Friday Coffee with PJ

Hard to believe but Friday is here again! For you, it means the final day of the work week ... but, alas, not so

for me! But that's OK ... I love my job!

1. The shock waves of yesterday's Supreme Court decisions will continue to reverberate far into the future. As the homosexual community and their supporters celebrate, I have chosen to mourn. Marriage as instituted by God has taken a huge hit. Same-sex marriage ... is really not marriage at all. But this is a discussion for another day.  But concerning the court's decision, Al Mohler, one of evangelical Christianity's most lucid thinkers, said the following about the court's decision:

"Nevertheless, even as Justice Kennedy castigated Congress (and presumably former President Bill Clinton) for making moral judgments, he could not resist moral judgments of his own. He wrote of our society’s “evolving understanding of the meaning of equality and declared that the states have the right to confer on same-sex marriages “the equal dignity” of a mariage between a man and a woman. By finding that the moral judgment of Congress in opposing same-sex marriage was wrong, he asserted, quite forcefully, that opposition to same-sex marriage is rooted in animus or hatred. In other words, Justice Kennedy, joined by four other justices, believes that opposition to same-sex marriage is wrong. In condemning a moral judgment, he arrogantly made a moral judgment." 

(for his entire post, click here)

We Christians need to do all we can to elevate the status of "sacred-covenant marriage" - one man, one woman, one flesh --- for life! (see Matthew 19:4-6)

2. One of the most powerful verses on how we talk is Ephesians 4:29. According to this verse, we are to speak ONLY for the benefit of the ones with whome we are speaking (writing, texting, emailing, messaging, etc.). Far too often when we do communicate, our motive is not OTHERS-ORIENTED ... but rather SELF-CENTERED! So ... take some time and analyse WHY you say (or text or email ... I think you get the point) what you say. Do your words spring from a desire to MINISTER to others or MANIPULATE others?  

3. Finally, I had a conversation today with a parent who pointed out that so many kids have their identity all wrapped up in their sports involvement. And given the crazy sports culture in which we live, we know what she is talking about. This got me thinking about even us adults ... and we, too, find our identity so often in the things we do (our jobs, our community involvement, our hobbies, etc.). But as followers of Jesus, where SHOULD we find our identity. Ed Welsh points us in the right direction with his thoughts in reponse to the question, Who Am I?  It is well worth the 3 minutes or so that it will take you to read! 

Thanks for stopping by ... and I hope you have a great weekend! Don't neglect worshipping our Great God with your church family. And if you don't have one, you are always welcome to come our way. We will keep the doors open and the coffee hot for you! 

pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings. I trust they will encourage you in your faith walk with Christ!

1. OMG is texting for .... Oh My God! Increasingly you can hear (and see) Christians using this common expression. But is this a good thing?  Check out some great insights on why we should think twice about dropping this expression whether my mouth or by text. 

2. How bizzare can our culture get? Check out the latest court case granting a transgender girl in Colorado the right to use the girl's restroom. 

3. Praise God for the power of the gospel! Here are some brief thoughts from Greg Laurie.

4. Here's a great song about our Mediator! 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Calling Sin 'Sin!'

Joel Osteen pastors Lakewood Church in Houston Texas. This church is one of the largest if not the largest

mega churche in America, averaging approximately 43,000 people in average weekly attendance. In an interview a few years back, Osteen was asked by Larry King of CNN if he ever used the word “sinners” in his preaching. Osteen replied, “I don’t use it. I never thought about it. But I probably don’t.” 

Never thought about it?   Hmm.  How do you not think about sin and sinners when the Bible uses the word some 2000 times? But Osteen’s approach, which is far removed from biblical teaching, is to focus on the positive and avoid mention of anything negative. This, of course, includes the concept of sin (and its subsequent judgment). 

But this is a BIG problem! Why?  Because humanity’s root problem … is SIN! It is sin that condemns us to hell. Sin which separates us from God. Sin which is at the root of every single problem we face as human beings (click here for some insights on the biblical consequences of sin). Therefore, it is no surprise that increasingly we hear less and less about sin, both inside and outside of the church. After all, the god of this age is at work to remove the concept of sin from the daily conversation of life. In doing so, he can keep us in his snare (2 Timothy 2:25-26). 

Consider the following quotes by Jerry Bridge's in his classic work, The Pursuit of Holiness: 

“Our problem is that we do not take some sin seriously. We have mentally categorized sins into what which is unacceptable and that which is to be tolerated.” 

“Are we willing to call sin 'sin' not because it is big or little, but because God’s Word forbids it? We cannot categorize sin if we are to live a life of holiness. God will not let us get away with that kind of attitude.” 

What is YOUR attitude toward sin? Do you see it as God sees it? Or have you bought into our culture's view of sin -- that, ahh ... it's no big deal?  That is a question you need to answer! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Something to Think About

Thought I would post a quote for you to think on as you hit day #2 of your work week (which is actually day #1 of my work week as Monday is my normal day off). The quote is from John MacArthur's excellent devotional book, Daily Readings From the Life of Christ, Volume 2. If you are looking for a good devotional that will keep you focused on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3), this is a book I highly recommend.

"The rapid pace of twenty-first-century living is not very conducive to setting aside time to slow down, read the Bible, and pray and mediate on God’s Word. Yet such activity ought to be the daily priority of every Christian—it is the primary way God leads us in our sanctification. Just as physical nourishment is essential to physical life, so spiritual nourishment is essential to spiritual life—your growth in Christ depends on it."

Hope you make the time to read and then think about (meditate) on the Scriptures EVERY day this week! You will be better for it!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Well it's Friday ... and that means "Friday Coffee with PJ" --- so here are a few random thoughts for you to enjoy with your morning cup of joe.

1. This morning at 1:04, summer arrived here in Lancaster, PA. So that means we can look forward to some triple H days! These are the days saturated with Heat, Haze and Humidity. The days that we work up a sweat just thinking about going outside. Although we don't know how many of these triple H days we will have to endure, we do know that some are in the forecast. How so? Hot, steamy days are just part of the package that we call summer. So we can be certain that before too long, a triple H day will arrive. Just as summer brings these kind of days .... so life brings a number of things our way as well. One of these is interpersonal conflict. How so? Given that ALL of us are broken people whose sin all too often turns are gaze self-ward, it is inevitable that we will experience conflict. Therefore, we need to be equipped to handle and resolve it in a God-honoring, Kingdom-advancing way. For tips on how to do so .... check out the Peacemaker Ministries blog which offers a lot of great insights to help you in this arena!


2. This morning is the final morning of our week long Vacation Bible School at Grace. Our high mark in attendance came yesterday when we hit 257 kids! Wow! The theme this year is all about serving! After all, if Jesus the King of the Universe did not come to be served but to serve ... and to ultimately give his life as a ransom for sin ... who are we to refuse to serve those around us? It has been a great week .... and my hat is off to all of those who have given of their time and effort to serve these children (see Mark 10:13-16). IF children matter to Jesus, they had better matter to us as well!



3. Finally, a great J.I. Packer quote for you to chew on over the weekend:

"In our life of faith, we often impoverish ourselves by embracing an idea of God that is too limited and small."

How big are your thoughts of God?  Take some time and read through Isaiah 40.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are just a few offerings for this week:

1. One of the most influential books I have ever read (besides the Bible, of course) is J.I. Packer's wonderful primer on God, Knowing God. I read this book about a year after it was first published in 1973. At the time I was half way through my freshman year in college ... and had only been a Christian for less than 3 years. If you want to get to know God better ... I can hardly think of better book that will help you in your pursuit. Here is a list of some great quotes from that book! 

2. Here is a "spot on" article, Should We Stop Saying, "The Church Hurt Me?"   I wish we could include this article as required reading for anyone who claims to follow Jesus!

3. "So was God in control when my dog died? Why would God kill my dog?"  Hmm. How would you answer those questions in light of the biblical teaching on God's sovereignty? Here is a great article, 3 Mistakes We Make When Talking about the Sovereignty of God. 

4. Here is a topic you don't hear or read much about (to our detriment!) .... Be Killing Sin or Else.   And if you want to read more on how to kill sin ... click here for the first of a four part series on the topic (you can find the other three parts at the bottom of the page).

5. On a lighter note . . . 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

I borrowed the title of today's post from the New York Times #1 Best-Selling Relationship Book of All Time: MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS.   This book is based on the reality that all of us who have ever been in a serious relationship with a member of the opposite sex know - that men and women think about things and process life very differently (Men Are Like Waffles - Women Are Like Spaghetti is another book along these lines - and is a better book in my opinion!).  

This morning, one of my associates sent me a link to the video below which illustrates this truth in a humorous and a "been-there-experienced-that" sort of way. Enjoy. And then ... run out and get a copy of the waffle and spaghetti book. Your relationship will be much better for it! 

 Thanks for stopping by . . . pj