Knockout Punch

I love the sport of boxing and several weeks ago I watched a ten-round championship boxing match. The challenger convincingly won eight out of nine rounds and then was knocked out in the last minute of the tenth. I love pulling for the underdog, so I was in shock!   It looked like he would definitely win, but he didn’t see that knockout punch coming.

Within days of entering the ring, Jesus was betrayed.  He was delivered over to the religious leaders.  His disciples abandoned Him.  He was unjustly tried.  He was whipped and beaten. He was mocked.  He was spat upon.  He was crucified.  He died and was buried. It appeared that the challenger had Jesus on the ropes and hanging up His gloves.  He was put away.

Yesterday was like that tenth round!  Easter is the celebration we look forward to each year but celebrate every day of our lives.  Jesus has risen! He is the Victor!  He has overcome the enemy! Satan is knocked out! 

God's Not Dead!

A church slogan today that is popular in seeking to reach a different generation is "This is not your parents' church." So many of our children head off to campus universities that we must honestly recognize "This is not your parents' university." Parents and church leaders would be naïve and irresponsible to ignore the reality of secular institutions of education disproportionately favoring a stance that God is dead. There are awesome books written to help understand faith in Christ and how to defend one's faith--even if for self-preserving faith:  Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend, by Ravi Zacharias; Defending Your Faith: An Introduction to Apologetics, by R. C. Sproul; Faith Has Its Reasons, by Kenneth Boa, Robert M. Bowman Jr.; and the Apologetics Bible as well as Rock Solid Faith Study Bible are a great resource for knowing what a Christian believes and why!" Hope this helps!
Coach/PJ
Go see the movie...Awe Inspiring!

Irony of Obedience

Due to persecution, Dimitri's children were growing up without a church family.  The nearest church was a three days journey.  Dimitri answered the call to pastor his children in their home.  He told bible stories and sang songs and prayed.  Others in the neighborhood joined.  The gathering grew until it caught the government's attention and the persecution began.  Dimitri's response to being called a church is below!  How ironic!

“How can you say that?” he argued. “I have no religious training.  I am not a pastor.  This is not a church building.  We are just a group of family and friends getting together.  All we are doing is reading and talking about the Bible, singing, praying and sometimes sharing what money we have to help out a poor neighbor.  How can you call that a church?” Dimitri, The Insanity of God, by Nik Ripken

Read the book!

Coach/PJ

Flight 370

I was so encouraged this week by the testimony of James Woods.  His brother, Phillip, is among the missing in this tragedy over the Indian Ocean.  When asked by reporters how they are handling the tragedy, he shared a family verse that is bringing them much peace and comfort. “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10.  James shared, “That is difficult to do right now.  But I don’t want to be cliché about our faith.  We are not just saying we will get through this by our faith.  But quite frankly, I believe in heaven and so I have a deep abiding hope and I believe God is sovereign.  Regardless of how this turns out, He is still God and He will get us through it.”  His love for his sister and brothers gripped me because I too love my brother and sister so very much.  I can only imagine the pain and agony of the heart for all the Woods family.  I love when faith shines though, don’t you? 

Coach/PJ

Victory Dance

Satan and the powers of darkness hate truth and are opposed to good.  Lies are told and doubts are sown.  Sickness impedes and discourages.  Whispers from the enemy huddle in our minds and cause all kinds of stinking thinking.  Rumors are told or imagined to be told.  Misperceptions are written on our hearts as fact. Rights are claimed that stand in direct opposition to Christ’s command for us to die to self and love one another. I remind you that Jesus is the victor.  Satan is vanquished.  These are only temporary delays in the eternal victory dance.

Coach/PJ

Three Drives

In Wild at Heart, John Eldridge indicated three core desires in the flight to manhood:

• A battle to fight
• An adventure to live
• A beauty to rescue

Several ideas to rescue your beauty:

Anticipate her needs (She doesn't like having to ask)

Listen when she is speaking to you (Put the phone/newspaper/remote away) and look at her and respond

God gave her to you as your helper—stop excusing yourself and being defensive

Love her and show it

Surprise her

Make this beauty to rescue equally pursued as the battle to fight and adventure to win

Coach/PJ

Just Ten Minutes

An old country song I often recount is “If You’ve Got Ten Minutes” by Joe Stampley.  The song centers on the hope that with just ten minutes we could fall in love. In ten minutes:

• You can read the book of James in the Bible in ten minutes
• You can write a brief note to someone, address and stamp it and place in a mailbox in ten minutes
• You can call an old friend just to say, “I was thinking about you.”
• You can stop by an assisted living home and visit a resident—that might be your mother—for ten minutes
• You really can scrape ice off of a friend’s sidewalk in ten minutes—I promise
• You can scrape off the ice on the windows of your wife’s or children’s car in ten minutes
• You can stop and pray with a co-worker in ten minutes
• You can share the gospel message in ten minutes
• There are some jobs around the house that your wife has been asking you to do for six months that actually only take ten minutes
• You can unload and load the dishwasher in ten minutes
• You can make your husband’s day with a surprise snack bag and a note in his briefcase or backpack that says, “If you’ve got ten minutes, let’s fall in love!” and don’t forget the perfume
• You can send your spouse that favorite song from when you first started dating in a link with a special note that lists several reasons why you still would say ‘yes’ all over again
• You can make up your bed and pick up the clothes in your room without being asked

Coach/PJ