Friday Coffee with PJ

As I write these words, I have just finished up my fourth cup of coffee. So I am thinking I will call that cup my last ... maybe! 😃  Thanks for joining me for some random insights into life. 

1. This week I met my son for lunch. Over a breakfast wrap and a cup of decaf coffee (it was after the noon hour!) we talked about life. All in all, a wonderful hour catching up with each other. Afterwards, as I was driving back to the office – it hit me. This little baby boy that I once bounced on my knee causing him to giggle hysterically is all grown up! He has earned two degrees and has parlayed that into a very responsible job at an institution of higher learning. In addition, he has bounced three of his own children on his knee! I could not be more proud! But wow!  Where have the past 36 years gone?  When did my little boy become a man? 

If you are a parent of young children and you just happen to be reading this (which in and of itself would be quite remarkable considering all the time you must give to your kids!), I encourage you to make time with your children a priority (which is something I always tried to do).  This WILL mean saying “No!” to some things you enjoy doing or even possibly to some career “advancement.”  Don’t buy into the lie that when it comes to your kids what they need is “quality” (vs. “quantity”) time.  Nope.  I think kids need both.  They need more of your time – and when you give them time, they need more of YOU!  So it’s not a question of either or (either quality or quantity) but BOTH AND!  Even though my children are no longer little (they are all adults now with kids of their own), this is a lesson I am still trying to get down. The next time your little one comes and says, “Daddy, please read me a book...” or “Mommy, please play a game with me . . .” – remember, they are only young once.  Build into them while you’ve got the chance.  There will come a day (trust me on this) when you will long for the days when your kids were young (although I must admit those days are few and far between)!

2. The other day when I drove my son's 2 year old home, whenever I would ask him a question he would answer with "I don know." It did not matter whether he really knew the answer or not. I would ask and his response was always, "I don know." I am guessing it was his way of playing a game with me. 

Sometimes people ask me questions about why certain things (usually difficult things) are happening to them. I will often answer in the way my grandson was answering my questions, "I don't know." But then I always add this: "But I do know God, and his ways are always trustworthy" (Psalm 119:138). William Cowper was a British poet and hymn writer in the 18th century. To the very end of his life he battled deep bouts of depression. Through it all, he clung to his faith in Christ. One of his most loved hymns is the well known (and well sung) hymn, God Moves in Mysterious Ways. The fourth stanza ends with the words, "Behind a frowning providence God hides a smiling face." In those words, Cowper captures a truth that we must all grip and never let go! God has a plan for us (providence). Often, in his infinite wisdom he knows that we must endure suffering if indeed we are to become what he wants us to be and all of us long deep inside to become. James understood this and wrote to his readers to rejoice when trials hit (James 1:2-4). God is not a cosmic sadist, getting a thrill out of seeing us suffer. Rather, he is our Father in Heaven ... and as such, he has our best interests in heart. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, "Pain is the megaphone of God." 

So my friends, if you are hurting today, take hope. Behind your pain God is wearing a smile! And the hurt you are experiencing is ultimately for your good and HIS glory! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Please feel free to pour yourself a cup of your favorite joe and join me for some thoughts which I hope will get you thinking about your faith and this world in which we live. 

Speaking of this world in which we live, we must never lose sight of what the Bible has to say about this world. For starters, the Apostle John in his gospel tells us that "God loved the world in such a way that He gave his one and only Son . . ." (John 3:16). The word "world" here refers to the world of people - the image-bearers whom God himself created among whom everyone of us is numbered. Now when we are born into this world, we are born in a state of rebellion. That's right. We are born rebels. We don't want to go God's way, but rather we are determined to go OUR way (Isaiah 53:6). As a result, children need to be taught to do the right thing, yes? If you have any doubts, you have never been a parent or worked in childcare! One of the roles of parents is to teach their children to do the right thing! 

God the Father, knowing our desperate condition, sent his son to be born as one of us and to eventually die for us. In Jesus Christ (his death, burial and resurrection), God provides for us the path (the only path) back to him (John 14:6). 

In addition to this use of the word "world", John uses the word in another way in his first letter. In 1 John 5:19 he writes, "the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." Here John is using the word to refer to the evil world system which is controlled by our arch enemy, Satan. One quick look around at what is happening in our world today most certainly confirms that the evil one is at work all across the globe! 

This brings me to what is so heavy on my heart as I write these words. Early this past Sunday afternoon, I received the first news of the church shooting in Texas. Over two dozen people, many of them children gunned down in cold blood. Eight members of one extended family! I was stunned! My heart was broken. As my mind began to clear, I found myself shaking my head. Yet another mass shooting. Las Vegas and now this (and this shooting on the heels of the recent truck killing of people on a Manhattan bike path)! The evil one is indeed at work  - and by the way, Jesus himself refers to the evil one as a "murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44). Since Satan controls this world system, murders are all too common. 

So what is the answer? Tighter gun control? More emphasis on the treatment of mental illness? More security measures? 

Bottom line, the issue is a heart issue. Evil hearts are behind these killings (take a look at the anatomy of the first murder in human history as recorded in Genesis 4:1-15). Jeremiah the prophet writes that the human heart is "more deceitful than anything else and incurable - who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 9:17). Of course, the answer to his question is that God can. God knows all. That means he knows anything and everything there is to know about our hearts (Hebrews 4:13). 

But all is not doom and gloom. Into the shroud of evil's darkness shines the light of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. When Jeremiah tells us that our hearts our incurable, he is right on! So our only hope is for a new heart. And only God can give us one (Ezekiel 36:26). How about YOU? Have you undergone this divine heart transplant? If you haven't, I encourage you to take a moment and check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.  When you make the right choice to embrace Jesus Christ as the ONLY answer to your desperate need for a new heart ... he will give you a new heart, a new life, a new destiny! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

I hope you enjoy your coffee as much as I do mine! My favorite brew, by the way, is San Fransisco Bay Fog Chaser (just noticed on my last Costco run that Costco is now offering San Fransisco Bay's French Roast! Yes! Highly recommend!). Thanks for joining me this morning for a couple of random thoughts that I hope will encourage you in your faith journey with Christ! 

1. When we first moved into our current home back in November of 2000, the previous owner-builders had a couple of flower beds around the house. Nothing big. Certainly far from elaborate. Across the course of the next few years my wife planted new flower beds ... quite a few of them. At first I didn't mind too much. Less grass to cut! But then I realized that every spring brought with it the ritual of the mulch! But, at the end of the day, I enjoyed all the flowering plants my wife had planted and so went with the flow. But as both us us have aged a bit in the past 17 years ... "the flow" is getting harder to keep up with! So this year, we hired a landscaper to remove two large flower beds my wife had planted in our front lawn and planted grass seed in their place. In part, due to the warm October, the lawn is now looking pretty good! But it does look odd to see all that green grass where before a variety of plants had grown!  All this reminds me that we go through seasons of life. When we moved into our house in 2000, my wife was in the season of life in which she found a lot of joy in working in her gardens. Now, that season is quickly (and I do mean QUICKLY!) passing. Energy levels for both of us are not what they once were. And so we are learning we must allocate our energy to the more important activities in life (for my wife that means running around after our grandkids! Not much energy left for gardening after a day with grandchildren!). 

The day is coming for us all when we will enter the final season of life. As I look ahead (with most of my life now behind me ... and I don't think I will be living until I am 123!), I am praying two things for myself. First, I pray that I will finish well! Finish well in loving my Lord. Finish well in loving my wife, children, and grandchildren (and maybe even great-grandchildren). Finish well with whatever God calls me to do in the remaining years of my life. I simply want to be able to say what Paul the Apostle said has he reflected on his life: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7). Secondly, I pray that as I grow older I will grow older graciously vs. become a grumpy "old guy!" I had a former bus driver recently tell me one reason he quit driving was because he could never please older people. Now I understand how easy it would be to become grumpy in one's old age (after all ... so many parts of the body just don't work the way they used to ... and that brings pain, inconvenience and a lot of sitting in doctors' waiting rooms). So as you move thru the seasons of life, I would encourage you to pray that God would help you to finish well and to do it graciously! 

2. Speaking of finishing well, Jesus Christ certainly did just that. In his next to last recorded words of his earthly life, He said, "It is finished." In speaking these words, it was not his earthly life he was referencing, but the mission of his earthly life. In Mark 10:45 he declared that mission to be the giving of his life as "a ransom for many." Also, in Luke 19:10 he stated his life mission as being to "seek and save those who are lost." So when Jesus said, "It is finished" he was saying the ransom he came to pay for us rebels who were lost and estranged from the Father had been paid in full! This means there is NOTHING we can (or need to) add to what he has already done for our salvation! Jesus paid it ALL! 

Last May, I traveled to Parkeside Church for their 2017 Basics Conference for pastors. For two and half days we feasted on Scripture as we heard sermons by Alistair Begg, Al Mohler and Sinclair Ferguson. Below is a quote by Ferguson on this concept of our getting right with God through faith alone: 

"Remember that you are not saved by increased levels of holiness, however desirable it is that you should reach them. ...It is Christ who saves us-through faith. Your faith is a poor and crumbling thing, as is your spiritual service. Jesus Christ alone is qualified and able to save you because of what He has done."

If you have any questions about whether or not you are right with God ... please take a moment to view, Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Friday morning. Cup of coffee. Open Bible. Talk with God. No better way to start a Friday (or any day) than this! Thanks for joining me for a few random thoughts that I hope will help you move forward in your faith walk with Jesus Christ! 

Today I got to thinking about some of the friends God has used in my life to help me along in my faith journey. One of these was a guy named Dave Bobbs. Dave was a classmate of mine in college. We hung out a lot together (especially my first three semesters - after that I hung out a lot with a girl named Sharon Pietrowski). Dave and I played tennis together. We studied together. We talked sports (and girls) together. I stayed in his home in Bristol, PA. He stayed in mine in Lewisberry, PA. Once I began dating Sharon, we did a number of double dates with Dave and his numerous female interests. After graduation, we went our separate ways. He headed off to the Midwest for Seminary, I remained in the Philadelphia area for my schooling. Upon finishing my seminary studies, a church family in the western hills of Pittsburgh called me to be their pastor. About a year later, Dave was called to a large church in the Cleveland, Ohio area to oversee their Christian Education ministries. Being so close (no more than a two hour drive) we were able to reconnect for a brief period of time. In his second year in Ohio, he was diagnosed with liver cancer. Eight months later he departed this earth for heaven. At age 32 he left behind a wife and two young sons. I spoke at his Cleveland memorial service. It was one of the toughest funerals I have ever had the privilege to officiate. Many would say "Dave died before his time." But the biblical response would be "Dave died right on God's time." 

Really? If we are to believe the Bible, then yes. In Psalm 139 we are told that God has planned out our days before a single one of them began (Psalm 139:16). But how could God allow Dave to be taken by cancer at such an "early" age leaving a young, grieving family behind? I don't know the answer to that question. But God does. And from what I know of God, that is good enough for me. 

But here is one thing I do know ... Dave in his short life of 32 years had a bigger impact for the cause of Christ than many Christians who live two or three times as long. How so? Dave understood the call of the Apostle Paul contained in these words which he penned to the church of Rome: 

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship." 

(Romans 12:1)

Dave not only got this, he lived it! How about YOU? Have you been the recipient of God's saving mercy and grace? And if so, are you living a life worthy of the gospel?

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj 

Friday Coffee with PJ

It's Friday ... so pour yourself a cup of your favorite java and join me for a few random thoughts ... at least one of which, I hope, will help you along in your journey of faith! 

1. Last week, one of my associate pastors suffered a heart attack. On Monday of this week he underwent surgery. As a result of him being in the hospital (and a couple of other folks from our church family), I have been drinking a lot of Pete's Coffee, which is served in the Skylight Cafe on the hospital's second floor. It is by far the best tasting coffee to be had anywhere in the hospital! Usually they have several kinds of coffee available. I have tried several. Each has a distinctive taste. Each can be savored for those very differences. Reminds me of people. We are all unique, distinct in a lot of different ways. And God calls us to "savor" one another no matter how different we may be from one another. The greatest command given to us by God, according to Jesus himself, is to love the Lord our God with all of our soul, heart, mind, and strength. The second great commandment according to Jesus is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. So, those different people who live across the street, work across the office, or sit on the other side of the classroom, Jesus calls us to love them! All of them are image bearers of the God who made us all. Fallen image bearers? Yes. Sinful? Indeed. In need of God's grace? Absolutely. So if you are a follower of Jesus, love those around you ... no matter how different and "distinct" they may happen to be. It's what God is calling you to do! 

2. Yesterday I took a quick walk to a nearby pharmacy to pick up a prescription. The medication is to help me breath easier. I have asthma. Many people who know me might be surprised by that. But it is true. Ever since I was a freshman in college, asthma has dogged me. A year and a half ago, my primary care physician told me it was time for me to see a specialist. So off to the pulmonologist I went. In a matter of two visits, he laid out a plan for me to follow. Ever since I have been following his plan . . . my asthma has been well controlled! I am grateful (but sure wish  my doctor had recommended I do this earlier!). You see, the pulmonologist knew lungs and the common diseases of the lungs (like asthma). And in a few short minutes he knew what had to be done. He prescribed. I followed. And I am much healthier as a result! In a similar way, when we encounter the difficulties of living in a fallen world, we need to go to the one who knows our world and the diseases of our world. This would be the one who designed and created the world we live in ... God! And he has revealed himself to us not only in the created realm which he has made (Romans 1:18-20) but also in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:18; John 14:6) and in his word, the Bible (2 Peter 1:3-4). As we seek to know God and his ways better, we will be better equipped to face the challenges of living in this broken world. How about you? Are you seeking God? Why not open a Bible today (if you don't have a print Bible, check out www.biblegateway.com). As you read, you will learn God's prescription (the gospel). It will be your choice as to whether you "listen to the doctor's (Creator's) orders!" I hope you make the right choice! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

As I write this blog post, I am on my fourth (and final) cup of coffee (and it's only 8:19 am!). Time to quit. As you have heard, every good thing must come to an end ... and so for my coffee drinking ... for today that is! Thanks for joining me for today's edition of Friday Coffee with PJ! 


1. Unless you have been totally "zoned out" of what's been going on in the world, you know that the Boy Scouts have been in the news of late (with their decision to allow girls into their ranks ... something, by the way, the Girl Scouts organization is not too happy about). As a former cub scout and boy scout I am saddened by this news. Not because I don't think much of girls or I don't think girls should have the same opportunities as boys, but because this is simply one more step further into the gender confusion of our day. God makes it clear in the opening chapter of the Bible that when he designed and created humanity in his image, he created us "male and female" (Genesis 1:27). Fallen humanity has been constantly suppressing God's truth and exchanging it for a life (see Romans chapter one). So, human beings are not only making God in their own image ... they are also making his image bearers in their own image. For more insightful thoughts on this issue from a biblical worldview, I encourage you to check out Al Mohler's Daily Briefing from Wednesday of this week. Click on The words "boys" and "girls" are becoming increasingly ironic (6:12).


2. This past Sunday we had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Augustin Hibaile and his daughter, Andrea to our church and into our home. Back in 2005, Dr. Hibaile left his position of Dean of a seminary in his homeland of the Central African Republic to start a new organization, The Center International for the Development of Ethical Leadership (CIDEL). For the past 12 years, Dr. Hibaile has conducted seminars and workshops for government officials, military leaders, educators and pastors not only in the CAR, but in neighboring French speaking African countries as well. In fact, there are far more open doors of opportunity than he can walk through with his limited staff of three. So, please pray for Dr. Hibaile's ministry, that God would raise up more individuals and resources to tackle the great need in that area of the world. Also pray for his family. Just last month, rebel forces (which control as much as 80% of the country) attacked his home town in the north western part of the CAR. Many were killed, and most were displaced. He has had no word from relatives who were living in that city. For all he knows, they may be among the dead. Yet in spite of this kind of danger and the extreme poverty the people suffer under, Dr. Hibaile continues to live among his people to serve them and to further the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks for praying for this godly man (to view a brief video of an interview I did with him this past Sunday, click here). 

3. I referred to the gospel above. Just what is "the gospel?" The world "gospel" literally means "good news." And the gospel of Jesus Christ is the best news that you or I could ever hear! For a fuller explanation of just why this is the case, check out the following brief article, What is the Gospel? 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Thanks for joining me once again. My apologies for being a bit late with the post as I am at Grace College & Semonary board meetings in Winona Lake, Indiana).

Twenty-eight years ago last month (September 1, 1989 to be exact) I began my pastoral ministry here at Grace. Much has changed since then. My kids have grown older (all married and all have blessed us with grandkids ... eight to be exact). I have grown balder (bald is beautiful, right?!). Sharon, my wife has grown lovelier. And Grace Church has grown, too. Grace is larger (in numbers, facilities, and ministries) and, I trust, more Christ-like (although we are nowhere close to being where we need to be!).

Am I glad that God in His providence led me here twenty-eight years ago? Absolutely! As I have said before, at this present time in my life, there is no other place I would rather be serving my God than right where I am. I work alongside a great staff and a godly group of elders. And I love the people of Grace. They are family to me, and family ties are special ties. So if you are a part of the family at Grace, be assured that there is one guy who loves you very much. His name is John Smith (is that really his name? That is a topic for a future blog!).

Thanks for stopping by,
Pj