Friday Coffee with PJ: Special Weekend Edition

Hah! What a week! So busy had no time to post a Friday blog! And what was I doing that filled my schedule to overflowing? It was Vacation Bible School week at our church! And what a week it was! We had over 200 kids .... 80 volunteers ... raised over $3200 for our partner ministry, Children's Fellowship of India! So ... if you want to check out what happened, you can head over to the church's facebook page for pictures. And if you want to read why we do a VBS ... you can head to the church's website and read my post there.

OH ... and by the way ... I NEED A VACATION! So I am taking one next week. So I will see you back here on Friday, July 8th ... God willing!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

It's Friday! For many of you it means the final day of your work week. For me it means I am just two days away from Sunday. Ughh ... and so much to do. SOOO ... grabbing a cup of coffee on Friday mornings is something that I find gives me my initial push for the day! Why not join me with a cup as I share a few random thoughts with you about what is going on in our very crazy world!

1. The news of late has been BAD ... horrifically so. And Orlando Florida has been at the center of most of it! Last Friday evening, a former finalist on NBC's hit show The Voice, Christina Grimmie (who claimed to be a Christian), was gunned down signing autographs after a performance. Then just a bit over 24 hours later, a crazed gunman, declaring allegiance to ISIS opened fire in a crowded gay nightclub, killing close to 50 people and wounding several dozen more. Finally on Tuesday, at a Disney owned resort, a two year old toddler was dragged away by a large alligator. The next day the toddler's body was found. These are dark days . And to think all of this horror struck in Orlando, home of the "happiest place on earth!" All of this illustrates a painful and sad reality: this world in which we live is a world that is ... like a vending machine that does not deliver the candy once you put your money in ... "out of order." And the only One who can possibly put it back in order is the One who created it in the first place. And please don't blame God for all of this evil and darkness around us. This is our doing, not his! Our first parents chose to walk away from God and his plan and to live their way. All of us who have been born into this world since, have this same defiant heart. We are born rebels! But in the midst of this darkness, pain and grief, there is GOOD NEWS. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, God so loved this world (and us rebels in it!) that he sent his one and only Son into our world. That's right! God the Son became one of us, lived among us and then died for us on the cross! So that anyone and everyone who places his or her faith alone in Christ alone can have the hope of a newer and better life ... beginning here and now but finding its absolute fulfillment in the eternal home that awaits all of God's people. All of us have a choice to make. I hope, my friend, you make the right one!

2. I am still basking in the Stanley Cup championship won by my former city's NHL franchise Pittsburgh Penguins (in case you missed it, they hoisted the cup in victory this past Sunday evening). The other day, someone accused me of "just saying" I was a Penguins' fan because they never heard me talk about the Pens or hockey in general. Well ... that might be true. I don't talk a whole lot about sports (especially compared to a lot of guys). But that does not mean that I don't follow certain teams. So .... to prove that I was not merely jumping on the bandwagon of a championship team, I produced a photo of my wife and me which was taken a few weeks ago. In it I am clearly wearing a Penguins hat. So the evidence clearly testified of my allegiance to the Pens. But how about our allegiance to Christ? What evidence can you (and I) point to that will testify of our commitment to Jesus? That's a question all of us should spend some time answering. We will be better for it!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Thanks for joining me for our Friday cup of coffee together. I hope you glean something of worth from today's meanderings! 

1. I am currently in the midst of teaching a course on the Pentateuch (Creation and Covenants) in the accelerated undergraduate degree program at Lancaster Bible College. This past week, we found ourselves at the foot of Mt. Sinai as Moses delivered the ten commandments to the people of Israel. Often, Christians look at these ten commandments wrongly .... as either ten suggestions or ten restrictions. But they are anything but! Pastor David Murray tries his hand at re-framing the ten commandments from ten vices to avoid to ten virtues to pursue. I think you will find his insightful (and brief) article refreshing. I did! 

2. One thing I have observed as our kids are now raising their own kids is the way that they have stressed the importance of people. It looks something like this: child is playing with a toy (or on an iPad) and I walk into the house. I say hi ... my grandchild continues to play, oblivious to my presence. Parent walks over to child and stops their play. "Papa is here and he said hello. You need to respond. Go and give him a hug. Remember, people are more important than that toy (or game!)" Yes. I like that! And people are more important than toys, or games, or sporting events, or ... yes ... even animals! Don't get me wrong. I do love animals (Although my wife and I don't currently have any pets in our house, it is not due to a disdain for animals but more an issue of lifestyle. We travel a good bit (at least we did prior to my wife's current health journey ... see update below). Arranging care for pets while we are gone is not something we want to have to do!). Recently in the news there has been uproars on social media because zoo animals have been killed when zoo officials have determined that a human life was in danger (the most recent occurred in Cincinnati where a gorilla was killed after a young child had slipped into its exhibit). Many people criticized the killing of these animals. Listen, people are more important than animals. In the Christian Judaeo worldview, only human beings are image bearers of the Creator. Yes, animals need to be treated humanely. But when it comes down to saving the life of an animal or saving the life of a human ... one must go with the latter every time. I would only wish that the killing of unborn children would receive as much attention as the killing of the Cincinnati gorilla did! 

3. One of my favorite (and needful) verses in the Bible is Proverbs 10:19. In the verse, God warns us about our tongue (as he also does in the third chapter of the New Testament letter of James). Why is it that we so often run into problems with our mouth? One big reason is that far too many of us start

wagging our tongues while our brain is still in neutral! We must learn to think before we speak, always keeping in mind the admonition of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:29: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (emphasis mine). Memorizing and then putting this verse into practice will go a long way toward helping you to keep your tongue in cheek! 

4. Finally here's an update on my wife Sharon and her journey. We saw the orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday (our 8th visit since he did the surgery to repair Sharon's broken femur back on November 19th ... but who's counting!). He did not take x-rays (he will when she goes back in 6 weeks). He still does not know if Sharon's fracture is healed. In his words, "it may be ... it may not be." He is encouraged that she has been walking more and the pain is less (she's been using meloxicam and that has been a help). He wants her to continue physical therapy twice a week. So all this to say we are continuing our "wait and see". Dr. Heinle told us that if the bone is not healed, eventually the hardware (plate and screws holding the bone in place) will begin to show signs of failure on the x-rays (or worse case, the plate will actually break at which point Sharon will know it. So another somewhat "mixed bag" visit. We continue to wait upon God for HIS strength. Thanks so much to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray. They mean more than you know. 

Thanks for stopping by ... 

Pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Yesterday I took the day off and my wife and I took our two 5 year old grandsons to Lake Tobias. Two years ago we did the same with Ella when she turned five. All three of them enjoyed it immensely! So did Grammy and Papa (and I slept really well last night!). Thanks for stopping by for a brief visit (and feel free to pour yourself a cup of that wonderful brew known as coffee!).

1. I like to read.  I always have.  From my days of Dick and Jane and Dr. Seuss to the present, books and I have been on very friendly terms.  When I read, I am always looking for what I call “a golden nugget.” A while ago, while reading a devotional book by John Piper – I mined one.  Piper was writing about ten lessons he had learned from his father.  Here is Lesson #6:  “A Christian is a great doer not a great don’ter.”   Piper went on to write the following about this lesson: “We were fundamentalists – without the attitude.  We had our lists of things.  But that wasn’t the main thing. God was the main thing.  And God was worth everything” (from his book, Taste and See, p. 34). I wish every Christian would have the opportunity to read those words.  Far too many of us live out our faith with an emphasis on the “don’ts” and give little thought to the “do’s”.  All of us need to be reminded that as we live this life – God is the main thing.  And, in the words of Piper, He is indeed “worth everything!” (See Psalm 73:25). 

2. Back to yesterday's trip to Tobias. Our grandsons really enjoyed the safari ride and seeing all the snakes and other "eerie" creatures in the reptile house. But I think their favorite activity was playing in the gravel which covered the roads and walkways throughout the park (and I am thinking .... "I paid $40 for them to do this?" Ha! Boys will be boys!). But is this still true in our society? The movement to legitimize transgender behavior is well entrenched today. So much so that if a person questions the legitimacy of it they are labeled a bigot and a transaphob. Public schools and other public places are being pressured to allow transgender students/customers to use the bathroom which correlates with their gender identity (which, unsurprisingly, is causing great concern on the part of parents, even in liberal communities).  So what should our response as Christians be? For starters, educate yourself on the issue. A good place to start would be Mark Yarhouse's book, Understanding Gender Dysphoria.  And if you are parents of younger children, you may find the following two articles helpful: 8 Points from the American College of Pediatricians on Gender Identity in Children and The Transgender Conversation You Need to Have with Your Family.  And above all, we need to always keep in mind that we must speak the truth in love.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

"But God ..."

I spent some time recently reading on the doctrines of divine election and human responsibility. I did so because I find great encouragement and comfort in them. A number of years ago, as I worked my way through these doctrines, I came to the conclusion that if my salvation is by grace alone… then the reason God chose me had nothing to do with me ... but it had everything to do with Him. Was it a random choice? Did God play a game of darts in eternity past, and every human being that was to be born who was hit with a dart he chose for himself? Hardly! God never does anything arbitrary. Rather he does everything according to his good pleasure. So why he chose me… I will never know. But I do know this: it had nothing to do with me!

So, if I came to faith because God elected (chose) me before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), what about those who ultimately don't believe. Will they be able to blame God for failing to choose them when they stand before him at the final judgment? No. The Bible makes it clear that human beings are accountable to God for their choices. And since God has revealed himself clearly to humanity in the things he has made ... people who reject him will be without excuse (Romans 1:18-20). So those who will face eternal judgement will do so because of their unbelief. This is the clear teaching of Scripture. 

How do I put these two seemingly contradictory doctrines together? Frankly, I don't! Arguably the greatest preacher of the 19th century, Charles Haddon Spurgeon was once asked to reconcile these truths of divine sovereignty and human responsibility in the outworking of salvation. His response?

"I only reconcile enemies. These two truths are friends taught side-by-side in the word of God."

Often as I think through these truths (as well as other difficult doctrines revealed in the Scriptures), I think of the words of Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Keep in mind that God is the Creator. He has existed forever. He designed us and he made us. Therefore we should expect, because of the great and vast gulf between us and Him (Isaiah 55:8-9), there will be many truths which we will find difficult to grasp. And when we start thinking (as some do) that God is not "playing fair" when it comes to his choosing a people for himself out of lost humanity, (while not choosing all) we must remember that he is the potter and we are merely the clay (Romans 9:19-21). Understanding that will go a long way toward helping us to worship and love him as we should!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

It's Friday ... and I am really going to enjoy my morning coffee this morning! I have been ill this week ... and have not had a cup of coffee since Sunday morning. For those of you genuine coffee lovers, you know I must have been feeling poorly to have no desire for a cup of java! All that said, this week's edition will be somewhat shorter than normal. Still, I hope you find something to stir your heart and strengthen your faith.

1. My wife returned from a shopping trip the other day and informed me that the vehicle registration on our van had been expired for a month! Ouch! Renewing vehicle registrations is something I have never forgotten to do ... not in all the years I have been a car owner (I bought my first car, a 1965 Chevy Bel Air when I was 17. My twin brother and I shared it for two years and then sold it when we went off to college in Philadelphia - we bought it for $350 and sold it for the same!). So I at once took care of renewing the registration online. But think with me .... across all the years of car ownership (43 years to save you from doing the math) .. and with many of those years requiring the renewal registrations for two vehicles ... to forget just once is not a bad track record. Right? So I should feel pretty good about it (actually I am feeling very thankful that a friend pointed out the expired sticker on our license plate!). But aren't you glad that God ... when it comes to remembering his promises ... never once across scores of generations of human history involving scores of different promises ... NEVER ONCE has he forgotten a promise he has made to us! I am reminded of these words the prophet Jeremiah spoke to God: "Morning, by morning new mercies I see. Great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).  What was true in Jeremiah's day is true in our day .. and I thank God will be true in my grandchildren's day as well!

2. This week of sickness has reminded me of just how frail our bodies are. But I praise God that these bodies are not the bodies we will have to endure for eternity. Paul describes the bodies that await us in the great resurrection chapter of the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15. He does so by contrasting our current bodies with the ones that await us at the final resurrection. Take a moment to read his words (and remember, he was writing under the inspiration of God. Therefore his words are God's words). Then worship our Creator who promises a new body to all of us who treasure Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior --- and as I mentioned above, he is ALWAYS faithful to his promises. He will NOT forget! We will receive a new body that we will enjoy FOREVER and EVER! Amen!

"So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable: what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."

(1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Friday morning .... Friday coffee .... And for most of you ... a sigh of relief that the weekend is almost here!

1. My friend Augustin Hibaile is being used of God in a great way in the heart of Africa. Encompass World Partners sent out yesterday the following prayer update concerning Hibaile and his ministry. Please read it and take a moment to pray for this dear brother. His heart's desire is to bring the light of Christ into the darkness of the human suffering of the Central African Republic's peoples (and you can stay updated by visiting the Friends of CIDEL website).

Dr. Hibaile (left) with UN rep UPDATE:  In April, Dr. Hibailé was invited by the European military contingent of the UN to lead training on military ethics to the national senior officers. He has also had contact with C.A.R.’s new President and Minister of Foreign Affairs. God continues to give opportunities for teaching and witness among officials and educators. Pray for continued open doors and for personnel needed for the ministry. Dr. Augustin Hibailé continues to conduct training encounters for leaders of the Central African Republic. When the C.A.R.’s newly-elected president was formerly the prime minister, he and Dr. Hibailé met weekly for prayer. Members of the new government, once they are in place, will be invited to seminars on ethical leadership and statesmanship. In addition, Dr. Hibailé maintains an extensive ministry of training for church leaders, including trauma relief and providing housing for widows whose homes were destroyed. Pray for Dr. Hibailé’s ministry of leadership and encouragement.

2. As a little kid, whenever we would go to Grandma's, my grandfather would almost always welcome me with a "dutch rub," vigorously rubbing his knuckles across the top of my head (for an interesting take on where this expression originated, click here). Fast forward from 1960 to 2016 and it's deja vu! When the little kids come to my house (a.k.a. "Grammy's), they sometimes ask me to give them a dutch rub! What goes around comes around! Having just written this, it is hard for me to believe that I am now the grandfather giving dutch rubs to his grandkids! Where has the time gone? In Psalm 90, Moses writes about the brevity of life. He states that the years of our lives "are soon gone and we fly away (Psalm 90:10). He then offers up this prayer:  "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (v. 12).  Friends, no matter what your age is right now, your earthly journey will sooner (rather than later) be done. And when that time arrives when you are gone, what will remain of your life? A big house? A fancy car? A large bank account? Or will you leave behind a number of people whose lives were enriched by yours? Make the prayer of Moses your prayer. You (and those around you) will be better for it! Life is short and passes quickly. Don't waste it!  3. By the time lunch time rolls around on Sunday, I am ... to put it mildly ... just a bit tired. So my agenda for most Sunday afternoons contains one word, "chill!" This time of year, one of the ways I enjoy chillin ... is to grab the tv remote, plop down in my favorite recliner, and with a glass of iced tea or a cup of coffee at my side, turn on the television and find the channel airing the weekend PGA event (for all you non golfers, PGA stands for Professional Golf Association). For some odd reason (and maybe it's not all that odd!) I find watching a bunch of grown men running around a golf course, trying to get a little white ball into a slightly larger hole to be quite relaxing! And as I watch some of these guys hit the ball one or two hundred yards and land it within a few feet of the pin ... I find myself thinking, "Man, I wish I could do that!" But .. really? These guys just don't grab their clubs for the weekend and go golfing. They are on the golf course, driving range, putting green for hours and hours and days and days on end, honing their skills so they can play at the professional level. So after I go through that reality check, I settle back down to just enjoying what they are able to do!  Now ... all that said ... if they are going to work that hard at perfecting their golf game ... how much harder should we be working at growing in godliness? In his first letter to his young mentee, Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote these words. "Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7-8). What is interesting here is that the Greek word Paul uses (which the ESV translates as "train) is the Greek word from which we get the English words, gymnasium and gymnastics. It literally means "to train naked" (athletes in the Graeco Roman world would often do this so that they would not be hindered in any way by any article of clothing). Paul is stressing to young Timothy (and by extension us as well) that just as athletes sweat in a gym in order to prepare for competition ... so we need to sweat spiritually, if we are to become the godly men and women that God desires we become. How can we do this? Simply ... make it a priority to practice the various spiritual disciplines that are available to us ... and as we do, we will grow! And that, my friend will benefit us both now in this life ... and later in the life to come! (For some help with spiritual disciplines, check out some sample chapters from some of Don Whitney's VERY helpful books on the topic).  Thanks for stopping by . . .  pj