When Life Unravels Due to an Unexpected Death . . .

Yesterday, my family experienced a tragic death. A family member died unexpectantly, leaving many grief stricken people behind. And as is always the case with death, those who remain must at some point begin to put their lives back together. Always a difficult and painful process.

When life begins to unravel due to death, it is easy to look for someone to blame. And all too often that someone is God. We look his way and shout, "God, why? Why did he or she have to die?" I know. I've been there. But once the fog of our emotional pain begins to dissipate, we must quickly rid ourselves of our anger toward God. He is NOT to blame for death. We are. It is because of our sin, our rebellion against the God who made us, that death exists (see Romans 5:12). God never intended for us to ever experience death. This is why, I believe, the experience of losing a loved one is so painful -- it is downright unnatural! So, as we go through this experience ... I am so very glad that we do not have to walk through it alone. As King David wrote, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for YOU are with me!" (Psalm 23:4)

Thanks for stopping by . . . and thanks for your prayers for our family . . .

pj

T-minus 42 Hours and 11 Minutes!

As I write, the year 2009 will soon be over (in just 42 hours and 11 minutes to be specific). Wow! Where did all the other 8718 hours go? They went where all the rest of the 45,000 (give or take a few) hours of my life have gone (and where one day all the remaining hours of my earthly life will also go!). They are done. Finished. Never to be lived again. As I sit here thinking about this, here are a few thoughts I offer for your consideration:

1. Since life passes so quickly (and can never be reclaimed) - don't waste it! Make the most of the time God gives you ... to live for Him. Heed these words of the Apostle Paul, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity" (Ephesians 5:15-16a). Strive to live your life in such a way that your days matter .... to God and the work He is doing in this world!

2. Work on daily cultivating an attitude of thankfulness and joy. Each day is a gift from God. As the book of psalms reminds us, "This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24).Put off griping and complaining and put on a spirit of gratitude!

3. Spend more time in prayer. I know I need to do this ... but with life being so short and passing so quickly, we MUST ask God to anoint our days with His grace and His enablement, without which we are destined to fail. Let's practice the instruction of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray continually."

Thanks for stopping by ...

pj

Yum! Let's Eat Some Crow!

The expression, "to eat crow" is an idiom referring to a person humbling themselves by admitting that a previously held opinion was a very wrong opinion.Why is this referred to as "eating crow?" Well, just as no one likes to eat crow (I have yet to see crow on any restaurant menu), no one likes to have to admit that something they had previously stated was wrong. So when a person must do so, he or she is said to be "eating crow!"  Recently I ran across the following quotes that made me think of this idiom of eating crow:

- "With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the US market." (Business Week, August 2, 1968)

- "But what is it good for?" (Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip)

-  "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." (Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962)

- "Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." (drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859)

All of us realize that these individuals quoted here not only got it wrong ... they got it VERY wrong! But we can rest assured that our God NEVER gets it wrong. What he proclaims to be true in His Word is true! And what He says in His Word will one day happen, WILL HAPPEN! Are you prepared for the future that God lays out in the Bible? Why not pick up the book of Revelation and read chapters 19-22? What is described in those pages will one day occur - you can count on it!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Post Christmas Reflections

Christmas 2009 is now past. And for me, it was a good Christmas. We had the family to our house for a good part of Christmas Day. I also enjoyed the two Christmas Eve services we conducted here at Grace. In fact, my only regret is that Christmas is just ONE day! On a recent tour of Mt. Vernon (George Washington's home), I learned that in George's day, the common practice was to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas (you are familiar with the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," aren't you?). Hmm. 12 days of Christmas? That might be a little much! But one day sure doesn't seem to cut it! But I am glad that even though Christmas Day comes around only once a year, the truth that it marks (the incarnation of the Living God) is a truth that impacts my life EVERY day of the year! How I thank God that He "so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life!" (see John 3:16). Have YOU thanked God TODAY for the indescribable gift of His Son, Jesus Christ?

Thanks for stopping by . . .l

pj

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Please take a moment to watch this video. I found it a refreshing way to remind me of what Christmas is truly all about! 



Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

It's Only Two Days Until Christmas!

December 25th arrives in just two days! For almost all of us that means a day off of work (when normally, since the 25th falls on a Friday, we would be putting in a routine day at the office). But I am hoping that it means far more than that! Christmas Day is the day we commemorate and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ (at least, that is what Christmas should be all about - the word itself literally means "Christ's Mass."). However, all too often Jesus gets lost in all the feasting and gift giving with our family and friends.

Please take a moment and read the following parable:

"A wealthy Boston family held a christening party after the baptism of their baby. Guests and friends swarmed into their palatial home. Soon the party was in full swing. People were having a wonderful time, enjoying one another, eating, drinking, and being merry. Somebody asked, "By the way, where's the baby?" Instantly the mother's heart shuddered! In questioning panic, she left the room and rushed into the master bedroom where she had left her baby asleep in the middle of their large bed. There on the bed she found a huge pile of the guests' coats. The mother rushed to them and began to fling them aside as she clawed down to the bottom of the pile. To her horror she found her baby. . . dead. . . smothered by the coats of her guests." 

This parable was written to caution us against allowing all the activities and hub-bub of Christmas to cause us to lose sight of the very reason for the season - and that is the Christ child. Please be sure to be very intentional about worshiping Jesus Christ, who "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).  Where would we be if Jesus had not been willing to leave the glory of heaven for the depravity of earth?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Are You Mad?

James Bain has spent the last 35 years in a Florida prison for a crime he did not commit. It was back during my senior year in high school (1974) that Bain was convicted of a kidnapping and rape that he did not commit. Recently, DNA evidence exonerated him and just last Thursday a judge ordered his release. Asked by reporters if he was angry about his wrongful incarceration, Bain replied, "No, I'm not angry." And the reason he gave as to why he was not angry (in spite of the fact that most of us would agree that he has every right to be angry!)?  "Because I've got God." 

Ouch! I've got God. Yet I get impatient, irritated and yes, downright angry at times. Usually it happens when I am behind the wheel of my car and some idiot (ouch - my anger is starting to surface!) ... I mean some nice sweet driver cuts me off.  Yet here is a guy who was locked up for three and half decades ... and he is not angry about it! If he is telling it like it really is - that is quite commendable!

How about you? Got anger?  Something making you mad? God says, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4:26). You have heard it said (and said rightly) that righeous anger is not sin. But let's be honest. For most of us, the anger we experience is far from righteous! So let's do what the Scripture tells us to do ... and deal with whatever it is that is making us angry, confess to God and get it right!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj