Tim

You are who you are for a reason.

You’re part of an intricate plan.

You’re a precious and perfect unique design,

Called God’s special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb,

You’re just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind,

And they bear the Master’s seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into his likeness you’d grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God!

Have a joy-filled week!

Tim

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Midget Vacations

Taken from Tim Hansel’s book, When I Relax I Feel Guilty

Here is a long list of tiny activities that have the potential to produce a lot of joy in your life. Over the weeks of our series in Philippians, refer to this list often for ideas on ways to produce joy in your life.

A number of people asked me for the Scripture references that I used in the Christmas Eve service, so I am providing them along with the corresponding ‘gift’ that we all have received through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are abundantly blessed in this life and the next because of the birth and death of Jesus!

I am justified

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made him who never sinned, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

I’m prayed for

Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

Romans 8:34, “Christ Jesus, who died and who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God interceding for us.”

I’m loved

Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God is with me

Matthew 1:23, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel—which means, “God with us.”

Psalm 46:1-3, 7, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…The Lord Almighty is with us.”

Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…”

I can talk to God

Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

God cares for me.

Matthew 6:25-34, “”Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For unbelievers run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”

I have the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:27-28, “You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

I have a gift

1 Corinthians 12:7, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

I have purpose

Ephesians 2:8-10, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I have the Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

I have the Word of God

2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”

I have hope

Titus 3:4-7, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Tim

What a powerful experience to hear the stories of children, teens and adults coming to Christ. It doesn’t get any better than this! This is what it is all about. This is what we work for. This is what we give for…making disciples of Christ and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

The staff is already planning when our next baptismal service will be, and I for one can’t wait!

Tim

For life: The Bible (My personal preference is the Life Application Bible in the New Living Translation)

For evangelism: Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels

For faith: In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

For grace/Christian liberty: The Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll and What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancy

For endurance: A Resilient Life by Gordon MacDonald

For compassion: The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns and Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider

For leadership: Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels and Visioneering by Andy Stanley

For theology and doctrine: Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

For men’s issues: Disciplines of a Godly Man by Kent Hughes

So there’s my list. This was a great exercise for me to do and got me thinking that I should re-read some of these books. Perhaps you would read one or two and let me know how it impacted your life.

Tim

Psalm 65

1 What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion.

We will fulfill our vows to you, 2 for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you.

3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.

4 What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts.

What festivities await us inside your holy Temple.

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior.

You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.

6 You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength.

7 You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations.

8 Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders.

From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.

9 You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile.

The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain,

for you have ordered it so.

10 You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges.

You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.

11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

12 The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy.

13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain.

They all shout and sing for joy!

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.”

Maybe some of us need to pause sometime today and give our burdens and cares to God and trust in his faithfulness to take care of us on his time table and in his way.

Tim

Tim

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolation he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

-Psalm 46