Name Change – Of Sorts

Dear Worshippers,

Last week I challenged us all to consider if we are going through the motions or if God’s all-consuming passion is living inside of us. This sickness has caused me to think about such things. Though I am still trying to process and discern what God is saying to me through all this, one thing for certain, God is changing me. And I do not want to go back to living as I did before this experience. I would like your help to remind me of this change.

In the hospital they kept calling me Timothy. For those of you who did not know, that is my first name, with my middle name being Scott. For some reason, as I grew up my parents decided to call me by my middle name rather that my first and I just went with that through the rest of my life. I think it is time for that to change.

There is tremendous Biblical precedent for this of course. You remember Jacob’s encounter with God by the Jabbok River where he wrestled with Him “until [He] blessed” Jacob. You will recall that God changed Jacob by first touching his hip and then changing His name to Israel “because you have struggled with God”. [Genesis 32:22-28] There was great purpose in this name change, Jacob meaning “he deceives”. It signaled a much more significant, deeper change. Jacob was never the same after that encounter.

Again, I want that to be true of me because of the way the Lord has met me in this life-altering episode. As I laid there in my hospital bed and the nurses kept calling me Timothy, it occurred to me that maybe it was time to start being known by that name. I have always understood Timothy to mean “servant of God” and have wanted on more than one occasion to be known by that name. I learned during some research last week that a more common meaning is “to honor God, to fear God”. When I read that, it confirmed the change to me, with the timing being now.

I then got to thinking of the meaning of my names together. Scott means “traveler” or “wanderer”. When I put this with Timothy, basically my name means that I honor God as I wander. That sounds like a lifestyle of worship to me, the very calling that God has placed on my life. Amazing!

All that to say, I would like you to begin to call me by my first given name, Timothy. I know it may seem strange at first, having to adjust from Pastor Scott to Pastor Timothy, but it will feel more natural over time to both you and me. I may not always answer at first since it will take some getting used to for me as well, but I feel strongly about this change. It will help me, and you, remember this significant trial that God has brought me through, and maybe even help to highlight the changes He is producing in me as I learn how to better honor and fear His matchless name. Thank you for your help in this.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy