Popcorn

Everyone in my family loves my popcorn. The other day when I was making it I had these thoughts about popcorn and us.
A kernel starts off hard & rather insignificant, looking like every other kernel of corn in the bag. And basically it could stay like that until it rots.
BUT, when you take that kernel of corn and apply a lot of heat to it, it erupts into a unique and tasty morsel with a purpose. It doesn't look anything like it did before it popped. And you can now do all sorts of delicious things with it. You can enjoy it just as it is, or flavor it with an abundance of toppings and coatings to make it even more enjoyable. You can take a bunch of it and make many various designs and adaptations. (I'm sure there a few thoughts I'm missing so feel free to add them in a response.)
Now, it's not too difficult to figure out the correlation between a kernel of popcorn & us! We all start out basically like everyone else, and unless something special & dramatic happens to us, we end up rather hard of heart until the day we die.
BUT, if we encounter the heat of the Living Lord, which is quite special & dramatic, we erupt into a unique individual with a special purpose. We don't look or act anything like we once did. And once transformed, the Holy Spirit 'flavors' us to God's liking, and shapes us to His design.
I hope you experience the heat of Christ in 2009 and explode into the unique individual God has always intended for you to become, fully flavored by the Holy Spirit.
PJ

Could It Be?

For those don't know and read my blog, our youngest son, His wife and their daughter Shaylin, who's 2 going on 3 have been staying with us to help get them over a rough place financially. That means I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with my grand daughter. She has even given me her cold this week, which doesn't seem to matter to me in the least.
A phenomenon has taken place in my life as result of their staying with us. I find myself looking for Shay every morning before I go to work. I'll steal a peek towards her room to see if she's up and moving around. I listen for the pitter-patter of her tiny padded feet coming down the hall. I even dally, knowing she will soon wake up, and come to see us off to work with hugs and kisses and whispers of "I wuv you pap-paw." in my ear. Pretty cool stuff, and what life is suppose to be all about.
Then a couple of days ago I began to wonder, 'Could it be God looks for us as we start every day?' Peeks our way every morning to see if we're up yet? Listens for the sounds of rustling & hustling around? Waits for us to come to Him and whisper our words of affection up to Him? Could it be? I know what I think, how about you?
PJ

The Gord

I will probably use the lesson of the gord in a upcoming children's message, but it's pretty good, so I wanted to share it here too. Our church was decorated for the fall with corn and pumpkins and gords. It was really pretty neat. In the basement stairwell was a box of extra gords. One day I noticed one was covered in mold. Concerned it would contaminate the whole box full, I went and picked it out of the box. I was instantly aware of how light it was, like it was hollow. I brought it back to my office & set it on a shelf, figuring there was probably a lesson in it somewhere. The next time I went down to the basement, I began to wonder if the other gords like it were also hollow. I went and found one, and to my surprise it wasn't. That's when I got the lesson. If your life is empty and void of the things of God, especially Christ; it will most likely end up like the mold riddled gord - contaminating all it comes in contact with, dying inside & out! But if your life is full of the things of God, especially Jesus Christ; you'll be healthy inside & out, and a joy to other the other 'gords in the box'
PJ

Why do we test it?

The other day my wife set up 'shop' in our kitchen to cut hair for two of our sons and myself. Our 2 year old grand daughter was there, and was told to stay out of the kitchen because of the hair all over the floor. She so much wanted to go into that kitchen! She'd run right up to the edge of the living room carpet, testing to see what we do. Every time, someone would caution her, and she would stop. It came my turn, and her antics continued. Then, she did something different. She slowly walked up to the edge and just stood there. I told her not to come any further. Then, with the look of defiance on her face, she took one foot and stretching it across the line, touched her big toe on the kitchen floor. Of course, her folks verbally corrected her; but she had done what she had set out to do - she had stepped where she was forbidden to go, and she got away with it!
We probably all have seem this in our lives. And I'm also pretty certain we have all done what she did. But why do we do it? And why do we do it when it comes to God and sin? He warns us not to; but we stretch out and touch our 'toes' where we know we are not to go. And then we wonder why we have problems in life?
PJ

The Shack

A while back a pastor friend of mine recommended the book 'The Shack', by Wm. P. Young to me saying that every pastor in America should read this fictional story about a man's search for truth in his relationship with God. I am almost finished with it, and I can say it is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. It has not only spoke to my heart, but it expresses my heart towards God like no other work of literature I have ever read. Not only do I consider this a 'must read' for every pastor I know, but a must read for everyone I know. Please read this book.
Let me share with you a tiny glimpse of this book. For financial reasons, one of our sons and his wife & 2 year old daughter are currently living with us. This morning as I sat at the breakfast bar eating breakfast and talking with my wife Carole, in the doorway suddenly stood our gran daughter, Shay. Carole opened wide her arms and somewhat loudly proclaimed "Shay!". Shay's face, already in a grin, burst into an all-out smile, and proclaimed Carole's name back to her. Shay then ran into Carole's open arms and was swept off of her feet in an embrace of love. I heard Carole whisper into Shay's tiny ear, "I love you.", and Shay with her head now on Carole's shoulder and her arms wrapped around her neck whispered back, "I wuve you, Carole."
My friends, that is what this life is all about. Now, go and get your hands on The Shack!
PJ

Permission?

A friend of mine asked his neighbor if he could borrow his power washer, even though he had already used it. The guy who owned the washer asked him if he was asking could he or was it alright that he already had? My friend admitted that he had already used it and was that OK? The man with the washer said, "Well, what would your mother say?" I jumped in that point and said, "Forgiveness is easier to get than permission." It totally took him by surprise. As the conversation continued he asked me 3 times to repeat what I had said, stating that he could remember the forgiveness part, but kept forgetting the permission part. When he said it, I felt God say to me that is exactly the way we all are in our relationship with Him. We remember the forgiveness part, and tend to forget the permission part.
PJ

All Alone

Last night I received one of those calls from out of the blue that end up being not only a blessing, but a lesson. A young man from a church in my past called to talk. As we spoke he started to open up about the real reason for the call; his life was a mess and he while he wanted to have Jesus in his life, he was afraid to commit. I tried to help him understand that it wasn't about whether or not he could commit to Christ; but rather about could he love God with all of his heart, soul, mind, & strength. That that is really why God created us, so we could love Him. In fact, that it is quite possible we are His only creation with the capacity to love God back. In the course of our talk he told me about how alone he felt. That all of his friends had abandoned him, or he had moved away. How he was unable to talk to his family, that there was just no one in his life. I told him that was probably a good thing, because it was what may be driving him to God. That's when the lesson hit! We all need to get alone with God from time to time in order to hear what he is trying to say to us, and relate to us! I left the young with a prayer and a promise from him to ask God to fill his heart with love & the desire to live wholly for Him. All i can ask from any of you who read this is for your prayers.
PJ

Psalm 23 (for the work place)

Psalm 23 (For the Work Place)

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want. He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining.

He reminds me that He is my source and not my job. He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor Him in all that I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning, I still will not stop--- for He is with me! His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through.

He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me. He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go. His Faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check.

His retirement plan beats any 401k there is! When it's all said and done,

I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I BLESS HIS NAME!!!!!!

A very good friend named Sherri sent me this a week ago, and it blessed me. Then yesterday when I opened my email there was this followup message from her: "I was just rereading this at the end of a tiring week and it dawned on me that when I murmur or complain about my job or about being tired, stressed or overworked I am telling the world that my God is not big enough to sustain me. Instead I should be telling the world that the reason I can do all things and be successful in my job is because he strengthens me! Great paradigm shift! I need to censor my comments and attitudes to praise his sustaining power rather than to complain. Cool."

Thank you Sherri for being so sensitive to the Holy Spirit within you, and for sharing it with all of us.

PJ

Reaching Out

Today was the 1st day of school in our community. Normally, since my youngest child is 28 years old, I wouldn't think too much about it; but today was different. Our church is located next door to a middle school w/ 1600 kids in it. Our parking lot is the spot for parents to come & park and wait for their kids to get out of school. has been the pick up spot for several years now. This year we decided to reach out to them, so today we stood out there in the grueling hot sun and handed out cold bottles of water. The people loved it! We also invited them to our Saturday night back to school bash, but mostly we just came to give them water. It wasn't much, but it sure felt neighborly. And seeing their surprised smiles certainly made it worth it.
PJ

Go for it

Again, I'm sorry its been so long between posts. Life in the ministry can get rather hectic. The other day I was traveling to Kansas City and stopped at a rest area. It had a lot of space to roam around and large shade trees to relax under. As I went into the rest room I was almost knocked over by little guy who had finished his 'business' and was in a big hurry to get outside and enjoy the space to run and trees to climb. I know that because when I finished my 'business' I went outside and watched him for a while. As I watched, I believe I heard God ask me when was the last time I was in as big of a hurry as that boy to join God in His creation and enjoy it so much.
I should have sat down and removed my shoes, walked barefoot in the grass, lingered in His sunshine, and napped in the shade of one of His grand old trees. But I didn't; I had a appointment in KC to keep.
As I write this I realize why I am feeling all used up; I NEVER take the time to rest in His Presence and enjoy His creation like that little boy did that day. I walk almost every morning in a great wooded park next to our house. I am always lookin for wildlife and enjoying the sights. But I am also always walking; hey, I'm doing it for the exercise and health. What a fool I am!!
PJ

Is Your Path Clear?

We recently attended a wedding in Albuquerque NM for a nephew on my wife's side of the family. We spent the day before the wedding with her sister Doris & her husband Tim. During that time we traveled to the house we would be having brunch at the next day. When it came time to leave for the brunch there were at least 7 carloads of folks needing to get there, and only Tim and I knew where we were going. Tim took the lead, and I took the 'tail'; a caravan of 8 cars. When we got to the point where we needed to turn, Tim was right behind a semi, and couldn't see the road sign. When the light changed and the truck moved he realized he was in the wrong lane. So as soon as he crossed the intersection he made a u-turn. 6 cars followed suit while waited in the turn lane, enjoying the 'circus' before me.

Now, if you've been reading my blogs, you know I like to find the spiritual application in the circumstances & situations of life. In this one there are several, and if you see one I miss, please share it the comment section.

Tim knew where he was going & how to get there. He'd planned the journey & mapped the route. He just had never figured on a semi blocking his view at the most critical point.
Many of us are like that when it comes to God and eternity. We know where we are going & how to get there. We make plans for our life here, map out our lifes to get where we are going. Sometimes over-confidence can cause to miss a turn at a critical intersection. We need to keep the path before us clear of distractions, stay alert, keep our eyes on the journey & path before us.

Tim also had a group of people following his every move. So do we! Someone is always watching what we are doing because they want to see if what we are doing is right for them too. We sometimes have others following our lead in life, and when we miss a turn, so do they. It's rather important then to keep our paths clear. It's just as important, to know who you are following and to be aware when obstacles get in the way of those you may be following. When Tim got stuck behind the semi, we tried to call him on the cell, but the light changed to quick. Just make sure that the one's your following are aware of the obstacles threatening their path.

Finally, there's the u-turn. Fortunately, there was no traffic and everyone could make the u-turn and get right back on the correct route. God has provided, through Jesus, u-turn's in our lives to get us back on the correct path when obstacles come along and miss critical intersections in our lives.

Thanks for reading.
PJ

How Small?

I know it's been awhile (Cindy), so thanks if you're still checking my blog.

We recently had a lightening strike at the church that destroyed our phone system, our fire security system, and my computer. There was some minor stuff, but that was the big stuff. We are currently getting everything replaced. I do love my new computer! It was time for an upgrade anyway.

Here's what's so interesting about this. We had double surge protection with back up battery on both the phone system and my computer. We have lightening rods on the roof cap every 20 feet, each one individually grounded. We have regular times of prayer for the church. One would think we were fairly well protected, I know we did. But the lightening found it's way in through the phone line; a line not even 1/4 in diameter. And everything connected to the phones was destroyed.

Now, that got me thinking about us and the enemy of our souls. I would venture a guess that most of you reading this would consider yourself well guarded. Probably read His Word, pray, give, and serve were needed. I know I do. But I am reminded of a scripture in John were Jesus is telling his disciples it's time to go (He's heading for Gethsemane and his last night on earth). He's telling them that satan is going to come and look him over, looking for a crack were he can get in and deceive Jesus, or find some fault with him; but Jesus says he won't find any. Now if the enemy is going to search Jesus for a chink in his armor, what will he do with us? That's why it SOOOO important to put on the full armor of God everyday; because we never know when 'lightening' is going to strike!
PJ

Friends

The other day I happened to stop by Home Depot for something and ran into a lady & her daughter who at one time attended the church. We had become friends when her fiance & her asked me to marry them. Through the pre-marital counseling and wedding we became good friends. They attended the church until his job changed and he started to work week ends. We haven't kept the best of contact, but they are never far from my thoughts and prayers. And then, by happen-stance we meet, and it's like we had just spoke yesterday.
That is just the way it is in the family of God. We can be absent from one another, but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ, and friends. We can miss each other; but we never stop thinking about one another and praying for each other. We can go a spell without seeing one another; but when we do, it's like we have never been apart. I guess that's we sing the song, I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God; because of friendships that will never go away.
PJ

Out Of The Mess

This past year we've been remodeling several of the rooms at the church, this week we started on the tots room. What I've noticed is every one of the remodels starts with a mess and some inconvenience. In this case there's sheet rock, lumber, and painting supplies stacked out into our coffee house. And as they rip into the remodel, there will be plenty of debree and dirt. So, one has to learn to keep in mind the end result, which will be a beautiful, like new, room for the tots in our church. In other words, the mess will be worth it.

Same is true for us as God's people. Let's be honest, we're pretty much a mess. And those outside the church that we are to be loving to Christ are pretty much a mess. And we mess up those around us and cause them some degree of inconvenience. In this process of restoration there will be some 'debree' and also some 'dirt' that will have to get taken care of and thrown out. But what we all have to remember is, the end result will be worth it. Out of the mess, in time, will come the beautiful creation God had in mind from the very beginning. And yes my friends, the mess will be worth it!
PJ

Are Your Roots Showing?

I have the privilege to lead a Bible study at a nearby senior citizens assisted living center. One of the things I have observed about them is that they say whatever is on their mind at that moment. At the last study, the lady in charge of activities for them stopped by to share some information with them. Now she is probably a lady in her mid to late forties, who apparently cares that her hair is turning gray and colors it to hide it. It was obvious that she was in need of another coloring, so much so one of the ladies in the study decided it was her responsibility to let her know that her roots were showing. Slightly embarassed, the activities director looked at me and asked if I could somehow use that in my Bible study, at which everyone sort of chuckled.

But of course, that got me thinking, and there are several applications to be taken away from that experience. "Do onto others" comes to mind, as well as "love one another", and then there's "speak only encouraging words". Then I got thinking about her roots. She must go to some expense and trouble to cover-up her graying hair, only for it to eventually show again for all others to see; and for her to repeat the process of cover-up again & again. As Christians, do we do that? Do we try to color over the 'gray' in our lives so that others won't see? I tend to think we do, especially when we are in our church settings where we should be most able to be who we are, gray & all.
PJ

Payment Is Never Late

I have a friend who was talking to me about the 'harrasing' phone calls he was receiving simply because he was behind in a payment to a creditor. I asked him about it, and he told his long tale of woe, and how it just wasn't very fair that he ended up with all this debt, and the harrassing phone calls. I attempted (probably not very well) to have empathy for him and encourage him to work it out with the creditor so the calls would stop & he could get the debt paid; whether or not it was 'fair'. I doubt he took my advice.

Made me think about the debt I once owed God because of sin, and how Jesus paid that debt for me. It wasn't His to owe and it surely wasn't fair for Him to suffer in my place on the Cross; but He did, and not just for me, but for all who believe, and accept it, and call Him Lord. That's WAY BETTER than empathy!! That's real love for His Father who sent Him to die in our place, that we might live. When we do we get to experience what REAL DEBT FREE living is all about!
PJ

Thought for the Day

I've been really busy lately and finding time to blog has been hard, but I want everyone, all 4 or 5 of you to know I will get back to this in earnest asap. So for now, here's thought for everyone to consider and weigh in on if so led. 'Jesus had to be born of a virgin, the blood-line of God, in order to NOT be effected by the curse of Adam, and live a perfect and holy life.'
Blessings,
PJ

Dare to Risk

When our kids were small and we went to visit our parents, which one or the other has always lived quite a ways from us, we would start at night with the kids all tucked in and drive until we got there. It wasn't until much later that I realized I had missed the 'journey' with them, because I was so focused on the destination. As Believers, I think we do the same thing. Well God reminded me of this during a conversation the other day about life; that the living is in the journey & it's the journey that makes the living.

As I thought about what makes the journey come alive, I remembered when I used to ride motorcycles. I loved riding, even though I haven't for some time. On a motorcycle you feel so alive! You notice everything, you stay alert to what's going on around you, your energy level goes up, there's a thrill in your heart! A large part of that is because when riding, there's a risk factor involved. At almost any moment you can 'lose it', and losing it is usually NOT a good thing. It's the taking of the risk, that adds to the thrill of the ride.

Same is true in this spiritual journey of life. It's the risks we take that add to the thrill of the journey. What risk have you taken lately for Christ and His kingdom? If you're just warming the pew, trust an old bike rider, you're not really living the journey! Blessings!
PJ

Illusionist

A good friend sent me an email about the best illusion he had ever seen, and I have to admit it was a good. If interested, the post was terrificillusion.wmv. As I watched it, I got thinking about another friend of mine that I had just spent the morning with talking about 'stuff' going on his life. His work load keeps growing, and he goes home every night wondering what 'emergency' will happen tomorrow, and whether or not he'll have the energy to face it. He also is the 'man in charge' of one our fastest growing ministries at the church, and he's feeling quite overwhelmed with all of that. Then yesterday, he was faced with a decision concerning a movie selection to watch, and even though he felt a 'check' in his spirit, he didn't respond as he knew he should, and it may end up costing him relationally. I share all that because the really terrific illusionist isn't the guy in the video, it's the enemy of our souls.
Each of us, whether we are aware of it or not(and most of us are not), are under attack by a extremely deceptive manipulator. In my friends life, he using busyness and a 'prideful attitude' that 'no one but he can get the job done right', to overwhelm him and cause him to feel like he's failing and he can't go on, that he's all alone in his struggle to succeed. The result in my friends case is his personal time with God has gotten less and less of a priority, no real quality time, and the end result was making a decision he would of normally never had made. Now he has to add 'damage control' to his already bulging schedule.
What we did this morning was take a collective breath, and look at everything from God's perspective. Do some reflecting on what has been going on, and then prayed together in an effort of surrender and in order to refocus his life on God's plans for it, and not the enemies deceptions of it. I also realized, just how much we all need to pray everyday for the protection of those that serve our churches in areas of ministry. The enemy loves to come after them, because if he can deceive them and defeat them, he can scatter that part of the 'flock', (Jesus' favorite descriptive term for the church). And by doing that, he can take the pastor off their 'game', and if he can do that, he can maybe scatter the whole church.
So fellow believers in Christ, open your spiritual eyes to see the real illusionist in your midst, and then pray. And pray specifically for those leading ministries in your church, whose lives are already jammed pack, and so 'ripe' for deception. God bless each of you, as we stand together as one against our unseen foe.
PJ

What Grabs Your Heart?

On my desk top is the following reminder, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." So what is it that makes you come alive? For me, it's preaching and/or anytime I'm with someone in a biblical discussion and I get to watch the light of truth come on within them, or it comes on within me. At those times I believe I am most alive. But what about you? What makes you come alive, an inquiring pastor wants to know?
PJ

Bark! Bark! Bark!

I recently spent the night at my nephews house. I got in late and exhausted, we talked for awhile, and I then asked what time they left in the morning for work; which was earlier than I cared to start my day, so we said our goodbyes and turned in. I never heard them leave, but I was awakened within a few minutes of their stated departure time by their yellow Labrador named Fuji, as she apparently was standing at the front door barking her displeasure about being left behind. I figured she would stop, but she didn't; she just kept barking. As I turned over in my final attempt to go back to sleep, I cleared my throat, and suddenly she stopped barking. I could hear her thinking, "What was that?" "That was a human sound, I'm not alone after all." "Where did that come from?". I heard begin to search, and true to her heritage, she soon located me in the back bedroom of the basement. There, at my bedroom door, Fuji now stood whimpering, begging to be let in. I had to laugh and go and let her in, which resulted in fusillade of licks and thumps by her club of a tail.

I love learning from dogs about spiritual matters, so it wasn't long before God started showing me this lesson from Fuji. She found herself all alone, left behind and she didn't like it. I wondered if she would of barked all day. It was like she was saying, "What about me? Don't forget me, don't leave me behind!" And once she realized she wasn't alone, she came looking. And when she found me, she showed her appreciation as only a dog can do. In fact she didn't leave my side the rest of the morning until I left.
What do we do when we sense the absence of God's presence in our lives? Do we cry out continually, "Don't forget about me, don't leave me behind?" And then once we realize we're no longer alone, do we search Him out and beg to be in His Presence? And then when we do come before Him, how do we respond? Is it with constant affection and a staying close to His side, walking in His shadow and following in His steps? Maybe there's a lesson we all can learn from Fuji, and apply the next time we feel like we're missing out spiritually.
PJ

Shriveled

At Easter this year I pulled a blooming tulip from its pot and showed it to the kids as a children's message, explaining how the tulip would die each year, but then in the spring come back to life. I related that to nature's annual proclamation of Christ and God's kingdom.
Then I decided to leave the tulip lay out this entire week to see how fast it would shrivel. It has turned all yellow and withered. The leaves have fallen off and lay in a heap. I am sure if I were to touch it it would fold over on itself. The roots are dry and will crumble into powder at my touch. The bulb is separating into its layers and coming apart as well. It is vastly different from the plant I uprooted just 6 days ago.
The lesson of course for us all, and what I plan on sharing with the kids on Sunday is just how quickly we begin to deteriorate once separated from the nourishment's that gives us life. That is true in every element of our life, be it psychological, physical, or spiritual. If I don't rest my mind and body, if I deprive myself of substance, if I don't challenge myself to learn more, or exercise I will soon begin to wither and die; like the tulip. In the same vein, if I don't rest in Christ, if I refrain from spending time in His Holy Word, if I refuse to communicate with Him through prayer, or ignore the leading of His Holy Spirit I will soon begin to wither and die in my heart and spirit; also like the tulip.
Now, none of us would deny ourselves of the substances of life physically or mentally; so why do we so often deprive ourselves of the spiritual substances of life in Christ?
PJ

Out of Whack

As for most pastors, Easter is a hectic time of year. I don't believe a one of us regrets the results of Easter (Where would any of us be without the Resurrection?). This year, for me, there's the added stress of multiple family issues that, being the oldest brother in the states, I have the honor to to be involved in. And it truly is an honor and a privilege.
In a conversation I had yesterday with someone from the church as we waited for the results of her husbands Cath test, I realized just how much I haven't enjoyed the mid-fifties of my life. I am watching my parents life fade as their age begins to catch up to them, along with the difficulties and illness that brings. At the same time I get to watch my children struggle through their dilemmas of adulthood - making ends meet, and the emotional 'curve balls' life tends to throw every ones way from time to time. And in truth, there isn't a whole lot I can do to change anything.
I used to think I could, especially with my sons, when they were little. I could correct all the wrongs then; but not so much any more. And my family of origin, for the most part has led a healthy and blessed life. No major fiasco's or traumatic events for any of us to deal with (Thank you Lord). Now, well let's say we're being tested, some more than others. So for me, life right now seems really out of whack, and I don't like it. Maybe you can relate?
All I know is in the midst of this 'wackiness', the one constant I have chosen to trust in these past 30 years is more real to me than ever before. That constant of course is Christ. My trust in Him doesn't altar the circumstances around me, or the sense of helplessness I encounter from time to time, or how my heart breaks for those I love as they go through their dilemmas. What it does for me is fill me with HOPE. He loves those I speak of even more than I do, He hurts for them as much as I do, and will see to their needs in ways I cannot manage or even understand; because Jesus is Lord, and I am not. And because of His faithfulness to me in my life for the last 30 years, I chose to trust Him; even when everything around me seems out of whack, I will trust Jesus.
PJ

Easter Story

Let me tell a story about a lady named Margaret Ault who was determined to wait for the right man to come along to give her heart to. When she had all but given up that love would ever come her way she met Hyung Goo Kim & soon they were in love. After several dates Hyung Goo delicately told Margaret he has HIV. Here's her response: "I had never met anyone whom I liked half so much as I liked him. I had never met anyone who made me feel so whole, who was such good company, whose interests paralleled & complemented mine the way his did. He was a musician, he was a scientist, and he was a thoughtful & committed Christian. He was handsome, funny, considerate, creative. He owned a tuxedo, for goodness’ sake. And he was going to die of AIDS…Now I’d met someone I liked, & we were definitely not going to live happily every after. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut by the biggest boot in the world."

They married, attended grad school at Duke & fell in love with the campus gardens. Everyday they would walk together in those gardens. They learned the name of every plant, named the ducks, sort of 'took over' the gardens like they belonged just to them. They even took on a 'reconstruction project' in one of the gardens, just because they loved them so much. In those gradens nothing mattered, they were at peace with their life; and their love grew.

A few years later Hyung Goo died & Duke constructed a rose garden his honor. On Margaret’s return trip the garden she had these thoughts: "Where peonies were promised, there were only the dead stumps of last year’s stalks; where day lilies were promised, there were unprepossessing tufts of foliage; where hostas were promised, there was nothing at all. And yet I knew what lushness lay below the surface; those beds that were so brown & empty, & to the unknowing eye, so unpromising, would be full to bursting in a matter of months. Is the whole world like this? Is this what it might be like to live in expectation, real expectation, of the Resurrection?" The answer is yes!

PJ

Another Cooper Story

Yesterday in the St. Louis area it snowed almost a foot. It was beautiful to watch it fall, but a real pain to shovel. I told my wife I haven't seen snow like that since our 1st winter in Elkhart, KS. That thought reminded me of our sons dog Cooper, a golden retriever with a bassett hound body, who loved to come over to my house and play in the snow in our back yard. It was as deep as he was tall, and he'd leap from place to place. So I went out and shoveled him a path to run in and for me to get my garbage out. He'd come and for a while he'd run in that path, and then all of a sudden he'd leap into the deep snow, then turn around and fight his way back to the path again. It was fun to watch!
Reminded me yesterday as a I thought about that, that is a lot like us and Christ. All around us is the 'deep', at different levels for different folks, that we are attempting to leap through and find our way. Jesus comes along and clears a path for us to follow Him on. On His path we can run and jump and be free of the 'deep'. Then all of a sudden we jump off the path, thinking our way has to be better, or we just have to have that thing over there, or it just looks like too much fun; and we're right back into the 'deep' and wondering how to get out of it again, fighting to get back to the path.
When Cooper would leave the path, if I was out there with him, I would call him back to me. Jesus is out there with us, and He is calling us back. Question is, what will each of us do?
PJ

Another question for you

Since it's getting close to Easter, I was preparing a Bible study on John 18, where Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane. When Jesus asks the soldiers and police who they are looking for, and they say Jesus of Nazareth, he tells them, "I AM he". At those powerful words they all step back and fall down. Among them is Judas the betrayer. What do you think went through his heart and mind when this scene unfolded before him? When you're confronted with your sin, what goes through yours?
PJ

This week my grand daughter was in town for doctor appointments, and because of the weather her mother and her spent the night. She recently has learned how to set up by herself, so playing with her has risen to new level. She has this toy, that sort of looks like a ball, but is made in such a fashion that kids with DS (Down Syndrome) can easily grab it. I decided to lay down on the floor and play with Nebraska by rolling this ball-like toy into her lap. She then would either push it back at me or swat at it to get it out of her lap. I was having a grand time playing with her; but evidently she wasn't as thrilled as I was. We had been playing for several minutes, when I rolled it to her and when I happened to look away for a moment, she took the toy and placed behind her back. When I asked her where it was, she simply ignored by looking off in a different direction (which she quite good at).
I later thought about how much of that interaction is like and us & God. He gets down to our level so he can interact with us. He 'rolls' His blessings into our laps, time and time again. Each time He does we too have choices to make; we can pick them up and enjoy them, or give them back to Him, or we can swat them away. And sometimes, we even take them and hide them so no one else can see them. Then, when God asks us where they went, we too are really good at ignoring Him by looking off in another direction.
So what blessings has God rilled into your life lately, and what have you done with them?
PJ

Question for the week #3

After Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested, he was bound and taken before Annas. Annas really had no authority to question Him, and he didn't do it according to the Jewish law. Jesus wasn't very cooperative, and questioned his authority to question Him. When do you think it's necessary and even right to question the established authority?
PJ

Question Two

Thank you to everyone who responded. I hope more will get involved, but we'll see. I appreciated your scripture references Faith because the hope of the questions is to lead us all in deeper search of His Word.We all face disasters in this life: financial, relational, parental, physical, as well as emotional and psychological. I just got off the phone with my brother who found out today he has a tumor on one of his lungs. So here's the question: Can we find new life on the other side of life's disasters? ENJOY.
pj

Question of the Week

OK folks, out of a discussion I had a few weeks ago with some others in our church sprang the idea that I should ask a question every week that would challenge our thinking and give everyone who wants to an opportunity to respond. We wanted to do this on our web page, but so far haven't been able to get that accomplished. So in the mean time, we'll use my blog.
I won't check it everyday, but you can. Feel free to respond not only to the question, but to one another's responses. As much as possible, keep your answers biblical, that is back up your response with a Scripture reference. But it's OK to just share your opinions, just make sure it's stated as your opinion - remembering, everyone has one. Also, signing your real name isn't required; but a name other than 'anonymous' would be appreciated. The goal is for us to share and to grow in our understanding of God's impact on our lives.
So here are the first two questions:

1) How can a person have great zeal for God or religious activities, and yet be misguided?
2) What blinds us to spiritual truth?

Have fun with this. I'll check it when I get back late next week, and weigh in myself. God bless.
PJ

HOPE

Tomorrow I leave for SW Kansas to officiate the memorial celebration of my dear friend Ruth. While this is a sad time, because I will miss her a lot, it is also a grand time because she loved God so much while on this earth, I can only imagine what it must be like for her now that she is in heaven. One thing about services like this, it brings folks together to renew old relationships and friendships. Gives everyone an opportunity to tell heir favorite 'Ruth' story, share a hug or two, and mostly laugh together; which is always good for the soul.
I want to tell you one of my 'Ruth' stories. She was one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. At the ripe old age of 82, Ruth decided it was time to deal with some emotional baggage she had carried for way too long. By her own words, she was a very sensitive person who struggled most of life with feeling like a failure or inferior, who seriously doubted God's love for her, and feared his punishment, who lived her life as a pretender, never truly happy or joyful inside. Then one day, in a moment of divine revelation, she wrote down every hurt and doubt and moment of failure and guilt and regret. Everyone she could think of, she wrote onto slips of paper and placed in large steel bowl. She took that 'bowl of sorrow' to the altar in her church and laid it before God, asking that He forgive her for hanging on to them for so long and for her doubts of His love for her. Remember, this is at age 82. Then she lit those slips of paper on fire and released all those sorrows to Him. As they burned up, she wept and smiled and said over and over again, "Oh my! Oh, my!". And when the flames died down, she looked at me and said, "Today, I'm free!" Then looking down at the ashes in the bowl she said, "Let's take these outside and cast them to the wind." And that's exactly what we did. And as she watched them disappear into the Kansas sky, she simply stood there with her hands clasped at her chest and smiled.
I'll never forget that day. I watched God take a troubled soul and set it free from the lies that had held in bondage for so long. I thanked Him for the courage I had just witnessed, for His great love for us, and for the gift of hope He had given to us both. A hope I carry in my heart to this day.
PJ

I Know You!

Every week I have this marvelous opportunity to lead a Bible study at a senior citizens assisted living center. What I marvel at is that even though the average age is in the 80's, and these folks have attended church all their lives, they are still hungering and thirsting for more. Now, I'm not 'big' on religions, because I have watched them tend to seperate the body of Christ instead of uniting the body of Christ. I'm 'huge' on being a Christian, when it means you are striving towards Christ-likeness. For the most part, that isn't a message this group of folks has heard all their lives; but yet, they are earnestly embracing it and growing in their relationship with Christ.

This week we are looking at John 17, and Jesus is praying that his disciples would have eternal life. And then he goes and gives his definition for what eternal life is: to know the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. We had quite a discussion about everyones idea of eternal life. Then I asked them what it means to know God. We all agreed, that's a difficult concept; but it must be possible or Jesus would not of prayed like he did. So what can it mean?

Well, do you love someone? If you do, and I sincerely hope you do, would you say you 'know' that person? Now, if your teen, you may say no. Maybe even if your in your 20's, you would still say no. But if you're in your 30's and up, and you have spent several years with that person, and you have a better understanding that the world isn't about you; you would probably say yes to that question of knowing them. How did that happen? 2 key components: You have spent time together, and you asked questions about them.

There I think we have the answer to knowing God. Spend time with him, and ask him questions about him. What does he love? What makes God smile? Laugh out loud? Become sad? Anger him? What does think about the state of the world? The USA? What can you do for him? I challenged those 80 something 'seekers' to do that this week. They said they would. I trust that will. It will be interesting to see what they have learned in one week. How about you, us; are we up to the challenge to get to know God, and Jesus Christ his Son? If we are, we too may discover God's ideal of eternal life.

PJ

Hello!

I met this morning with my youth director and he shared this interesting tidbit with me about our youth. They apparently have this 'inside line' they will use when appropriate. The youth have noticed that at home, the parents can be in the midst of a heated discussion between themsleves , or even with their children and suddenly the phone will ring. Instantly the parent answering the phone can go from shouting to a sweet and congenial "Hello", like everything in their world is just rosy, forgettign that just instant ago they were angry and speaking loud.
The youth have decided that the lesson for them in this is that no matter what we might say, we can absolutely change our attitude and behavior when we really want to, and we can do it in an instant. So now, when they see another youth who needs to have an attitude adjustment they hold their hand to their head in the universal symbol for a phone and say "hello" in their sweetest voice. Seems to work for them. Maybe we all need a "hello" from time to time to remind of us what's really important? One thing is for sure, your kids are watching and learning from you. Be sure you're sending the messages you really want them to learn.
PJ

Red Rover, Red Rover

Remember this game from when you were a kid? You'd choose up teams and line up facing one another, linking hands and strategically placing the stronger kids between the weaker ones, you'd call someone out from the opposing team. 'Red rover, red rover send Billie right over'. And then Billie, with his team cheering him on would run as fast as he could and try as hard as he could to break through your line of linked hands and arms. if you held, Billie became a part of your team. If he broke through, he would triumphantly return to his team, and then they would call for someone from your team to repeat what Billie just did. It was a great game!
Well, recently God showed me how that children's game was kind of like His church. The idea was God, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were a team, a community of 3 that functioned together as One. In fact, oneness was at the heart of their community. What they were doing was calling other folks out, calling them by name to come and try to break through their ranks, capturing hearts. Then they would have that newly captured person join them, join their team, be one with them. Of course, whenever someone new would be called out, they would look for what they thought would be the weakest link, which would be the newest person added to God's team; not realizing just how good the original 3 were at making us all very strong.
So 'red rover, red rover, if God's calling you, it's your turn to come over'.
PJ

Community Minded

For sometime now, I've been reviewing some notes I have from a lecture I attended this past fall at Willow Creek on community. I been getting my mind and thoughts and heart ready to preach on it. This week I began the process of getting it down to share, and I would like to share one realization I had with you. From the beginning, God has been creating community of Oneness. In fact at the heart of authentic community, is oneness. God instilled in us, because we are created in His image, that need for community, and therefore oneness with those we are in community with. (I hope I am making sense)

OK, now here's the realization. Genesis 2:24 reads, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be untied with his wife, and they will become one flesh." The man leaves his parents and Sib's, his original community, and with his wife re-creates a new family unit, a new community in which they strive for oneness. That verse made so much more sense to me when I saw it in the context of community and oneness. I also realized with a fresh perspective why God hates divorce so much. Because like sin at the fall of mankind, it totally disrupts God's intended design for community, which is oneness with God and each other. Chew on that for a while.

PJ

Power of Caring Love

I returned to the office today from a 2 day pastoral visit in Boonesboro, MD. There's a sweet elderly lady there who used to attend a church I formerly pastored, that is in a nursing home and was, and maybe still is, in the last stages of life. Her and I connected at a heart level that will forever bind us together - more like a mother/son relationship than a pastor/congregant. A relationship that has taught me a great deal more about living, than I was ever able to teach her about God.
She has gotten quite feeble, and spends a great deal of her time in bed. She needs assistance for almost everything she is required or needs to do. There is one aid there who is particularly 'rough around the edges' whom my friend has taken a special liking to, simply because she could tell this aids life had been tough and she needed someone to care for, just like my friend needs people to care for her, only different - if you catch my drift.
Yesterday, as I sat with my friend she was lamenting to me that she just wasn't sure what else she could do for God. then, in the course of our conversation, this particular aids name came up and my friend told me about a visit she had from her late one night.
The aid came in sat beside her and told about how lonely she was, how much she wanted a family, and how know one seemed to understand her. they talked and wept together for some time- and then my friend prayed for her. Several days later, again late at night, this aid agin crept into my friends room, sat down beside her and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek, thanking her for loving her and for being her friend.
I looked at my feeble, tiny, bedridden friend and asked her if she was aware of the power of God's love through her? No, she could no longer do all the things she used to do; but that certainly didn't mean she was of no use to God or His kingdom. She had touched a life with his love; and then I proceeded to tell her of all the lives I could suddenly think of that she had deeply effected over the years, not by her actions, but by her sweet loving spirit and friendship.
You could almost see the light coming back into her eyes, as new hope filled her heart.

There's a great lesson there for us all. We tend to think it's in the doing for God that we receive our greatest sense of worth. When in truth it's in the loving care for another, even when we're feeble and bedridden and the end of days is in sight.

PJ

Have No Regrets

Have you ever heard of Men's Fraternity? If not, I highly recommend every guy out there to check it out at http://www.mensfraternity.com/. And if by chance you are fairly new dad, or a soon to be dad, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to do yourself and your child a huge service and get involved somehow and somewhere with Men's Fraternity.

I'm 55 now, and my 3 boys are all grown up, and I am now leading the Men's Fraternity in our church, and so often I learn something that I dearly wish I had known when the 'boys' were still boys. I won't tell you about this weeks lesson; but as I sat here today and prepared, I wept too. I wept for them, for the wounds I inflicted upon their hearts and souls without ever, ever meaning to. Wounds I now see rise to the surface of their lives all too often. Wounds I know will never go away. I love them, and they know that; but that isn't enough to offset the scars I left there. So young men who may happen to read this, please don't do what I did, thinking I was doing right, or at least better. The regrets are too painful.

My prayer for all you dads out there is 3 John 4, 'That you would have no greater joy than to hear that your children live in the truth'. And if by chance you would like to see what a dads sacrificial love really looks like, check out http://www.teamhoyt.com/. Have great 2008.

PJ