Baptism

I apologize...i have neglected to keep this up to date.  I will try to do much better.  Here is an encouraging word of God's faithfulness to me.  Months ago He led to preach two sermons on Baptism.  I won't bog you down with all the specifics, just trust He was clear.  Our first lesson was yesterday, and we announced that we were planning to fill the baptismal pool next week in anticipation of those who would be baptized.  Here is the beauty of it all, two individuals came forward between services requesting baptism both indicating that they were already planning to ask if next week would work.  Ain't God good!
PJ/Coach

Post Mother's Day

I spent a few moments this week remembering mothers of the Bible.  Take a journey of warning or encouragement with me.

Sarah secured Abraham’s favor for Isaac over Ishmael as the son of promise.

Hagar prayed to God to remember her son Ishmael while perishing in the desert.

Rebekah favored her younger son Jacob over Esau.

Rachel was the first on record to lose her life in giving birth to Benjamin.

Jochebed knew Moses was special and hid him in a wicker basket on the Nile to save his life from the Pharaoh’s scheme to kill the Hebrew sons.

Bathsheba intervened to ensure Solomon succeeded David as king.

Hannah cried out to God persistently in her barrenness promising to give her boy in service if He would answer and so she did with Samuel.

Eunice and Lois were the godly mother and grandmother respectively whose sincere faith and wise instruction of Timothy resulted in the young man joining Paul and Silas to preach the gospel at ~15.

Salome was the mother of James, the early Jerusalem church leader, and John the disciple who Jesus loved and put in charge of His mother’s care.  We will hear today more about her bold prayer for her sons’ favor in the kingdom.

Elizabeth in her old age was blessed to train and raise the herald of the Christ, John the Baptizer.

And Mary, the revered mother of Jesus, we are assured loved, taught, nurtured the Son of Man all the way to His rightful place in God’s plan of man’s redemption.

Coach/PJ

Give Me A Break!

We often are prone to think we deserve a break.  We take work breaks, snack breaks, and look forward to spring and fall break and our favorite summer break (especially teachers and students).  In the area of our spiritual lives, I want to encourage you to guard against desiring a break in the following areas because that desire is not from any other than our enemy.
We should avoid:
1. Time away from God’s Word—that is like skipping meals during the day
2. Prayer breaks—that would be like not speaking to a family member or to your parents
3. Time away from church—which could be comparable to leaving for the summer and not see-ing your family
4. Taking a break in giving—which is literally robbing God (Malachi 3:8)
5. Not sharing our faith—comparable to allowing dozens per day just to walk into eternity with-out Christ because we are afraid, lazy or unconcerned.
6. Skipping opportunities to serve another—might be comparable to a soldier going AWOL
Have a great summer!  Invest any free time to strengthen your daily walk with the Lord!  You will experience noticeable dividends!
Coach/PJ

Post Easter Thoughts

I cannot get away from Jesus' words in Luke 24:49--"I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you."  It is really easy to just slide right past that.  But listen to it this way: I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon YOU." Or how about "...upon YOU!!!!"  Did you catch it.  It is not Jesus shouting.  It is our finally listening!  We need to read His word more often and pick up on lines like this where our Lord does not suggest but says very clearly that God the Father has chosen to reveal His Son, Jesus, through His Word, the Scriptures and through His word as it is personified in our lives.  Live truth.  Be His witness.  Share the promises.  I am motivated...you?
Coach/PJ

BAD WEEK

I do not intend to infer that I am unfeeling or lack compassion, but have you ever heard someone say that they had a bad week?  How about you? Remember the last time you completed a week and reflected, “I don’t want to ever live another week like that one!”  Jesus' week of the Passion puts that in perspective.  You can read about it in the gospels (Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; John 13, 18-19).  Within a week, many were plotting seriously Jesus’ death, some of His disciples argued against the lavish worship Mary offered to Jesus, Judas, a friend, betrayed Him, James, Peter and John fell asleep when He asked them to come pray with Him, the eleven deserted Him and Peter denied Him, the Father kept resolute to the plan through His Son’s agony in the garden, Jesus submitted His will to the Father and sealed His destined purpose, He was betrayed by a kiss, arrested by a mob, He faced the Jewish Sanhedrin with little defense, Judas, a betraying friend ended his own life, He was tried before Pilate and silent before Herod, His life was traded for a murderer’s release, He was mocked, beaten and crucified, His clothes were sold, His Father turned away from Him and He died.  All in one week’s time! 

The next time I am tempted to sigh away a terrible week, I hope I will recall these seven days in the life of my Lord and Savior.  Why would anyone voluntarily endure such as described here?  The Bible simply answers because of His great love for us!

A Mother Story

The other day, I discovered a squirrel nest where facial board needed to be repaired.  I gently and carefully removed the contents, three adorably cute baby squirrels.  Just days before their eyes would open, I figured that I would now have to raise these siblings.  As work continued, the box I had placed the nesting squirrels in was left unattended.  Within minutes, the mother squirrel had returned, noticed the new board on the building, searched, found and rescued her little family.  I was amazed at the care this mother demonstrated.  She had obviously watched me playing with her babies, heard their desperate screams for understanding and rescue.  At just the right moment, she slipped in and carried each away to a new home. I was immediately reminded of the many sciptures that illustrate God's watchful eye on His children.  Many scriptures describe God just as a mother eagle or hen spreading His wings over us to protect and deliver us. 
"Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me.  For my sould takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by."  Psalm 57:1
Coach/PJ

Throw Me Yonder

Often when I am fishing on the bank of a pond or lake, the fish I release back to the water will just lay at the edge.  I like to see how long it takes them to get back to the water. Usually one or two flips will get them back in the safety of their comfortable environment.  I do remember one fish that just didn’t seem to want to go back to the lake.  It literally just kept flipping the opposite direction.  Poor thing, I finally picked it up and tossed it back in the water.  Recently, it hit me…

Jesus was a fisher of men.  He challenged His followers and He charges us to be fishers of men.  We speak of dying to self a lot.  Here is a picture. Jesus calls us through His Spirit to be saved.  We turn from ourselves to Him in repentance and receive God’s forgiveness through grace.  But we often forget the cost of the turning.  It is much like that strange fish flipping the opposite direction.  We must in like manner say to Jesus, by faith, throw me yonder, far away from the shore, where I cannot flip back to my old life.  The obvious conclusion is death.  The picture ends there.  Following Christ does not result in a slow, painful death by asphyxiation. Jesus promised that to lose your life you will gain it.  He also promised a life abundant and eternal.    He has indeed made me alive to a whole new way.

Come out of the water!  The land is great!

Coach/PJ