Beware the Post Christmas Funk

The build up to the Christmas holiday in our culture is frankly overwhelming! Christmas music begins to dominate the airwaves soon after October is in life's rear view mirror. Retailers start pushing their Christmas sales before Thanksgiving, and the Hallmark channel begins its popular "Countdown to Christmas" the final week of October! Pressure is on to buy, bake, and decorate. Expectations for this "Most Wonderful Time of Year" run high. And before we know it, Christmas is here and gone, leaving many of us exhausted by the hubbub of the season and feeling robbed of the joy we thought we would experience and did not. But wait ... perhaps rushing off to the mall or going online to use our gift cards will help us overcome "the blues!" But will it? 

So after all the gifts are unwrapped and our family gatherings are done, how do we handle this post Christmas "hangover" that so many of us experience? Here's just one suggestion. Take a deep breath (or two or three or more!), sit down, and hear these words from God through the pen of the Apostle Paul: "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). Take a few moments to reflect on your standing in this life because of Christ's birth that first Christmas morning. You are RICH! But you might be thinking, "Hold on John! After this frigid arctic blast, it's going to be tough for me to pay the heating bill. I don't call that 'rich' by any means!" 

It may be very true you are not "rich" as the world defines the word. But if you have chosen to come to Christ, receiving him as the God-Man Savior and Lord, God says you are indeed rich! And by that he means rich in the ways that matter. Consider these words from Ephesians chapter one: "Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). The Apostle Paul goes on to name some of these riches: Our adoption into God's family, our being set free from our bondage to sin, God's forgiveness, and even a future inheritance awaiting us in heaven! 

Allow those words to sink into your mind, heart and soul. For those of us who claim an allegiance to Christ, we are rich! Not with the riches we will have to leave behind one day. But eternal riches to lift our hearts today, tomorrow and for all eternity! 

Thanks for stopping by, 

PJ

A Favorite Yuletide Boyhood Memory

One of my favorite yuletide memories from my childhood is one that occurred every year a few weeks before Christmas. Two eight-year-old boys are sitting at the very small dining room table of a very cramped row house in Harrisburg, PA. There’s a new but rough looking catalogue on the table between them. Each of the boys has a sheet of paper before him and a pencil in hand. On the stereo is a scratchy Mitch Miller album blaring out songs of the season.  Filling the air is the tongue watering aroma of freshly baked sugar cookies.

For the next couple of hours, both boys carefully examine the toy section of the Sears catalogue as they draft their wish list for Christmas. Of course, there are the limitations of both cost and number. They are not to include anything costing more than about $5 or so (which in today’s money would be around $50) and they are to keep the list “manageable” in number. Once done their lists, with great expectations, they hand them to their parents. This evokes a parental response along the line, “Thank you, boys. Just remember we won’t be able to buy you all these gifts. And you will have to wait until Christmas morning to see which ones you might receive.”

Those two boys working on their Christmas wish lists were my twin brother and me. We had so much fun going through the Sears catalogue and making our lists and checking them twice (to be honest, far more than twice!). And to their credit, Mom and Dad came through for us (usually!).

 

Reflecting on this memory gave me pause to think about the best Christmas gift any one of us could ever receive. This gift is not to be found in a Christmas catalogue, but in a person . . . the person of the baby Jesus. How amazing is it that God the Son, the Creator of all, who has no beginning or end, was willing to leave the glory of heaven to come to this sin cursed, evil filled world? And he did so not to be served as the King of kings and Lord of lords, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many! God the Son, became one of us. He lived among us. Then he died for us! But the icy cold grip of death could not keep him in the grave. He rose from the dead and is now at the right hand of God the Father. From there he offers this invitation to one and all: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

 

What an incredible gift he offers to us. And unlike the gifts on my childhood wish list, his gift has no limitations. As for cost, it is free to us (thought at great cost to him). And this gift does not have to requested each and every year. The gift of eternal life is just that – eternal!

 

Joy to the world, the Lord has come,

Let Earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing!

 

Have you received the King? It's the the gift that keeps on giving in both this life and the life to com!

 

A merry and joy-filled Christmas to you all and thanks for stopping by,

 

PJ

Long Over Due!

Over 1000 days have transpired since I last posted. So now that I am entering a new chapter in life (working part time), I thought I would try my hand (fingers really) to pick up where I left off. So with the aroma of a cup of coffee tickling my nose and stimulating my mind, I offer you a few thoughts which I hope and pray will warm your heart, strengthen your faith, and sharpen your mind! 

Yesterday morning was a busy one with a breakfast meeting, a doctor's appointment (the older I get the more doctors I am seeing!), and stops at the local gas station and bank. The day was on the cold side. So I wore my favorite beanie (when one has as little hair on top as I do, beanies are NOT optional cold weather attire!). When yesterday afternoon arrived and my wife and I were heading out, my cherished beanie was nowhere to be found. Looking everywhere I came up empty. So I grabbed another from the closet and went on my merry way. . .  

. . .Well I just returned home from having breakfast with my son (and I am sure you did not even know I was gone!). But as I was putting my winter coat on to leave the house, I happened to check the pockets of my rain jacket which is the same color as my winter coat. Lo and behold, I found my favorite beanie! I was relieved I had not lost it. But misplacing it had me thinking I had. 

All of us misplace things from time to time. Sometimes they may be important (like the time I misplaced my car keys only to be notified by mail that they were waiting for me at the Lancaster City Police station! How they ended up there is another tale for another day). Other items misplaced are soon forgotten. 

As I thought about misplacing things, it came to mind that God NEVER misplaces anything. And that includes you and me. In fact, God is on record saying, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me" (Isaiah 49:16). So when we go through a rough patch in our journey through life and the enemy of our soul whispers to us that God has lost sight of us and our troubles, do not buy his lie. Instead, recite God's promise to yourself. Your name is engraved on the palms of his hands. So he can never misplace you.That's right. NEVER! For you are precious to him yesterday, today, and forever!  

Thanks for stopping by, 

PJ 

The Love of Christ

In Ephesians 3:18-19, Paul expresses his prayer for the Ephesian believers when he asks God that they might "have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." 


Noted New Testament Scholar, D. A. Carson, in his excellent book, Praying with Paul, writes the following about our need for God's enablement to help us understand and get a grip on the love of Christ for us. 

"It takes nothing less than the power of God to enable us to grasp the love of Christ. Part of our deep “me-ism” is manifested in such independence that we do not really want to get so close to God that we feel dependent on him, swamped by his love. Just as in a marriage a spouse may flee relationships that are too intimate, judging them to be a kind of invasion of privacy when in reality
such a reaction is a sign of intense immaturity and selfishness, so also in the spiritual arena: when we are drawn a little closer to the living God, many of us want to back off and stake out our own turf. We want to experience power so that we can be in control; Paul prays for power so that we will be controlled by God himself. Our deep and pathetic self-centeredness is precisely why it takes the power of God to transform us, if we are to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and grow to the maturity the Scriptures hold out before us."

Our Father in heaven, strengthen us in our inner being so that we may be able to understand just how much you love us in Christ! Amen. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Well, what I thought was a cold last week, was/is a sinus infection. I finally gave in and went to see my doctor. I am now on antibiotics and trying to rest up some. So in place of my regular posting, I offer up the following prayer of Benedict who lived between 480-847 AD. Make his words your words and you will be blessed! 

Gracious and holy father, 

please give me: 

an intellect to understand you; 

reason to discern you; 

diligence to seek you; 

wisdom to find you; 

A spirit to know you; 

A heart to meditate upon you; 

ears to hear you; 

eyes to see you; 

a tongue to proclaim you; 

a way of life pleasing to you; 

patience to wait for you; 

and perseverance to look for you. 

Amen.

Thanks for stopping by, 
Pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

As I write these words, I just finished a cup of tea. "What?" you might be thinking, "Tea over coffee? Are you sick?" Well, sort of. I feel a cold coming on and when I feel a bit under the weather, I prefer tea over coffee. Not sure why ... but I do. So today feel free to pour yourself a cup of tea and join me for a couple of random thoughts which I hope will help you in your spiritual journey with Christ. 

One concern (among others) that I have when I consider the walk of many Christians is just how ungracious some are. I see Christ followers who easily get bent out of shape when someone offends them or if something is not done in the way they think it should be done. They carry grudges, allow a critical spirit to grow within them, and are down right negative about the circumstances they endure and the people they encounter. 

If you are reading this and you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, I urge you to examine your own heart. Are you harboring resentment, jealousy, bitterness toward someone (Ephesians 4:31)? Have you been critical of a brother or sister in Christ (James 4:11)? Do you gripe and complain about this, that, and the other thing (Philippians 2:14-16)? 

My friends, God has graced us. He has withheld from us what we truly deserve to receive from his hand (i.e. judgement) and instead opened his hand and showered us with a multitude of blessings - NONE of which we deserve in any sense of the word! 

So if God has graced us in this way ... who are we NOT to grace others around us? If we as Christians have truly experienced God's grace in our lives, we should be the most gracious people in the world (Matthew 18:21-35)! 

So, take a look in the mirror. Do some soul searching. Then come to Christ and repent and confess and find the joy and peace that only he can give ... and then give that joy and peace to others! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Here we are ... the first Friday of a new year! And as I write this post - and I admit to a late start as I usually write this on Thursday but due to the short week did not get to it until this morning - I am already on my 3rd cup of coffee. So pour yourself a cup and join me for a couple of random thoughts which I hope will help you in your journey of faith. 

Last night as I led our Life Group, I asked each one to share something from 2018 which showed God at work in their lives. Since I had already been thinking about this, I offered up first. 

When I had spent time thinking about what I would say earlier in the day, it hit me pretty quickly as to what I would be sharing. For some of you who read my blogs on a regular or semi-regular basis, you will know that I have been battling a kidney related issue for the past couple of years. After several surgical procedures and a number of tests in the first months of 2018, I received a phone call from my urologist in early June. He informed me that the one kidney which had been the object of the surgeries and tests was no longer functioning. He could not explain why that was the case. In his words, "numbers don't lie and the numbers from your recent renal scan shows that the kidney is no longer functioning." 

As I allowed his words to rattle around in my head, I recall feeling an incredible sense of peace. Yes, I was disappointed in his report. But I was not freaking out. As I reflect on my response, I give the credit to God's Spirit giving me a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). As a result of walking through the difficult situations my wife and I have been health-wise across the past few years, God has taught me again and again that I can trust him. And so, at the moment I received my urologist's call, I chose to continue to trust him. 

I can tell you that I have moved on and not looked back. I have not tried to second guess the path the urologist took in treating me. Nor have I questioned God as to why he allowed this to happen. Instead, each day I choose to trust him. After all, he is God and I am not! 

Due to my kidney issue, I have faced some life style changes. But I am OK with that (although I sure do miss a good old Reuben sandwich covered with sauerkraut!). God is sovereign. He has a plan for our world, for you, for me. And as he works his plan, I continue to ask him for the grace to trust him! I pray the same for you! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj