Jan13

I just read something in my quiet time that I want to pass along to you. Ecclesiastes 10:8-9 says, “When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. When you work in a quarry, the stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger in each stroke of your ax.” (The New Living Translation)

I read those verses and immediately wrote in the margin of my Bible, “There is RISK of failure in EVERYTHING worth doing.”

I’m passing this along because some of you might need the same encouragement I do; don’t shrink back from taking God-honoring risks. Call it faith, call it courage, call it adventure but if it is a challenge that has potential benefit and will bring God pleasure, go for it! You might fail, but nothing worthwhile ever gets done without risk!

Tim

Jan12

This morning as I was eating my cheerios at the kitchen counter and glancing at the Elkhart Truth I noticed a quote Gloria had taped to the corner of the kitchen window. I don’t know where she got it or anything about the person who said it, but I do know it made a real impression on me. Here it is; perhaps it will make an impression on you.

“Enjoy the blessings of the day if God sends them and the evils bear patiently and sweetly. For this day only is ours. We are dead to yesterday and not born to tomorrow.” – Jeremy Taylor

Thanks, Gloria for giving me a great perspective on today and life! May we all rest in God’s loving providence today!

Tim

Download this series graphic to use as the background on your computer or cellphone to memorize the Beatitudes throughout the series.

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Jan2

Today I began a series through the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7 entitled, Authentic Christianity. In this first message I went through the first part of the Sermon on the Mount commonly called The Beatitudes. I believe these are the attitudes that are necessary to fulfill the behavioral standards of the Sermon on the Mount. This graphic is a bookmark that was available at the end of the service. I want to challenge you to read over these paraphrases of the Beatitudes several times this week and do your best to put them into practice.

Tim

Dec24

It’s early afternoon on Christmas Eve and I’m in my office preparing for this evening’s Christmas Eve services. It is quiet and peaceful here at the church, the noise of activity and set-up completed. I am really looking forward to tonight’s service with the Christmas music, the reading of the Christmas story, communion and concluding with Silent Night sung with the soft glow of candles. It’s a great moment.

The history of Silent Night is that it was originally written as a poem in 1816 by an Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken and was unable to be used. In preparation for the service Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber who he composed a melody for Silent Night. The song was completed in time for the midnight service and sung with the accompaniment of a guitar. Silent Night has become the most famous Christmas carol of all time!

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

I hope you can either join us, attend your home church or find a church in your town or take a few moments in your home or apartment to celebrate this evening and join with Christians around the world to worship the birth of Christ, the Savior!

Merry Christmas,

Tim

Dec10

This morning in my quiet time I came to Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 6:25-34 about worry. I have read these words dozens of times, but each time the simple truth continues to bring a soothing calm to my heart and mind. Perhaps you could use Jesus’ words today as well. And after you have read Jesus’ words, click on the link below for some great quotes on worry.

25 “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? 26 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? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 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? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Check out this list of quotes about worry!

Tim

Dec5

This morning I began the series, Faith Prevails. It is a short series where we will look at the different ways that faith was expressed in the lives of some of the primary characters of the Christmas story. This morning I used the story of Mary to show ‘surrendering faith’ through her comment to the angel Gabriel when he told her that she would be the mother of the Son of God, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Here are the three quotes I used during the message that you may find challenging and maybe even a little convicting, I know I did.

“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give God orders, and interfering with His plans in us.” – A.W. Tozer

“The historic church taught that the chief end of man was to glorify God and enjoy him forever; the modern church too often teaches that the chief end of God is to gratify man.”  -Larry Crabb

“The question is not ‘how much pleasure am I getting out of life?’ the question is ‘how much pleasure is God getting out of my life?’ Genuine surrender says, ‘Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s, please don’t take it away.” – Rick Warren

Tim

Nov24

On the day before Thanksgiving, I have posted the 136^th Psalm; a Psalm of thanksgiving. The Psalmist recounts the character and acts of God in Israel’s history and is driven to give thanks to God for his everlasting love. As you reflect on God’s character and his work in your life, give thanks to the one true God and for his abundant blessing and love. Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

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Nov21

I compiled a few of the quotes I came across over the course of my preparation for the series entitled, “Generosity”.  Some I used in one of the messages and some I did not. Perhaps you will find a few in the list to be particularly challenging and or encouraging as you seek to honor God with the resources he has blessed you with. Here they are in no particular order:

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Nov10

This morning I pulled a book off my shelf that I have read more than once. It is John Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I happened to read the chapter entitled, “The Law of Sacrifice”. This law of leadership states that for a leader to go up he has to give up. Towards the end of the chapter he included a statement from Martin Luther King Jr. from a speech he gave in Memphis:

“I don’t know what will happen to me now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter to me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. I won’t mind. Like anybody else, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy tonight…I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

The next day Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed.

Sacrifice is an essential part of leadership. It is a given. Even Jesus, our Ultimate Leader, was at his core a servant.

Philippians 2:5-8, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”

I was reminded again that in my position I need to be a servant to the body of River Oaks, the staff, the elders and deacons. It is just ‘part of the job’; it comes with the territory. It is both a huge responsibility but it is also a high calling!

What about you? Where are you a leader or where are you responsible for others? Today, find ways to serve them because,  in order to go up, you have to give up.

Tim