A Reduction of Spam on the Way?

When I was a kid, the first question out of my mouth as I walked into our house after school was, "Hey, Mom, what's for supper?" Sometimes the answer would be "Spam!" That's right. That delicious mystery "meat" that comes in a can (Well it is not really a mystery meat - the term comes from taking the first two letters and the last two letters of the meat's description: "SPiced hAM"). Some of you probably have never eaten Spam. However, I am quite sure that all of you reading this posting have encountered spam (that is, spam of the computing kind). The proliferation of SPAM on the Internet has cost the economy millions if not billions of dollars. Even with a spam filter on one's computer or network cannot catch it all. That is why I was thrilled to read today that one of the world's top ten spammers is being held in Seattle. Authorities predict everyone could very well see a reduction of the amount of spam on their computers! I sure hope they are right!

Spam. It is part of the package of life here in this computer driven society in which we live. Sure, we can try to reduce it - but we will never eliminate it. We just have to learn to accept it. And so it is with many of the other things we consider nuisances in this life. Whether it is a bum knee, an unexpected bill or a misunderstanding between friends - these things are part of the package of life. Isn't a great comfort to know that when these irritating (or even worse than irritating) things come our way, that our God walks with us and will provide us the strength we need to get through the day, no matter how tough our circumstances might happen to be? May the reality the Apostle Paul discovered be one we also come to know, "I can do all things through Him (Christ) who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Thanks for listening,

pj

The Subway Hero

His name is Wesley Autrey. He looks like an average 50 year old man. He works construction. He has two daughters. But Wesley is not your regular run-of-the-mill guy. Back in January while waiting for a subway train, Autrey watched in disbelief as he saw a young man fall backwards onto the subway tracks as a train was approaching the station. Without hesitating, Autrey leaped onto the tracks and pulled the man to safety just as the 37 ton train rumbled into the station. Unbelievably, both he and the man he rescued escaped with only a few minor bumps and bruises. Because of his selfless act of heroism, Autrey is known around the country as "The Subway Hero." His motto? "If you see something, do something."

I wish more of God's people would live by that motto ... if you see something (a need), do something (about it!). Isn't that what the second great commandment is all about - loving others as you love yourself? John in his first letter hit upon this when he wrote, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18).

So my friend, let's get our eyes off ourselves and onto others. Let's not just SAY we love others, but let's SHOW that we love others through our deeds! So, to quote the subway hero, "If you see something, do something!" That's good advice for us all!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Police Sunday 2007 - Another Great Day!

For the past 23 years, Grace Church has conducted a service honoring law enforcement personnel who serve the people of Lancaster County. The service originally began as a memorial service, remembering the Lancaster County officers who have given their lives in the line of duty. In recent years, the service has morphed somewhat. We still remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but we also seek to honor and appreciate those still serving our communities throughout the county. One way we do this is by giving out awards in conjunction with the Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association. The Chiefs select the winners and we recruit corporate sponsors to supply nice gifts for the winning officers. In doing so, we want all those serving us in law enforcement to know that we appreciate them!

Is all the effort to put together this service year in and year out worth it? Here are some excerpts from three emails I received in the days following this year's service. I think they answer this question quite clearly!


John,

My sincere thanks to you and the church officials, staff and congregation for another outstanding service which truly means so much to the entire Lancaster County Law Enforcement Community. I have also received many words of praise and compliments for the service… Great Job.

Chief Jim Walsh (West Lampeter Township PD)


John,

I know I echo the sentiments of the other law enforcement officers in the community in thanking you for the wonderful opportunity to recognize the active officers as well as those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sincerely,
Chief John Bowman (East Lampeter Township PD)


John,

It was a great day honoring those fallen officers, and I want to thank you, your church members and staff for making us from Lititz Borough feel right at home. I have enjoyed this service, and the warmth that seems to come so naturally from your congregation. Thanks again.

Chief Bill Seace (Lititz Borough PD)

Inspiration in an Unlikely Place!

Yesterday I took some time to visit two people who are in skilled care at a nearby health care facility. Both are up in age. Both are weak and frail. And both encouraged the socks off of me! That's right. I spent about 30 minutes with each one and in those 30 minutes they did not want to talk about themselves and their problems. No, they wanted to talk about me and my family, the church and what God was doing here. Their bodies might be falling apart, but their love for others and their faith and hope in God is as strong and firm as ever.

As I walked back to my office I told God that if He ever allows me to live to be that age, I want to be like them! Strong in faith. Positive in attitude. I want to finish well. But to finish well THEN means I must stay in the race NOW, running hard, never quitting. And the key to staying in the race is to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (see Hebrews 12:1-2). Given all the temptations of the world around us ... this is not easy. It requires discipline and intentional effort. How about you? Do you desire to finish well? Then keep running this race of faith. And as you run, fix your eyes on Jesus! And if your eyes drift away from him (as they are prone to do) - then do a re-fix! It's the only way to finish the race and to finish it well!

Thanks for listening,

pj

A Glance Into My Rear View Mirror . . .

During last evening's rush hour, I was driving north through the city. Sitting at a traffic light, I happened to glance in my rear view mirror. In the car directly behind me was a man (he looked a little younger than me) and a teen aged boy. The man was talking. "Hmm. How nice." I remember thinking. "A dad and his son having a talk." Across the course of the next several minutes, I stole an occasional glance at the two as they drove in the lane behind me. The man continued to talk and at times got quite animated as he took his hands off the wheel and gestured wildly. At the same time, the boy just stared dispassionately into space, NEVER saying a word. At that point my warm fuzzy feeling departed. This was NOT the case of a dad and his son kibitzing (a new word I just learned from WDAC - it means to chat or banter). Rather it was a case of a dad lecturing his son.

Now being a dad, I realize there are times in the parenting process that a lecture might be in order. However, I also realize that more times than not, us parents go into the "lecture mode" when we should be in the "listening mode." And when we do this, we run the risk of embittering our kids - which is something God's Word cautions us against (see Colossians 3:21).

Let me encourage you, if you are a parent, be sure to take time to LISTEN to your children. In listening to them, you show them that you care about what they think. And sometimes that is all they are looking for - a little respect!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Questions from a Commencement Address

The past two Saturday mornings, I have spent a total of four hours sitting through two different college commencement ceremonies. If you have yet to experience one of these, go prepared for the long haul. It takes a while to announce anywhere from 750 to 1200 names!

Philip Yancey, prolific Christian author (if you have not yet read his most recent book, Praying, I highly recommend you get it and read it!) was this past Saturday's commencement speaker. In a brief fifteen minute address, he gave me a lot of chew on! Among other things, he made mention of a recent accident he suffered. He was driving home on a mountain road in his home state of Colorado when he lost control of his SUV on a sharp curve. After several flips, the vehicle came to rest. Yancey survived, but has spent the past 12 weeks in a neck brace (Saturday's commencement was his first public appearance without the brace). As Yancey reflected on that experience, he said there were four questions that ran through his mind as he was awaiting surgery at the hospital (he was told that there were several bone fragments dangerously close to an artery - any movement could mean death). His four questions as he faced death are questions all of us can ask ourselves to make sure we are where we need to be in life. They are: Who do I love? Who will I miss? What have I accomplished with my life? And am I ready for what lies ahead?

Please take a moment and ask yourself these questions. If you are not satisfied with the answers, perhaps you need to make some changes. Don't wait until you are on your death bed - it will be far too late then!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Dog Bites and Doing the Right Thing!

If you have ever been bitten by a dog, you are not alone! (I've been bitten a couple of times). The US Postal Service recently released statistics on letter carriers and dog bites for 2006. In that particular year, 3,184 mail carriers were bitten by dogs. The top five most dangerous cities for mail personnel were (in order of the # of dog bites): Santa Anna, 96 bites; Houston, 94; Sacramento, 82; Los Angeles, 77 and South Florida, 71. Believe it or not the safest place to deliver mail? The New York City metro area which had no reports of a mail carrier being bitten by a dog!

With all the experience the postal service has had across the years with dogs desiring to do a taste test on their workers, the service offers the following dog bite advice:

·Don't run past a dog. The dog's natural instinct is to chase and catch prey. (So unless you are with someone much slower than you - don't try to run!)

·If a dog threatens you, don't scream. Avoid eye contact. Try to remain motionless until the dog leaves, then back away slowly until the dog is out of sight (and PLEASE don't trip as you are walking backwards!).

·If you believe a dog is about to attack you, try to place something between yourself and the dog (and I don't think the postal service has another person in mind!).


All of these tips seem to make a lot of sense from what I know about dogs. Yet, when faced with a growling, baring-its-teeth dog, many of us probably do what comes instinctivley to us and that is run, baby, run! This teaches us that sometimes what might feel is the right thing to do is not. In fact it may be the very worst thing we could do! And so it is in our faith journey. We cannot afford to simply make decisions and choices based on what we "feel" is right. Our sinful nature and our godless culture can impact us in ways that make us feel something is right for us when God says it is terribly wrong. What we all need to do is to spend time in God's Word so we can know His plan for our lives. Then and only then will we be able to stay on the path and avoid the painful experience of being bitten by sin!

Thanks for listening,

pj