It's Friday! So pour yourself a cup of your favorite java and join me of a couple of random thoughts.
1. This past week, my wife and I traveled to Pittsburgh, Shanksville, and Bedford (all in Pennsylvania for those unfamiliar with the geography of the keystone state). We had a wonderful 6 days and 5 nights away. We reconnected with friends in Pittsburgh, with the events of September 11, 2001 in Shanksville, and with God and one another in Bedford (at the Bedford Springs Resort).
Upon our arrival home, feeling refreshed and glad to be home, we walked into the house and greeted our missionary friends who are staying with us for much of the month of July. Then in the process of unpacking our car, we discovered that our toilet in the bathroom adjacent to our bedroom had leaked, leaving our bathroom floor and the carpet just outside the bathroom covered with water. The water also found its way to our lower level, causing a couple of saturated ceiling tiles to collapse onto our basement floor. Thankfully, I was able to care for the leak. And thankfully I own a wet vac. So with not all that much work, we are well on the way to drying everything out!
This problem was relatively easy to fix. Not all problems are. In fact, many are not. Since we are a broken people living in a broken world, difficulties far more than we like crash into our lives, uninvited and unwelcome. But there is coming a day when, according to the Bible, God will wipe away every tear and make everything new (Revelation 21:4-5). But the Scripture is clear. Only those who thirst and come to Christ who offers living water (John 4:14) will experience the glories and grace of heaven as described in the Bible's two closing chapters. So my question to all who might read this post ... are you ready to meet God? If you are uncertain or have any questions about this, please check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.
2. I never played soccer as a kid. Certainly don't play it now. I don't even watch a lot ... that is until the World Cup rolls around as it does every four years. One game I watched while on vacation was Japan vs. Belgium. The Japanese team gave Belgium all they could handle (surprising because Belgium is the 3rd ranked team in the world and Japan is the 62nd ranked team!). Belgium fell behind 2-0 with only 25 minutes left in the game (akin to an NFL team behind its opponent by three touchdowns going into the fourth quarter). Belgium went on to score three goals in those final 25 minutes (the last coming on what proved to be the last play of regulation!). Talk about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat! As the victorious Belgians celebrated both on the field and in the stands, the losing Japanese hung their heads, many in the
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| Japanese locker room after the team departed! |
stands openly weeping. Yet, in spite of a loss which will no doubt sting for years to come, the Japanese soccer team showed real class as they departed. They left behind a spotless locker room with a note written in Russian which simply read, "Thank you!" (see adjacent picture).
Now that is quite the example, don't you agree? They could have easily trashed the locker room and left without leaving any note of appreciation. Yet they didn't. They showed the world how to win even when losing! This got me to thinking about the example I leave for others. And more often than I would like to admit, my example is not worth a second look, let alone imitating. The Apostle Paul in writing to the church in Corinth urged his readers to "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Hmm. Is my life really worth imitating? It will be only in as far as I am imitating Christ. How about you? What kind of example are you setting for others?
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
One of the people I follow on twitter is Church Curmudgeon (@ChurchCurmudgeon). His tweets often make me lol! Here is a recent tweet on coffee: 
