Isaiah 55:11 (NET) - In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.
I listen to a Christian radio station while I commute.
This station has, as part of its evening programming lineup, messages recorded by a minister who teaches the Bible consecutively from Genesis through Revelation.
His teaching style is relaxed and he constantly refers to his listeners as "Friends".
His name is Dr. J. Vernon McGee and the name of his program is Thru the Bible Radio Network.
His systematic study of the Bible is a two and one half year journey that is often referred to as the "Bible bus trip" and listeners are invited to "get on the bus".
Dr. McGee grew up in my state, hailing from Hillsboro, Texas and I was immediately attracted to his Texas accent as well as his message.
His ministry eventually took him to California.
I guess the old adage is true.
You can take a man out of Texas, but you cannot take Texas out of the man.
I remember his study of Jonah very well and with great fondness.
As he related how Jonah was inside the fish for days before he went to Nineveh I had a great laugh courtesy of Dr. McGee.
He said something like...
Now friends, I’ll bet the people of Nineveh could smell Jonah well before they even saw him!
The other remarkable thing about Dr. McGee’s program that I especially enjoy are the letters that continue to arrive from listeners around the world. Many of their authors gave their lives to Jesus as a result of hearing Dr. McGee’s teaching.
What’s so remarkable about that?
Simply this.
Dr. McGee passed away in 1988.
I ask you to consider this very carefully,
Dr. McGee left this world almost a quarter of a century ago.
How is it that he continues to win souls?
If he could, I am sure Dr. McGee would say it is not he that is winning souls but rather it is the Word of God that is turning lives around. This is true even if it is presented through a recorded radio program.
Hebrews 4:12 (NET) - For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
Dr. McGee understood that truth.
His ministry attests to that.
As the new year approaches, many people will make resolutions in order to make their lives better.
Now would be an excellent time to resolve to spend regular time in the Word of God.
I can promise you that you will not regret it.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 6,, 2012.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January 13, 2012.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Some Things Never Change
Someone once said that the only constant in the universe is change.
I am forced to agree with that, at least to a point.
I recently drove past the location where my father’s place of business once stood.
My father died several decades ago and where his business once stood there is now an empty lot.
My father repaired televisions and radios but even those forms of communication have changed.
Vacuum tubes have been replaced by transistors and computer chips.
When televisions break down today, people are far more inclined to replace them.
I remember when televisions were considered furniture and came in wooden cabinets in various finishes.
Televisions that had 25 inch screens once required two strong men just to move them.
Now, a flat panel television of equal screen size can easily be handled by one individual.
I grew up in an era where there were only three local channels to choose from.
Now, I have hundreds of channels at my disposal but sadly only a few offer something worth my time to watch.
Speaking of change, I noticed that the number of Christmas cards I mailed out this year is much smaller than it once was.
Many of the friends and relatives I once mailed Christmas cards to in years past have passed away and so the number of cards diminishes at an almost alarming rate.
Change even impacts the church I continue to attend.
Photographs of our former pastors as well as our current pastor line one wall in the narthex of our church.
I have been privileged to know three of these men of God personally.
Each has been an inspiration but each performed his work for the Lord in his unique way.
Yes, change is an inevitable part of life and I will no doubt witness still more change while I inhabit this world.
Yet, there are some constants in this world that I can count on.
The first is that Jesus never changes.
Hebrews 13:8 (NET) - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!
The second is that the love of Jesus never changes.
Ephesians 5:2 (NET) - and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
In a world where change appears to be constant, my Christmas wish for us is that we remember Jesus and His love for us will never change.
Nothing in the universe can ever change this.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 30,, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January 6, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
I am forced to agree with that, at least to a point.
I recently drove past the location where my father’s place of business once stood.
My father died several decades ago and where his business once stood there is now an empty lot.
My father repaired televisions and radios but even those forms of communication have changed.
Vacuum tubes have been replaced by transistors and computer chips.
When televisions break down today, people are far more inclined to replace them.
I remember when televisions were considered furniture and came in wooden cabinets in various finishes.
Televisions that had 25 inch screens once required two strong men just to move them.
Now, a flat panel television of equal screen size can easily be handled by one individual.
I grew up in an era where there were only three local channels to choose from.
Now, I have hundreds of channels at my disposal but sadly only a few offer something worth my time to watch.
Speaking of change, I noticed that the number of Christmas cards I mailed out this year is much smaller than it once was.
Many of the friends and relatives I once mailed Christmas cards to in years past have passed away and so the number of cards diminishes at an almost alarming rate.
Change even impacts the church I continue to attend.
Photographs of our former pastors as well as our current pastor line one wall in the narthex of our church.
I have been privileged to know three of these men of God personally.
Each has been an inspiration but each performed his work for the Lord in his unique way.
Yes, change is an inevitable part of life and I will no doubt witness still more change while I inhabit this world.
Yet, there are some constants in this world that I can count on.
The first is that Jesus never changes.
Hebrews 13:8 (NET) - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!
The second is that the love of Jesus never changes.
Ephesians 5:2 (NET) - and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
In a world where change appears to be constant, my Christmas wish for us is that we remember Jesus and His love for us will never change.
Nothing in the universe can ever change this.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 30,, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January 6, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Really Celebrating Christmas
John 14:6 (NET) - Jesus replied, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
The Christmas Program our church presented was a resounding success.
I am not just saying that because I was in it.
My performance, if one were to venture to call it that, was hardly a performance.
Anna, an extremely talented lady in my church family, writes the Christmas Program for us every year.
Her theme this year was "What Christmas Is" as opposed to what it is not.
Each scene opened with what Christmas "is not", be it expensive gifts or fancy meals or other such things that are really not necessary to truly celebrate Christmas.
My role was to let each scene develop and then enter stage left and more or less set the record straight.
As I was portraying myself delivering dialog that I personally agreed with, I could hardly consider that acting.
To quote my last line...
"Christmas is the Holy celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and we should include our Savior in our celebration. And He loves even the simplest expression of our love and commitment."
Thank you, Anna.
I could not have written it any better than that.
We tend to get so carried away with our celebrations that we tend to let the preparations crowd out the real reason for celebrating in the first place. Namely, Jesus Himself.
John 1:12-13 (NET) - But to all who have received Him - those who believe in His Name - He has given the right to become God’s children - children not born by human desire, or a husband’s decision, but by God.
Jesus is God’s gift of mercy to us.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we would be totally lost without Him.
We can include a variety of activities in our celebrations, even church Christmas programs, as long as those activities do not distract us from the real reason for celebration.
Bearing that in mind, I wish you and yours a merry and blessed Christmas which includes our Savior!
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 23,, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 30, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
The Christmas Program our church presented was a resounding success.
I am not just saying that because I was in it.
My performance, if one were to venture to call it that, was hardly a performance.
Anna, an extremely talented lady in my church family, writes the Christmas Program for us every year.
Her theme this year was "What Christmas Is" as opposed to what it is not.
Each scene opened with what Christmas "is not", be it expensive gifts or fancy meals or other such things that are really not necessary to truly celebrate Christmas.
My role was to let each scene develop and then enter stage left and more or less set the record straight.
As I was portraying myself delivering dialog that I personally agreed with, I could hardly consider that acting.
To quote my last line...
"Christmas is the Holy celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and we should include our Savior in our celebration. And He loves even the simplest expression of our love and commitment."
Thank you, Anna.
I could not have written it any better than that.
We tend to get so carried away with our celebrations that we tend to let the preparations crowd out the real reason for celebrating in the first place. Namely, Jesus Himself.
John 1:12-13 (NET) - But to all who have received Him - those who believe in His Name - He has given the right to become God’s children - children not born by human desire, or a husband’s decision, but by God.
Jesus is God’s gift of mercy to us.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because we would be totally lost without Him.
We can include a variety of activities in our celebrations, even church Christmas programs, as long as those activities do not distract us from the real reason for celebration.
Bearing that in mind, I wish you and yours a merry and blessed Christmas which includes our Savior!
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 23,, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 30, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Acting the Part
Philippians 4:13 (NET) - I can do all things through the one who strengthens me.
Thanksgiving Day is now a memory and now we now find ourselves preparing for Christmas.
There is a photograph being shared on the Internet of two houses side by side.
The house on the left is decorated for Christmas with many strings of colorful lights that obviously took its owners days of preparation.
The house on the right has only a single strand of white lights adorning it that spells out the word "DITTO".
When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I admit that I lean more to the house on the right.
That is especially true for me this year.
Just when I thought I could not fit much more on my plate, I now find myself rehearsing for a role in the Christmas program that my church will present.
I am not an actor by any stretch of the imagination, but I must admit that I am actually looking forward to this having read the script.
I look forward to it for several reasons.
First, the program has a really good message.
Second, it will give me the opportunity to work with my church’s young people.
I am really impressed by our young people and the adults that supervise and teach them.
I admit that this is taking me well outside my comfort zone.
God seems to have been doing that for me a great deal over the course of the last few years.
Notice that I said that He has been "doing that for me" instead of "doing that to me".
Sometimes it almost feels like God is doing things to us when He takes us out of our comfort zones.
In reality, He does these things for us allowing us to grow spiritually.
So, there is yet a third reason why I am looking forward to this.
I may not know all the reasons why God is giving me this opportunity.
There is one thing I do know...
As the verse I opened with states, He will be there with me through it all.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 9, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 16, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
Thanksgiving Day is now a memory and now we now find ourselves preparing for Christmas.
There is a photograph being shared on the Internet of two houses side by side.
The house on the left is decorated for Christmas with many strings of colorful lights that obviously took its owners days of preparation.
The house on the right has only a single strand of white lights adorning it that spells out the word "DITTO".
When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I admit that I lean more to the house on the right.
That is especially true for me this year.
Just when I thought I could not fit much more on my plate, I now find myself rehearsing for a role in the Christmas program that my church will present.
I am not an actor by any stretch of the imagination, but I must admit that I am actually looking forward to this having read the script.
I look forward to it for several reasons.
First, the program has a really good message.
Second, it will give me the opportunity to work with my church’s young people.
I am really impressed by our young people and the adults that supervise and teach them.
I admit that this is taking me well outside my comfort zone.
God seems to have been doing that for me a great deal over the course of the last few years.
Notice that I said that He has been "doing that for me" instead of "doing that to me".
Sometimes it almost feels like God is doing things to us when He takes us out of our comfort zones.
In reality, He does these things for us allowing us to grow spiritually.
So, there is yet a third reason why I am looking forward to this.
I may not know all the reasons why God is giving me this opportunity.
There is one thing I do know...
As the verse I opened with states, He will be there with me through it all.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 9, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, December 16, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
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