Coffee Pots & Hidden Blessings

On “Black Friday” this year, my brave and courageous wife went out to by a laptop computer because hers had crashed. As Sue went out the door I said, “It’s been nice knowing you”. I guess she needed a “really good deal”. Why else would one risk life and limb by shopping on such a grave day. Well, I’ll tell you why else one would take the chance– In a word… coffee.

As I reveled in my good fortune at not having to shop that morning, I suddenly realized that my coffee maker had “given up the ghost” along with her laptop.

Friends, nothing compels me like coffee, or more precisely, lack thereof.

So, I went to Target, thinking as I drove that perhaps I should have reviewed my Last Will and Testament, prior to taking this rash move. But when you haven’t had your morning coffee, every move is rash and pretty much everyone within eyesight is at risk.

To my pleasant surprise… it was not a riot in progress. Parking was easy. A blessing. The store was easily navigable. Another blessing. There were many coffee makers from which to choose. Blessing!!! And… wait for it… there was a RED coffee maker that would go perfectly in our Coca Cola Kitchen. Bright and Shiny and Red. Blessing upon blessing. The only downside was that its shiny newness, and lack of black accent parts, made my toaster look old and out of place. Otherwise… PERFECT!!!

Except for the fact that the automatic turn off did not work on the shiny, red coffee maker for which I took that risk on Black Friday. The automatic shut off did not work on the shiny red-exactly-the-same- model replacement. It did not work on the third try either. Target had no more red coffee makers, so I took the refund and sadly went on to WalMart, where every shopping day carries risk. I was truly disappointed because the shiny red coffee maker was simple and perfect… except for the automatic shut off and its making the toaster look old.

Guess what? My new coffee maker is red… wait for it… and black, thereby not making my toaster look old or mismatched. It’s simple to operate. The top opens the right way. It cost less than the shiny red allowing me to purchase the permanent coffee filter, thereby eliminating the need for paper filters (see previous PPP last year to appreciate the blessing of not running out of paper filters).

Hey! God really does work ALL THINGS to good for those who love Him. I love God! And I am truly thankful for His love for me! Especially His love through Jesus!

Happy Advent and Coffee Making,
Pastor Paul

Two Words

Two words for you… TACO BELL. Great food!!! At unbelievably inexpensive prices!! So inexpensive, in fact, that a guy like me can spend $10 there and buy more food than I can eat in one sitting… well, almost more… well, would you believe more than enough to give me a pretty good tummy ache? TA-CO BELLLLL (you actually say it like that when you’ve finished it off and are dealing with the tummy.)

It’s actually more than a tummy ache. It’s a truly upset stomach! A belly ache! But, …you say,… didn’t you bring it on yourself, Pastor Paul? Don’t you know better than to eat so much Taco Bell that you have an upset stomach?

Well,… yeah,… I do know better. I just don’t always do better. It’s a quandary, don’t you know? I’m pretty sure my gut is going to hurt, but I do it anyway. Why?

I suppose I could blame it on the extremely magnetic power of TACO BELL food. In other words, I could say that I’m powerless against the taste of TACO BELL. That sounds good and relieves me of any guilt.

It’s just that it’s not exactly true, though. 89 out of 90 days, I drive right past TB on the way to the church office and again on the way home, and I do not pull in to the TB drive thru (by the way, the drive thru is the only way to go if you’re purchasing food that you know is going to be problematic. If you stand inside and wait in line, you have too much time to change your mind.) Since, statistically it is proven that I do pass by so often, it seems to reason that I can pass by (even on the 90th time), but simply choose to pull in.

Am I that stupid? Well,… maybe. But my Grade Point Averages in college and seminary point to a different conclusion. Besides, my Mom reminds me, “Your mother didn’t raise any stupid kids!” That’s true too.

So why do we (I’m assuming that I’m not unique in this quandary) often do things that we know will likely turn out poorly?

Two words… MESSED UP!

We’re all messed up. And sometimes we are messed up on some very important and serious things in life. Like lingering too long at the water cooler with someone who is not our spouse, even though we know it may likely lead to something that will end poorly and painfully. Like ignoring someone we love when they’re crying for help, even though we know ignoring now will likely bring pain later.

Paul said it this way, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do…. O, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me?… I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7: 15, 24-25. Yes, even The Apostle, Saint Paul, struggled and sometimes made stupid mistakes (sin).

Two ideas:
Keep struggling. Don’t give in.
Turn to Jesus. Get forgiveness for struggles that ended poorly. Get Jesus Power for struggles still engaged.
Two Words,
Pastor Paul

Pools and Polling

I finally closed up the pool about 3 weeks ago. I still had hopes of a quick dip right up to the point I was tightening up the pool cover binder. I guess you could say I rank high on the optimism scale; Kind of like a Cubs fan, I suppose.

Anyway, I knew it was past time to close ‘er up, ’cause even P-Nut, the West Highland Terrrier wasn’t bugging me to get into the pool. It sort of keeps your hopes up when you see a dog throwing herself against the side of the pool. You figure she might know something, as a dog, that we humans just can’t ascertain. Then you stick a hand in the water and realize that the dog is smart (smart enough to know it’s Saturday every Saturday)… but not omniscient. It was way too cold to swim a good many days before she quit hurling herself. Smart, but not omniscient. I’m not all-knowing either, but the vote may still be out in regards to the intelligence race between me and the dog.

Hope was only part of the holdout. The other part was $. After a half a dozen years and 20 or so rolls of duct tape… the cover just needed to be retired. I’m tenacious (like the dog) and cheap (like a good German). I might have been putting duct tape over duct tape the last year or so. They say you can fix (almost) anything with duct tape. It’s true, but even duct tape has its limits working against water and Chicago winters that make you want to vacation someplace warmer, like Siberia. . Duct tape is not omnipotent. Close, but not quite.

God is. All- knowing, that is. And All-powerful. So he knows when the seasons change and what the future holds. He knows when it’s time to plant and when it’s time to harvest. He knows who will win the election next week.

He also is in the unique position to make things happen, Him being all-powerful and all. So, He’s still on the throne in heaven and will be regardless of who’s in the White House next year.

So you can trust your life to His care. He looked down through the avenues of time, before the dust was settled at the beginning, and knew you and I would be sinners in need of saving. He knew it and He did something about it. He bore the penalty for our sin on Calvary’s tree. That’s love. Caring enough to know. Caring enough to fix it.

And being love, omniscient and omnipotent and all, He rose up from the dead on the third day.

That’s something to think about while closing pools and casting votes.
Pastor Paul

Honesty In Advertising

I bought several bottles of hand soap from the dollar store the other day. Some were strawberry scented. When I pump the “strawberry soap” out on my hands, the smells take me back to days on the farm picking my aunt’s strawberries to mix with fresh cow’s milk and eaten by the spoonful… yum!
The other bottles I bought advertise an “Ocean” theme and aroma. The fellow who scented this soap must have gone to the part of the ocean where it smells like burnt cigarettes. I was truly disappointed. The soap still works, but the overall experience just isn’t what I’d hoped for. Do you have any areas like that in your life?

Like you get a new boss, and she looked like she was going to be “warm, friendly and personable, but instead was just a “cold and by-the-book” manager. Kind of disappointing.

Or maybe you came to church, hoping that someone would ask you how you’re doing so you could blow off some steam… but no one inquired at all. Kind of disappointing.

Or perhaps you were looking forward to spending time with a family member, but he called to say he could make it; something had come up. Kind of disappointing.

Romans 5:5- Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Our hope in God doesn’t lead to disappoint. The love of God, poured out on us through Jesus is powerful. The Holy Spirit, empowering us to believe, draws us to God. God never presents Himself or His claims in a misleading way. God is perfectly honest.

Reading the Labels,

Pastor Paul

Heads Up!

Yesterday was garbage day in Elgin. I let the dogs out in the back yard, checked the sky and headed to the garbage and trash containers hidden just inside the front gate. I went out through the front gate with the garbage container, making sure no pups were able to escape (and I do mean escape; if they get out of the yard they run like convicts!). After leaving that container at the street, I returned for the recycling container. Utilizing the same precautions regarding the pups (convicts), I proudly brought the re-cycle-able items to the curb (recycling is very serious business to me).
Less than 2 minutes had transpired since I stepped out the back door. My heart dropped and my blood began pumping wildly when I looked up in the sky while re-entering the back yard.

“DOGS IN!!!”, I shouted almost frantically. 2 hawks were circling my back yard, flying below the tree line. The dogs (not always immediately responsive to my commands to go in, especially P-Nut who considers herself “an outside dog”), all sensed the panic in my voice and ran quickly under the balcony to the back door.

Hawks attack dogs. Especially little dogs that look more like chickens or white bunnies than dogs (readers, please don’t share this part with P-Nut). Hawks scare me in regards to my dogs, as do wolves, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, angry gophers, etc… You just gotta’ be on the watch against such predators.

The Bible gives us a word of caution regarding a predator who is much more dangerous to us:

Be alert, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

He really does like to mess us up. Just a heads up for you, in case you forgot he’s around or never thought he was. Wake Up! Also, Look Up! Cause that’s where the help comes from, from the Maker of heaven and earth; from the One who beat the adversary when He rose on the third day; from the Spirit who descends on us and empowers us to resist this prowling trouble-maker.

Heads UP!
Pastor Paul

TCB

Any Elvis fans out there? I’ll bet you know what TCB stands for, if you’re a true Elvis devotee. Fan, devotee, admirer;

Now, I’m not talking about some fanatic who climbs over the fence at Grace-Land in Memphis.By the way, did you know that Bruce Springsteen, The Boss, did exactly that: jumped the fence at The King’s place and was apprehended. I think it was before he was The Boss. The Presley mansion is hardly that. It’s a house, a place, not really the palace that I expected considering the larger-than-life impression Elvis holds in my mind.

I also don’t think you need to buy into the Elvis sightings in order to be classified as a fan. Let’s face it… Elvis is (probably) dead! You don’t have conclusive evidence to the contrary, do you?

I digress. Back to TCB(insert lightning bolt here for full effect). TCB stands for “Taking Care of Business”. Evidently, at one point in his career, Elvis experienced what so many superstars experience: Not paying attention to what’s going on can lead to personal and financial disaster. People take advantage, situations get out of control.
So he made his personal, public and professional motto, TCB (lightning bolt!)- Taking Care of Business (Right NOW!) (insert video of Elvis doing a karate kick for effect!).

So, are you taking care of business? Getting it done now? Of course we know God’s grace and forgiveness for all the times we don’t get it done; when we’re not paying attention and taking care of business. But part of the power of grace and forgiveness is taking another, brand new swipe at it. So,… are you Taking Care of Business? TCB?

The Bible is pretty much all about TCB, “do it now”. One section of Scripture that hits this theme of immediacy pretty square is Hebrews chapter 3.
Verse 7-8 “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness…”
Verse 13 “…but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today’,…”
Verse 15 “Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts in the rebellion.”

Today… sign up for the Prayer Seminar offered at Grace in two weeks. Today… open your heart to the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Today… hug your kids. Today… give help to someone in need. Today… pay back, pay it forward, pay it off.

Today… say, “I love you”.

TCB,
Pastor Paul (insert lightning bolt, karate kicks, etc… for full effect)