PJ's Journal

  Faith is an interesting word. The very nature of the word conveys the idea of trusting that what a particular source says is right. The source of that trust can be a personal experience, a religious text, or patterns that you observe in life. When one chooses to believe what they have determined to be facts, then that too is an act of faith. Faith is trusting a source. The source of my faith is ultimately the Christian Bible. There are reasons for this, and I will tease these reasons out over the next several weeks through this blog, but I say this now as an example that faith requires a source. The difference between faith and opinion is that faith is based on what a trusted source says, and opinions seem to have their roots in one’s own thoughts. We all have opinions; however, my faith is built on a trusted source. Instead of speculating, I draw upon the wisdom of what this trusted source says about a subject. Why am I writing about this? I wanted to take about seven ...

Seems like a silly question.  Of course they aren't wrong!  You see all kinds of emotions displayed in the Psalms, which is a book to guide worship.  You see tears and chants of victory, sorrow and dancing, grief and hands raised in joyful celebration.  God made us as emotional beings.  That is part of being made in the image of God.  Emotions in corporate worship have been a part of the the human experience for a long time.  However, in some faith traditions, there has been a cautious avoidance of emotional expressions in corporate worship.  There are many reasons why that has been the case.  For some, certain emotional responses are seen as irreverent... a distraction to worship.  Others are very cautious because of the fickle nature of emotions and how they can easily manipulate the human heart.  For others, they are just not used to it, so it seems out of place.  All that said, emotional responses are not a bad thing. ...

When someone professes faith in Christ and becomes a Christian, they enter in what the Scriptures calls the New Covenant.  This New Covenant is considered a greater covenant than the Old Covenant or Mosaic Covenant.  The Jewish people related to God through the Old Covenant for thousands of years.  Ultimately, this covenant pointed out one very important truth about life... Mankind naturally turns away from the living God and proves incapable of keeping the righteous demands of a Holy God.  As Biblical history unfolds, we find that Israel quickly abandon God and worshiped the gods of the surrounding nations.  They would have momentary bright spots, but even in those bright spots, the rebellious heart of man was on full display (King David anyone?).  The Law itself pointed out man's inability to keep the law and draws people to see that they need God's mercy.  Summary - Mankind needs a Savior because he sure can't save himself.   This is where...

 I find myself more and more baffled by some of the things that I see posted on social media and how it seems to connect with so many.  I saw a post that quoted a pastor that said, "When your spirituality denies someone's humanity, it isn't spirituality, it's hatred wrapped up in religiosity."  The post attributes this to Mark Sandlin.  I don't know this pastor, if he really said it, or what the context was surrounding the quote.  However, it would seem reasonable to assume that the individual posting the quote was implying that if your spirituality leads you to conclude that homosexuality, transgenderism, or any other LGTBQ+ issue is sin, and you don't think it is the public schools job to normalize this, then you are denying someone's humanity, thus your spirituality is really not spirituality... it is hatred wrapped in religiosity.  This is a really odd statement for several reasons. 1.  What makes something spiritual?  Who defines what this is...

 Over the past several weeks I have been teaching through the unique relationships that Christians are called to within the Greco-Roman household.  In those days, these homes operated under codes, which are more/less rules for relationships that had been adopted by the culture.  Each household had a master.  This would be the male leader of the home.  His wife was to be subject to him but with a certain level of freedom.  Children were also under the rulership of the the master while enjoying privilege.  And slaves were also under the rulership of the master without any privilege.  The master was free to exercise his authority in any way that seemed best to him.  Often this was a harsh dictatorship kind of rule.  He would leverage his authority in ways that were harsh in order to benefit his own desires or interests.  Paul's main purpose was how to please the Lord in this cultural reality of household codes.  While the basic au...

'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. '  -1 John 1:9 Sin has almost become a taboo word anymore.  To even mention it makes many cringe.  There are different approaches people tend to have when it comes to sin. 1.  The Oppressive View of Sin:   Some react aggressively toward anyone that mentions the concept of sin.  Why?  Because the concept of sin brings about a sense of guilt which is perceived as oppressive.  However, sin is real and we all are plagued by it.  What is truly oppressive is the consequences of living in sin.  It destroys people and societies. 2.  The Casual view of Sin:   Many Christians approach the idea of sin with a casual spirit, ignoring the seriousness of their own sin. They may joke about their own sin without ever being broken over it.  For example, one might readily admit their stubbornness (pride) in relationships and la...

 June has been known as Pride Month ever since President Bill Clinton announced it back in 1999, and it has gained more and more steam since, particularly in the last 5 years.  It has made its way into small towns, into schools, and into the faith community as well.  In many ways it has become the loudest voice of the culture we live in, especially in the month of June.  It is a topic all over social media, the film industry, and media itself.  The agenda to normalize issues such as homosexuality and gender identity is pervasive.  You can hardly watch a series on main stream television, much less cable tv, without being confronted with these issues.  Some of the most prominent influences and influencers are now targeting children as their primary audience.  All of this has quickly shaped our culture, and anyone who thinks that the bombardment of these influences do not really have an effect on people, I would challenge them to learn about marketin...

  What is the Church? Perhaps there is no better time in history since Acts 2 to ask the question, “What is the Church?”  We live in a time when church attendance is in sharp decline all around the United States. Technology has made it easier to just stay home and watch a service and convince yourself that it is church. So often when we assess the health of a church we think of buildings, bodies, and budgets. We live in a culture that has become increasingly individualistic and consumer driven, and the church is not untouched by such thinking. Americans are not known for our communal habits. Because of all these factors and more, we develop some kind of idealistic view and somewhat individualistic view of the church, which ultimately renders this powerful idea powerless. The church is God’s idea. It is His idea to build His church, to love His church, and to use His church to accomplish His divine plan on earth as it is in heaven. The church is more important than most of us a...

 If you are reading this and attend the church that I pastor, then you are likely aware that I start a three month sabbatical next week.  When the elders brought up the subject and our chairman asked if I would be interested in a sabbatical, I was very humbled and relieved.  The idea of a sabbatical is a new concept for First Baptist Church and can be meet with a variety of reactions.  I know some have expressed to me that they are glad I will get some time to rest, while others don't know what to think about it.  Trust me, it is not lost on me that most people who work full time do not get this kind of extended time away from their work.  However, I wanted to communicate why a sabbatical for pastors is a healthy practice for any church.   Pastors are always on the clock:   This is not a complaint, it's just a reality, especially in today's world of technology.  I will receive phone calls, text messages, emails, and messages on social me...

As you likely already know, this week the big news coming out of every media outlet is about the leaked opinion draft of the United States Supreme Court.  If you watch one media outlet, the focus is on the egregious breach of trust on the part of whoever leaked the draft, which is certainly unprecedented and very problematic.  If you watch other media outlets, the focus is on the audacity of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs Wade, making this an issue to be handled at the state level.  Of course this fires up the rhetoric used in media circles to amp up people's emotions, and of course it will try to be leveraged for political gain.  Such is the world we live in!  Since it does bring up the conversation, I want to be clear as to why I believe that the unborn should be protected and why this goes beyond a political issue into a justice issue.  So here are my thoughts. First, I am going to start with Scripture.  I believe human beings are made in the ...

 The past four months have been a tough time for our church, more so than any other time I can remember.  Our people have experienced great loss and heartache during that stretch of time, which includes at least 6 of our own FBC people who have gone on to be with the Lord.  I find my own heart aching in a way I have never experienced.  Loss is never an easy thing, but so many in such a short period of time seems a bit overwhelming.  It is in these times that our go to question is "WHY?"  We know that God is sovereign and good, yet His purposes for allowing such heartbreaking things is beyond our wisdom and capacity to fully comprehend.  We are left to give it over to God in trust.  I was lamenting close to midnight last Sunday on my way home from the hospital knowing that it was only a matter of hours before one of our brothers in Christ would leave his earthly tent to occupy his heavenly dwelling.  I called Trish on my way home to let her kn...

 There is a lot of conversation around the question, "What is my purpose?"  As people,  most of us like to know the WHY behind our life.  Rick Warren wrote a best selling book called, "The Purpose Driven Life."  You may be familiar with it.  It became so popular because people want to know that their life counts.  As a believer in Jesus, I have settled that question long ago.  My purpose was spelled out for me in Ephesians 1 (and many other passages in the Scriptures).  God created me to live for the praise of His glory.  He chose me in Him to be holy and blameless in His sight and predestined me to be adopted as His child to the praise of His glorious grace.  Three times in one sentence the Apostle Paul reminds believers what their purpose is... that you and I might be for the praise of His glory.  Perhaps none more clear than verses 11 and 12... 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to t...

 As I read through the Old Testament this year, I am consistently amazed with how God challenges my thinking.  This year my focal point has been the theme of God's glory and our dependence upon Him in the battles we face daily.  Of course it should not surprise us to know that the Bible is about God and that He is the primary character throughout the narrative.  He is the creator and our covenant making God who makes it abundantly clear that His glory will not be shared.  He even calls Himself a jealous God.  Those two words don't seem to fit in the same sentence.  As a matter of fact, many have leveraged those words to paint God to be some petty being who is threatened by others.  When, in fact, the narrative uses these words to communicate that God is the only God and to glorify any other "god" or person is to commit idolatry.  And since God is God alone, He is the one for whom all glory is due.  So God is not threatened but rather off...

 One of the teachings from Scripture that has challenged me over the years relative to my own struggle with temptation and my relationships with others is Eph. 6:10-18.  This passage has many rich truths in it that orient my thinking as to the identity of the real enemy and to how to effectively navigate the spiritual battle that we are all in.  Paul begins by saying,  "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." (Eph. 6:10) Right off the bat it is a reminder to me that my strength does not come from a strong will or a disciplined mind, my strength comes from the Lord.  I am strong in Him and in His mighty strength.  How often do we attempt to overcome temptations in our own strength?  We attempt to overcome the temptation to worry by trying to control everything around us.  We press on to overcome lust by just trying harder next time not to look or give our desires a foothold.  We attempt to overcome the temptation to g...