Friday Coffee with PJ (Special New Year's Edition)

One of my New Year resolutions is to continue to enjoy my Friday cup(s) of coffee. Another is to enjoy coffee on the other six days of the week! Given all the benefits of drinking coffee, why stop?! This morning for this last day of 2018, a bit of poetry for you. Enjoy! 

Tis the morn of 12/31

The last day of the year, 

And I’m thanking my God

That I’m well and still here!

 For this year that’s now passing  

Was a rough one for sure, 

With hurricanes and floods, 

gun violence and wars. 

But in the midst of it all 

God is still on His throne,

No matter what lies ahead, 

We won’t have to groan! 

 Instead we look to the sky

As we wait for the Son,  

Following His plan to

Finish the work He's begun!

A Blessed New Year to You and Yours! 

Thanks for stopping by . . ,

PJ

Coffee with PJ - Christmas Eve Edition

As I sit here drinking my coffee this Christmas Eve morning (hmm ... is this my third or fourth cup?), I want to give you, my readers, some insightful words that will help enrich your Christmas celebration. These words come from the excellent book, Knowing God, written in 1973 by J.I. Packer (this evening I am sharing The Watchman's Tale about a night watchman in the town of Bethlehem - it was while a night watchman as a college student that I first read Packer's book!). I hope Packer's words encourage you in your worship of the Christ child this Christmas season. 

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).

"We see now what it meant for the Son of God to . . . become poor. It meant a laying aside of glory; a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice and misunderstanding; finally, a death that involved such agony—spiritual even more than physical—that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it. (See Luke 12:50 and the Gethsemane story.) It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely human beings, that they through his poverty might become rich. The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.


Rejoice in this indescribable gift of God! And repent of your sin and believe the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ! 

Merry Christmas! 

PJ 

Friday Coffee with PJ

Once again this week, I was reminded of the wonderful benefits that come from drinking the brew made from coffee beans. If you doubt my opening statement, take a moment and check out 75 Amazing Benefits of Coffee ... then pour (or buy) yourself a cup and begin your journey toward better health! 

With Christmas just five days away (if you count today), I thought I would focus some thoughts on the Christmas holiday. Recently, I saw a commercial featuring a local television station's news team (anchors and reporters) expressing holiday wishes to their viewers. Only one (of over a dozen) used the expression "Merry Christmas!" For the rest, "Happy Holidays!" was the greeting of choice. 

What should we take from this? Are these people anti-Christmas? Or did they just want to include the entire holiday season (Christmas and New Years) in their holiday greetings? Since I have not asked them, I would be hard pressed to know for sure. But I do know this: the Christmas season is losing its religious content as  it is becoming increasingly secular in nature. 

A U.S. District Court Judge, Susan Dlott delivered our culture's verdict on Christmas when she stated the following about Christmas in one of her rulings: "The celebration of Christmas as a national holiday cannot be viewed by any reasonable person as an endorsement of religion. The holiday itself is so imbued with secular connotations that, indeed, its religious origins are lost on many." 

So what does this mean for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ? Understanding this should compel us to redouble our efforts not to allow our culture's view of Christmas to distract us from the true meaning of Christmas. This is best summed up by what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). God the Son, willingly stepped from the brilliant glory of the throne room of heaven into the dark recesses of the womb of a virgin named Mary. This began his journey to the cross upon which he would die a violent death to pay the penalty for our sin rightly demanded by a just and holy God. In taking our place, he faced the wrath of the justice of God so that we would never have to! So the true meaning of Christmas begins with a birth and "ends" with a death. For Jesus was born to die! But his journey did not end with his death. For the true meaning of the Easter holiday reminds us that death could not keep Jesus in its cold and icy grip. Today he lives and we who celebrate his birth this Christmas do so knowing that we worship and serve a living savior! 

My friends, if you have any questions about the true meaning of Christmas and how you should respond, I encourage you to view this video by GotQuestions.org. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

My apologies for missing the past several Fridays. I was off last week, and the previous couple of weeks I got caught up in the Thanksgiving holiday and a few other unexpected activities. But glad to be back with you. So, pour a cup of your favorite roast and join me for a few thoughts in this edition of Friday Coffee with PJ. 

The dictionary defines stress as, “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension.” According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly half of the people in the United States feel stressed. Gallup’s managing editor commented on the recent findings by pointing out, “Collectively, the world is more stressed . . .  today than when we’ve ever seen it.”

These feelings of stress only seem to increase during the holidays. With so many places to go, gifts to buy, packages to wrap, cookies to bake, people to visit – life can become quite hectic. And all that busyness just adds to the feeling of stress.

Are you feeling “stressed-out?” I have felt a bit stressed this week. With writing my script for my Christmas Eve drama (The Watchman’s Tale), prepping this Sunday’s sermon, and trying to fit in planning for the new year (not to mention the various meetings and other “pastoral responsibilities”), I am definitely feeling “the squeeze!”

Whenever we feel stress coming on – we need to follow the advice of the apostle Paul.  In Philippians 4:6-7 he writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

So during this “tis the season to be stressed-out” time of year – when you start “feeling the squeeze” try hitting your knees. Take whatever it is causing the stress and hand it over to God.  Let Him handle it. And then sit back, kick back and enjoy His peace. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Someone recently asked me if I could go a week without drinking coffee. I assured him that I most certainly could. But the better question is WHY would I want to do so? I have in the past on this blog referred to the health benefits of drinking coffee (in moderation, of course!). So why would I want to even try? There's nothing better to waking up than coffee in my cup! So given that today is Friday, I invite you to join me over a cup of coffee for a few thought that I hope will encourage you in this world that so often brings discouragement our way! 

Many football fans if they cannot watch their team play at the time the game is aired over television will often record it to watch it later (as if they were watching it live). The problem with trying to do so is avoiding hearing the score. I know when I have tried to do this it's inevitable that a fellow Steeler fan will text me with some sort of comment that tells me the game's outcome. So I have adopted a new philosophy. I record the games. I don't try to "stay in the dark" about how the game is progressing. If the Steelers win, I watch the game. If they don't why bother! This approach has led to some interesting viewing. For example, there have been a few games in which the Steelers have fallen behind, sometimes to the point I am asking myself, "how in the world are they going to win this game?" But since I know the outcome is a W, I don't sweat, panic, or keep throwing my "bad call brick" at the TV (no worries, it's foam!). I just sit calmly in my lazy boy, munching on my snackies as I wait for them to kick it into gear and score the winning touchdown. 

This, my friend, is how Christians need to view this world in which we live. It all too often appears that evil has the upper hand. Mass shootings, devastating wild fires and hurricanes, human trafficking, the opioid epidemic, the persecution of Christians, the moral confusion surrounding many issues, but especially the sexual ethic can simply be overwhelming. These things threaten to undo us. BUT ... and this is a huge "BUT" ... we know how everything will end. At the conclusion of human history, when all the rulers and kingdoms of earth have crumbled into oblivion, Jesus Christ and HIS kingdom will still be standing! So for us who choose to follow Jesus*, we are on the winning side, no matter how much it might appear otherwise! So stand tall for Christ and the Gospel! Don't despair. Jesus is still King!

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

*If you have questions about what it means to follow Jesus, I suggest you check out, Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.

It's Friday! Yea! Please pour yourself a cup of your favorite coffee (I am about to drink my third!) and join me for a few thoughts which I hope will encourage you in your walk with God. 

When I woke up this morning I knew something was good about today. After the fog of a good night’s sleep cleared – it hit me. The mid-term elections are over (oh, and the Steelers won last night)! Yea! Now I must admit the primary reason for my gladness that Election Day is past is not because I have the privilege to vote for those who will represent me in government (a privilege so few around this world enjoy). I am grateful for this opportunity.  I really am! But I confess that the greatest cause for my joy is that finally – after week upon week of nauseating campaign ads on television and radio – these commercials will be gone (at least until the next election). I (and I am sure I’m not alone) won’t miss all the mud slinging distortion that comes across the airways from candidates of both parties. Why all the negative ads? Because research shows that they are effective! So the worse you can make your candidate appear – the better you look to potential voters (I'm guessing that’s the reasoning behind it). 

All of us are guilty of throwing some mud of our own. Perhaps not often. But surely sometimes. We put others down so that we look better. This is not the way of Christ. Jesus’ way is to consider others as more important than ourselves and then speak and act accordingly (see Philippians 2:3-4 and Ephesians 4:29 for starters). So instead of being negative and critical of others – we need to be looking for ways to encourage others and build them up – daily, as long as it is called Today (Hebrews 3:13). Let’s all make an extra effort to do so! 

Now that the election is over, I have enjoyed watching television without all those annoying political ads. Now I just have to brace myself for the coming avalanche of holiday commercials enticing us to buy gifts with money we don't have for people we may not necessarily like! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Here we are on the first Friday of NOVEMBER! Ugh! Where are the days going? Christmas is only 53 days away! Well there is nothing we can do to slow down the relentless forward march of Old Man Time. But, we can do something about kicking into gear our taste buds and driving away our morning brain fog. So pour yourself a cup of your favorite coffee and join me for a few random thoughts. 

1. What I just wrote about the relentless march of time reminds me of a tendency that prevails upon aging adults both outside and inside of the church. We don't want to accept the reality that we are growing old. Just listen to people around you. You will hear things like, "Well 60 is the new 40!" and "I am celebrating the 20th anniversary of my 29th birthday!"  Listen, we cannot change the fact that with each passing year we are just that ... a year OLDER! And with the aging process comes challenges that the average younger person has not experienced. 

Derek Prime, in his excellently written and easily read book, A Good Old Age: An A to Z of loving and following the Lord Jesus in Later Years, writes, "A key attitude towards the onset of old age is acceptance that this is a natural part of human life. We need to accept it in all of its facets." Seeing that I am closer to my 63rd birthday than I am my 62nd, reading Prime's encouragement to accept growing older hit me squarely between the eyes (which, by the way, my eye doctor tells me I have the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes ... an all too usual happening for people who are in the older years!). Prime is right on! We need to accept the reality that with each passing year we are NOT getting any younger. And let me tell you, growing old is NOT for sissies! It really takes courage to face the challenges of aging. Accepting this reality is, I believe, a healthy step toward becoming a gracious old person vs. a grumpy one! 

If you want some more guidance on growing older in a healthy way, I heartily recommend Prime's book. As Alistair Begg told the pastors at last year's Basic Conference, "No matter your age, you should buy this book and read it!" I hope some of you do! 

2. Wednesday morning of this week, I had breakfast at a local restaurant. I was surprised when my server approached my table decked out in hunting camouflage with an inflatable turkey slung over her shoulder. Shortly afterwards, another server walked into the room decked out as Batwoman. Well, as you know, Wednesday was Halloween. I must admit I chuckled seeing two grown women dressed in costumes. 

As I reflected on these two (and so many other adults who dressed in costumes and masks for their jobs), I was reminded of how too often we pretend to be something that we are not. There is a word for this ... "hypocrisy." For those of us who are following Jesus, there is no room for hypocrisy in our lives. Jesus calls us to be genuine. Not perfect, of course, but to be real. That means we need to be honest with others, and seek to align our practice with our faith. How about you? Do you claim Jesus as your Savior and Lord? If not, take a moment PLEASE and check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face. But if you do claim to belong to Jesus, are you striving to be a man and woman of integrity vs. pretending to have "it all together" when you really don't?  As you go through your daily routine, just remember this simple formula: walk + talk = ONE! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj