One More For JC

I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. (John 20:17) This morning, my Dad passed away after a long fight with cancer.  Although the battle was hard, it helped bring me even closer to him and to my family…and for that I’ll forever be grateful. Today, I choose not to remember the hard times at the end of his life, but only the good.  I remember my Dad being at every baseball game I ever played (and there were many), I remember him driving his old car around town (even holding the door shut as he drove) while my sister and I drove around in the new cars he bought us, I remember him driving me to and from my graduate school classes after I broke my ankle and stating " You're my son, where else would I rather be?" , and I remember more; yes so much more. Forever, I will cling to the memory of what a wonderful father he was; how selfless, how loving.  He may not have been a perfect human being, but in my mind he will always be cherished...

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7) I’ve engaged in a lot of competitions over the years – mostly in the world of sports.  However, 2005 marked my most important competition to date – with myself – to deliver on a promise to read the bible from cover to cover before year end.  With Dee by my side, we embraced this challenge together and set aside time each day in devotion to reading the word.  Yes, there were a few days that slipped by due to laziness or exhaustion, but never a second.  Our eyes remaining focused, we successfully finished the race, and we ultimately received the prize that had eluded us all of our lives. I am pleased to announce that the race continues.  Dee and I have decided to make reading the bible a daily part of our lives.  The fixed reading schedule we kept to so strictly in 2005 admittedly is gone, but our commitment to the Lord is not.  I pray that commitment ...

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) When my sister gave birth to my nephew a couple years back, I remember joking with my mom – “We can now call you Babcia too!”  Her response was swift and immediate: “There is only one Babcia!”  How right she was.  For those of you not of Polish descent, Babcia is the Polish equivalent of grandmother; for my family, that term of endearment will forever belong to one, and only one, person – my grandmother Dorothy.  Sadly, the true meaning of that has hit home all the more of late with her serious battle with cancer, a fact that was confirmed a day before her 80 th birthday celebration in October.  It was a bittersweet day for me, knowing the sad truth that only my parents and I knew at the time, and yet being thankful to cherish every moment of that party all the more. For me, just...

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.  (Psalms 9:10) What a difference a couple months can make.  On April 1 st , I received a phone call I hoped would never come – that one of my parents was being rushed to the hospital.  The next morning when I talked to my Dad at perhaps his lowest moment, I honestly didn’t know if it would be our last conversation.  My mind started looking to record each word that was said - that I might be able to replay it for the rest of my life.  When I hung up the phone, a feeling of helplessness came upon me like never before.  But thankfully, that feeling passed quickly as I knelt down before the Lord in prayer, and asked for his healing power to descend upon that hospital room in New Jersey.  I prayed for another chance to see my Dad, for another chance to hug him hello, and for another chance to sing him Happy Birthday.  It didn’t take long for the ...

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) It’s been a difficult month for Dee and I – a couple weeks ago we found out that one of Dee’s family members is fighting a serious bout with cancer, and just moments ago I received a call stating that my Dad was being rushed to the hospital.  The news has quickly put things back into perspective, and again makes me realize how nothing under heaven is as precious to me as my family and friends…nothing. Over the years, I’ve prayed that the eternal future of each and every one of my loved ones has been secured through the saving power of Jesus Christ, and at times like these, I’ll pray diligently all the more.  I pray that each of you would ask yourselves the following question: “If I died tomorrow, where would I be?”  If heaven is your answer, I pray that you would ask yourselves the following: “Why do I believe I am going to heaven?”...

This is what is written:  The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (Luke 24:46-47) One of my favorite new weekly traditions is a Friday morning visit to Starbucks before work.  Unfortunately, this past Friday (Good Friday), I wound up getting much more than my usual ‘Venti’ mild.  Half way through the pouring of my cup, one of the workers stopped to talk about Easter and all the things it meant to her…chocolate, candy, and bunnies.  She then topped off my cup, rung up the bill, and capped off the conversation with “Isn’t Easter just like Halloween.” I wanted to climb over the counter and shake some sense into her, but thought better of it, and wound up just giving her $1.81 for my cup.  My frustration cooled (as I blended in my usual three sugar packs along with a healthy sprinkling of Half and Half) and I began to pra...

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17) Another year has come and gone so quickly.  Another year of too many hours at work, too many hours watching television, and too many hours tracking my favorite teams on the internet.  However, last week as I was sitting in church (with my new year’s chronological daily reading guide in hand), I made a promise to myself that 2005 would be different; 2005 would be the first year that I’ve read the bible from cover to cover!  Sure I’ve read the New Testament before, and I’ve even read decent sized chunks of the Old, but ...