Blessings for the New Year!

As I wrap up my blogging for yet another year, I want to leave you with a few well said words. Take a moment and think on these things. And if changes in your life are called for - then take action!

I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light. (Mary Gardner Brainard)

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. (C.S. Lewis)

Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow. (Theodore Epp)

Wishing will never be a substitute for prayer. (Ed Cole)

I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist without a clockmaker. (Voltaire)

Here, then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy. (R.C. Sproul)

Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. (George Mueller)

Thanks for stopping by . . . and I will "see" you next year!

pj

Open Your Eyes!

Peggy Noonan was a young speech writer for President Ronald Regan. Today she is a contributing editor of the Wall Street Journal. Her syndicated column appears in the Lancaster New Era. In last evening's column she was reflecting on several books she had read during the course of 2008. One of these was titled, Mother Teresa's Secret Fire. The book was written by a close friend of Mother Teresa, Joseph Langford. He writes of many lessons he learned from Teresa, who left her convent to work with the poorest of the poor among the slums and ghettos of Calcultta, India. Among these lessons that Noonan cites is one that struck me. So as we stand on the doorstep of a new year - I share it with you.

"You must find your own Calcutta. You don't have to go to India. Calcutta is all around you."

All we have to do is OPEN OUR EYES! As we do so, God will show us the desperate need of the people who surround us. And as He does so, we must be willing to show them the love of Jesus! As we enter the new year, let's all purpose to ask God each day to open our eyes. Needy people fill our lives - and their greatest need is Christ!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Do You Talk Too Much?

As we say "goodbye" to 2008 and "hello" to 2009, I think it is helpful for all of us to take some time to "take stock" of our lives. Yesterday my message to our church family detailed a list of 7 questions for a spiritual self checkup (you can see the complete list on our web site - www.gracewv.org). One of these questions was "Do I talk more than I listen?" Most of us like to listen -- as long as it is US we are listening to! Now God's advice on this is clear. Consider the following verses:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak... (James 1:19)

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. (Proverbs 10:19)

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

Ouch! I really need this reminder. And I need God's help to become a better listener! Yesterday I shared the following prayer with our church family. I encourage you to take this prayer and make it yours!

"I ask for wisdom to restrain my speech and the patience to listen more carefully to others before responding with my own opinions. May I be a gracious and others-centered listener rather than a controlling and self-centered talker. I desire to serve others by listening, caring and encouraging. Amen."

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

God's Gift to You

Gifts are a big part of the Christmas season. We spend time thinking about them, shopping for them, wrapping them and exchanging them. For most people a Christmas without gifts under the tree would be no Christmas at all.

There is no clear consensus as to when gift giving became so firmly entrenched with Christmas. Many point to the Victorian era which brought renewed warmth to the holiday with its emphasis on family. At that time Yule tide gift giving sprang up to show kindness and love to family members and beyond. But whatever the case, gifts are a big part of Christmas.

As you exchange your gifts this Christmas - take a moment and look beyond these gifts to the greater gift of God. After all, Christmas is all about God so loving us "that He sent His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish BUT have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Tomorrow morning (Christmas Day) is the time my family will be exchanging our gifts for one another. If my wife were to leave one of my gifts to her unwrapped, sitting under our tree - how do you think I would feel about such indifference? Well, my friend, far too many leave God's gift of His Son unwrapped and sitting under the tree. Please don't be among them. Your eternal destiny lies in the balance (please read Matthew 7:13-14 and John 14:6).

Open God's gift to you today (read my posting of yesterday for instructions). Please don't leave HIS gift as the only unopened gift under your tree.

Thanks for stopping by and a MERRY CHRISTMAS to you . . .

pj

A Christmas Carol .... or a CHRISTmas Carol?

Last Friday evening, my wife and I and our daughter and son-in-law, took in a local theater company's production of Charles Dickens classic yule tale, A Christmas Carol. Although I had seen many a television/movie version, I had never seen it done "live." It was a highly enjoyable experience (for those of you who live in Lancaster, I would highly recommend it. Info on the production - which runs through December 28th - can be found at http://www.seventhsister.com. The theater is offering a "pay as you wish" admission plan!).

Now that I have seen A Christmas Carol "live" - I thought it would be interesting to read it as Dickens actually wrote it. So I went to Amazon.com to purchase the book. In the process of doing so, I read some reviews on the book that readers had posted. The following caught my eye:

"This is the most heartwarming story EVER written about Yuletide, the story is truly magical. It captures the very essence of what Christmas is all about."

Hmm. Although I would agree that Dickens' tale is indeed one of the more heartwarming stories that have been written, to say that it captures the very essence of what Christmas is all about .... well that is a woeful overstatement! Yes, Dickens story does capture some of what the essence of Christmas is all about. But where it misses the mark is in what is left unsaid.

You see, Christmas is about love ... and about transformation. What a joy to see miserly old Scrooge transformed into a joyful and generous benefactor, thinking more of others and their needs than himself and his "bottom line!" So as far as he goes, Dickens does move us toward the very essence of Christmas. But the Christmas (read CHRISTmas) story is about something even greater! It is the story of a God who so loved us that He sent His Son to be born in abject poverty. That Son would grow to be a man when he would offer Himself up as a sacrifice for our sin. This is humanity's greatest need. To have the penalty for our sin paid for - which is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. So in light of this wonderful essence of Christmas, what must we do? How should we respond? By faith we must ADMIT our sin and rebellion to God, BELIEVE that Jesus died for us (and then three days later rose from the dead and so now lives!) and COMMIT ourselves to Him, turning from our sin to Him, asking Him for the forgiveness that only He can offer and the new life that only He can give. This my friend is the path toward radical life transformation and eternal life. It is the very essence of Christmas!

So Mr. Dickens, thank you for such a heartwarming tale. I only wish you would have shown Christ and the gospel as the true path to a transformed life!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

So Where Did Santa Clause Come From?

The model for our modern day Santa Clause, can most likely be traced to an actual historical figure of the fourth century. Saint Nicholas was the bishop of Lycia in what is modern day Turkey. There is not much known about this man beyond that. However, in the Middle Ages, when the Roman Church began to venerate saints of old, many legends about St. Nicholas began to flourish. One recounted how he had given to each of three poor girls a bag of gold that they could use as a dowry. Therefore, they would not be forced to earn their dowry through prostitution. Another story told how he had restored to life three boys who had been cruelly killed. Because of stories like this, St. Nicholas became known as the giver of gifts and the patron saint of children. His day is December 6.

St. Nicholas was particularly popular in Holland. It seems that it was there that he first became associated with customs that eventually linked him to Christmas. The Dutch children expected this patron of children to visit them on the night of December 5. They would place their wooden shoes by the fireplace in anticipation of a visit from St. Nicholas during which he would fill their shoes with gifts. The name Santa Clause is the Americanization for the Dutch name, Sinterklaas.

By the time the Santa Clause tradition began to grow in America, American children learned that you could get more gifts in a large stocking than a shoe. And so hanging stockings by the fire place became the custom. But it was not until Clement Moore wrote his poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas in 1822 (a poem we now know as Twas the Night Before Christmas) that the legend of Santa Clause became a true American tradition.

Now some Christians want nothing to do with the tradition of Santa Clause, believing he takes too much attention away from Jesus who is the real reason for the season. Other Christians embrace the Santa tradition - some more so than others. My purpose today is not too list the pros and cons of including Santa Clause in one's Christmas tradition. But no matter where you stand on this issue, you cannot escape the presence of this man in red and white. He seems to be everywhere - from shopping malls to countless radio stations' holiday programing. Let me suggest that every time you see (or hear) Santa Clause this holiday season - think of the man behind the legend. A man who knew what it was like to give and give sacrificially. And consider following in his footsteps.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Thinking About Christmas . . .

"When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?"

G. K. Chesterton quotes (English Novelist and Poet, 1874-1936)



"The very purpose of Christ's coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas."

(Evangelist Billy Graham)

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj