December « 2009 « Tim Rowland

Archive for December, 2009

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

We are a few minutes from leaving for Indianapolis to spend New Year’s with my side of the family. I’m looking forward to seeing my brother from North Carolina as well as my parents and my older brother and his family. And I’m hoping that the lake effect snow that is predicted for our area won’t be a problem as we return home Friday night!

I want to wish all of you a blessed New Year and trust that all of us will continue pursuing God and becoming more like Jesus in 2010. I know I have a long ways to go, but with the Spirit’s help, I pray that the image of Christ will be increasingly reflected in my life. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1:11, “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

Tim

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Friendship: A New Series

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Good friends may be the most important treasure one will ever possess this side of heaven. In my new teaching series, which begins this Sunday, I’m going to take us through two of the deepest friendships in the Bible: Ruth and Naomi’s and David and Jonathan’s, to look for ways to make friends and to be a friend. The goal of this series is to help the River Oaks community become a place where deep and rewarding friendships can flourish. Here is the schedule.

January 3: Friendship – Life’s great treasure

January 10: Lingering – Friendships won’t happen without it

January 17: Essentials for deep friendships

January 24: More essentials for deep friendships

January 31: Benefits of deep friendships

February 7: Contexts for friendships

February 14: Marriage and family friendships

If you do not attend River Oaks, but would be interested in hearing some of the messages, you can download them at the River Oaks website or through podcasts on iTunes.

Tim

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Charity

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

I think I mentioned in a previous post that I am reading through C.S. Lewis’ classic Mere Christianity as part of my morning quiet time. This morning I read the chapter entitled, “Social Morality” and in it Lewis writes about charity: giving to the poor. His words are convicting and compelling. I hope you will take a minute to read his words and let God use them as needed in your life. (more…)

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Through the Bible in One Year

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Are you looking for a New Year’s resolution? I’ve found mine and I want to challenge you to join me. I am going to read through the Bible in 2010. I have read the Bible through several times in the past but I have not done so for a few years and so I’ve decided that I will in the coming year. I am going to follow the schedule in the back of my Life Application New Living Translation, but there are many other options available to help you stay on track. For those of you who want to read the Bible on-line, check out BibleGateway or YouVersion; both offer different versions, plans and even the option to download your plan to your mobile phone. If you want to use a One Year Bible there are many to choose from.

God’s Word is a ‘lamp to guide our feet and a light for our paths‘ (Psalm 119:105). Want to join me in lighting up 2010 with the Word? Any takers?

Tim

Posted in Personal, River Oaks | 3 Comments »

Invictus

Monday, December 28th, 2009

On Christmas Day, Gloria, Josh and I went to the theater and saw Invictus. It is the true story of Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiating a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The title of the movie, Invictus, is Latin for ‘unconquered’ and is the title of a poem that Nelson Mandela used during his 27 years of imprisonment on Robben Island to maintain his faith and courage.

I don’t claim any authority as a movie critic, but I give this movie five stars and I urge you to see it if you haven’t. The Christian virtues of forgiveness, service and endurance drip from the screen. I was so impressed with the movie that I plan to purchase a book about Mandela’s life later this week with some of my Christmas money and the week the movie comes out on DVD I will buy it.

If any of you have seen the movie, I would love to get your impression of it and if any of you have read a book on Mandela’s life that you can recommend let me know.

Tim

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Teach Us to Number our Days

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

On Sunday, December 27^th, I spoke on the topic of of navigating the issues and questions that we will face in the coming decade from the perspective of various ‘life-stages’. (more…)

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Christmas Eve

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

It’s Christmas Eve morning and I’m in my office preparing for tonight’s services but I’m also keeping an eye on the weather. We are under a “Winter Weather Advisory” with snow, sleet, ice and rain in the forecast through tomorrow. Will we be able to have our service tonight? I don’t know, but what I do know is that no matter where we are or what the weather is like, we can celebrate the birth of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Do yourself a favor sometime soon, do what the Wise Men did when they were in His presence; they knelt. Sometime soon, find a quiet private place and kneel before Jesus affirming him as your Lord and King. And I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Tim

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Strong Trees

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

I just finished reading in Jeremiah and I want to share his words from 17:7-8 with you: “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a river bank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.”

Whatever is bothering you or has you knotted up with worry, take a moment and tell God that you trust him and that your hope and confidence are in him and see what kind of fruit it produces in your heart and soul today.

Tim

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Christmas Project 2009

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

It looks like we are going to do it again! For this year’s Christmas Project, we set a goal at River Oaks to raise $60,000 for various ministries in our area and around the world who minister to the poor in the name of Christ. I just received the total amount through this past Sunday and we are at $49,000, just shy of the goal by $11,000 with another week before the deadline! I know we are not there yet, but I am confident that even in a very challenging economic environment, with many of our people out of work, working part-time or earning less money, we will eclipse the goal again! It is so rewarding to see how God’s people respond to the needs of the poor and I am proud to be associated with such a generous group of people. Stay tuned!

Tim

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Winter Solstice

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Today marks Winder Solstice, the day with the shortest amount of sunlight and the start of winter. I decided to drive north to my woods this morning to usher in winter and to take a quiet walk. What a enjoyable walk it was. I got some good exercise trudging through the snow, I saw incredible beauty in nature and I had a meaningful time with God. I can’t honestly say that I look forward to the winder months with all the snow, cold temperatures, short days and high heating bills, but on this first day of winter, I have to say that I got off to a great start to winter. I hope you have a moment today to appreciate the beauty of the shortest day of the year. It is a day that our Lord has made, so take a moment to rejoice and be glad in it…if for no other reason than now the days will begin to get longer!

Tim