Keeping the Lines Open

There’s an old saying that states: Silence is golden.

That is fairly true in my world.

Part of my profession is providing support.

Every time my phone rings there is more than a fair chance that something has gone wrong.

Sometimes the solution is simple and takes minutes.

Sometimes the solution is complex and takes hours or perhaps days.

Often times the solution is not the one the caller wanted to hear.

Once the solution has been implemented the phone stops ringing.

It is very rare that someone will call me and tell me that everything is fine.

A silent phone is my barometer indicating that all is well.

We can easily treat God the same way.

In this world we will encounter problems.

Some of them may seem overwhelming.

Some of them may be simply too big for us to solve on our own.

Financial difficulties, strained relationships and bad medical news are just a few examples.

Somehow we find it easier to turn to God in these times of crisis.

Then, after the problem has passed, we might remember to thank God.

Then we quickly settle back into our routines and God may not hear from us for some time.

Sadly, in some cases, He might not hear from us again until the next crisis comes along.

We are meant to have a relationship with God.

God certainly wants us to turn to him when life seems overwhelming.

He also wants to hear from us during the other times as well.

Prayer is an excellent means of building on our relationship with God.

This is true even when our prayer is simply one of gratitude.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NET) - in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 16, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, September 23, 2016

What Does It Take?

Four good friends of mine have passed away in recent weeks.

I miss them but I also treasure the memories I have of them.

I also know they were Christians.

This brings to mind a question.

What does it take to make one a Christian?

Do I know my friends were Christians because they attended my church?

Three of them did so attendance at my church is not what made them Christians.

The fourth attended another church.

So does attendance at any church make one a Christian?

Not necessarily.

Simply occupying a seat in a certain type of building does not necessarily make one a Christian,

What about Bible study?

Does reading the Bible guarantee the reader is a Christian?

Again, the answer is not necessarily.

A scholar can read and even memorize vast portions of scripture without being a Christian.

What about participation in sacraments?

Again the answer is not necessarily.

People can go through the motions without their hearts being in it.

Don’t get me wrong.

Church attendance is a wonderful.

So is Bible study and participation in the sacraments.

But what truly makes a person a Christian is the relationship he or she has with God, the Father.

That relationship is made possible through Jesus, the Son, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Think of it this way.

Let’s say there is a pilot who is a Christian.

One day while flying out over the ocean his plane encounters mechanical problems.

He is forced to land in the ocean and then swims safely to an uninhabited island nearby.

He does not have his Bible.

There is no church on the island and consequently no access to sacraments.

Does the man pilot remain a Christian without access to these things?

Of course, because he still has what it takes - a relationship with God.

The thief on the cross gives us an even better example.

Even in his final moments, he turned to the only One who could truly make a difference.

He turned to Jesus.

Luke 23:42-43 (NET) - Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

One final thought.

I am certain each of my friends had this relationship because they demonstrated it in their lives.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 2, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, September 9, 2016

Earth Shattering

We think of diamonds as valuable.

When an expert cuts and polishes the stone he increases both its beauty and its value.

A diamond is also the hardest substance on earth.

Because they are so hard, other diamonds are required for cutting and polishing.

Even with the proper tools and materials, an expert hand and a trained eye are still required.

One incorrect blow and the diamond could shatter.

As we look around, it does not require much effort to see signs of shattering in the nation and the world.

A review of recent political conventions reveals division within each political party.

A review of the national headlines reveals division within communities and races.

A review of international headlines reveals division between nations and cultures.

Each example of division we see is but a symptom of a far bigger problem.

Each example of division we see is like a crack or fissure in the world.

Left unchecked, the cracks and fissures only multiply rendering the world less and less stable.

Eventually, one misplaced blow could cause reality as we know it to simply shatter.

Patching individual cracks and fissures helps, but this does not solve the bigger problem.

We need to do more than treat the symptoms.

We need to treat the disease itself.

We are trying to do things our way rather than His way.

We put God on the back burner or on a shelf.

We might even tell ourselves we will get back to Him when time permits.

That is what the people in Haggai’s day did.

The picture God painted for them is remarkably like our own.

Haggai 1:5-6 (NET) - Here then is what the Lord who rules over all says: ‘Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.

God not only deserves to be first in our lives; He demands it.

Haggai 2:15-17 (NET) - Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past, before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. From that time when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it, there were only twenty. I struck all the products of your labor with blight, disease, and hail, and yet you brought nothing to me,’ says the Lord.

Time remains.

Let us do what is wise and put God first.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 19, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, August 26, 2016

I Shall Not Want

Psalm 23 (KJV) - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Many people are familiar with Psalm 23.

We find it a tremendous source of comfort especially in times of loss.

It is perhaps the most memorized chapter in all of scripture.

I am particularly taken with the opening verse.

It sets the tone for the remainder of the Psalm.

It also helps put both our hearts and our minds in a proper state.

This helps us get the most from the verses which follows.

Beyond this, the words in that opening verse stand very well on their own.

They perfectly describe two key attributes of the life of the Christian.

“The Lord is my shepherd” reminds us that we are his sheep,

We rely on Him completely.

He provides for us, protects us, leads us and does many other things for us.

“I shall not want” reminds us if we have the Lord as our shepherd we are content.

Even history bears this out.

In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis said, “All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

Searching for something other than God to make us content is fruitless.

It is not only fruitless, but foolish.

The Psalmist reminds of this too.

Psalm 14:1 (KJV) - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, August 5, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, August 12, 2016

You're My Neighbor

As I pulled my car into the driveway, I saw my neighbor and her young children outside their home.

Once I had my car off the road, I stopped and said hello.

My neighbor said hello in return and we made small talk for a time.

The eldest of her two children wanted to be included in the conversation and suddenly spoke up.

“Know what?”, she asked me in the way children do.

“What?”, I asked in return.

“You’re my neighbor!”, she exclaimed.

I then asked in return, “Know what?”

“What?”, she asked.

“You’re my neighbor, too!” I exclaimed.

She smiled at that.

What does it take to make one a neighbor?

From the viewpoint of this child, I am the man that lives next door.

That makes me her neighbor.

For adults, the answer may not be as simple as it should be.

In the tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, a religious leader tried to test Jesus.

This man asked Jesus what is it that he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus asked him a question in return.

Luke 10:26 (NET) - He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”

The religious leader answered.

Luke 10:27 (NET) - The expert answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus replied that he answered correctly.

Luke 10:29 (NET) - But the expert, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus then proceeded to tell him the Parable of The Good Samaritan.

In this Parable, a man was set upon by robbers and left to die.

First, a priest happened upon the scene and passed the man by.

Next, a Levite arrived and did likewise.

Finally, a Samaritan arrived on the scene.

He treated the man’s wounds and took him to an inn to recuperate.

The Samaritan left money with the innkeeper to take care of the man.

He even promised to pay the innkeeper whatever else was spent on the man’s care when he returned.

Jesus then asked the expert a question.

Luke 10:36 (NET) - Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

I find it more than a bit interesting that the expert’s answer to this question shares the same verse as the command from Jesus.

Luke 10:37 (NET) - The expert in religious law said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” So Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Jesus commands us to love our neighbor.

We are to love our neighbor without condition.

This includes those who refuse to love us in return.

Isn’t it ironic that so often those who are in need of love the most are the ones we find most difficult to love?

Perhaps we can take a lesson from my neighbor’s child.

Perhaps we can start with, “Know what? You’re my neighbor!”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 15, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, July 22, 2016

It's About God

I was channel surfing the other day.

I paused when I came across a program that was supposed to be about funny videos.

This segment featured a wedding video shot by a professional hired for the occasion.

The videographer along with a still photographer both decided to stand directly behind the minister.

The still photographer was using a flash and was clicking off shot after shot as the minister began to perform the ceremony.

Quite suddenly, the minister interrupted the ceremony.

He turned around to face both the videographer and photographer.

The minister informed the pair that he would not allow them to stand there.

The videographer protested stating that he just wanted to get a good shot.

The minister replied that these proceedings were not about the shot but rather about God.

The videographer continued his protest and the minister replied that he would stop the proceedings altogether if they refused to move.

A look of shock came over both the bride and groom.

This warning from the minister encouraged the pair to move.

What I find disturbing is that the producers of this program felt the minister’s reaction was funny.

The commentary from the program’s panel was equally disturbing.

They contended that the couple was more important than God.

They even discussed how much these professionals charged for their services.

Before I wrote this, I did a quick Internet search and discovered one of the major news networks featured an extended version of the video in a news report.

Their reporter inaccurately described the minister as having a meltdown.

The network also interviewed the couple by phone.

They were of the opinion that the minister overreacted.

All things considered, I have to side with the minister in this case.

I am not a professional photographer, but I have taken a number of photographs at weddings, baptisms and other services in a church setting.

I take them not only to benefit the participants, but also to document church history.

That said, there are a number of rules I imposed on myself from the beginning.

First, I would never use a flash in church.

Second, I would sit in front and take every photo from that position. I would not move around.

Third, I would try my utmost not to be a distraction.

Finally, under no circumstances would I ever consider approaching the altar for the sake of a photograph.

I have seen others do this, especially family members during baptisms, and I cringe when they do so.

The service, no matter the occasion, is about God.

God comes first and the participants second.

It is never about the photographer or the shot.

I find it sad that both the program and a major network decided to ridicule this minister.

I, for one, fully support his decision.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 1, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, July 8, 2016

Remember

Nehemiah 4:14b – Remember that the Lord is great and awesome!

Although Vacation Bible School is a ministry primarily for children, we also provide a class for adults.

I volunteered to teach the adult class this week and tried to offer them something both interesting and challenging.

Church history is one of my passions.

I have written about it and have even been privileged enough to speak about it.

Over the last several weeks I prepared a series of four lectures and planned to tie these together on the final night of class.

Once again, God amazed me in that each of the lectures I presented tied in with the focus lesson aimed at the children each night.

GOD CREATES…

My opening lecture was about a man named John Huss who was martyred for his faith in 1415.

Although he was not the founder of our church, his faith and dedication to the truth inspired those who did.

God was already at work creating our church through his life and example.

GOD HELPS…

My second lecture centered on the early generations of our church and the years of persecution they endured.

God was at work helping them through the darkest times and thus preserved that which He created.

GOD LOVES…

My third lecture was about John Amos Comenius who wrote 154 books.

Many of these books were written in exile.

Many improved the way children are educated.

Comenius was sustained by God’s love.

GOD CALMS…

My fourth lecture was about our ancestors who left their homeland and came to America.

Pioneers in a new land they first worshipped in homes.

In time, they built communities, churches and secured ministers to lead them.

God calmed them as they adjusted to life in a new land.

GOD SENDS IN JESUS’ NAME…

The beauty of God’s wisdom was revealed.

In keeping in touch with our history, we understand how we came into being.

With this knowledge comes the responsibility of knowing our purpose.

God sends us out in the name of Jesus to reach those who are lost.

It comes as no surprise that the verse we stressed for the children is an important reminder for us.

Nehemiah 4:14b – Remember that the Lord is great and awesome!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 17, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, June 24, 2016