Reflections on Christmas

In less than one week we will celebrate Christmas Day.

It has been said that the day Jesus was born forever changed the world.

Looking back, the change must have been so great that mankind made His life the most historic point of reference.

Historians now divide the time between the periods BC and AD.

Centuries before His birth the prophets foretold of His arrival.

When He arrived, those prophecies were fulfilled but certainly not in the way many had imagined it would.

His place of birth was not a palace but rather a stable.

His earthly parents were not people of wealth and power but rather those of faith.

The news of His birth was not announced to society's elite but rather to humble shepherds out in the field.

This was indeed a day that changed world.

Or was it?

Roughly 2,000 years have come and gone since that day and the world still experiences the same problems today as it did then.

Problems like war, poverty, famine and ignorance still exist.

To the unbeliever, this is justification for a lack of faith.

The believer, however, realizes that we still live in a fallen world whose inhabitants still desperately need a Savior.

The believer also knows that this fallen world has such a Savior in Jesus.

John 3:16 (NET) – For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

This is the key.

God loves the world He created..

God loves every person He created in His images and His likeness.

Since we lacked the ability to save ourselves, God loves us enough to give His one and only Son in order that we be saved.

Yet, there is a provision. In order to be saved we must believe in Him.

Therefore, it is not the world that was changed by the birth of Jesus,

Rather, it is the lives of those that believe that are changed and changed in incredible ways.

But what of problems like war, poverty, famine and ignorance?

While it is true that these and other conditions still exist, these are now opportunities for the faithful to serve.

Opportunities that will continue to exist until He returns.

Opportunities to reach out, to help and to spread the Good News.

Matthew 9:37-38 (NET) – Then he said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

One day, the world itself will change.

Revelation 21:1 (NET) – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.

What a sight that will be to behold.

Still, there is no sight more beautiful than a life forever changed.

A life that has changed in the only possible way.

A life that has experienced true belief in Jesus.

Christmas is so much more than a celebration of the birth of a child born in humble surroundings.

It is even more than a way in which we reach out to God.

It is a celebration of how God reached down to us to satisfy our greatest need.

Therefore we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus; we also celebrate His life among us and all that He continues to be!

Christmas Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Blessings Abound

I have been reflecting on all the ways God has blessed me in the course of my lifetime.

Every blessing from Him I thought of, without exception, had something else in common.

God used people in His blessing.

As a child, God used my parents to bless me.

When I attended school, God used teachers to bless me.

At church, He used pastors and Sunday School teachers to bless me.

In my professional life, He used my employers and coworkers to bless me.

To develop my character, he has blessed me with wonderful role models.

To uplift me, He has blessed me with a wonderful church family

To love me, He has blessed me with loving uncles, aunts and cousins,

Then there is my favorite blessing of all.

God has blessed me with friends.

I say this is my favorite for a number of reasons.

First of which is that many of my friends I can trace back to the groups I mentioned before.

For example, I consider my coworkers my friends.

I also consider my church family my friends.

Even some of my role models became my friends and that is a very special feeling indeed,

Now, with the assistance of technology and social media, the number of friends He blesses me with continues to grow.

That makes His blessing of friends even more special.

Some I see on a regular basis.

Some I see only once in a while.

Some I will never meet face to face in this world.

Whatever the frequency, each friendship is one to treasure.

Then, there is the most special blessing of friendship of all.

John 15:13-15 (NET) – No one has greater love than this – that one lays down His life for His friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I have heard from My Father.

I would not trade this blessing for anything.

That blessing has no bounds.

Best of all, Jesus offers it to everyone.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Misjudgment

Scripture provides us with a very clear warning about judgment.

Luke 6:37 (NET) - "Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven."


If asked why we are not to judge, my answer would be twofold.

First, and most obviously, we are told not to judge and this, in and of itself, is sufficient.

It is the Lord’s place to judge, not ours.

But, if pressed for a secondary reason, I would offer that as human beings we have the all too human capacity to be wrong.

A coworker, for example, would likely base his or her judgment by what transpires in the workplace.

Likewise, a teacher would be prone to base his or her judgment by what goes on during the school day.

Even a fellow church member would likely base his or her judgment on the few hours per week of contact they have with a another member.

These are but a few examples and I could cite many more.

Without constant contact with another person, we really have only a glimpse at best of who that person really is or what is going on in their lives.

Scripture also provides us with some examples of people that were misjudged.

Often, they were misjudged because they were not like what people anticipated.

John the Baptist provided us with an excellent example of that.

Matthew 3:4 (NET) - Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.


John the Baptist played a pivotal role in scripture preparing the way for Jesus.

Yet because of his outward appearance he was easily misjudged by others.

Scripture even reminds us that some of its greatest men were capable of incorrect assumptions.

This was true of Samuel.

Samuel was sent by God to Jesse to anoint God’s chosen leader to replace Saul.

Jesse and his sons were consecrated.

When Samuel saw Eliab he was certain that Eliab was God’s chosen.

Samuel was incorrect.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NET) - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."


If it was possible for a man like Samuel to be incorrect in his assessment, what does that say for us?

It is clear that it is the Lord’s place to judge.

This is true because He alone is Lord.

It is also true because He sees what you and I cannot possibly see.

He sees what is in the heart.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Turning Point

When I was a young man, I had a job that I enjoyed working with people that I liked.

There is an old saying that states that ignorance is bliss.

I was happy but only because I was ignorant of changes that would soon turn that part of my world upside down in the span of one day.

One Friday morning, I was approached by two managers.

They informed me that the company had promised a shipment to a customer that day.

They added that when the product reached my department for inspection we were to do whatever was necessary in order to make sure that product shipped that day.

While this might prove difficult I could not assure them of the likelihood of success until I had more information.

I needed to know how much product there was, when I could expect it and who the customer was.

There were over one hundred units and I could expect them by the middle of the afternoon.

This was going to be challenging.

Then they told me who the customer was and that made a challenging task impossible.

This customer was associated with a governmental agency and both demanded that every dimension on every part be measured for compliance and safety.

Even if I put every inspector on this task, there was simply no way we could both measure and record everything and certify that the inspection had been performed to their specifications.

It was obvious that they were not happy with my stance and they strongly suggested that I think it over before the parts made their way to me.

They walked away.

The moment they departed, the people in my department asked what was going on, so I filled them in.

They asked the question I anticipated, "What are we going to do?"

I told them that we were simply going to do our jobs to the best of our ability.

We were going to comply with the customer’s and agency’s demands unless they provided us with a waiver.

That afternoon the parts made it to our area and the two managers accompanied them.

I asked them if it were possible to request the waivers we needed.

They informed me that waivers would not be requested.

I told them that this was regrettable.

I turned to the staff and reminded them that we knew what the requirements were.

I divided the parts equally between us and we began working.

We were going to give it our best effort but ultimately we knew that we would not be able to keep this deadline.

The two managers watched us work for a few minutes and left so that they could talk in private.

About an hour later, I was summoned to one of their offices.

He reminded me that he had personally promised this shipment.

I then reminded him that he knew their requirements and therefore should either have not made the promise or requested waivers.

He told me that he expected me to look the other way.

He added that the next time, my job might depend on it.

What he was in essence telling me was that I would have to be willing to be dishonest.

This would mean being dishonest with myself as well as with a customer.

I informed him that I was not willing to compromise my integrity.

2 Chronicles 19:9 (NET) - He commanded them: "Carry out your duties with respect for the LORD, with honesty, and with pure motives."

I knew that my future with that company could never again be what I had hoped it could be and immediately began looking for a new job.

With God's help, I found one.

For what it’s worth, I have been at my current firm in excess of twenty years and that would not have happened had I compromised what I knew to be correct.

As I prepared to leave that company, I sensed that the people in my department were genuinely sad to see me leave.

I wished them all well and I still think of them often.

I suspect at least some of them were eventually asked to compromise what they knew to be right.

Although difficult, I hope they made they made the right choice.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Checkmate

When I was a very young boy, my uncle taught me to play checkers.

When I was a little older, a family friend gave me a chess and checkers set.

As much as I liked to play checkers, I was fascinated by the chess pieces.

I really wanted to learn how to play chess but at that young age I could not read the instructions and no one in my world knew how to play.

As time went by, I grew older, my world grew larger and I learned how to read.

One day, as I browsed through a bookstore, I discovered that many books had been written on the game of chess.

I was delighted.

I carefully selected a book that not only explained the rules of the game but also taught some of the strategies.

I remember how I went through all the example situations time and time again.

As time continued to go by I read every book on the game I could get my hands on while at the same time my world grew larger.

Eventually, my world grew large enough that I had a handful of friends that also enjoyed the game.

We played when we could and I was not disappointed with my apparent knowledge and mastery of the game.

After graduating from high school, my world grew larger still and I entered a few tournaments.

Although I never won a competition I was glad to meet new people who shared this interest and my game continued to improve.

I recall a time when I was in my twenties and I entered a tournament.

I faced my first opponent and was shocked by how quickly he defeated me in the first game.

Not to be deterred, I decided that in the second game I would play much more carefully.

Yet, despite my best effort, my opponent defeated me fairly easily.

That second loss eliminated me in the first round but rather than dwell on that I congratulated my opponent and complimented his play.

He graciously accepted and we spoke for a few minutes.

I simply had to know what books he had read so that I could learn from them as well.

I was astounded to learn that he had never read a single book written about the game.

He had many brothers and sisters growing up and played chess every single day.

He continued to play daily while he attended college.

It was his wealth of experience that enabled him to defeat me as easily as he had.

The Christian walk is a lot like that.

We can read the Bible plus all the other Christian books and magazines available to us.

Yet, it is how we choose to live out our lives every day that determines whether or not we live as Christians.

Scripture is important and I would not for a moment suggest that it is not.

Yet knowledge of scripture without living out what it teaches makes one a scholar, not a Christian.

It is our relationship with the Trinity and our fellow man that determines where we are in our Christian walk.

These relationships, when deepened on a daily basis, improve our lives and the lives of others significantly.

Jesus put it this way.

Mark 12:30-31 (NET) - "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these."

Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Preparing for the Worst

Currently, there are many television programs that deal with preparation for a post apocalyptic world.

For some reason, television producers sometimes prefer to use the word "Doomsday" in their titles.

So many of these programs revolve around people preparing to live in such a world.

These people are shown stockpiling food, water and weapons.

They are then depicted training to use those weapons.

Some even have more than one stockpile in the event they forced to abandon their primary store.

Some are spending huge sums of money building elaborate underground bunkers.

One family is even building a castle in order to defend their resources.

They then spend both time and money training themselves in how to best protect what they are amassing.

Before continuing, I do not think there is anything wrong with being prudent.

I keep a small supply of bottled water, canned goods, batteries and candles on hand in the event some natural disaster strikes and services are disrupted for a few days.

These individuals go far beyond prudence.

What they are in essence preparing for is the end of the world as we know it.

They are preparing for a complete breakdown of society and the anarchy that would inevitably ensue.

They imagine themselves locked safely inside their fortified walls along with their food and water successfully defending themselves against all comers.

Let's speak hypothetically for a moment.

Suppose the first to arrive at their compound is not some angry mob.

Suppose it is instead a single unarmed individual who is badly in need of food and water.

What would be their response?

Would they take this individual in?

What if that individual were a child?

A child that was not only in need of food and water but also frightened and alone.

Would their response be any different?

I suspect not.

Perhaps that is why the term "survivalist" seems appropriate.

Perhaps when one willingly sacrifices all compassion for his fellow man he also willingly sacrifices living for the sake of surviving.

I have to ask myself a question.

Is the world they prepare for the kind of world I would want to live in?

I would have to answer resoundingly "No".

I would much rather accept what Jesus promised.

John 14:2-3 (NET) - There are many dwelling places in my Father’s house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so where I am you may be too.
 
People are free to make choices.

I will choose to spend my time doing what Jesus said was most important; loving God and loving my neighbor.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

No Sad Ending

John 16:22 (NET) - So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy away from you.

I am grateful for every one of God’s blessings.

I am also grateful for the people through whom God blesses me.

Less than a year ago, the father of one of my friends passed away.

Although I never met my friend’s father I have been told that he and I had a great deal in common.

A few weeks ago, my friend offered to give me a collection of books from her father’s personal library that were written by an author that her father and I both appreciated.

Of course, I readily accepted.

When my friend brought the books to me the following day, I was quite surprised.

There were over fifty books from a special edition and every one of them was beautifully bound.

I told my friend I did not feel right accepting such a gift and asked her to reconsider her offer.

These books were obviously special to her father and I felt that she should rightfully keep them in her family.

I also told her that she should at least consider selling them.

My friend carefully explained to me that she knew these books were special to her father.

She added that she wanted me to have them because she knew I would appreciate them in the same way that her father had.

I then accepted them and assured her that I would indeed appreciate them in the same way.

Once I had them organized, I could see that there were certain volumes that her father had read several times.

Some of these titles I had read in the past.

A few I had read more than once and I looked forward to reading them again.

That was the case with the first book I chose to read from this set.

As I began to read this book, the story began to replay itself in my mind.

As I progressed through this book I was reminded how the story would eventually play itself out.

I also knew that, in the end, the main character would die.

With that conclusion, I felt a certain sense of loss.

Of course, this was a work of fiction and that character never actually existed.

He was nothing but an idea concocted in the mind of a skilled author who was blessed with both the creativity to weave a story and the ability to put that story into words that he could share with his readers.

In less than a week, I finished the book and that character died just as he had before.

That reminded me of someone else I read about in another book that I have read many more times.

Someone who did the most miraculous of things. 

Someone who had to sacrifice His life.

Someone who had to so in the most horrific of ways.

Someone who had to do so for me.

There were some overwhelming differences between the accounts.

The book I have read many times is the Bible and it is fact not fiction.

That someone is Jesus who is the embodiment of truth.

There is a genuine sadness I experience whenever I read the Bible and the journey of Jesus takes Him ever closer to the cross.

A sadness that culminates when Jesus lays down His very life for the likes of me.

His death, however, is not the end,

Jesus overcame even death itself.

With His resurrection, all the sadness I experience along the way is replaced by complete and utter joy.

Joy for Jesus.

Joy for me.

Because Jesus willingly died in my place,  my own death will not be the end.

Rather, it will only be a transition.

The feelings I experience as I read about Jesus in the Bible are genuine.

That is because Jesus is genuine.

The salvation He offers is genuine.

With Jesus there is no such thing as a happy ending simply because there is no ending.

With Jesus there is complete and total joy which will last for eternity!


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

A Fresh Start

A new school year has started.

While I have not attended school in a long time, I remember well some of the feelings I had when I began a new school year.

One of the feelings that I remember best was the excitement of having a new beginning.

Nothing compares with the sense of leaving prior mistakes and shortcomings behind.

It is a chance to start over.

The slate is clean and free of test grades that are less than great.

It is free of homework assignments that have not been given my best effort.

There are no negative comments in the margins.

There are no essays with the comments "explain" or "give examples".

There are no math worksheets with the comment "show your work".

It is a chance for a fresh start.

There are many people in the world right now that would like a nothing more than new beginning.

They would love nothing more than to start fresh.

If only they could leave the mistakes of their lives behind them and start anew with God.

They think about it time and time again.

Their regrets may even keep them awake at night.

Many conclude that they can never escape their past.

They may even conclude that they’ve done too many bad things.

Sadly, many conclude that God could never forgive someone like them, let alone love them.

How wrong they are.

John 3:16 (NET) - For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

John reminds us that God loves the world.

That means God loves everyone in the world enough to want to save them.

He provides for that salvation in the only way possible.

He had Jesus pay the price we could never pay on our own.

God does have some expectations.

God asks that we believe in Jesus.

But can a person really start over?

In the words of Jesus, one must.

John 3:3 (KJV) - Jesus answered and  said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

When one is born again, he becomes a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET) - So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, what is old has passed away - look, what is new is come!

Confession is also important.

1 John 1:9 (NET) - But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

Why?

After all, doesn’t God know everything already?

Certainly, but confession helps us build a relationship with God and serves to remind us how much we need salvation.

When we do this, something wonderful happens.

Psalm 103:12 (NET) - As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

A new beginning is possible.

After all, nothing is impossible for God.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

I wanna be a rock star

 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31,32
Many teaching we get in these two verses. I will look in this: "If you hold to my teaching..."
To believe in Jesus is more than to  know about Him. It is more than to know what He is able to do. To trust in Him means  to abandon our beliefs, even when we "believe" they may be came from God.
Many times we were taught about God but few of us look at Bible carefully to know if we were taught right, we use to believe because we use to believe!
When Jesus calls us, He says come and trust in me like I'm, even (and I dare to say, frequently) this believe means to abandon our on view point about Him. How many time we use to question our on faith? We have our faith and we always think be right.
John 7:27 shows us people confused about if Jesus was or not The Messiah, and why? Because a common sense in the time, used to say that when The Messiah come, nobody would know where He would come from and Jesus, even showing great miracles, amazing teachings and uncountable signs, was knowing by everybody, His birth city, parents and family making Him not fulfill 'the common sense'.
what it means, Patricia, you can ask me?
It means, dearest reader,  if we day by day, do not seek God, and obey His word more than religion and common sense, we are going to lost the real Jesus, and what is more important, salvation! Some times, we see Jesus in people that we don't think be "someone of God" and this kind of thought block us to listen God. We use to listen and read "that preachers we like" and few time we dare to question them, we just listen! Jesus said: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31,32. 
To hold His teaching many (many) times, will means be against common sense, religious traditions and culture.
We are near of a big american commemoration, Halloween. Some churches have bringing it into its temples cultivating witches, monsters and many kinds of bad stuff, just because 'it is our culture'. Brazil has many similar things, what people call folklore and I call blindness.
But, what matter is, that we have to be free and this freedom only come from obey Jesus and His word. To keep our salvation we have to stay living Matthew 5. Loving those who persecute us. Forgiving those who hurt us. Helping the needy.

I have  seen the church of 21 century. This is the most rich church of all time, and to our shame and sadness, the 21 century church is that has less impact and influence in the society. How is it possible? Maybe it is possible because people and leaders of this church, look for become similar to the world. Our clothes, life style, language, and habits in almost nothing differs of the world. We have the same desires, we have the same plans, we look for our own will, we look for be known by our greatness, our diploma in big universities. The 'dream' of big part of people that are called christian, is the same dream of those who aren't.
It is rare listen young from our churches say that to dream in become missionary, pastor our be known for forgive, love and live like Jesus. They want to be celebrity! If be pastor, they want be at TV, our to be a "gospel rock' star".  Resigns, altruism aren't words of our vocabulary!
Church, we have to wake up. We have to come back to Jesus life style. More of Him and less (too much less) of us.
To be a real christian, we need fast, turn away. We have to review our concepts before it guides us to too far that will be impossible to come back.
Come back church, come back!

Pati Nanni

Give Us This Day

Luke 11:8 (NET) - I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

The other day I found myself thinking about an old friend who passed away many years ago.

He and I were both part of a circle of friends who used to gather at a restaurant most evenings.

There, we would enjoy a cup of coffee or two, swap stories and simply enjoy the company of friends.

This particular friend was much older than I was.

In fact, he was originally my father’s friend.

My father died at a relatively young age and, as time passed, this old gentleman and I became quite good friends.

He had many interesting experiences in his lifetime and I always enjoyed the stories he shared with me.

One evening the group gathered together as was customary.

As we shared whatever happened to be on our minds, this particular friend finished his coffee before the rest of us.

He walked up to the counter to get a refill but the staff on duty that evening ignored his presence at the counter.

I could tell by the look on my friends face that he was growing agitated.

The next thing I knew, he walked out the door with his empty cup.

I assumed that my old friend was so upset at having been ignored that he decided to home.

What happened next surprised everyone.

Suddenly the bell that chimed when a car pulled up to the drive up window began to ring both loudly and repeatedly.

DING, DING, DING, DING. DING...

We all turned our heads because we never heard the bell chime more than twice for any given car.

Finally, one of the staff walked up to the drive up window and opened it.

The bell stopped chiming and I saw my friend’s arm barge through the open window holding the empty cup in his hand.

It was this old friend who repeatedly stomped on the hose that activated the bell in order to get some service.

The surprised employee took the cup from his hand, refilled it and handed it back to him.

I then saw my friend’s arm disappear into the night.

The rest of us could not help but laugh at our friend‘s creative solution.

A moment later, he walked back inside and sat down with us once more.

As I relived this memory of him, I could not help but laugh all over again.

This also brought to mind that particular verse from the book of Luke.

At times, one man responds to another’s request only when the man making the request becomes persistent.

My old friend was served when he persisted in ringing the bell thus forcing the restaurant staff into action.

When it comes to prayer, we can approach God boldly and He will respond favorably if our request is aligned with both His will and His timing.

He does this not out of obligation or our persistence.

He does this because of His genuine love for us.

In the Lord’s prayer we are instructed to request our daily bread which is a necessity,

I find it more than interesting that the persistent man requested  bread for another in the example Jesus gave to us.

Not only should we request that which is necessary for us, we should also request that which is necessary for others.

This is especially true when we pray for those who have not come to know Him for their need is the greatest of all.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Weathering the Storms

John 16:33 (NET) - I have told you these things so that in Me you will have peace. In the world you will have trouble and sufferings, but take courage - I have conquered the world.

In the summer, it is relatively easy to predict the weather where I live.

If I were asked to do so, I would forecast hot and dry and be correct the vast majority of the time.

I recall one summer day when the forecast called for hot with a slight chance of rain.

Even the professional forecasters all but dismissed that chance of rain.

Throughout the day and into the evening, it was indeed hot and not a single drop of rain fell.

That night, the slight chance of rain materialized in the form of a severe thunderstorm.

As it approached, I knew that we were in for quite a night because of the amount of thunder I heard in the distance.

When the storm arrived in full force, I was amazed by the amount of lightning it generated.

Continual flashes of lightning lit up my windows.

Several lightning bolts struck nearby.

Seated with my back to the wall, I could literally feel their shock waves as the concussions traveled through both the wall and my chair.

I could hear the wind as it drove the rain into my door and window panes.

As the winds continued to blow, hail began to fall.

Eventually, the storm passed.

The following day I saw some of the damage left by the storm.

Leaves littered the ground.

Broken tree branches were scattered about. Some fell in the streets.

Roofs were also damaged.

Yes, this was quite a storm.

The storm also brought one more thing.

Precious life giving rain.

A substantial amount had fallen and was quickly absorbed by the ground which the day before was extremely hard and dry.

In the days that followed, the grass, once brown and dry, softened and turned green once again.

It was given a new lease on life.

At times, the weather becomes turbulent.

At times, our very lives become turbulent.

Even believers experience times of turbulence and upheaval. 

Jesus was very clear about this in scripture.

That is why I have a problem with concept of only prosperity for believers.

According to some, becoming a believer will eliminate every problem and every challenge.

Experience, however, confirms both His words of caution and His promise.

In fact, some of the most faithful people I have ever known have endured challenges that would cause many without faith to become easily discouraged.

In some cases it was a health crisis. In others it was the sudden loss of a loved one. For others it was a problem in the workplace.

To speak candidly , believers face many challenges in a lifetime.

There are even times when they face several challenges at once.

The believer, however, knows that he does not face these storms alone.

The believer knows that there is no reason to fear and every reason to hope.

The believer knows that Jesus has conquered the world and will help them weather the storm whatever that storm may bring.

They rest assured knowing that they will be blessed in the process.

They may even be a vehicle of blessing for others as a result.

It is easy to thank God when things are going our way.

The faithful also thank God during the storms in life.

It is in the process of overcoming them that He refines us.

It is in facing them that our relationship with God is strengthened.

When the storms pass, and they will, the blessings that accompany them are truly appreciated.



Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

When the Undesirable Happens….

Ezr 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.

Ezr 4:5 And they hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.



Ezr 4:23 And when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they hurried to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop by force and power.

Ezr 4:24 Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem ceased. So it ceased to the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.



Yeah, sometimes the wicked do prevail, our weaknesses do cripple us, situations and circumstances overwhelm us, we experience regression instead of progression, darkness instead of light, hopelessness instead of hope….and so many times we fail at encouraging ourselves to continue (as David did-1 Sam 30:6)

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And don't for a moment think it is when we go our own way or when we are in error, but sometimes just as in the passage quoted above (Ezra 4:1-24), we see that our genuine and spiritual progress get halted.

Did it just start? No! The 3 hebrew children experienced that when they refused to bow to the god of Nebudchadnezzar (Daniel 3:13-23); and Job also experienced it (Job 1:12-19; 2:1-8). If we think it is because the Holy Spirit was not around and the manifestation of his power has not been made known, then you will be surprised to know that even so many Apostles died horrible deaths, faced grave dangers, and circumstances that can make us lose our minds (Hebrew 11:35b-39).

While I cannot tell you why God would let His work be stopped, His anointed suffer in the hands of evil and wicked men and allow circumstances and situations to overwhelm us (I lack the capacity to do that), but I can tell you two things I know for sure- without any doubt:

1. God is with you all the way-

Isa 43:1 But now so says Jehovah who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.

Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you;

2. God will take care of YOU

Psalm 55:22

(CEV) Our LORD, we belong to you. We tell you what worries us, and you won't let us fall.

(ERV) Give your worries to the LORD, and he will care for you. He will never let those who are good be defeated.

(GNB) Leave your troubles with the LORD, and he will defend you; he never lets honest people be defeated.

(GW) Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble.


These are sure words we can live our lives on. It has never failed and it will never fail. By it the heavens and the earth were made and it is TRUE. God is with us all the way, and He will take care of us.


Shallom.

Worlds Apart

Matthew 5:3 (NET) - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of God belongs to them.

My friends just returned from a mission trip.

They shared some of their experiences with me.

In reflecting on the things they shared, I could not help but feel overwhelmed.

The remote village to which they traveled was quite poverty stricken.

The people there had very little as far as possessions are concerned.

Home was little more than four walls and a roof that could not even keep out the rain.

A simple bag of food distributed by missionaries to a household would be rationed and stretched to its limit and would last that family several days.

My friends have been sponsoring two children in this country for a number of years.

On this trip, God moved them to sponsor a third child.

Given the opportunity to meet this child, they took her to a zoo in the city.

These were both very new experiences for her.

She delighted in seeing all the different kinds of animals on display at the zoo.

Afterward, they went to a restaurant but were surprised that the child did not wish to eat her meal.

When asked why, she said she wanted to take it home and share it with her family.

This moved my friends who then told her to eat her meal and they promised her that before leaving they would buy food for her family.

Church was also a different experience for them.

The service was held in a structure that is a far cry from the image most people think of when they hear the word "church".

The service also lasted much longer than what most of us are accustomed to.

Singing songs of praise took up much of that time.

God had a surprise for one of my friends.

He was asked to preach.

He had nothing prepared ahead of time and found himself in total reliance upon the Holy Spirit.

Speaking through an interpreter, he delivered the message that God had given him to share.


Why am I sharing this?

Most of us have much more in terms of possessions than the people in this village will ever have.

In regard to food, most of us discard in a few days what families there share in a week.

Even the overall church experience differs.

At the risk of painting with a very broad brush, we expect church to conform to what we expect from it rather than what it is meant to offer us.

Perhaps most revealing was the overwhelming knowledge that those who have so very little are far more grateful than we can ever hope to be.

They are likely truly happier as well.

Matthew 5:8 (NET) - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

The Right Tool

Scripture reminds us time and again that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things,

God used Moses to deliver His chosen people from bondage,

Even Moses was reluctant to heed that call at first.

Exodus 4:10 (NET) - Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not an eloquent man, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and  slow of tongue."

Nevertheless, God used Moses to fulfill His purpose.

When the giant Goliath filled Saul’s army with fear, God provided someone to defeat him.

God did not send in a seasoned veteran of many campaigns.

God used David, a young shepherd, though Saul protested at first.

1 Samuel 17:33 (NET) - But Saul replied to David, "You aren’t able to go against the Philistine and fight him! You're just a boy! He has been a warrior since his youth!"

Nevertheless, God used David to slay Goliath.

God chose these men and provided them with skills to accomplish His purpose.

He also provided them with the tools with which to prevail.

These tools, to casual observers, must have seemed poor at best.

Yet when blessed by God and in the hands of God’s  chosen they brought about complete and total victory.

In David’s case the tool was a simple shepherd’s sling.

Saul provided David with a helmet and armor.

David was not able to use them.

David used the tools God gave him and even Goliath fatally underestimated David’s skill in using them.


David obtained victory because he knew he did not fight Goliath on his own.

He prevailed because he knew God was with him.

1 Samuel 17: 50 (NET) - David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and a stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand.

In the case of Moses, the tool God provided him was a simple staff.

Moses used this staff to part the waters to provide the people a means of escaping Pharaoh’s pursuing army.

Exodus 14:16 (NET) - "And as for you, lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry ground."

After the people made good their escape, God had Moses use that same staff to defeat Pharaoh’s army once and for all.

Exodus 14:27 (NET) - So Moses extended his hand toward the sea and the sea returned to its normal state when the sun began to rise. Now the Egyptians were fleeing before it, but the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.

God indeed uses ordinary people with ordinary tools to accomplish His purpose.

Even today He uses similar combinations to bring Him glory.

What ordinary tool has He given you.

Is it a pen or a keyboard?

Perhaps it is a paintbrush and canvas?

Could it be a chisel and a block of stone or a simple lump of clay?

Is it a musical instrument?

Perhaps it is your voice raised in song or spoken word?

Whatever tool you have, God can use both it and you to bring Him glory.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Water of Life

It rained where I live about a week ago,.

There is a left hand turn in the road where we set out our garbage for pickup. That curve in the road is not level.

Whenever it rains, the water travels downhill until it reaches the curb by that turn where it can travel no farther.

There, the water collects and a variety of small animals take advantage of this bounty while it lasts.

This pool of water does not last very long though.

The summer heat causes the water to evaporate.

Birds and other small animals drink their portion as well.

As I took out the garbage the other morning I noticed that all that remained of the earlier rainfall was a very small puddle.

On this particular morning, the puddle was being guarded by a single bird whose instincts motivated it to drive away any other birds that wanted to drink from this rapidly dwindling supply.

As I was not in a particular hurry at the time, I decided to watch this drama as it unfolded.

A group of much smaller birds had gathered nearby intending to get a drink.

The larger bird stood next to the puddle guarding it.

Suddenly, the group of smaller birds instinctively put their plan into action.

One of their group approached the puddle which prompted the larger bird to chase it away.

Once both had taken flight, the birds that remained quickly assaulted the puddle and began to drink.

When the larger bird returned to defend its puddle, the smaller birds retreated to their safe distance.

There they were joined by their comrade who had just been driven away only a moment before.

Then, another member of this tiny raiding party made his approach knowing that he too would soon be driven away.

As soon as the larger bird drove away this new invader, the clever band of raiders moved in and began to drink again.

Time and again, I watched this process repeat itself.

The small birds each took their turn luring the larger one away leaving the water unguarded.

I concluded that the larger bird really accomplished nothing.

He merely expended energy in a futile attempt to protect what he intended to keep for himself.

In fact, he was so busy defending it, that I never actually saw him take so much as a single drink during this time.

The smaller birds seemed to have an unquenchable thirst as they continued to drink. 

I finished my chore and left because I knew that eventually there would be no water left in this spot at all.

As I reflected on what I had witnessed, I was reminded of the account of Jesus and the woman at the well.

In this account, Jesus explained to the woman the difference between ordinary water and the living water that He offered.

John 4:13-14 (NET) - Jesus replied, "Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I give will never be thirsty again, but the water I give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life."

What a difference there is between ordinary water and the living water Jesus offers.

The living water that He offers us is plentiful and will never decrease in volume no matter how many partake of it.

Those that have partaken of His generous gift of living water are not to guard it and keep it for themselves.

In fact, He encourages believers to invite others to come to Him to come and drink of it as well.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

In Charge of More

This week, our church hosted another successful Vacation Bible School.

I am so grateful to God for my church family.

A great deal of effort goes into this ministry. I do not use the word work here because many do not consider what they do as work.

Preparations begin months in advance but the end result is a very successful ministry and community outreach.

Although children and their walk with God is the focal point of Bible School, we also provide an adult class every evening,

I felt both happy and privileged to teach two of those adult classes.

My second class posed a particularly interesting challenge as I had to discuss the first six chapters of Nehemiah in about one hour.

The point we were stressing that particular night was that "Prayer helps us stand strong!"

Thinking back on the number of times I have read Nehemiah, I was always impressed with Nehemiah’s personal growth and the number of skills that God bestowed upon him as he rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.

From my professional life, I often thought that Nehemiah would have had an incredible resume.

When it came time to teach this class, I set up an easel with a large pad and wrote on the top line "Resume of Nehemiah."

I told my class that as we went through the first six chapters we would look for the specific skill sets God gave Nehemiah and we would build his resume as we went along.

I began with the last verse of Nehemiah chapter one which stated that he was "wine steward for the emperor". As we are to do our jobs as if we were doing them for God, we made that our first item.

We then went back to the beginning of Nehemiah and began to read.

We read that Nehemiah mourned, fasted and prayed so we added these three items next.

I asked the class to notice how specific Nehemiah’s prayer was.

Nehemiah requested letters from the emperor granting him safe passage and building materials, so we added "administration".

Upon arrival, Nehemiah surveyed the damage to the wall so we next added "damage assessment".

Next he rallied the people for the work at hand, so we added "management and motivation".

The third chapter detailed the various groups that worked on the wall and the sections each was responsible for rebuilding. So we added "project management" and "human resources".

Enemies then threatened to attack those working on the wall, and Nehemiah responded by having the people prepared for battle even while work on the wall continued. So, we added "military general" to the list.

Many had to borrow from the few that could lend just to buy grain and pay taxes.

Nehemiah grew angry at the interest the lenders were imposing on their own people.

He told them that what they were doing was enslaving their brothers and sisters and he strongly reminded them that this was wrong. They immediately agreed to stop this practice, so we added "spiritual advisor" to the list.

Nehemiah was then made "governor" so we added that to the list and learned that he did not demand from the people that which former governors still expected out of his respect for God.

Nehemiah’s enemies continued to conspire against him and even some of his own prophets were influenced by those enemies.

Throughout this monumental task, Nehemiah remained faithful and he prayed often.

In fifty two days, the wall was completed.

I reminded my students that Nehemiah’s prayers helped him stand strong and we should always be mindful that "Prayer helps us stand strong!"

Before I dismissed the class, I read the parable of the talents.


In it a man went on a journey and entrusted his slaves to his property.

Matthew 25:15 (NET) - To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

The first two put their master’s money to work and earned him more but the third buried his one talent in the ground .

The third was rebuked by his master and had his talent given to the first slave who had earned him the most.

The other two were each praised by their master.

Matthew 25:21 (NET) - His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

I pointed to the resume we created and reminded my students that as Nehemiah continued to be faithful, God had indeed put him in charge of many things!

He does the same with us today.

I also cannot help but notice that parable used ‘talent’ for the currency.

God gives each of us ‘talents’ of a different nature.

He gives these to us in order that we bring glory to Him.

If we are faithful with what He gives us, He will give us even more with which to bring him even more glory!



Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Set Sail

Scripture constantly amazes me.

No matter how many times I read or hear an account from the Bible, I still pick up on things that I had not picked up on before.

This is true even of the most familiar accounts. Even those I first learned as a child.

One that fits this category is the account of Noah and the ark.

One of the earliest picture books I was given as a child was about Noah and the ark

My mother related the account of Noah and the ark to me many times while I was still too young to read.

I even had a toy ark to play with complete with a tiny Noah and little pairs of animals.

Recently, I found myself thinking about this portion of scripture.

My thoughts were not centered on Noah and his family.

I found myself thinking about the rest of humanity.

I thought about those outside the ark who were not spared the global devastation.

It stands to reason that some saw the gigantic ark under construction as Noah built it to the exact specifications as revealed to him by God.

There must have been talk about Noah.

I imagine that  many must have thought that Noah had taken leave of his senses.

Yet Noah continued to build.

Once the ark had been completed, Noah gathered the animals specified by God that would  repopulate the earth.

I imagine that by this time more than a few became concerned.

Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives entered the ark along with all the animals.

Then, then the rain began to fall.

By this time, I imagine that even more became concerned.

The rains continued to fall and the waters began to rise.

At this point, I imagine that almost everyone outside the ark was concerned.

As the waters continued to rise with no sign of letting up, concern must surely have turned to panic.

As their panic increased, I imagine that many began to plead frantically.

I wondered what impact this might have had on Noah and his family.

About the time I pondered this, I attended a devotional presented by my very good friend Randy.

As I listened to him read this account from scripture, I picked up on something I had never truly never picked up on before.

Genesis 7:16 (NET) - Those that entered were  male and female, just as God commanded him. Then the LORD shut him in.

That last sentence shed new light on my thoughts.

"Then the LORD shut him in."

Noah did not seal himself in.

Noah and his family were sealed off from the world outside by none other than the Lord Himself.

Even if Noah had heard their cries and taken pity on them, there would have been absolutely nothing he could do for them.

This bears a remarkable parallel to the Christian walk and outreach of today.

Ephesians 1:13 (NET) - And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) - when you believed in Christ - you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.

This seal is a mark ownership.

Those that have heard the truth and accepted Christ as their savior have this mark of ownership.

They have been set apart just as those aboard the ark were set apart by the Lord.

The crucial difference is that we have been commissioned to share the Good News with others.

Some will listen and they too will be set apart.

Others, perhaps like those that may have watched Noah build the ark, will conclude that we have taken leave of our senses.

But, as long as they draw breath there is hope.

That is why we must continue to reach out to them.

It must have taken Noah and his sons a long time to build the ark.

They faithfully continued to build until the ark was finished.

In the same way, we must continue our outreach throughout our lifetime until our work is finished.

With help from the Trinity, we can help others get on board and so that they too may be set apart.

One day, the door that leads salvation will be forever sealed.

As each day passes, we should experience a new and heightened sense of urgency.

As each day passes, there is one less day for us to reach out.

As each day passes, there is one less day for others to respond to His call.

Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Few things get bigger

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much...” (Luke 16:10, NIV)
Are we faithful in the little things that life faces us with? Or are we always waiting for that big opportunity to stand up for Jesus and bring others to salvation?
Well, what we very often tend to forget is that before God can use us greatly to be a blessing to many, we have to prove ourselves by being faithful in little things; things which are part of our everyday life and which may seem quite insignificant to us in the larger scheme of things. In Luke 19:11-7 Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the 10 servants who were given 1 mina each and asked to do business with it. In that parable we read, ‘Well done, good servant, because you were faithful in very little, have authority over 10 cities’ (Luke 19:17). In Luke 16:10 Jesus says another parable where he says ‘He who is faithful in what is least, is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least, is unjust also in much.’
Now, what does it mean to be faithful in little things? Do we realize that we are, each day of our lives, living through that test? Perhaps it is because we have not passed that yet that God cannot fully use us the way He would have liked or planned. Will we miss the perfect will of God in our lives, just because we were not faithful in the little things?
Here are some of the little things that all of us face in our lives.
1.Not being ashamed to let our friends know that we do believe (and follow) Christ, even if that may mean some temporary ridiculing. (Matt 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9 – Whoever confesses me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God, but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God). This is one of the most difficult challenges I have faced. There are times in the past when I have not wanted to disclose the fact that I believe strongly in Jesus (for fear of being ridiculed by some unbelievers). I may not have denied Jesus, but I conveniently made sure that I did not put myself in a situation where my faith would be exposed.
2.Being faithful with all matters of money and belongings that don’t belong to us.
3.Not gossiping or talking in a derogatory manner about others behind their backs. Many times, even if we ourselves may not say much, when our friends do so, we may just stand around, laughing and enjoying with them. Is that because we don’t want to be seen as being ‘different’ from them? (Ref Ephesians 4:29, Titus 3:1)

4. Problems of ego, pride, selfish ambition, ‘Me first, others later’ attitude, anger and frustration when others take the credit that is due to us (at work perhaps).
5. Lying in matters small or big (another huge challenge many of us keep facing). (Colossians 3:9 – Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds)
6. Corrupt practices, cheating etc, which are considered okay and sometimes even as ‘smart’ by the world. Many times we may find ourselves going with the flow for fear of standing up for what we believe in and would end up doing something that is not right. Sometimes when people suggest to us corrupt or wrong ways of doing things, instead of telling them that our conscience would not permit us to do that, we may just keep quiet or nod our heads in agreement, although we may not actually follow their advice. This again is because we don’t want to be seen as ‘different’.
7.Being stingy or greedy for money or some other possessions.
Can people see a difference in the way we behave in our daily activities? If they don’t see a difference, that’s either because we are as much a part of this world system as they are or because we are too ashamed to let the world know that we aren’t. How then can we be called followers of Christ?
In Matthew 12:33 Jesus says that a tree is known by its fruit. Putting up a board reading ‘mango tree’ in front of a banana tree is not going to make it any less identifiable as a banana tree. Going to church every Sunday and going to prayer meetings is not what identifies us as Christians. It’s the way we live our everyday life that does. (Refer Galatians 5:16-26 for a concise instruction on Christian living)
In scripture, the prophet Elisha told a man named Naaman to go wash in the Jordan River and he would be cured of his leprosy. Naaman was the Captain of an army, a very influential man. He didn’t want to go wash in the dirty Jordan River. His attitude was, “That’s absurd. That’s little. That’s insignificant. That’s not going to make any difference.” His assistant said, “Naaman, if he would have asked you to do something hard, something big, you would do it. Why don’t you do this small thing?” Naaman finally went and washed in the Jordan, and he was totally healed.

I wonder how many of us would see our breakthrough, our healing, our promotion, or a dream come to pass if we would just do the small thing that God is asking us to do. People think, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll do it one day.” But realize today, those little things mean a lot. They are keeping you from the fullness of your destiny. It may be something small, but your act of obedience will cause God to release the big thing that He has in store.
It means obey, believe and live in integrity... God bless

His Finest Hour

Psalm 23:4 (KJV) - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

In the line of pastors that have served my church, I have had the great privilege in knowing three of them in my lifetime.

Each was unique.

Each had his own personality.

Each had his own style of oratory.

Yet, all three were men of God who utilized the gifts God gave them when they answered His call to the ministry.

My thoughts lately have been of the second pastor I knew.

He was the pastor who taught my confirmation class.

His son was also a member of that class and I consider the friendship I maintain with him to be one of the finest blessings God has ever bestowed upon me.

My reflections, however, revolve around the memories made about fifteen years ago.

My mother had to spend several days in the hospital as she underwent a battery of tests.

Whenever she was having them done, I would usually go to the lobby to get some coffee from one of the vending machines.

Each day, I looked over the registry posted in the lobby to see if anyone I knew happened to be admitted as a patient.

On one such day, I learned that the second pastor that I knew had just been admitted.

He had been retired for a number of years at this point in time.

Later, when my mother had returned to her room, we discussed her latest procedures and those that were still scheduled.

Afterward, I informed her that the pastor we both knew was in the hospital as well.

The following day, when her testing resumed, I walked over to the pastor’s room and saw that he was awake.

I knocked on the door frame and asked if he felt like having some company.

He invited me in.

I told him why my mother was there and that I happened to notice that he was a patient.

He didn’t speak about his condition but was genuinely concerned about Mother.

I assured him that her condition was not threatening.

I informed him that her doctor felt it would be better for her to be in the hospital until all the tests had been run and a plan for treatment had been established.

He agreed that this was a wise decision and said that he would pray for us both.

I thanked him.

We made general small talk but he did not go into any details as to why he was there.

A short time later, I could tell he was feeling fatigued.

I excused myself and told him I would drop by later.

I headed to the lobby for my usual coffee when I saw my friend, the pastor’s son, walk in.

We shook hands.

I told him why my mother was there and that I had just left his father’s room after a brief visit.

He told me that the news regarding his father was not good and that it was very probable that he did not have much time left.

I was stunned.

Before I could say anything, my friend added that his father was at peace with his situation.

We then parted company and he went on to his father’s room.

As I sat alone with my coffee, I prayed.

I wondered how I would break this news to my mother.

I decided that it would be best to wait until her testing was complete before I told her.

When I returned, I found her back in her room and she told me about the tests they had just run.

Her final tests were scheduled the next day and, in all likelihood, she would be kept one additional night before being released.

Throughout that day, my thoughts alternated between her and the pastor.

Later that day, I asked her if she would mind if I went to visit with him for a few minutes.

She told me to go as she was feeling better.

As I walked down the hallway to his room I had no idea what this visit was going to be like.

I arrived and saw him sitting on the edge of his bed reading his Bible.

I watched in silence as his finger underlined each sentence as he read.

He had a marvelously peaceful look on his face.

It was obvious that he was drawing strength from scripture.

This was a moment between the pastor and God that I simply could not interrupt.

When I got back to my mother’s room she remarked that I had not been gone very long.

I simply told her that this was not a particularly good time for a visit.

As I think back to those days and that moment in particular, I realize something very important.

That was one of the finest sermons my pastor preached!


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

What Do You Know?

Few things are touted more enthusiastically in our society than "knowledge." Modern technology, which seems to rule the world, is based ultimately on sophisticated mathematics and science.  Millions of people spend or borrow untold billions of dollars to gain an understanding of those things in universities.  Governments spend billions more to finance medical and other scientific research, so that the knowledge acquired can be applied to improve our material lives or, at the extreme, to comb the universe in search of other worlds to explore. One can hardly utter an opinion on any subject without being challenged to back it up with "scientific studies" of some sort.

But in the grand--and eternal--scheme of things, what does this kind of "knowledge" really avail us?  It may improve and even save lives, but can it tell us what the <i>purpose</i> of living is?  The "what" of human knowledge may be growing exponentially, but does it even begin to shed light on the "why"?  Hasn't the practical deification of "science," and the single-minded pursuit of worldly wisdom, distracted or discouraged most people from even starting to consider seriously what destiny, if any, they'll have beyond this life and this world?

These are issues that today's "knowledge"-driven world doesn't really want you to be thinking about, because they lead people to question and search for things higher and better than the World can provide, things the World can't control and often run counter to the priorities of those who dominate it.

Actually, this is nothing new at all.  Just as in Christ's time on the Earth, there is a kingdom that belongs to Ceasar, and one that belongs to God. Ceasar's kingdom is of this world, which will pass away, but God's Kingdom "is not of this world" (John 18:36), but of Eternity; it existed before the world was made, and it will endure forever after this world is gone. That Kingdom is where we came from, and where will be our true and lasting home.

It follows then that the only "knowledge" that truly counts is that which pertains to and helps us toward the eternal ingdom of God; all else, ultimately, is a distraction and vain. And what is the "knowledge" that we should be seeking? I would suggest: what we are; where we came from; what is expected of us here; where we can and should be going from here; and how to get there. The Word of God tells us these things, as we study, pray, and are enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit.

The duality of our nature, and the dichotomy of man's world as contrasted with God's Kingdom, puts us in a challenginig position.  We have to gain enough worldly knowledge, in school and elsewhere, to function in modern society and take proper care of ourselves and our families. The challenge is to avoid beinig consumed with the pursuit of worldly knowledge and benefits, including the "popularity" that comes with adhering to the morally corrupting conventional "wisdoms" of the day. As is often said, we must be "in the world, but not of the world."  We must always keep God and the things that pertain to His Kingdom and our immortal souls foremost in our lives, and resolve all conflicts between our Heavenly and worldly needs in favor of the former.

Sooner or later, and to a lesser or greater degree, doing so will put us in conflict with the world and provoke derision--or even persecution--by those who have no understanding or regard for spiritual things. As the Apostle Paul observed, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)  We can only pity and pray for those people; "for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."  (1 Corinthians 1:18)  Happily, we know for a certainty that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25)  Is it not better to be empowered by our eternal, loving God than by a doomed, selfish world?

Knowledge of our Heavenly Father and of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the most precious thing we can attain. Perhaps, as the old adage goes, it's not "what" you know but "Who" that really counts.

Tom Fleming
Songs of Praises

Damaging Words

Matthew 19:14 (NIV)  - Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I am always amazed at how an event can bring back a memory with vivid clarity.

Last week, something I heard caused me to remember a most unfortunate event I witnessed many decades ago.

When I was a teenager, I went to a department store with my parents.

As soon as we entered the store, I left my parents and went directly to the sporting goods department.

As a teenage boy, this was one of the few areas of the store in which I had much interest.

Baseball season had just begun so I began looking at equipment made for that sport.

A young man in his twenties was there with his very young daughter.

He was looking at some golf clubs while his little girl amused herself by getting into practically everything.

When she got to the footballs, her eyes lit up.

She picked one up and brought it to her father and asked, "Will you buy me a football?"

Her father looked at her and said, "No. When you’re bigger, I’ll buy you a basketball."

Puzzled, the child asked, "Why not a football?"

The father answered, "Because girls don’t play football. They play basketball."

This only confused the child.

She then asked, "Why don’t girls play football?"

Then the man said something to his daughter that I will never forget!

He looked at his daughter and said, "Because God made girls slow and uncoordinated. That’s why!"

At this the little girl began to cry uncontrollably.

I was disgusted.

Then, as if to accentuate his ignorance, he added, "Don’t blame me. it’s not my fault."

This caused the little girl to cry all the more.

My heart bled for this child.

As I walked away, numerous questions raced through my mind.

I asked myself how a father could shatter a little girl’s self esteem the way he had just done.

This little girl trusted her father to always be truthful with her.

As far as she knew, he had been.

This man laid down a foundation for her future failures rather than her future successes.

I also asked myself how he was able to attribute such a lie to God.

Finally, I wondered what would have happened had the child’s mother heard these words.

At this, I realized that it was very probable that he treated her disrespectfully as well.

I said earlier that it was a recent event that brought this memory back.

When I was at the grocery store, I heard a mother publicly call her young son an "idiot".

When I hear parents speak to their children in such ways, it breaks my heart.

Positive words and encouragement serve to build a child up over time.

Negative words and unjust criticisms can tear them down in a heartbeat.

This is especially true of the words spoken by those children should be able to trust completely.

When dealing with a child one do well to heed Biblical caution.

Matthew 18:10 (NET) - "See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.



Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com

Parts of the Plan

Jeremiah 29:11 (NET) -  ‘For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not harm you. I plan to give you a future filled with hope.’

I will always be grateful for the mother God gave me.

Her story was not an easy one.

Her first pregnancy was extremely difficult and the child she delivered, my brother, died in infancy.

Her second pregnancy ended in miscarriage.

Heartbroken, she and my father must have concluded that having a child they could raise to adulthood was just not meant to be.

God’s plan was different.

Shortly after my mother turned forty years of age, I was born.

Although neither of my parents ever said anything to me about it, I concluded that I was not the result of any planning on their part.

I was however a part of the plan that God had and that was sufficient for me.

It was my mother who taught me to pray when I was very young.

It was my mother who told me stories from the Bible when I was still too young to read.

As the years passed we developed a great relationship together as mother and son.

That was also part of God’s plan because shortly after I graduated from high school, my father died.

Mother found employment and I left school to do the same.

A few years later, she was diagnosed with arthritis.

It grew progressively worse.

During a downturn in the economy, she found herself suddenly unemployed.

Because of her now debilitating arthritis, her prospects of finding another job were not good.

Fortunately, by the time this happened, I had a better job and she was able to retire.

To me, this was further evidence of God’s plan in action.

Although she remained mentally sharp, her arthritis grew steadily worse.

I tried to keep her as active as her condition would permit.

On really cold or damp days, her arthritis would be especially painful.

On one of those days, she asked for my help with a simple task.

Of course, I agreed and jokingly asked, "What are you going to do tomorrow when I’m at work?"

I will never forget her response.

She looked at me with those still beautiful hazel eyes and said, "I am going to pray."

With all of my heart, I believed her.

I also knew exactly what she meant by that.

She would not be praying for herself.

She would be praying for me and for my safe return home.

When I was young, she taught me with words.

As an adult, she taught me by example.

Again, another glimpse into God’s plan.

Mother died just a few years ago.

Since her passing, I have had many people tell me that God was going to bless me some day for taking such good care of her.

What those well meaning people did not realize was that He was already blessing me every step of the way.

That too was part of His plan.

Because of the faith she instilled and cultivated in me, I have a solid foundation upon which I continue to build and which I now share with others.

Sharing in ways that I do not believe she could have foreseen.

I certainly did not foresee them.

That too was part of His plan.

I cannot help but wonder how His plan will yet surprise me.

As human beings, we cannot see nor even comprehend all the facets of God’s plan.

He does, however, give us glimpses into that plan and even of Himself if we take the time to reflect on how involved He is in our lives.

What glimpses is He showing you?



Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com