Off to Columbus...

I will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning (sometime shortly after 5:00) to drive to Columbus, Ohio for two intensive days of Grace College and Seminary board meetings. So I don't think I will be posting to my blog any more this week. But before I "sign off" - here is a quote from the pen of Charles Spurgeon, a London pastor in the 1800's who is known as "the Prince of Preachers" (it is estimated that he preached live to over 10 million people during his ministry!):

"Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified, and saved. It is not because of anything in them, or that ever can be in them that they are saved; but because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God." (Spurgeon, All of Grace)

Take a moment and drink deeply of the grace of our God! Then worship Him!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

The Airline that Is Going to the Dogs!

Move over USAirways and Southwest. There's a new airline in town. And a very specialized airline at that. Earlier this month, Pet Airways departed from Farmingdale, NY on its inaugural flight, and as you can guess by the name, it caters to pets. It will eventually fly between five major U.S. cities: New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles with an average fare costing about $250. Now why an airline for our four legged friends? Here is an excerpt from a recent AP story that answers the question quite well:

"For owners, the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants who will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. Pets are given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a Pet Lounge for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights."

Take a moment and watch Pet Airways first commercial:




I don't know about you ... but I just had to laugh when I read (and watched) this (and please, for all you dog and cat lovers out there, I have NOTHING against dogs and cats!). And what amazes me is that in spite of launching its services in the midst of a major recession, Pet Airways' first two months of flights are allegedly booked solid!

This shows us that people will spend money on what they really care about (in this case their pets). Hmm. Perhaps this is why our checkbook is a good place to look to see what we truly value in life. If you have not done so lately, take some time to evaluate how you are spending your money. Then ask yourself, "What is this saying about me?" My guess is that far too many of us are spending far too little on the things that really matter to God!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Beware of Information Overload!

Please take a moment and watch this humorous video about a common problem in today's high tech, instant info society in which we live.



I wonder -- how much of the information that we know do we really NEED to know? And does all this info crammed into our brains leave us less room for thoughts of God and His Word? Hmmm. Good questions to think about -- that is, if there's any room left in your head for more thoughts!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

A Word about "Sabbath-Keeping"

I have been plodding through a book that I am finding myself enjoying the more I read of it. The book is titled, The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. It is written by a Canadian pastor by the name of Mark Buchannan. Below is a quote I read last week that really got me thinking:


"Sabbath-keeping is more than time management. It is a fresh orientation to time, where we think with holy imagination about how the arc of our moments and the hours of our days intersects with eternity. 'Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom' (Psalm 90:12). Teach us that this is not just another day of the week, but the day that the Lord has made . . . (we need to learn to) work out where time and eternity meet. Pay attention to how God is afoot in the mystery of each moment, in its mad rush or maddening plod. He is present in all that. But too often we are so time-obsessed we take no time to really notice."

Hmm. There are some good insights there. Now if I can only find the time to reflect on them!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Beware of Those Time Wasters!

If you are anything like me ... I am sure you feel "the time crunch." You know, the ever present squeeze you feel because you have too much to do and too little time to do it in! I feel this a lot. But I wonder - how much of it is of my own making? By this I mean, how much time do I waste in rather meaningless, trivial pursuits? Recently a sheet containing a list of typical time wasters was distributed at one of our staff meetings. Here is some of the things that were part of the list ... as you read it, ask yourself if you are "guilty" of any:

1. Sleeping too much.
2. Watching too much TV.
3. Playing video/computer/xbox/Wii games.
4. Talking too long with people.
5. Emails.
6. Surfing the Internet (and I would include such sites as Facebook and My Space).
7. Day dreaming.

My friends, time is a precious commodity. God gives us all the same amount: 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds each day. And once our day, hour, minute or second is past ... it is gone forever. God's Word admonishes us to "look carefully then how (we) walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-15, ESV).

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Back to See the Dentist!

Yesterday, in addition to heading back to the office I had to head back to see my dentist. Two weeks ago, I went for a LONNGGG overdue checkup. During that exam I was told I had one cavity and it was a deep one. The dentist then told me that based on the xrays, he guessed there was an 80% chance I would need a root canal. So with all of that running around in my mind ... after several hours of work put in at the office, I took off for the dentist's.

Now I am not a fan of the dentist. In fact, I used to go to a dentist who had a sign on his window that read, "We cater to cowards." I always thought that was appropriate every time I walked through the doors. "They knew I was coming!" So I was surprised at how calm I felt yesterday, as I drove to my appointment. I was doing just fine until I walked into the dental office. The receptionist was on the phone and was saying these words as I was walking up to the counter to sign in, "We have a patient in a chair who is experiencing what seems to be heart related issues. We need you to send an ambulance immediately!" Now at that point, I was beginning to rethink my appointment. Is this something that I REALLY need to do???

I am glad to report that the ambulance came and transported the man to the hospital (at which time he seemed to be doing much better) AND I survived my appointment (the dentist was able to just fill the cavity as the nerve was not exposed - although I must keep an "eye tooth" on it just in case it becomes clear that more work will be required!). SOOO ... my wallet and my calendar were both spared a major hit - not to mention my ego (I am a wimp with pain)!

This situation had a good result. But often in this life (in which we live in a world that is "temporarily out of order"), this is not the case. This is why we must do our part to strengthen our faith in God (by getting to know Him and His promises as revealed in His Word) while also asking him to grow our faith - for it is faith in God that will help us to overcome this world!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Back in Town with Some Random Thoughts

Our English word, vacation, comes from the Latin root, vacare meaning “to be empty.” The idea is that while you are on vacation ... your office or place at work is EMPTY! Well I just got back to my empty office to the work that has accumulated in my absence. Before I begin to tackle the pile of emails and emails, meetings and visits that awaits my attention, I want to share some random thoughts on my vacation.

1. Vacations are a great time to work on family relationships. This past week, my wife and I spent some very special time with our adult kids and their spouses, along with our two grandchildren. It was a great time for us to reconnect. It was also wonderful to get to know our grand baby and our step grandson better. My wife commented to me just yesterday how much her love grew for these two children as a result of our time together. Spending quality time together with others will tend to do this!

2. Vacations are also a great time to work on our "God" relationship. With the press of my schedule removed, it was easy for me to see just how much I allow my "busyness" to crowd out time spent with God. So I return to my schedule, determined to make my relationship with God (and my alone time with Him) a greater priority than it has been.

3. I stink at the game "Sorry!" I played my grandson 6 or 7 times and he beat me EVERY SINGLE TIME! I told him on Saturday that I wanted a rematch ... and he assured me that he would beat me again! And you know, he probably will (and he won't be a bit SORRY about doing so)!

4. Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz had it right when she said, "There's no place like home!" Even though Sharon and I felt sadness in our hearts as we pulled out of Ocean City (we were the last to leave), we both felt good about pulling into our driveway. Yes, vacations away are great - but our home is still our favorite place to be (And to think that our eternal home will be far better -- wow! Looking forward to my arrival there - in God's perfect timing, of course!)!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj