monday is my day off, my wife and I decided we had to spend at least a portion of the day OUTSIDE. So we chose to check out a rail-trail at the other end of the county. We had heard some real good things about this particular rail trail (the Conewago Recreation Trail). We were NOT disappointed. We spent about 2 hours and walked over four miles and enjoyed every step!

One of the most striking things about the trail is just how straight and level it is (no surprise, given that the trail follows the raised bed of what once held railroad tracks). It brought to mind these words from the Old Testament book of wisdom: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). So as we go through life we must do so in complete trust and dependence upon God. And as we do, he promises to remove the obstacles in our way that would prevent us from walking with him and fulfilling his purposes for our lives (Proverbs 11:5; Isaiah 45:13).

SO ... are YOU trusting God today? Are you recognizing his role in your life as the God who has a plan for your life and is working that plan?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The "Nevers" of the Gospel

During a morning time of prayer today, I was using one of my favorite devotional helps, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.  Praying through one of the prayers, I was struck by the following lines:

O LORD, May I 

    never confine my religion to extraordinary occasions,  

      but acknowledge thee in all my ways; 

   never limit my devotions to particular seasons

       but be in they fear all the day long; 

   never be godly only on the Sabbath or in thy house,

       but on every day abroad and at home; 

   never make piety a dress but a habit, 

       not only a habit but a nature,

       not only a nature but a life. 

Amen. 

Wow! Now there is a prayer I really need to be praying. Not just today -- but everyday! Take a moment and make this prayer your own. I suspect like me ... you need to do so, too! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings ... enjoy!

1. Denny Burke makes a strong case on why abortion is the most important issue in the upcoming election.

2. And while on the topic of the upcoming election, John Piper shares why he plans to vote. 

3. Ever wonder what the "blind spots" are for the church in America? Here's a very brief but very insightful response to the question, "What are the some of the blind spots for the American church when it comes to transformation?" 

4. J.C. Ryle writes about Seven Marks of a Right Heart ... good stuff!

5. Here's a practical, relevant and downright convicting post ... Have you ever told God you are all in? 

6. And on a lighter note . . . 


Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj