Who's the Boss?

Teaching an adult Sunday school class is a passion of mine.

We always end class with a prayer before I dismiss my students.

A handful of students usually linger for a while either to visit or continue the discussion.

God had surprise for me at the end of class Sunday.

One of my students has a young granddaughter who is a treasure.

The moment class ended she charged into the room and ran straight to her grandfather.

He took her in his arms and the little girl began chatting away.

I busied myself putting our books and materials away.

I was unaware the child was observing me until she spoke to me.

“Excuse me,” she politely said to get my attention.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Are you the boss?” she asked quite sincerely.

It was all I could do not to laugh.

Working with adults is one thing,

Working with children is quite another.

I thought about how best to answer such a question from a child.

Luke chapter 22 came to mind.

In this chapter, a dispute arose among the disciples as to which of them should be regarded as the greatest.

Jesus reminded them how the kings of the Gentiles and others in authority perceive themselves.

He then reminded them how they are to proceed.

Luke 22:26 (NET) - Not so with you; instead the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the one who serves.

Bearing this in mind I responded.

“No. I’m not the boss,” I said, “but I love what I do.”

She thought about that.

“I think everybody loves what they do,” she stated.

I told her that one day I would like to work for her.

I find it more than interesting that the child’s question came just two days before a national election.

In a nation already experiencing division, the results of this election are proving even more polarizing.

One thing easily overlooked is the fact that it is God who is ultimately in charge.

Romans 13:1 (NET) - Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God.

The results of every election will find some people elated and others disappointed.

Imagine if we could ask our elected officials, “Are you the boss?”

How nice it would be if they would recall Luke 22 and state, “No. I’m not the boss, but I love what I do.”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 18, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, November 25, 2016

Behind the Lens

Photography is something I got into later in life.

It certainly seemed born out of necessity rather than desire.

One day, I found myself serving on a committee.

Before I knew it, I found myself acting as its historian.

I thought it might be a good idea to supplement the documentation with photographs.

I knew nothing about cameras and even less about photography.

Ten years and literally thousands of photographs later, photography has become an integral part of both my life and my ministry.

It has also taught me some truly valuable lessons along the way.

Perhaps the biggest lesson it has taught me is patience.

I learned that if I patiently waited for the moment to unfold I would have a much better photo.

It has also taught me that candid shots are preferable to posed ones.

My favorite photos are of people actively serving the Lord with smiles on their faces.

It has also taught me about the importance of timing.

This is especially true of God’s timing.

Earlier this month I captured a breathtaking sunset.

A minute sooner and my view would not have been as beautiful.

A minute later and the opportunity God offered would have been gone altogether.

It has also taught me to be grateful for the smallest of miracles.

The other day I was walking past a beautiful bush with tiny orange blossoms when a tiny flash of movement caught my eye.

A closer examination revealed that a butterfly with black and yellow wings was taking advantage of the blossoms.

I must have taken two dozen photographs of this tiny miracle.

It showed no fear of me.

Although it flew from blossom to blossom, it never flew away.

When I examined the photographs later, I felt that God had given me a very special gift that day.

I was reminded of the time when Moses desired to see God more than anything else.

God had a warning for Moses.

Exodus 33:20 (NET) - But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”

We may not currently be able to see God face to face.

Yet God does grant us precious glimpses of Himself from time to time.

So often, we just need to slow down pay more attention.

Photography has taught me that as well.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 4, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, November 11, 2016

Only

I love the banners we display in church.

They are not only beautiful; they are also excellent reminders.

Recently, one in particular grabbed my attention.

It is the one that hangs directly behind the pulpit.

It simply states, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

This is, of course, is the opening of Psalm 23.

The 23^rd Psalm is a chapter from scripture we memorize at a very young age.

We turn to it repeatedly throughout our lives.

We find it a tremendous source of both peace and comfort.

Such were my thoughts minutes before the start of a worship service.

As time went by, I started turning these words over in my mind.

The next thing I knew the word “only” came to mind.

Before I knew it, I found myself inserting that word into this statement in various places.

As I did so, each result had an impact on me.

Consider each one.

ONLY the Lord is my Shepherd.

The ONLY Lord is my Shepherd.

The Lord ONLY is my Shepherd.

The Lord is my ONLY Shepherd.

Now it is true that the Bible warns us of the dangers of altering scripture.

Proverbs 30:6 (KJV) - Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

There are others as well but I feel I am on safe ground here.

Although the Psalmist did not use the word “only”, the word is implied.

I merely inferred it.

The proof lies in the remainder of the verse.

Psalm 23:1 (KJV) - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

When we make the Lord our ONLY Shepherd, we have absolutely everything we need.

C. S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory put it this way: “He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.”

Lord, we thank You for being our only shepherd.

We thank You for being all we need.

We thank You for making us lie down when we make ourselves too busy.

We thank You for restoring our souls.

We thank You for conquering every fear we have.

We thank You for the salvation you planned for us from the beginning.

Amen!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 21, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, October 28, 2016

Custom Made

Psalm 139:14 (KJV) - I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Each of us began life in the womb as a single cell.

Biology teaches us that this single cell divided and became two.

Those two, in turn, divided and became four and so on.

The Psalmist understood that there was more at work than just mere biology.

He understood that God played a major role in our development as well.

Consider the various organs of the body.

Heart, brain, kidneys and eyes just begin a list of all the complex organs in the body.

Every organ in the body has a special purpose.

The cells that make up each organ must be specialized,

A heart cell is different from a brain cell.

A kidney cell is different from an eye cell.

Each of our organs develops in the womb.

Somewhere along the way each organ must begin with its first specialized cell.

Question: How does the first heart or brain or kidney or eye cell know it has to be the first cell of its kind?

The Psalmist understood that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

He understood that God was at work creating him in the womb.

Yet this is only a part of a bigger picture,

God knows each of us intimately.

God knit us together cell by cell.

He even knew what we would be capable of in the future.

In fact, He knew all these things before we were capable of knowing anything at all.

God explained this to the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) - Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

God not only created Jeremiah, He created Jeremiah for a very special purpose.

The best part is God has done this for each and every one of us.

God created us just as fearfully and wonderfully as He created the Psalmist.

He sanctified us for a purpose just as He sanctified Jeremiah for a purpose.

Question: Do you know the purpose for which you were created?

If not, could there possibly be anyone better to ask than the Creator Himself?

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 7, 2016.

I will be back here on Friday, October 14, 2016

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