Friday Coffee with PJ

Now that I am back from the beach ... it's time for a cup of coffee and some thoughts from here and there.

1. Just heard yesterday that the Farmer's Almanac is forecasting the upcoming winter to be a very cold one. That is certainly something I really don't want to hear! I am hoping that the Almanac is wrong on this one! But, time will tell. And if it turns out to be a very cold winter ... well, we will just have to deal with it. But when it comes to relationships, there is no excuse for us to be "cold" toward others. In fact, based on what Scripture teaches us in this arena, love is to characterize our interactions with others. So ... as you go about your day, even if you are having one of those horrible, no good, downright nasty days...don't take it out on those around you. Rather offer to all a warm smile that flows from a loving heart!

2. One of my greatest frustrations with my smartphone is the poor battery life. Almost without exception, before I reach the end of my day, I have already reached the end of my battery! And of course, no juice in the battery .... no use of the smartphone! And what is true of smartphone batteries, is also true of our lives. As we go through our days ... facing the challenges that come with the package of life ... we often start running out of "battery." Our eyelids become heavy. Our feet begin to throb. And a weariness can settle like a wet blanket over our souls. Just as experts encourage a brief "power nap" to increase productivity, you should also consider a five minute "soul-break." To do this, simply grab a verse or brief passage from Scripture, read it ... and then pray it. You will be amazed at the lift you will experience in your soul!

3. As I think about the time I spent last week at the beach ... I just have to smile. Spending 7 days and nights under one roof with our three children and their families has etched a number of heart warming memories on the walls of my mind. It also reminded me of the importance of relationships and how we must make the effort to invest in the important ones in our lives. That means spending time (and quality time at that) with those who are important to us. So ... take a step in that direction today. Turn off the TV. Sign off your computer or tablet. And spend some REAL face time with someone you love! You (and they) will be better for it!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The Glorious Reality of Prayer

Every so often I stumble across something someone has written that really grips my soul. Last week was one of those moments. As I was reading John Piper's new book, Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully: The Power of Poetic Effort in the Work of George Herbert, George Whitefield and C.S. Lewis, the following words of Piper struck a chord in my heart. Earlier today I shared them with our church staff. Now I share them with you. Take a moment and read his words ... and then take another moment and read God's words. Your prayers should be better and more often as a result!

“My guess is that when you read my phrase ‘glorious reality of prayer’ you feel a disconnect between my big language and your small experience of prayer. Yes. So do I. But just a moment's reflection and you realize prayer is glorious. How could talking to the Creator of the universe personally not be glorious? How could something not be glorious that cost the Son of God his life, so that sinners may come boldly to the throne, not of judgment, but of grace.”  (John Piper, Seeing Beauty and Saying Beautifully)

Hebrews 4:14-16

 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

There's Old ... and Then There's Really Old!

Recently I got to wondering what the age of the oldest living American was. So I googled “oldest living American” and found the answer. Her name is Gertrude Weaver and she was born on July 4, 1988. That makes her 116 years old! And as old as I feel some days, I am nowhere close to that age (you can read about this amazing woman right here!) 

Indeed, 116 years of living is a long time! But even Gertrude's longevity is just a puff of smoke when compared to eternity.  As James writes, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).  So – life is short (yes even a life that extends more than a century!).  Don’t waste it!  Each year, each day, each hour, each moment is a precious gift from God.  Let’s take these gifts and use them for HIS glory! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

PS - the pic is for all you Star Trek fans out there! 

The Devil Is in the Details!

The phrase, "The Devil is in the details" is an idiom which expresses the reality that details are important. It is a phrase that I find myself using from time to time to communicate to people just how important details can be. In fact, not paying close enough attention to even little details can lead to a big mess. I was reminded of this last week. I often check my online bank and credit card accounts to make sure all is well. When I did so last week, I was stunned to see a very large withdrawal from my checking account. One that I in no way expected. I called the bank as soon as they opened. They informed me that the payment was authorized by a user on the account. "Impossible," I replied, and proceeded to tell the customer service representative that I was the only one who used our online banking. I then asked if our checking account had been compromised. She indicated that she did not know for sure, but did not think so. She immediately issued a stop payment and told me the funds would be returned to our account.

Concerned that perhaps our account had been hacked, I promptly changed the user id and the password. I then called the payee to whom the payment was made. In the course of this conversation I discovered what happened ... a discovery that left me totally embarrassed yet truly relieved. Are you curious? OK ... I will swallow my dignity and let you know what happened.

It seems that the previous week I had made a very small online payment to this particular payee. But in setting up the payment ... the decimal point was in the wrong place. As a result, what should have been a small payment grew 100 fold!

Now I learned a valuable lesson through all this! PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS! THEY MATTER! This sounds somewhat similar to what the Apostle Paul urged his young friend Timothy to do (1 Timothy 4:16). So remember ... The Devil's in the details!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

1. In yesterday's blog post, I posted a video of what happened when I tried to shoot a quick video of a passing train. I mentioned that my one grandson just LOVES trains. Last summer, as my wife and I paroused the gift shop at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA ... we spotted the perfect Christmas gift for our grandson. A DVD of trains taking the curve. At one point in early January, our daughter Kate told us that she and her husband were growing quite tired of the DVD as grandson John insisted on watching it every night for his evening "show!" I was reminded of this because yesterday she sent us a video clip of John yet again jumping up and down as he watched the trains taking the curve!  Wow! If we could only love God with such intensity! 

2.  Given the turbulent world in which we live, I find much comfort in these words of C.H. Spurgeon.   No matter what trial might happen to crash into our lives, we can find encouragement knowing that the God who sent his very own Son to die for us ... is the very same God who controls the ebb and flow of human history ... right down to the details of our lives. Wow! That is a powerful, life altering truth. Embrace it and you will find rest even in the midst of life's storms! 

3. During last week's visit to Washington, DC, my wife and I traveled into the city and around the city using the DC Metro. Five different lines service the capital. Now granted, it can be somewhat intimating if one is doing so for the first time. But using the map of the system really does make it simple to get from where you are to where you want to be. But read the map wrong ... and you may very well end up heading in the wrong direction. God gives us a map for life. It is called the Bible. As we use it to navigate through what is often a confusing world, we can get to where we want to go (and I trust that is where GOD wants us to go!). Of course, to use the Bible as our point of reference, we must be in it ... and then we must interpret it properly before applying it to our lives (2 Timothy 3:14). This month at Grace Church, we will be wrapping up our summer sermon series which is all about using the Bible correctly. I hope you can come out and join us at either 9:00 or 10:30 AM! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Beware of Living Life in "Selfie Mode!"

Last evening our Life Group spent a delightful evening cruising the Susquehanna River. The mild weather and calm surface made for one smooth ride. Eagle sightings, an assortment of taste bud tickling snacks and a boat full (literally!) of laughter made it a night to remember.

At one point, the quiet of the river was interrupted by the horn of a coming train. I quickly whipped out my phone to video tape the train for my grandson, John. He is one four year old who is in the midst of a passionate love affair with trains. But .... what happened next is downright funny. Take a look.

Now as I reflected on what I did ... it reminds me of how we so often live life. Instead of focusing on God and others (ala the Two Great Commandments - Matthew 22:34-40), we focus on SELF. Yep! So true. The default setting of our broken, twisted, fallen, sinful humanity is to do just that. Selfishness is not something we must learn ... it just comes naturally! So just as I was trying to capture a video of a passing train ... I had the camera focused on me. As you can hear Gary state in the background ... I was still in "selfie-mode!"  

Friends, beware of living your life today (and everyday) in "selfie mode!" Instead live for God and for others! You will be better for it ... and God will be honored by it! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Back "at it!"

My wife and I enjoyed our "road trip" of last week. Leaving Tuesday we traveled to such places as Hagerstown, Cumberland, Rockville, and Williamsport (all in Maryland); Bear Run and Mill Run (both in Pennsylvania); and lastly, Washington, D.C. During this time we walked along the tow path of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, visited with a long time friend, and toured many of the D.C. attractions, including the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. But our most unusual stop in D.C. were two very old cemeteries.

Our first cemetery stop was the Congressional Cemetery, located just two Metro stops from Capitol Hill. There, after some searching and with the needed help of a cemetery employee, we were able to find the unmarked graves my wife's great-great grandparents, Hanse and Emily Smith (I just knew my wife had to have some Smith blood flowing through her veins when I met her!). It was rather sad to see no grave stone bearing their names. Sharon's g-g-grandfather was a veteran of the civil war. His wife very involved in charity work in the city. Yet ... nothing was there to testify of the lives they once lived.

The next day we traveled to the Georgetown section of the city to visit Oak Hill Cemetery. We found this cemetery to be the more interesting of the two. In addition to finding the graves (which were marked) of Sharon's ancestors, we also sat in the beautiful cemetery chapel where Abraham Lincoln sat with most of his cabinet on the day of his son Willie's burial. As we walked through the cemetery, our guide, Lou, pointed out a number of graves of note. Heirs of fortunes, political heavyweights, authors and playwrights ... all are buried here. But what grabbed my attention the most were some of the elaborate mausoleums. One, according to Lou, would cost $30 million to build today. Ouch! That sure is not pocket change! But as I thought of the motivation for spending that kind of money for such a monument (and the cost for a burial plot in this cemetery is $65,000 - definitely a burial place for the "rich and famous") - I came to this conclusion: these people did not want to be forgotten. They wanted something to leave behind that people would notice and ... remember.

Now that's understandable. All of us have a deep desire to live a life that matters. A life that, when we breath our last, people will stop and think: he or she lived a "well-lived life!" My friends. You can live such a life. Just remember as you start each day that you will live that day placing God first, others second and yourself third! Then you will leave a living legacy behind ... one that will speak to others from beyond the veil!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj