PJ's Journal

What does it mean that God is holy? The four living creatures in Revelation 4 continue to say day and night "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Rev. 4:8 He is holy! He is set apart... not like us! And yet we have have a tendency to think we know better than Him. We question His justice and wrath and cannot reason a God that allows bad things to happen to "good" people. If we don't understand something revealed about God in the Scriptures we want to explain it away because it doesn't fit our sense of what God ought to be... thus we "change" God to fit our mold. "Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding? Isa. 40:13-14 Do you see how silly it is for a finite being who is limited in understanding to subjec...

Last day for basketball camp... It all began after some bacon and eggs. We left the guest house to travel to the church. The morning time was pretty slow for Bobby and I, but that was a much needed break. During the morning I wandered around the church just observing and making conversation with others. I dropped in on the drama ministry led by George and Marian Pastore, and it was such a blessing. George was so engaged with the 25 plus students who were there, and the performance was beautiful. I can't wait to see it when they are done. I also got to hear and see the vision that Pastor Jek has for youth ministry. We went up to the roof and looked out over the city. It was beautiful! It looked so calm and organized from the fourth floor, but that is not the feeling while in the midst of it. Perspective matters! We visited the work site when we dropped George off. They were building a house that would sit several feet off the ground because of water issues. They had be...

"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." Philippians 1:15-18 You know that Christ is the center of your life when you can take yourself completely out of the picture! Here we have the Apostle Paul in prison and apparently there are "preachers" who are jealous of the attention that Paul has gotten and consider him to be a threat to their own sense of importance. I love the way that Paul addresses this issue. His response shows that it is all about Jesus! The gospel is so important to Paul, he can look past motives that are negatively directed tow...

Today was a bit different then the other days in the morning. After breakfast, we left for the church to drop off people and then several of us headed to a place that looked like a glass dump yard. There we saw Filipinos separating glass and crushing it into small pieces to fill up bags. The bags are the size of a burlap sac. A hard days work will produce about 20 bags, and they get 3 pesos per bag. Let me translate this... They work hard all day to make what is equivalent to $1.50 PER DAY (not per bag). They were working in flip flops (sandals if your Filipino) and I could not see any cuts on their feet. I am sure that I would have cuts! After we visited the glass place, we went to visit a Barangay called Paradise where Jenny's sponsored child lives and where Margie (the Rodger's and Monaco's special friend) calls home. It is anything but a paradise, but as you drive into this Baranguy, the children are laughing and playing! It is a joy to watch. We were definite...

First of all, I want to shout, "Praise the Lord!" We had at least 5 young men make a decision to follow Jesus Christ at Basketball camp! I had asked everyone to pray for the coaches who were sharing the Gospel, and God used them in powerful ways. There were some in the first camp who were not sure, but were challenged to think about it. We will follow up with them today. I haven't talked to all the coaches after the second camp, so there may have been more decisions. After the usual breakfast routine, we headed to the church. The morning was freed up for me to spend some time shadowing Tori helping with the Precious Jewels Camp. This is a camp for the mentally challenged students that many of our people at FBC sponsor. It was great watching her interact! I loved watching them play with her hair! They just loved on her! Tori had the opportunity to share her testimony through an interpretor, and did a fantastic job! I am so proud of her... it took courage and sh...

Great day! At breakfast we were able to connect with the Wilkinson family for a short time, and then Bobby, George, Marian, Tori, and I headed off to the church. Tori, George and Marian had to be there at 8am for Drama Camp and Bobby and I had to be there at 9am for a meeting with the Basketball coaches. The rest of the team went on a tour of the BTC with their fearless host... Steve Wilkinson. I am sad that I missed that, though I have seen BTC before. I always enjoy connecting with the Wilkinsons and I know that I will not have much of an opportunity to connect since they are leaving this week to head back to the states. During our coaches meeting, I walked them through the devotional materials since everything is done in small groups, just to make sure everyone was comfortable and felt prepared. After our coaches meeting, Bobby and I connected with Mike and Dan to head over to a construction site with Pastor Hermie and Lito. We thought we were going to tear down an existing ...

Day 2 in the Philippines... What a joy it is to spend time in corporate worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We arrived at the church early and walked around connecting with people while Pastor Mike preached in the 2nd Service (Cebuano speaking service). The team passed out the gift bags to the sponsored children during the beginning of the third service (English speaking service). I was in the service the whole time and was blessed by the worship team... a group of fantastic young men and women who are extremely talented and equally committed to serving Christ through their talent! In a room about 50 feet wide and 20 feet deep, I felt like I was at a Hillsong church. They were that good. Tori said to me afterwards, "Dad, that guy leading worship should be on a cd." It was a blessing! We had a potluck dinner after the service and talked to the church members there. After dinner, with the exception of Pastor Mike and myself, the team left to go to Laupo-Lau...

Well, my daughter and I with a group of 12 other great people have arrived in the Philippines to connect with our sister church for the purpose of mutual encouragement in the faith. I love this trip so much because of the people. These are my brothers and sisters in Christ... the bond we share through the Spirit of God is dear to my heart. I often ask myself the question, "What do I really have to offer that makes a difference for the Kingdom that I may impart to my family here?" I don't know if I have a good answer for that, but I am committed to giving myself! I am asking the Lord to give my listening ears and a sensitivity to His leading. I have been blogging about living from the inside out for quite awhile and this trip is no different. My prayer is that would approach this trip from the core of who I am, and not fall into the trap of just "doing" the trip. My desire is to lead and to learn from that intimate place with my God, where He is speaking ...

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." Revelation 15:4 Last night I was sleeping and woke up with a question that was bothering me. I don't know the details of what my dream was about, but I could not escape the question... Do we not fear God anymore? In the Old Testament, as God was leading Israel into the promise land, the surrounding nations would hear of the great things that the God of Israel had done and it terrified them. Fear kept them paralyzed! When God gave man just a glimpse of His might they responded in fear! Think about the early church. Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit before the whole church and God struck him dead and great fear seized the people. We are told in Philippians 2 to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." Do we fear God anymore? Maybe it's that we have lost perspective abo...

" For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" Hebrews 4:12-13 Have you ever thought about the implications of a "secrete sin"... what you might carry out when no one is looking that you would not dare do in the eyes of the public? I know that most of you, if not all, struggle with this at times. We say to ourselves, "What will it hurt? No one will ever know about it!" But what are we really saying? What is the bigger issue? So often our thinking reveals our fear of man more than our fear of God. We consider our public image over our relationship with God! Is He not present in that dark place that you believe is hidden from everyone? Paul says,...

" For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." 1 Cor. 4:20 There is a holy discontent that I have about my purpose in life. There is an internal drive that I can't explain that moves me to a sense of urgency about the Gospel! I am constantly thinking about how little time I have to faithfully make known the Savior whom I love and first loved me. It's a frustration to me when I find myself managing my way through life, instead of risking all to fulfill my purpose. I want to be honest... it is not only my purpose! When Jesus saves us, we are given The Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to be about Kingdom business! He did not save us to be stagnant! I love the outdoors, and have spent a good deal of time hiking with all the equipment I need to survive a prolonged experience in the woods. I know this doesn't shock you, but you need water to live, and generally you look to filter water at a source that is moving. Why? Stagnant water is a br...

" For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." Eph. 5:8-10 Taking responsibility for our condition is a very difficult thing to do. I love how Paul states our condition in these verses and our responsibility. He doesn't tell us that we were in darkness, but rather we were darkness. It wasn't that we were in a place of darkness, but rather we made the place dark. We were the source of darkness because of our sinful condition. So often I think we try to soften the reality of our depravity, when the truth is... we were the source of darkness. We were utterly the opposite of goodness, righteousness, and truth when we compare ourselves with God's idea of those things. We often look around and see good people and so this statement rubs us the wrong way. Certainly Ghandi was a good guy when y...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 Have you ever been in a place of utter confusion? You really don't have the answers your seeking, yet you so desperately want them. You just can't put two and two together and it frustrates you to no end! Can you identify? I am reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 this morning as Trish and I wade through very muddy waters. It is a common verse... one that I have known for many years and most likely you have known as well. Yet the wisdom and simplicity of its words help me to center on what is real. I am to trust in the Lord! He is in control... nothing that has been done is outside His knowledge nor ability to change. I am not to lean on my own understanding! It doesn't matter if I can't figure things out... It doesn't matter if I have answers to all my questions, for I am not to lean on my ow...

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people." Eph. 5:3 I think it's hard many times for believers, who live in a world that is so pervasive when it comes to sexual temptation and among a culture that really doesn't see a problem with it, to not feel alone in how they think. Paul tells us to not even give a hint of sexual immorality... not even a hint. Often times the subject will come up... How far is too far in my relationship? That can be a difficult question to answer because if your even asking the question, you have probably gone too far. We want to draw lines and say that if we don't actual have sex before marriage then we are ok, but that is not how God operates. Jesus said that if we even look at a woman lustfully that we have committed adultery in our hearts. Now I am not going to say that believers never struggle with lustful thoug...

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Eph. 5:1-2 I remember working as a camp counselor years ago and during staff training we were given the low down of what was termed as "Hero Worship". Hero worship was a term that described how some of the kids would respond to you as you loved them and showed them worth and value. They would think the world of you and want to be like you. Those of us with kids can identify with that as well. My son, Caleb, wants to be like me... He thinks of me as a hero and desires to be like me. It actually is humbling, because I don't want him to be like me, I want him to be like Christ. It's a challenge for me to be like Christ as well! Paul challenges us to be imitators of God! God has shown us worth (we are His children) and value (we are dearly loved), so that our natural respon...

"6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." Acts 16:6-10 There is ambivalence in my heart this morning. I have two very different and opposite emotions in my heart. I had found out yesterday that I was not going to be asked to candidate for a position at the church that I love, meaning that my time at First Baptist will end i...

"22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it...

Yesterday I watched Rob Bell's video that introduces his book "Love Wins", and I have to be honest, I was a little unsettled. I don't want to fully weigh in about the book until I read it, but there was a question Rob asks in the video that lit a fire underneath me. I thought about not posting the video, because I don't want to "help spread the word" about his book, but since I am blogging about something he said then I feel compelled for you to hear it from the horses mouth. There are many questions that flood to my mind about what Rob says in this video, but I will focus on one that I can't ignore. He says that the what has been taught about the Gospel is that, at its core, God will send people to hell unless they believe in Jesus. His question becomes... does God have to send Jesus to rescue people from Himself? What kind of God is that? Here is my contention with his line of reasoning. It goes back to the premise... Does God send you to hel...

"22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it...

"22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it...