Rejoice ... There's an Eternity of Hope Ahead!

Take a few moments and reflect on these verses from the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Philippi.

" Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Praise God we have such a glorious future (and transformation) awaiting us! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Ahhh ... Friday again? That means the one day of the week that I work (Sunday - and that's really not the case, I assure you!) will soon be upon us. So here are a few nuggets of thought to enjoy with your beverage of choice (mine really does happen to be coffee!).

1. Last Sunday's police appreciation/memorial service that we conducted here at Grace Church, reminded me again of how blessed we are to have such fine law enforcement personnel caring for us, the citizens of Lancaster County. These men and women who serve in the various local departments along with those who are members of the Pennsylvania State Police are to be commended for the jobs they do. Each day when they walk out the door of their homes, there exists the very real possibility that they may not return when their shift is done. They put their lives on the line day in and day out as they patrol our increasingly violent streets (and compared to other occupations, the pay is not all that great!). SO ... the next time you encounter an officer, take a moment and thank him or her for all they do. Our communities would not be nearly as safe without their efforts on our behalf!

2. Welcoming a grandchild into the family never seems to grow old! On Wednesday, my hospital visitation led me right path Women's and Babies' Hospital where my daughter and her newborn daughter were patients. So ... in spite of a pressing schedule, I took twenty minutes out to stop in for a quick visit. Holding baby June in my arms while she slept (and made a number of very funny faces ... do babies dream? And if they do, what could they possibly be dreaming about?) . . . I was once again struck by the "miracle" of birth. The words of David come to mind when he wrote,"I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-16). The procreation of life is an amazing witness to the incredible awesomeness of our God!

3. There is a verse in the book of Proverbs (among MANY in the book) that I wish we would hear and put into practice. The verse reads, "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him" (Proverbs 18:17). Another way to state what this verse is getting at is "There are always two sides to every story." Now my experience has taught me that there are usually THREE sides to every story ... Person A's side ... Person B's side ... and then the truth (which most often can be found somewhere in the middle). So ... whenever someone comes to complain to you about someone else, don't gulp it down as "gospel" truth. Remember this verse ... and remember that there is more to the story than you are being told. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Ahhh ... Friday again? That means the one day of the week that I work (Sunday) will soon be upon us (that's really not the case, I assure you!). So here are a few nuggets of thought to enjoy with your beverage of choice (mine really does happen to be coffee!).

1. Last Sunday's police appreciation/memorial service that we conducted here at Grace Church, reminded me again of how blessed we are to have such fine law enforcement personnel caring for us, the citizens of Lancaster County. These men and women who serve in the various local departments along with those who are members of the Pennsylvania State Police are to be commended for the jobs they do. Each day when they walk out the door of their homes, there exists the very real possibility that they may not return when their shift is done. They put their lives on the line day in and day out as they patrol our increasingly violent streets (and compared to other occupations, the pay is not all that great!). SO ... the next time you encounter an officer, take a moment and thank them for all they do. Our communities would not be nearly as safe without their efforts on our behalf!

2. Welcoming a grandchild into the family never seems to grow old! On Wednesday, my hospital visitation led me right path Women's and Babies' Hospital where my daughter and her newborn daughter were patients. So ... in spite of a pressing schedule, I took twenty minutes out to stop in for a quick visit. Holding baby June in my arms while she slept (and made a number of very funny faces ... do babies dream? And if they do, what could they possibly be dreaming about?) . . . I was once again struck by the "miracle" of birth. The words of David come to mind when he wrote, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-16). The procreation of life is an amazing witness to the incredible awesomeness of our God!

3. There is a verse in the book of Proverbs (among MANY in the book) that I wish we would hear and put into practice. The verse reads, "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him" (Proverbs 18:17). Another way to state what this verse is getting at is "There are always two sides to every story." Now my experience has taught me that there are usually THREE sides to every story ... Person A's side ... Person B's side ... and then the truth (which most often can be found somewhere in the middle). So ... whenever someone comes to complain to you about someone else, don't swallow what they tell you "lock, stock, and barrel." Remember this verse ... and remember that there is more to the story than you are being told. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings ... enjoy, be challenged and encouraged!

1. In light of the destructive tornado that roared through Oklahoma earlier this week, Al Mohler writes about The Goodness of God and the Reality of Evil. 

2.  Tim Challies disccuses 5 Ways We Grow as Christians. Good stuff!

3. Grandparenting: A Great Road Trip ---- Yep!

4. The case for traditional marriage ... done in a creative way!

5. On a lighter note . . . (you may not want to watch this if you are a panda fan!)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Please Continue to Pray for the C.A.R.!

I know I might be sounding like the proverbial broken record, but I do want to ask you to continue to pray for the situation in the Central African Republic. As a result of the recent coup and the subsequent chaos and unrest, a growing humanitarian crisis is brewing (and given the country's insignificance on the world stage, you probably are not hearing about this!). Please take a moment and check out the United Nation's assessment of the situation. Then pause to pray. If I find a way that we can put "feet to our prayers" I will let you know.

Thanks for caring .... thanks for praying!

And thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Here are some thoughts to enjoy with your morning cup of java ... or tea ... or OJ ... or whatever you
beverage of choice might be!

1. This coming Sunday our church will host a service in which we honor law enforcement ... both those who have given their lives in the line of duty and those who are currently serving. This service, now in its 29th year is our church family's way of saying to our law enforcement community here in Lancaster County that we are behind you! We are praying for you! We support you! And we thank our God for you! The service which begins at 10:30 is always very well attended. For more information on the service, please go to our church web site and click on the Police Sunday graphic on the home page.


2.  Sharon and I celebrated the day of our 35th anniversary by driving to Gettysburg. Given that we are big history fans, we knew we would enjoy the day. We were not disappointed. One of the highlights of the day was our time spent in getting this Victorian era photo taken. We had several costume options to choose from. We finally settled on that of a Union officer (I insisted that I be a general!) and his wife. In the process of taking the photo, we learned several things about those early days of photography. Notice in the picture that we are not looking at the camera. The reason for that was the primitive belief that if one were to look into the camera that somehow it could steal one's soul. Therefore, you made sure NOT to look into the camera! You also might have noticed that we did not smile. There are several reasons behind that. For starters, the process of early photo taking required a long exposure that could last upwards of fifteen minutes. Try holding a smile for that long! Secondly, since most people, if they ever sat for a photograph, would do so only on rare occasions, it was thought that a serious expression was most appropriate for such an occasion. Finally, the fact that many people did not have nice teeth due to poor dental care just might have kept those teeth hidden!  But I must say ... after a lifetime of looking into the camera and saying "cheese," it was difficult NOT to do so. I've been trained to look and smile! As you go through your day today .... look into the eyes of the people that cross your path and give them a smile. Who knows, that might just open a door for further ministry!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

God At Work in the Midst of a Crisis!

Augustine and wife, Marie-Helene

I hope you have continued to pray for the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic. This week there are some signs* that some stability is returning. However, the situation is far from where it needs to be. As recently as last week I received a travel advisory sent out from the U.S. State Department which warned Americans AGAINST traveling to the C.A.R. So ... please continue to pray for the restoration of peace and the ministry of the gospel as there are many Christians there.

Today, I received an email from Augustine Hibaile (in photo). In this email, he describes an amazing blessing of God in the midst of the upheaval. I encourage you to visit the Friends of CIDEL website and read this story (if need by, scroll down to the MAY 16th posting). Praise God that HE is still at work in that impoverished war torn country!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

* These promising signs include the following:

• The Minister of Defense is starting to round up Seleke rebels and sending them to large camps far away from Bangui to be disarmed.
• The Minister of Education was on the radio this Monday encouraging parents to allow their children to return to school next week.
• PHC has an announcement running on the Radio Bangui telling all PHC children to report back to school starting next week (May 20th) and how happy we will be to welcome them back!!!!!!!!!!
• People are starting to feel safe enough to venture out to plant their fields.
• We have heard of NO PHC ORPHAN OR WIDOW who has been harmed throughout this ordeal.  The only incident has been Teacher Flavie, who, in answer to our prayers together, is recovering nicely from being accidentally shot last month.