Three Grandmothers?

1 Corinthians 1:25 (ASV)
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

My cousin's grandmother was truly a wonderful and loving woman.

We often saw her at family functions and occasionally we made the seventeen mile trip just to visit with her.

When I was still very young, I heard my parents refer to her as "Grandma" for the sake of my cousin. Well, it only seemed proper for me to do the same.

I am certain that my parents and other relatives found this cute and fortunately for me, my cousin never expressed any jealousy in this matter.

Although this dear lady was not my grandmother, I believe she genuinely liked the idea that I had adopted her as another grandmother.

Each year when my birthday or Christmas would come around I always received a gift from this dear lady along with a card which she signed "With Love, Grandma".

Everything was fine until that fateful day when we began studying plurals in grade school.

The plural of shoe is shoes, the plural of bird is birds, and so on.

"What is the plural of grandmother?", the teacher asked.

"Grandmothers," we replied.

"How many grandmothers do you have?", she asked one of my classmates.

"Two," he replied.

"Correct," she said.

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Jim, what is it?", she asked.

"I have three grandmothers," I stated confidently.

For reasons unknown to me at the time, everybody laughed.

"No, Jim. You cannot have three grandmothers," she said. She then offered a very logical explanation as to why it simply did not make sense for me to have a third grandmother.

"Do you understand?", she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied (I just wanted us to move on).

I really was unable to focus on the rest of the lesson.

My mind was preoccupied with why it did not make sense for me to have this loving woman as a third grandmother.

"I don't care if this does not make sense to anyone else," I concluded. "After all, I have her birthday and Christmas cards to me that prove it!"

That was many years ago, but I wonder... is my situation all that different today?

If someone who does not believe in God were to ask me how many fathers I have, my answer would not make any sense to them either.

"Two," I would reply.

Perhaps they would laugh or shake their heads disapprovingly.

They might even try to explain that it Is impossible for me to have two fathers and that believing so simply does not make any sense.

Yet, I do have two fathers.

One was my earthly father.

The other is my Heavenly Father.

I don't care if this does not make sense to anyone else. After all, I have the book He wrote for me to prove it!

1 Corinthians 1:21 (ASV) - For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, September 3, 2010.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I'll be back here on Friday, September 10, 2010.

Why is There Only One Way?

John 14:6 (NET)
Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

A few years ago, I got caught up in the Sudoku craze when it was at its peak of popularity.

I enjoyed them because they were a kind of puzzle that relied solely on reasoning to solve.

I remember one puzzle in particular that, try as I might, I simply could not solve.

After filling in virtually the entire 9x9 grid, I was left with two pairs of empty boxes and two options for filling them… two and seven.

After hours of reasoning, I was forced to do something I found extremely distasteful. I had to resort to guessing.

So, for the first pair, I tried two and then seven leaving seven and then two for the second pair.

This combination worked and the puzzle was complete.

I am not the sort that could simply walk away at this point.

If this combination worked, then logically speaking, the other combination would not.

So, I reversed the numbers.

To my great surprise, this combination worked as well and yielded an equally correct solution.

This, however, violated one of the rules of Sudoku in that a puzzle had to have one unique solution.

I felt a certain amount of satisfaction, because I now knew why I had not been able to solve the puzzle.

There was simply no way to solve it using reasoning alone.

By now you're probably asking what the connection is between this analogy and the opening scripture.

When it comes to salvation, Jesus not only gives us a clue, He gives us the answer.

He tells us that He is the way.

Hypothetically speaking, what if He had said that He was a way?

That would imply that there were other ways.

Let us suppose then, that someone decided they would choose one of those ways instead without knowing what they were?

Let us further suppose, someone had chosen one of those ways sincerely believing that they had found a way to their salvation.

What if they had chosen incorrectly?

Sadly, they would be unaware their choice was incorrect until judgment and then it would be too late.

Fortunately for us that will never be an issue.

Jesus made it plain that He is the only way.

That is the only choice that must be made.

Acts 4:12 (NET) - "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved."

Now there are those detractors who claim that this view is too narrow.

They ask how anyone could believe in a God who provides only one way to be saved.

My response is twofold.

First... Jesus is the only way, but, He makes Himself available to anyone. Does that seem narrow?

Second... Look closely at human history. Mankind has proven himself capable of committing of all manner of atrocity and evil. In that light, it is nothing short of miraculous that we are provided with one way at all.

Blessings,
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, August 20, 2010.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I'll be back here on Friday, August 27, 2010.

She's His Daughter, Too

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (KJV)
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; who comforted us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Several years ago, I was involved in a car accident while driving across a bridge.

A left turn lane opened up at the end of the bridge that could safely accommodate three vehicles at the most.

This particular day, several cars decided to turn left and some of those drivers stopped rather abruptly on the bridge.

Suddenly, there was a sea of brake lights in front of me and I had no choice but to hard brake.

I stopped short of making contact with the car in front of me.

The car behind me was not able to do so and rear ended me.

Once traffic began moving again I drove across the bridge and pulled off the road.

The other driver pulled over as well.

I exited my vehicle and was approached by a frightened young lady (a student at the local university) who apologized repeatedly.

I asked her if she was injured and she replied that she was not.

I informed her that I was not injured either.

I reminded her that the most important thing was that neither one of us was hurt.

Next we looked at my vehicle which had some damage to the bumper. "No big deal," I assured her.

Next we looked at the damage to her vehicle and she began to panic.

I explained that her vehicle was equipped with crumple zones designed to absorb impact and that the damage to her car actually protected her.

When she calmed down I asked her to call the police while I checked her vehicle to make sure it was drivable. I checked for fluid leaks and other items as I did not wish for her to have another accident.

As I finished the inspection, she approached me with her phone in hand and asked, "Would you please do me a favor?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Would you talk to my mother?", she asked pleadingly as she handed me her phone.

I took the phone said hello and found myself talking to a rather hysterical mother.

I explained things to her the way I explained them to her daughter.

I finished by telling her that we were both just victims of circumstance and then handed the phone back.

A moment later, we both saw the police car heading our way and she hung up her phone.

She walked over to me and said, "My mother wants to thank you for being so nice to me. I want to thank you, too."

"You're quite welcome," I replied.

I thought about what she said.

I remembered that this young lady had a Heavenly Father as well. Looking back, I am glad I was nice to His daughter as well.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
a.k.a., The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, August 6, 2010.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I'll be back here on Friday, August 13, 2010.

A Look That Said It All

Romans 14:10 (KJV)
But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Periodically our church takes its turn staffing the local food bank.

Volunteers are needed to prepare bags of groceries on Friday, others are needed Saturday to assist with distribution.

Due to my work schedule, I volunteer for Saturday when I can.

There are many tasks to be performed but one of the ones I enjoy the most is carrying bags to vehicles for those that require assistance.

I enjoy this task because it allows me to use the time to talk with these individuals.

One particular Saturday, I had already made several trips when a young couple came in with their small children.

Because of their situation, they were entitled to more than one bag.

I politely asked them if they needed any help carrying their bags.

The young lady smiled and said they wouldn't.

That's when it happened.

I turned to the you young man and asked, "Are you sure?"

Suddenly, our eyes met for a brief moment, and he gave me a look that spoke volumes before he averted his gaze.

His look said, "Don't judge me for not being able to provide for my family."

That hit me.

I was not being judgmental. In fact nothing even close to that thought ever entered my mind.

I knew one thing.

This young man was not just being overly sensitive.

I feel certain he had been judged by others in the past… and judged harshly.

Harshly enough to misinterpret even the friendliest of gestures.

I still recall that day and that incident in particular and when I do, it is with a tremendous amount of pity.

My pity is not for the young man, though.

Rather, it is for those that have judged or perhaps misjudged him.

As we are reminded in Matthew 7: 1-2 - Judge not, that ye not be judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Blessings,
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, August 6, 2010.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I'll be back here on Friday, July 30, 2010.

Celebrating Dependence Day

Psalm 5:11 (KJV)
But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice; let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them; let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee.

In America, we recently celebrated the Fourth of July. That is what it has come to be known. It's official name is Independence Day.

The celebration of independence is by no means strictly an American phenomenon.

Many nations and cultures celebrate their own days of independence.

Independence lends itself quite easily to celebration.

Even as children, we long for the day when we will be old enough to strike out on our own and experience independence.

Life, though, is full of irony, and we soon find out that being independent is not at all what we imagined it would be like. We also discover that with freedom comes the freedom to make mistakes. We then learn that we are the ones to have deal with their consequences.

With independence comes responsibility and we quickly find out that the word "responsibility" has the word "responsible" buried within it.

Yet, in spite of these responsibilities, independence still retains a positive connotation.

In contrast, on the other end of the spectrum from "independence" lies "dependence".

Dependence carries with it a negative connotation.

For example, one can have a chemical dependency.

When it comes to matters of a spiritual nature, dependency is actually a good thing, provided one is totally dependent on God.

The Psalm's provide excellent examples for us.

Psalm 18: 2 - The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 56:3-4 - What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee, In God I will praise His Word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

The New Testament provides us with good examples as well.

For example, in the ninth chapter of the Book of Luke, Jesus sends his disciples into the world to preach the Kingdom. He gives them power over all demons and the power to cure diseases.
Yet He tells them to take nothing for the journey. According to Luke 9:3 (NET)...

He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey - no staff, no bag, no money, and do not take an extra tunic."

The ability to cure diseases and conquer demons will be the easy part. Jesus Himself grants them these powers.

For their basic daily needs like food and shelter from the night chill they will be totally dependent on God and must have faith that He will provide them.

Having faith in God means depending on Him.

We find that difficult because we have been conditioned by the world to be self reliant and independent.

We can un-learn this conditioning and learn to trust God completely.

Once we do, we can then celebrate our Dependence Day.

Blessings,
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, July 16, 2010.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I'll be back here on Friday, July 23, 2010.

A Thirsty World

John 4:13-14 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I find the account of Jesus and the woman at the well in the fourth chapter of John to be quite profound.

Jesus arrived at the Samaritan town of Sychar at midday and sat down at the well of Jacob as He was tired from the Journey.

As Jesus had both a divine and a human nature, it can be safely assumed that it was human nature that felt fatigued.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well where Jesus sat .
He asked her to give Him water to drink.

She then reminded Him of something He already knew; He was a Jew whereas she was a Samaritan.

She could have just as easily asked, "Don't you know that we are not supposed to have anything to do with each other?"

Jesus responded to her in verse ten that if she really knew who He was, she would have asked Him for living water.

The woman did not understand. In her culture, their were two kinds of water. There was stagnant, or dead water (like that found in pools) and there was water that moved freely, or living water, (like that found in rivers).

As there were no streams or rivers in the vicinity, she had to return to this well to draw the water that she needed to survive.

She simply reminded Jesus that He had no bucket and that the well was deep.
Jesus told her that those who drank water from this well would thirst again but those who drank of the water He provided would never thirst again.

She still did not understand as is evidenced by her response in John 4:15...
The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't go thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

Before we criticize this poor woman too much, we need to remind ourselves that we often do the same thing.

Jesus offers us so much that is spiritual and eternal and yet we often ask Him just to meet our immediate needs… those of the here and the now.

Jesus offers everyone living water and the hope of eternal life. He offers that which is living, yet so many choose merely surviving instead. He offers the eternal, yet so many choose the temporal.

I thought about this during my commute recently.

The part of central Texas in which I live has experienced explosive growth over the last few years.

Many areas that were once undeveloped are now teeming with houses and apartments.

Numerous water towers also dot the landscape in order to provide thirsty residents with their daily water requirements. Technically, these waters now trapped and are no longer "living" waters in that sense of the word.

People no longer have to draw water from wells. It is now just another convenience that is taken for granted.

Many also take the living water Jesus offers for granted as well.

In that regard, we live in a very thirsty world indeed.

He offers us a choice.

Will we choose living for the eternal, or merely surviving in desperate search of the temporal?


Blessings,
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com/ on Friday, July 2, 2010.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I'll be back here on Friday, July 9, 2010.

Ignoring the Warning Signs

James 4:17 (NIV)
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Wednesday morning, it rained… hard!

According to the experts, a low pressure system stalled right over the top of us and it just kept raining.

A series of flash flood watches were issued and these were quickly updated to flash flood warnings.

Low water crossings became dangerous.

A news crew had been dispatched to one crossing in particular that is always one of the
first to become problematic.

By the time they had arrived, public safety officials had already set up road blocks to protect drivers.

While the television reporter was delivering the news that this crossing had already been blocked off, his cameraman turned in order to capture the image of a car simply driving around the roadblock as if it were not there and then proceeded down the road to the crossing about a half mile away.

Needless to say, the reporter reminded viewers that this an illegal act that carries a fine. He also reminded viewers that making a choice like this shows a lack of sound judgment.

It reminded me of an incident I experienced just a few months ago.

It was on a Saturday and I went to the supermarket to do my weekly shopping.

I walked inside and grabbed a cart.

Suddenly, the fire alarm sounded and warning lights began to flash in every department.

As I put my cart back, I was surprised to see almost everyone continuing their shopping.

By their expressions, I could tell that they considered the combination of the alarm and
flashing lights annoying but not enough for them to stop shopping and head for the exits.

I shook my head in disbelief and went outside.

After a few minutes, the alarm went silent so I went back inside.

I noticed the lights had also quit flashing.

I identified an employee by his name tag and asked if everything was okay.

“False alarm,” he said. “I don’t know what triggered it but everything is okay now.”

The shoppers who ignored these warning signs were lucky… this time!

I thanked him, grabbed a cart and proceeded to get my own shopping done.

That’s the way it is with sin. Often times when we are tempted to sin, we know in our
hearts that the path on which we are about to embark is the wrong path.

Sometimes, the mere thought of what we are about to do or say brings on that feeling of guilt well before the act is committed or the words are spoken.

According to 1 Corinthians 10:13...
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it.

If the Holy Spirit puts up a road block to keep you on the right path, will you choose to simply go around it?

If He causes the alarm of guilt to go off in your mind, will you choose to simply act as if there were no warning at all?


Blessings,

Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.co.nr/ on Friday, June 18, 2010.

Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, June 25, 2010.