Friday Coffee with PJ

Well ... time to pour a cup or two of your favorite coffee and join me for a few random thoughts.

1. I am discovering that as I get a bit older, my sleep patterns are changing. Some nights ... I sleep like a rock. Then there are other nights when I wake up way too early  ... and find it difficult to get back to dreamland! So ... if you have one of those sleep deprived nights, how can you best handle work the next day? Here's an interesting (and brief) video that will give you some great tips on how to cope at the office when your eyelids won't stay open!

2. This morning I saw a clip on the news of a huge tornado touching down near Chicago. Sure enough, a lot of damage was done. But thankfully, no loss of life reported! Then, once in the office, I checked my twitter feed and found the following quote of Paul Tripp: "God hasn't promised to shelter you FROM the storm, but he has guaranteed he'll be your shelter IN the storm until the storms are no more." This truth is one of the themes of the book of Psalms. In fact, the word "refuge" occurs over forty times throughout the book (Psalm 5:11; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 62:8; Psalm 118:9). So the next times a storm crashes into your life (and it will) .... flee to God. He will be your refuge!

3. Finally, my daughter told me that her son Jack played "preacher" the other day. He lined up some chairs ... then climbed up on the coffee table and "preached." He told this imaginary listeners that we are all sinners but that Jesus died for our sins. Yes! Even at the young age of five, my grandson is beginning to grasp the essence of the gospel message. And at the heart of the gospel is the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Praise God that HE so loved us rebels, that HE gave his one and only Son to die in our place on that cross some 2000 years ago! As a result we are enabled to place our eternal welfare upon a life we did not live (Jesus' perfect life) and a death we did not die (Jesus' death in which he paid the wage of sin ... not for himself as he had none ... but for us ... who have more than we will ever fully know). May you find joy in the gospel today ... and look for someone to share it with!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Sorry I missed last Friday ... not only was it a holiday, but I was out of town enjoying a bit of vacation time with my wife. But for today ... go ahead and pour that favorite cup of coffee and join me for a couple of random thoughts.

1. Yesterday afternoon, I stood before a grieving family as they said their earthly "goodbyes" to a wife, mother and grandmother. It was a bitter-sweet moment. Bitter to know that there would be this time of separation from their loved one. Sweet in the realization that she was, at that very moment, in the very presence of Christ. The apostle Paul captured the "bitter-sweet" reality of Christian's who are struck by grief when death comes calling. In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul expressed his desire that his readers not grieve as "those who have no hope." He does not deny the reality of grief (and there are no shortcuts to ease the pain of the grieving process). Yet, our grief as believers in Christ can and should be tempered by the hope we have ... that of an ultimate reunion with those who have gone before (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Thank God for the hope we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

2. Donald Trump is making a lot of waves. And he is receiving a lot of attention (if you say something often enough and loud enough and politically incorrect enough ... you will be heard! And of course, it does not hurt that Trump is one of the richest men in America). According to latest polls, Trump is right up among the leaders in the race for the Republican nomination for president. Now, my purpose in bringing this up is not political in nature (I hope!). Rather, I mention Trump to simply ask a couple of questions: What does Trump's current success in the race for the White House say about our society and the values we embrace? And what does it say about the importance of a person's character? Hmmm .... now before you (and I) start pointing fingers ... we probably need to take a long hard look in the mirror and check out the person we see staring back at us (Matthew 7:1-5). We (and those around us) will definitely be better for doing so! 

Gulp! I'm being watched!

3. Last week on our vacation, we visited some civil war sites. My wife and I talked about how awful a period of time that was in the history of our nation. Brother fighting against brother, father against son, friend against friend. I am grateful that our country is not now in the midst of such conflict. But conflict on a smaller scale is something that we all deal with. Starting this Sunday at Grace, we are launching out on a study of a number of the "one anothers" of the New Testament. God wants us (and every local church) to become a family of believers in Christ who love one another, honor one another, serve one another, submit to one another . . .  and on and on it goes. Only as we get our focus off of ourselves will we be able to "one another" one another and become the church God wants us to become! I hope you can join us this Sunday .... 9:00 and/or 10:30. And would you please pray with me that Grace Church will be a different church as we expose ourselves to the living and active Word of God! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Hype, Hype, and More Hype!

I sometimes wonder if I am the only one who is growing weary of the hype the media is always offering up. Flooding rains bring havoc and destruction . . . they are labeled "historic." A snow storm dumps piles of snow . . . it gets tagged as "Snowageddon." One news event brings about a situation "never seen before." And on and on and on it goes (ad infinitum ... and ad nauseu if you ask me!).

I am reminded of some words from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. In chapter one and verse nine we read, "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." All that we experience today ... in some form ... has been experienced before. People have populated this planet for many millennium. Flooding rains and tragic deaths are nothing new. So beware of the hype that is thrown your way!

But there is no hype when it comes to the God who designed and created this universe. He is the same God today as he was at the dawn of history. He was great and he was good then ... and he is great and good now.

So in the midst of all the media hype ... keep your hands firmly gripping the reality that the awesome Creator God is always with us ... and that is no hype!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Morning Coffee with PJ: Special Morning Coffee Break Edition

Most weeks, I get this post written actually on Thursday. With this week being Vacation Bible School Week, my regular schedule went out the door (not my work ... just the times I utilized to "git er all done!"). So here I sit at my computer, on my second cup of coffee and already thinking about the third! Thanks for joining me this morning ... If a bit later than usual!

1. Well as I said, this week is our VBS week at church. Since in my ministry I don't get a lot of time working with kids, I always look forward to this week. It's what we call "The Best Week of the Year!" I can't tell you how great it is to see all these kids learning about God, His Word, and how much Jesus loves them (so much, he gave HIS life for them!). I also am thrilled to see the large number of adults and teens who serve. I am amazed at how we are able to pull off a morning VBS! So if you are a parent or grandparent who has faithfully brought your kids, thank you for trusting us with them. And if you are a VBS staffer, thanks for caring enough to give of yourself. It is indeed a tiring week! And if you are someone who has been faithfully praying, please don't stop! Unless the Lord is in this, all our efforts will come up empty (as far as eternity is concerned!) - see Psalm 127:1.

2. Sunday I will be saying goodbye to a new and good friend. For the first time in my 35 years of preaching and teaching the Bible, I have been teaching on Sunday mornings through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Therefore I have tackled several chapters I have never preached on before. I

must say, handling some of these got me a bit anxious at times! But I have learned a lot in doing so ... and I trust the church family has benefited as well. So Sunday .... when I am done preaching ... I will be able to say ... "That's a wrap!" And I hope it will be a God-honoring, faith-building, commitment solidifying one at that!

3. Some of you might be wondering about my son (I have blogged some earlier posts on him). As you might or might not recall, he underwent a colon resection surgery for his diverticulitis on Friday, May 1st. What was supposed to be a 3-day hospital stay evolved (yes, there is s time when the use of this word is appropriate!) into a 3-week stay. When he was released, he returned home about 39 pounds lighter and with a pic line in his arm. One month later, he is seeing some significant improvement. His pic line was removed this
week and the surgeon gave him the go-ahead to drive. Even though he still has a way to go (the surgeon also told him with what he went through, it may take up to a year before he is the whole way back), he is feeling so much better. Thanks to ALL of you who prayed, brought meals, sent cards and notes! And thanks be to God! Yes ... LIFE IS HARD, BUT GOD IS GOOD!

Well ... gotta run. VBS is about to start! I think I need a vacation! Oh, guess what? I'm vacating next week! If I get a chance, I may still write a brief Friday Coffee with PJ post, so check back next Friday!

And thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Yet another Friday has arrived! Ouch. This summer is going way too fast for my liking! How is it that the weeks during the winter seem to crawl by in comparison? Oh well, I invite you to pour yourself a cup of coffee and join me for a few random thoughts.

1. As I was doing some devotional study in Psalm 7, I ran across the following verse: "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day" (vs. 7 - NKJV). As I reflected upon that, I wrote this comment in the margin: "Really? God is angry? All we hear about today is that God is love!" Of course, God is angry. He is angry with a world of rebels. And he has every right to be angry. Understanding his anger and wrath make his love and grace even more amazing! Knowing that I love God only because he first loved me (1 John 4:19) is truly an incredible, mind boggling, heart stirring thought! That God would love a rebel like me! Wow! I am grateful. How about you?


2. This past year I have been examined by more doctors than in all the years of the last decade combined. And even though these examinations were sometimes painful, I endured them because I knew they were in my best interest. What doctors do for our bodies, we must also do for our souls. We need to make the time .... from time to time ... to do some self evaluation. If we don't, we will never progress in our spiritual journey as we could! To help you do a self evaluation, here is a list of Ten Questions for a Six Month Spiritual Checkup.  And if you want to go deeper, here is another list of Twelve Questions for a Six Month Spiritual Checkup. I plan to use them to see how I am doing. I encourage you to do the same!


3. The adjacent photo shows my grandson Nolan patiently waiting for a snack shop at a nearby
campground to open so he could get a snack. Hmmm. Reminds me of my post of the other day. In our fast paced world, we must make time to unplug and spend some alone time, WAITING upon God. For it is in waiting upon the Lord that we will gain the courage to meet the demands of each day (Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31). And given the turbulent, ever-changing world in which we live, who among us doesn't need courage?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

When Waiting Is Good!

Last evening I had to make an unplanned run to the grocery store. We were on the verge of running out of milk and I could not allow that to happen. Since it was rather late, I figured the store would not be crowded and this could be a quick errand. Yes and no! Yes, the store was not busy. But since there were not many shoppers in the store, there was also not many registers open either. So ... I picked what I thought would be a quick moving line ... oops, wrong one. So I moved over to another. While standing and waiting I glanced over at the line I was previously in . . . and you probably guessed it. If I had stayed put I would have been on my way out the door! 

I don't like lines. And I would guess neither do you. We all can tend to be very impatient.  Our culture is a culture that is focused on tasks.  We like to get things done.  Think about it.  What is Nike’s slogan?  “Just Do It!”  Most of us would rather be doing than waiting.  And that can have a negative impact on our walk with God.  The Scripture is filled with passages that talk about WAITING UPON GOD (see Psalm 130:6; Isaiah 40:31).  Waiting on God is not an optional spiritual activity.  It is necessary for us if we are going to grow in our relationship with Him.  I encourage you (and I am speaking to myself, too!) to SLOW DOWN and learn to WAIT UPON GOD.  It is one wait you don’t want to lose out on!  

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ - Special Weekend Edition

Well ... since you are reading this on the weekend vs. on Friday means one thing ... I sort of ran out of week. That happens from time to time. And with me missing a day in the office (yesterday), that really got me behind the proverbial 8 ball! But ... go ahead and pour your favorite brew of coffee (or as hot as its been, perhaps iced coffee or iced tea would be a better choice!) and join me for a few random thoughts.

1. Once again evil has raised its ugly head in beautiful Lancaster County. While most of us were sleeping in the early hours of Thursday ... Leeton Thomas allegedly broke into a residence in the tranquil southern part of the county and, with a knife, murdered a mother and her teenage daughter and critically injured another. The suspect was out on bail for charges of alleged sexual abuse of one of the murder victims. You can probably figure out his motive. During the press conference yesterday morning, D.A. Craig Stedman made reference to the possibility of seeking the death penalty in this case. In his opinion, certain capital cases are of such hideous nature, that the only just punishment is death. He also spoke about having to go to testify in Harrisburg on Thursday of this past week in defense of the death penalty. In news reports concerning the hearing on the state's death penalty, one woman present outside the capitol, protesting the death penalty, was quoted as saying the death penalty is "immoral." Of course, that statement begs the question as to "whose morality?" According to Genesis 9:6, if a man unlawfully sheds the life blood of another man, than his life blood should be shed. The reason God gives for this mandate is: to murder a human being is to strike down an image bearer of God. Now this command of God, of course, has to be understood in the context of the rest of the teaching of Scripture. Not all the taking of human life is "unlawful" according to God. We read in Romans 13:1-4 that governing authorities do not "bear the sword in vain." This is an obvious reference to capital punishment. And in some crimes, the only just punishment is death. In addition, some times the only way to stop evil and the loss of life is to take life (i.e. - WW 2 and the need to stop the evil atrocities of Nazi Germany). It saddens me that someone can (as Leeton Thomas did), in cold blood, murder another human being(s). I can only imagine how God, the Creator of Life feels about it!

2.  On a lighter note .... with the much anticipated (at least by some!) release of the movie, Jurassic World, some people might be wondering what ever happened to the dinosaurs. How and when did they become extinct? To help answer this, the folks at thegoodbook.com have come up with an interesting infographic, From fossils to films: How do dinosaurs fit with the Bible?  And for your information, I hold to the young creationism view.

3. Finally, in light of the darkness of our world (now that sounded a bit like an oxymoron!), keep in mind these words of the Lord Jesus: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-17)

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj