Friday Coffee with PJ

Recently I enjoyed a cup of Tanzanian coffee making a WAWA pit stop. I enjoyed it so much I stopped at another WAWA store to grab another cup. All this to say if you see a WAWA, be sure to stop and try this coffee. You will NOT be disappointed! Thanks again for joining me for a quick edition of Friday Coffee with PJ. 

1. You all know what it is like to wish for some extra hours in your day or even a few extra days in your week to wrap up your never ending, always growing to do list! All too often it seems like there’s WAY too much to do and WAY too little time in which to get it all done! Oh the tyranny of the urgent!

This reminds me of a story I once heard. Long ago when Africa was still relatively unknown to the outside world, a European explorer was taking a group into the African interior. He had hired a native guide along with a number of other natives to help carry the supplies. After a mid-morning break on the third day of a fast-paced march, the Africans refused to resume their trek. When the European explorer asked the guide the reason for their refusal, the guide told him, “They just need a little more time to allow their souls to catch up to their bodies.” 

I think all of us could learn a lesson from these guys. Just as Jesus would get away to be alone with his Father (Mark 1:35) – we too need to be sure to do the same. As fast-paced as 21^st century American life can be at times – we all need to take time to allow our souls to catch up to our bodies. So why not today take your Bible and unplug from the world around you (You mean like my phone? Yes! Exactly what I mean). It will be time well spent! 

2. I have been gleaning a lot of insights and help for living out my faith through the use of Tim Keller's devotional on Proverbs, God's Wisdom for Navigating Life. In his reading for April 22nd, he offered up the following insights on Proverbs 18:14:

"There’s nothing more important than maintaining your inward, spiritual life. A broken body can be sustained with difficulty by a strong spirit, but a broken spirit cannot be sustained by even the physically strongest person in the world. We are taught that our happiness is based on external things such as beauty, health, money, and status. Here we are being told, 'No, it has nothing to do with your outward circumstances. Happiness is determined by how you deal with your circumstances from inside, how you process, how you address, and how you view them.' Is there anything that is crushing your spirit?"

His question is one worth pondering! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Friday. Coffee. Blog post. Thanks for stopping by! As you enjoy a cup of your favorite morning brew, here are a couple of random thoughts that I hope you will find helpful as you seek to walk with God. 

1.  My apologies for not being present last Friday with a post. I was out of the office enjoying a week of vacation time. Even though my wife and I did not venture far from home, we did enjoy some time away. Last Friday morning we left home for Arneytown, NJ (15 miles southeast of Trenton, NJ). What is in Arneytown, you might be wondering? Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery.  This is the veterans cemetery where my wife's father was buried when he died in August of 1994. Sharon's mom was buried there in October of 2016. My wife wanted to see the grave site with its new grave marker which included her mom's name. As we stood over their graves, we watered their grave as we recalled their lives. At some point during those moments, I happened to look at the adjacent grave. "Ah, Pete was buried next to another Polish-American! And he died the same day that Pete died - August 15 1994." I then turned back and looked at Pete's and Bessie's plaque. In seconds I noticed a glaring mistake. Instead of listing Pete's date of death as Aug 15 1994, the plaque read, "Jan 15 1994!" I quickly pointed out the mistake to Sharon. So on our way out of the cemetery, we 

stopped by the administrative office. After explaining the situation, one of the office workers pulled the paper work. The correct date was there. But at some time during the ordering process, the date was changed to January 15th! The woman apologized and assured us that a new plaque would be in place within a month or so. Content that the error would be fixed, we departed for our next stop. 

Now as you can imagine, we were very surprised that this mistake had been made. We could have gone in to the cemetery office all bent out of shape, griping and complaining about the mistake. But we did not. You see, we know ourselves too well. We understand what Alexander Pope, an 18th century British poet wrote in his day is still true to this day ... "to err is human." We as humans make our share of mistakes! But the second half of Pope's oft quoted statement reads, "But to forgive, divine." You see, what he was getting at here is that when we forgive others we are acting like God. Indeed, God in Christ has forgiven those of us who have come to him on his terms ... repenting of our sins and believing the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15). And so when we are gracious to others, forgiving those who don't deserve our forgiveness, we are acting like God! So let me ask you . . . is there someone(s) in your life against whom you carry a grudge? Whom you refuse to forgive? I encourage you to pull open a Bible (print or digital) and turn to the story Jesus tells in Matthew 18:21-35. Then ask God to work in your heart to enable you to do the hard thing ... answer Jesus' call to forgive! 

2. Philadelphia is looking like a championship city this year. First it was the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. Then Villanova winning the NCAA basketball national championship. At present the Flyers are in the National Hockey League playoffs (although not playing so well against the mighty Penguins of Pittsburgh) AND the 76ers look to have a legitimate shot at the National Basketball Association title. Could the Phillies make a run at the World Series? Hmm. That might be too much of a reach! 

People in Philly are feeling good about their hometown. And those from the outside looking in understand why. They would also be feeling good if their hometown teams were winning! 

We as Christians have a home. But our hometown is not Philadelphia (or in my case, Lancaster ... or in your case whatever your zip code happens to be). As followers of Jesus we will one day follow him to our true home - the eternal heaven. And we can find great encouragement in the midst of all the turbulence and trouble of this life knowing that our "hometown team" is winning! God is on his throne. And one day Jesus Christ will return to this earth and make every wrong right (see the final four chapters of the Bible's last book, Revelation). 

So the next time you get discouraged about what is unfolding all around you, stop and remind yourself of the words of the hymn penned by Isaac Watts, 

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun

does its successive journeys run,

his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,

till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Time to once again pour yourself a cup of hot java and join me for a couple of random thoughts which, I hope, will help you in your faith journey with Christ. 

Even though today is the 17th day of spring, winter continues to refuse to release its grip on us. In fact, if we see more than one inch of snow this spring, we will have had more snow since the first day of spring than all three months of winter put together! I am guessing even snow lovers are beginning to say, "enough is enough!" But we can take heart because we know that July is coming!!!  

Just as the four seasons come and go, so do the seasons of life. There are times we find ourselves in seasons where much of life is good ... sometimes very good. Then there are other seasons in which life hurts ... often a lot. Both seasons have their unique challenges when it comes to our relationship with God. 

During the tough times, it is very easy to become bitter toward God. "Why am I going through this? So many of my friends have it so easy. Why do I have it so tough?" During these times we must work hard at reminding ourselves of the very clear teaching of God's word when it comes to suffering. According to the Scriptures, suffering is not something to stir up anger in us. Rather we are to rejoice (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). For it is in our suffering, that God is at work, refining our faith and conforming us to the image of His Son (1 Peter 1:6-7; Romans 8:28-29). So when situations and circumstances arise which cause us pain, we need to remember that it is during these seasons that we are most prone to reach out to grab his helping hand. I know as I look back at my life, times of suffering have also been times of accelerated spiritual growth. 

On the flip side, when the good times roll, it is very easy to forget God. Before God's people Israel entered the promised land, God warned them, "When the LORD brings you into the land . . . and you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery . . ." (Deuteronomy 6:10-12). When we are abundantly reaping the blessings of God's hand, we must remind ourselves of just where we once were before God rescued us. We were dead in our sin and objects of God's wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). But God in his rich  mercy has caused us to be born again into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 2:4-9). We have been blessed spiritually through the gospel, and every other good gift (material, financial, relational, physical, etc.) is also from his hand (James 1:7). We must intentionally preach this truth to ourselves in times of prosperity lest we forget God! 

All this said, if you find yourself in a season of suffering right now, be assured you are not alone. God is with you. He is working in you to make you more like Jesus. So TRUST him! And if you are in a season of prosperity then you need to THANK him. Why so? Because all that you enjoy is from him (and that means even the ability you have to work to earn your pay to buy the things you need and enjoy - Deuteronomy 8:17-18). 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ (Good Friday Edition)

Thanks for joining me this morning. Usually I write this post on Thursday. Yesterday, however, was interrupted by an unplanned and unwelcome trip to the local ER. Appears that the sharp flank pains I was experiencing were the result of post surgery (March 8th with stent removal March 20th) ureteral spasms and inflammation of my left kidney. I returned home late afternoon and the pain, thankfully, subsided. I was told that it could take up to 3 months for everything to settle down. This morning (Friday), the pain is still present but nothing like yesterday. Would appreciate your prayers! Thanks! 

*Update (Friday 1:30 pm). Just got off the phone with my urologist (who did the surgery). He reviewed the CAT scan and noted that some urine had leaked from the incision he had made in the ureter which would lead to discomfort. He also told me he was a bit concerned with the degree of hydronephrosis (swelling) of my left kidney. He wants to do a ultrasound in two weeks to check on that. 

So ... with all of that ... and with Sunday coming (and a sermon to prepare), I leave you with the following quote from John Stott: 

“Even the excruciating pain could not silence his repeated entreaties: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ The soldiers gambled for his clothes. Some women stood afar off. The crowd remained a while to watch. Jesus commended his mother to John’s care and John to hers. He spoke words of kingly assurance to the penitent criminal crucified at his side. Meanwhile, the rulers sneered at him, shouting: ‘He saved others, but he can’t save himself!’ Their words, spoken as an insult, were the literal truth. He could not save himself and others simultaneously. He chose to sacrifice himself in order to save the world.” 

― John R.W. Stott, The Cross of Christ

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

PS -- Check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face! 

Friday Coffee with PJ

It's that time of the week .... Friday ... coffee ... and a few random thoughts I hope are of help to you on your spiritual journey! 

1. Wow! That's a good word choice to describe what happened here in Lancaster County on Wednesday, the first full day of spring. Someone forgot to tell Old Man Winter that his time was up ... because the clouds above dumped a good foot of snow in my driveway! So I spent more time than I would have liked clearing out my driveway and cleaning off our van. This is the second winter in a row in which our largest snowfall has arrived in the month of March. As far as I am concerned, April can't arrive soon enough! But I must admit, as I gaze out my office window while inputting on my computer, the snow covered landscape is quite beautiful! And, of course, every time I see this beautiful white blanket of snow, I am reminded of a particular verse from the prophet Isaiah: "Come, let us settle this," says the Lord. "Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18).

God is talking about how he deals with all of our sin once we come to him on his terms. And just what are his terms? According to Jesus, they are to "repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). If you want to learn more of what Jesus meant by this, I invite you to check out Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face. 

2.  Often throughout the Bible we run across God's call for us to be humble. But humility can be quite evasive ... kind of like trying to catch a greased pig. Once you think you are humble you begin to feel proud about it! So, what can we do to strive for humility? Here's a few suggestions which I have found helpful (ouch,.did I just write that proudly?) . . . 

- Constantly remind yourself of your own insufficiency while trusting in Christ's all-sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5)

- Think more of others than you do yourself (Philippians 2:3-4) 

- Don't compare yourself with others, but rather examine yourself using Christ as the standard (Galatians 6:4)

- Ask God to help you to "humble yourself under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6)

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

It's Friday ... so pour yourself a cup of your favorite of get-up-and-go juice and join me for a couple of brief thoughts! 

1. I missed posting last week due to an outpatient surgical procedure which I underwent on Thursday. Sharon and I arrived at the hospital about 12:45 pm. By the time I went through the surgery (which was delayed for about an hour) and recovered enough to stand up without going sideways, we were the last to leave the outpatient recovery area (about 6:30 pm). 

Since being home, the recovery has been slow but steady. As I write this, the pain has morphed more into a general discomfort (due primarily to the ureteral stent which I still have in place). In sharing some of the negative symptoms of this stent yesterday morning with some of my staff, one woman told of the affect of pregnancy upon a woman's bladder. "I can identify with you in what you are going through!" I walked away, glad I don't have nine months to wait for this stent to be removed (in case you are wondering, my due date is next Tuesday, April 20th). 😉

All this said, thanks so very much for your concern and prayers for my recovery. I am trusting, hoping, praying that this procedure will resolve the problem and allow my left kidney to empty properly. 

2. This past Monday I "celebrated" my 62nd birthday. I spent the day lounging around the house (not by choice, by the way!). My wife worked hard to make it a special day. And she succeeded! As she was on some errands, she ran into an incredible clearance sale of some winter attire. Since she had not bought me a birthday gift yet (she claims I am difficult to buy for!), she purchased for me a few articles of clothing for almost next-to-nothing. She also brought me a Cinnabon, which served as my birthday cake replacement. That evening, my son and his family came over. They stuck a candle in a giant chocolate chip cookie and sang the Happy Birthday song to me! Since the cookie was indeed GIANT there was plenty to go around! Oh, and before I forget, I had many texts, several calls and cards from people wishing me a happy birthday (not to mention visits from all the other "little kids" the day before). 

By the end of the day, in spite of the pain and fatigue which still lingered from the surgery, I felt good. I felt special. I felt loved. 

That's something we all want to feel, isn't it? If you are not feeling loved today, take a moment and think about the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes that it is in the cross that God 
"proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Have you embraced the love of Jesus Christ for you? If you have any questions as to what this means, please take a moment to check out, Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

I am gulping down a cup of coffee as I write this. I got quite a bit behind my time this week (just a little bit more busy than usual) ... so here is an abbreviated version of Friday Coffee with PJ!

On the wall I face while sitting at my desk are numerous pictures of family members, friends and missionaries. As they stare back at me, I offer up a pray for them! And I am reminded of just how rich my life is because God, in his providential plan, has crossed my path with all of these people! 

The most used word in the Newer Testament of the Bible for Christians ... is NOT the word "Christian." This word only appears three times! The word most often used to refer to God's people is the word "brethren" (or as we would say today, "brothers and sisters" - occurring some 200 times or so). The point our God is making is that the universal church is a FAMILY! His family! And I am so glad that due all to God's grace (undeserved merit) I am a member of his family! What a joy it is to be numbered among God's children! And furthermore, I am VERY grateful to God that in his providential plan he led me (over 28 years ago) to my church family here at Grace Church at Willow Valley. There is no where else I would rather be than right here, serving this family of believers for Jesus' sake! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

PS -- If you want to investigate what it means to be a Christian, please click here.