“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

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

This morning in my quiet time I read the first two chapters of Philippians. Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison. Incredibly, the theme of Philippians is ‘joy’! The phrase that jumped out at me was in 2:20, “I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ.” (NLT)

That will be my prayer for me today and I hope you will make it yours as well. No matter what your circumstances are, face this day with joy and a commitment to live your life in a way that honors Christ. If you and I do that, we will have lived a successful day no matter what actually happened!

Tim

This is the poem I ended my message with today.

Slow me down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations – of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to smile at a child, to read a few lines from a good book.

Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values, that I may grow toward my greater destiny.

Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward to the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.

Please make the time this week to lie down in green pastures and walk beside the still waters so that your body and soul can be restored.

Tim

In preparing for my message for this Sunday on contentment, I came across a story that I want to pass along.  It may speak to some of us who struggle being satisfied with life as it is.

Standing on a small pier late one afternoon, an investment banker from a large city who was vacationing along the North Carolina coast, watched as a lone fisherman docked his small boat. Inside the boat were several large yellowtail tuna.

The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

The banker then asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?”

The local responded, “With this I have more than enough to feed my family and share some with my friends.”

The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” continue reading »

Here are the books and web site I mentioned today in my message, check them out!

Life Application Bible

Hard Sayings of the Bible

The Big Book of Bible Difficulties

Got Questions? website

Tim

Today I spoke on the topic of how the Bible was compiled and how can we be confident that the 66 books in the Bible are the exact ones God intended for us to have.

If you want to listen to my message go to the media page of the River Oaks web site.

If you want to read an excellent five-page article on the topic by Erwin Lutzer click here.

Please take time every day this week to read the only book in the history of the world that God inspired, the Bible!

Tim

This morning on my walk I passed an overgrown area filled with weeds. To be honest, it wasn’t very attractive or inviting to look at. In fact, there was even some trash thrown among the weeds. But among the weeds and trash was this thistle in full bloom and it was absolutely beautiful. I reflected on this scene and was reminded that amongst all the unsightly or undesirable parts of our lives, God brings forth some beauty.

If you are feeling like your present life is full of weeds and trash, look around. I bet you can find something beautiful that God has planted there to remind you of his presence, care and faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Tim

I am currently reading Bill Hybels’ book, The Power of a Whisper, as part of my devotional reading in my morning quiet time. Today I read a story that Hybels tells of a time in Mother Teresa’s life when she was ’spiritually dry’ and didn’t detect any love or companionship from God. This stretched on for months. Mother Teresa became increasingly despondent because of God’s silence. However, in those dry and silent days she reaffirmed her commitment to God by writing the following statement: “Even though I don’t feel his presence I will seek to love him as he has never been loved.”

Perhaps this post will reach someone experiencing a ’spiritually dry spell’; you don’t feel God’s love, you are not hearing his whispers and your circumstances tempt you to doubt his goodness or presence. I encourage you to choose the path Mother Teresa chose…love him as he has never been loved! Your faith will be rewarded and your dry soul will be refreshed.   -Tim

Today we began a series in the book of Job. In the very first verse of the book, Job’s character is described as ‘blameless, upright, fearing God and shunning evil.”

My message was on the topic of character and I described it is our longstanding moral and ethical habits; our normal response to people or circumstances in our public and private life. Character is best revealed in moments of pressure, temptation and privacy.

This is the card that was available at the end of the service. My challenge was to take 30 minutes this week and reflect on these two questions of character.

Wholesome words that define one’s character are words like: honesty, truthful, dependable, generous, reliable, compassionate, courageous, patient, self-disciplined, loyal, pure, loving humble and godly. Unwholesome words would be: dishonesty, selfish, impatient, greedy, undisciplined, unreliable, angry, disloyal, proud, irresponsible, undependable, impure, and ungodly.

In response to the second question, perhaps you would consider Job’s list in Job 1:1 “blameless, upright, fear God and shun evil” or Paul’s in Colossians 3:12 and 14, “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Character does matter!

Tim

Apr23

On this day before Easter I want to encourage you to prepare for tomorrow’s celebration by taking a few minutes to read and reflect on Matthew 27-28. May you stand amazed at God’s love for you and come prepared tomorrow to celebrate the life of our Savior and because of his life, our eternal life!

Tim