Building Up

Sunday morning retuning: I pray God has your attention. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Are you living it? Could He say He is well pleased with you?

Last week we had a guest columnist. I spoke with a few conductors who are going to help with the Christmas musical orchestra. I met with a guy who is helping to guide us through some facility upgrades in the sanctuary. I rehearsed with a soloist for this Sunday’s service and am looking forward to sharing the choir anthem with her. I am planning on having someone led for me on a Sunday morning in few weeks. The Christmas musical is quickly approaching as well as a couple other special services. I am aware of my need of a little creative support and a lot of help over the next eight weeks or so.

All of this has me thinking again of equipping.

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13

Equipping is done so the body will be built up. The point of the building up is that we all reach unity in faith and knowledge, and ultimately maturity. To think that each of us has a part in that is very exciting to me.

So what is your part? Are you a choir member, bass player, actor, painter, tech, carpenter, intercessor, etc.? Are you fulfilling your role? Have you been equipped to do so? Is there more that you could be doing? [There is always more that could be done, but are you doing what God wants you to do.]

Here is a list of some things that are emerging. Maybe you have some talents and/or passions to express for the good of the church.

Contributing authors – I believe some of you have some things to share that would make great Tuesday Tunings. I am officially excepting submissions.
Christmas Eve – I am praying about some creative expressions for that evening. I welcome ideas.
Creative Team – Like our worship team that meets weekly to prepare to lead our people, I am considering compiling a group of people to plan and express talents in worship for the glory of our Lord. Interested?
Intercessors – I would love to see a group of people praying during each of the presentations of the musical on December 11. Would you be available to pray for us as we present?
??? – Maybe there is something else that we need to be doing to allow God to declare His glory in our midst. I welcome those thoughts.

I look forward to hearing from many of your in response to these needs. I am trusting God to continue to move in our midst as we faithfully stay one step behind Jesus. What an exciting time to be a part of the family of worshippers who call North-Mar Church home! I am glad I am here and that you are too!

Jesus, equip us for the building up of Your Bride.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Prayer, and a Call to Prayer

Sunday morning retuning: What kind of fruit are you bearing? May the Spirit help each of us bear fresh fruit from today, not stale fruit from yesterday. All for the glory of our Redeemer.

Over the weekend I asked John Grundy, worship team/choir member to contribute an article for TT. This is what he offers us today. As an elder who has begun issuing a call to prayer to all who have ears to hear, I am not surprised at what he has put before us. Thanks for the good word, John.

[6b] all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56)

God brings joy in prayer! Prayer is an active and vital part of walking just one step behind Jesus. Prayer allows us to have communion, or fellowship, with God. Prayer allows us to praise Him, to honor Him, to give Him the glory that is His due. “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” [James 5:13(b)]

We are to also bring our requests to our Lord through prayer. Phil 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Most of us are adept at this, and for many asking God for things is the sole purpose of prayer. Notice that we are to present our requests “with thanksgiving”. Be cautious. God is not the Make a Wish Foundation. Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Prayer, even when we are asking God for something, must be done in the context of praise and adoration, not selfishness or pride.

Prayer is often linked to fasting. (e.g., Ps. 35:13) Fasting involves sacrifice, which we do not enjoy. Yet we wonder why our prayers are often ineffective. There is a link in scripture between prayer coupled with sacrifice, and God’s answer. Phil 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” We want to see God’s power, but we are not so anxious to sacrifice or suffer in order to see His power. Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” After his baby was struck ill, David fasted, prayed and wept, hoping that God would be gracious to him and spare the child. (II Sam 12:22)

Prayer also permits us the privilege of interceding on behalf of others. 1 Tim 2:1 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.” It is a great privilege to be able to intercede before the throne of the living God on behalf of one we love. We trust in His grace as we bring others before Him in prayer.

We say we believe that nothing is accomplished without prayer. Yet, do we pray? Many of us are comfortable in our personal lives. Certainly things at North Mar Church are more comfortable than they have been in recent memory. But our Lord has not called us to be comfortable. In fact, it is dangerous to be comfortable and to assume that state will continue indefinitely. (See the Parable of the Rich Fool, Luke 12:13-21)

The Word of our Lord clearly commands us to pray. I invite each of us to climb out of our comfort zones, and pray. Pray individually, and join us in corporate prayer.

On Sunday mornings, come to the prayer room. After the choir is dismissed, after the praise team leaves the platform, make your way back to the prayer room and join others there praying for God to move in our midst, to do what He desires and only He can do, to intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters and those who have not yet come to be Jesus followers, to pray for our pastors and elders and others who God has called to be shepherds at North Mar Church, to praise Him and give Him glory and honor and thanks.

God will bring joy into a life cultivated with prayer. Come join us.

John Grundy

Jesus, make us a people of prayer.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

How’s Your Memory?

Sunday morning retuning: Remember who you are. Remind yourself of this regularly. You are a child of the King, if you have indeed resigned yourself to this marvelous truth. May the Spirit you remind you often of His plans and purposes for you, but first of all His love for you.

How often we believe and allow our minds to be shaped by the things that speak to ourselves when we are simply repeating what others have said, what we imagined they have said, or worse yet, what the enemy has caused us to believe they have said? Should we not be more apt to believe the things that God, our Maker, has said? Unfortunately, too often, and not often enough respectively.

I read this quote in the book Humility by C. J. Mahaney we are reading as a staff then shared it on Facebook a few weeks ago.

‎"Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?" Martin Lloyd-Jones in Spiritual Depression

Something Pastor Myron said near the end of his message reminded me of this statement and I wanted to mention in this context as well.

So what’s the difference between listening and talking when you are doing it all? I think what Lloyd-Jones is trying to say is that we need to be active in this and not passive. Do not just listen to what you might easily believe, but rather work to diligently remind yourself of the things that you might even struggle to believe at times.

So how’s you memory? Do you more often remember the truth of what God has said about and remind yourself of those things or believe the lies you have listened to for far too long? Here are some things God has said about you…

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3b

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1b

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

Jesus, help us to remember and embrace all you have said to us. Help us to remind ourselves often of these truths so we may come to really believe them and live from that position for your glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Enough

Sunday morning retuning: Our big idea from Sunday’s message was one that can easily seem too familiar. “Jesus is all I need.” I already know that you might be tempted to say. But as I have reflected on that the last couple of days some other things have come to mind. Read on…

You see this is another simple statement with huge ramifications. There is on the one side the indisputable reality of it. Jesus really is all that I need. You have heard if said, “If I have the whole world but not Jesus, then I have nothing. But if I have nothing in the world but Jesus, I have everything.” Jesus is all I need. Let’s call this the positional dimension. That is, my position is that Jesus is all I need.

Then there is what I will call the experiential dimension. In my living, or experience, can the same be said. Though Jesus remains all that I need positional, I sometimes live, experientially, like this is not the case. That is, sometimes I live like Jesus [and this other thing that is really important to me at the moment] is [are] all I need.

I would rather that were not the case. I want my experience and my desire to line up with my position, but it does not always work that way. I wonder if you are willing to be honest and admit the same is true of you.

I am tempted at this point to develop a treatise on the flesh and why we have this internal struggle, but I would like for you to wrestle with some of the things I have been wrestling with this the last couple of days. Names withheld for anonymity and application.

We say, “Jesus is all I need”, but what do we say then…
…to the little girl whose daddy just told her mom he is leaving and not coming back.
…to that family who to a person is more excited about their vacation than they have been about anything in a long time.
…to the “30 something” wife who has recently been attending church without her husband because of his recent illness, and may be doing so for the rest of her life.
…to the one who believes yet has nagging doubts and fears
…to the young man addicted to pornography sitting there in church Sunday morning feeling even more defeated than ever.

Needless to say, what we say to them will not be q quick fix. Rather we need to love them and live with them through this. And that may take a long time, but I believe as never before that Jesus is and will be enough, even all they need.

Jesus, all of You is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. You satisfy us with Your love and all we have in You is more than enough. [Chorus from “Enough” by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio, choir anthem for this Sunday]

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Was the Choir THAT Good?

Sunday morning retuning: Only Jesus can save me! Yet how often am I guilty of trying to save myself. Let us be quick to marvel the cross, and trust in Christ’s finished work there to allow Him to completely to identify with all I face as I try to live surrendered to God.

I received this in a text two weeks ago Sunday. It was in reference to the anthem the choir presented in our services that morning. The short answer in my hear t is “No!” the choir was not that good. God was!

There was clapping and a standing ovation at the end. I understand the standing happened spontaneously part way through the song. Though I can not know people’s hearts, I want to believe they were responding to the way the Lord was revealing Himself in those moments.

Did the choir sound good? Sure. Was the duet well done? Absolutely. Was it a great song to begin with? You bet. But the underlying issue was simply that God choose to show Himself to us in a very clear way in those moments.

God is always present with us. He told us He would never leave us or forsake us. [Deuteronomy 31:6] He told us He would inhabit the praises of His people. [Psalm 22:3] We know He is always with us.

But there are times when we are more aware of His presence. When God revealed Himself at Sinai. [ Exodus 19:18-20] When Solomon dedicated the Temple. [2 Chronicles 7:1] When the Spirit was given at Pentecost. [Acts 2:1-4]

I pray there will be more times when we are clearly aware of the unmistakable, life-changing presence of our God. I firmly believe there will be. But even when we are not as aware collectively of His presence, may we still believe that His power is at work in our midst.

Jesus is only a step ahead of us, though at times we are tempted to go astray and other times we simply doubt He is really there. Stay close and expect to sense Him at every turn in the road, both individually and corporately. I know I am.

Jesus, cause us to be overwhelmed by Your presence sometimes, and in the other times give us faith to trust You are equally present. Our eyes are on You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

So That

Sunday morning retuning: I trust in You. Four little words we sang on Sunday, one big implication. This is a life altering statement. No matter what comes your way, keep believing that “Nothing is impossible for [God].”

No, I did not mean to say, “So what”. Occasionally words from the Scripture jump off the page at me. I hope you have had this experience. If not, keep reading and praying for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and you will.

We are studying humility as a staff in our weekly gathering. Today’s material took us to 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. The second part of verse nine is what drew my particular attention, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

I have read these verses before. I probably have even heard sermons preached from them, but the Holy Spirit really got my attention with those two words, “so that”. I will not speak for you but I confess that I want, I need Christ’s power. Oh, that it would rest on me, as the Amplified Bible puts it, “pitch a tent and dwell” on me. I want His power, His presence, His person.

So…how can I ensure that? By boasting all the more in my weaknesses. Does it seem as simple to you as it did to me this morning? If I will boast in my weaknesses, Christ’s power WILL rest on me. That’s what the Scripture says, right? Simple, right? Not really.

Why? Because that rails against my flesh. Cover up my weaknesses, ignore or deny my weaknesses, despise my weaknesses more likely. But boast in my weaknesses. Are you kidding me Paul. No, you are not. OK. Now I have a decision to make.

Do I want Christ’s power to rest on me? Absolutely. Then I MUST boast in my weaknesses. Lord, I am weak, frail, selfish, arrogant, mean, disrespectful, controlling, etc. Christ, may Your power rest on me to make me a useful servant to the glory of Your name.

Jesus, thank You for Your grace. I believe it is sufficient for me. I will boast in my weaknesses because I am desperate for Your power to rest on me.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

One Step Behind Jesus – The Life

Sunday morning retuning: And so our journey with Jesus through the book of Luke begins. I want to encourage you to keep your eyes open for Jesus. It may very well surprise you where He shows up. Expect to see Him everyday.

I sat in my study several times last week looking forward to starting the next part of our journey together with Jesus as a church family. I am excited to see how He will show Himself to us and where He will lead us. I hope you are too.

I also sat in my study several times last week looking forward to traveling to District Conference. It is an annual event for the leadership of our District of Alliance churches to get together to celebrate what God is doing, pray and talk about the future, and do some business as well. I generally look forward to it, but especially so this year. Why? Because it is in West Virginia.

As I sat thinking on Friday about these two converging realities, something struck me and actually brought me to tears. Staying a step behind Jesus is not always easy and often requires a willingness in us to lay something down or walk away from something. It occurred to me that staying a step behind Jesus for me and my family has meant leaving the state we love so much.

If you do not know me very well, let me tell you that I love West Virginia. I do not think I can explain the sacrifice in a way that can truly explain it, but suffice it to say that we left family and friends, and the church where I met the Lord in addition to a place that is dear to us to come and serve North-Mar. But here is what I really want you to hear. Though I LOVE West Virginia, I love Jesus MORE!

In that moment I was overcome by a rush of emotion. I really must love Jesus to leave my home state, family and church to serve here. And I do. And I believe that you too want to be willing to leave whatever is necessary for you to stay one step behind Jesus. But it is not always easy.

I want to encourage you to resolve that you will stay one step behind Him in the weeks and months ahead of us. It is important to do that now because as He shows Himself to us, we will have the opportunity to adjust the direction of our life to His call. Let’s do it.

Jesus, help us to commit to staying close to you. Then Spirit give us the grace to do it. We love You Jesus and we want to stay one step behind You, but we confess we can only do it if you help us.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

One Step Behind Jesus – The Series

Sunday morning retuning: Jesus Christ is beautiful. Set you heart on Him until the day when you finally see Him face to face and behold His beauty with unveiled eyes.


For several months now several of us have been looking forward to this Sunday. Our fall preaching series, One Step Behind Jesus, begins this week as we walk through an entire gospel together. There are several things that will signal this beginning on Sunday.

• A new bulletin cover with a cool graphic of Jesus just ahead…
• The next installment in our series of CD’s laden with music for the series (This was so much fun to create as a gift to our church family!)
• A new sermon intro video to set-up the series each week (Just saw the unscored rough cut of this and it is awesome!)
• A new preaching series that will enable us to look at a complete gospel together as an entire church

I have had my hands on most of these things at some level and am really excited to share them with our church family. Though it is often the case, I can hardly wait until Sunday!

Fall is a season when the business of summer gives way to the routines of the new season. What will mark this season for you? Will you find yourself drawing closer to Jesus, or slowly fading away? What routines are you putting in place to ensure that you are one step behind Him as we turn into a new year and on into the spring? What old routines will you renew? In short, how will you cultivate your relationship with Jesus Christ in this next season?

Jesus, thank you for your willingness to stay just one step ahead of us. Your patience with us is amazing and certainly undeserved. Help us to stay close to You Lord.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Keeping It Simple

Sunday morning retuning: It does get better than this. Have you been reminded of that in the last two days? You have now. Good or bad, that truth still rings clearly. Hold on, dear one.

Tonight – recording of team, instruments and voices combined. ALL WELCOME!

Tomorrow night – recording of 3 choir pieces, Mercy, Jesus Hold Me Now, and Glorious Day from last years blue book.

If you can not make either, please be praying that what we labor to create these couple of nights would not only be a pleasing offering to our Great God, but a blessing to all who hear it in the months to come. Pray for clarity of mind for the players since we will be working through 13 songs tonight. Pray also for Todd Maki who will be helping us to capture what we sound like and them try to make us sound even a little better.

It’s going to be a lot of fun. Hope you can join us!!

Jesus, thank you for giving us something to sing about. Help us to do it well, both here and now, and there and then.



In Christ,


Pastor Timothy

Hallelujah to the Lamb

Sunday morning retuning: Do you find yourself singing praise to the Lamb of God and Heaven becoming a brighter reality in your life these days, or are other things distracted you causing Haven to dim? Read on.

Verse 1
Lord I stand in the midst of a multitude
Of those from every tribe and tongue
We are Your people
Redeemed by Your blood
Purchased from death by Your love
There are no words
Good enough to thank You
There are no words to express my praise
But I will lift up my voice
And sing from my heart
With all of my strength

Chorus 1
Hallelujah hallelujah
Hallelujah to the Lamb
Hallelujah hallelujah
By the blood of Christ we stand
Every tongue every tribe
Every people every land
Giving glory giving honor
Giving praise unto the Lamb of God

Verse 2
Lord we stand by grace in Your presence
Cleansed by the blood of the Lamb
We are Your children
Called by Your name
Humbly we bow and we pray
Release Your power
To work in us and through us
'Til we are changed to be more like You
Then all the nations will see
Your glory revealed
And worship You

Bridge
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
That You are Lord of all

CCLI Song No. 2316323
© 1997 Integrity's Hosanna! Music
Debbye Graafsma | Don Moen
For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License No. 213449

We introduced this song on Sunday that has been on of my favorites for some time when it comes to singing about Heaven. The images that is conjures up are not ones, like Heaven itself that we think of very often, so I wanted to give us a little visual here to help us get our thinking headed in that direction. [Stained glass window portraying the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) carrying a banner, Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Chestnut Hill, Mass., U.S. John Workman] When you think of Jesus as the Lamb of God, Angus Dei as we sing it in another song we know, what kind of images come to mind for you?

Think about that while you watch this video.

Jesus, thank You for being the Lamb of God. Release Your power to work in us and through us until we are changed to be more like You. Then all the nations will see Your glory revealed and worship You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Look to the Light

Sunday morning retuning: Heaven is the hope of all who are bound for glory. Did you wake up today and ask God to help you live in the reality of heaven today? Will you ask Him tomorrow?

On a recent camping trip with my boys, Aiden’s first, I took this picture. I think it is worth at least a thousand words. I will share less than that to give you time to consider some of your own.



As I was reflecting back on it last week, several thoughts jumped out at me.

The light is intense. The boys’ faces are aglow. Everything just kind of fades into the darkness.

The light is intense. It forms the focal point of the picture. It is almost hard to look away from it. It reminds me of the glory of God and a verse from 2 Corinthians 4:6 which says that God has given us “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”.

The boys’ faces are aglow. Their faces are simply reflecting the light that is coming from the source, the lantern. Each of their expressions are a little different. Isn’t that like us in our relationship to God? We simply reflect His glory to those around us. We each express that a little differently.

Everything just kind of fades into the darkness. The closer to the lantern the clearer things are seen. If it weren’t for the lantern this picture would be only darkness. Genesis 1:3 is quoted in the first part of that earlier verse from 2 Corinthians where God says, “Let light shine out of darkness.” We have a responsibility to do more than enjoy the light don’t we.

Jesus, shine Your light on us. We want Your glory to be seen as it shines in the darkness. Do it through us as our hope rests on You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Music and Missions

Sunday morning retuning: We had the chance to hear from three of our Elders on Sunday. What did God speak to you? What are you doing about that? Respond to what you heard!

On of the key parts of becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ is cultivating a desire to serve our world. That is to declare the truth and love of Jesus Christ both locally and globally. We do that through our worship services when we sing His praise, and we do that elsewhere when we share His compassion.

I mentioned on Sunday a concert that we will host at the church this Friday night. I wanted to give you a little more detail about that and share how excited I am to see a couple of our young people using their talents to support this endeavor. Julia Ciferno and Travis Pembridge will both be sharing in this event. They are both involved in our worship ministries and are very talented musicians and songwriters. I encourage you to come simply to hear their offering, but there is an additional reason.

A group of 6 young adults (ages 18-24) are getting ready to travel to the island kingdom of Tonga (located in the South Pacific) in August with the hope of being used by God to both encourage the believers there and provide any service possible to them. In an effort to help raise the necessary funds for this trip, the team has made preparations for a live concert and silent art auction to be held here at North-Mar in the fellowship hall this Friday evening at 7:00. Admission will be free but there will be opportunities to give throughout the night, through the art auction and other ways.

If you are wondering what type of music that will be there you can check out this page facebook.com/ashestooak where you can get a taste before coming. A more detailed description of the trip is on the event page on facebook and was written by one of the team members. You will probably need a facebook account to view it. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123905371025063

I will personally vouch for Julia’s content as I have been listening to a pre-release copy of her CD for a couple of months now. She is a living psalmist in my opinion by virtue of the poetic way she deals with the emotions each of us feels as we wrestle with the truth of our God. I have also heard a couple examples of Travis’ labor and believe that you will be blessed to hear those things as well.

Come out and support these young people who are using their music to support missions.

Jesus, help us to serve our world. We want to declare Your truth and love both locally and globally. Help us to find creative, effective ways to do that ourselves and to equip others to do it where we can not go.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Pursuing God’s Heart, A Quick Recap

Sunday morning retuning: The Lord wants us to focus on Him, and keep our focus on Him. I am praying for you if you heard that challenge. God is Your victory, and He is with you!

We have taken the last nearly ten months looking into David’s life, with some detours along the way. We started this journey last fall and concluded Sunday. What things have you learned about David over these months? What has that revealed about you? What are you doing to let God change you into a man or woman after his own heart? Take some time and thank God for the things you have learned.

Maybe you need some help. Perhaps you have a Message Minder that you have been keeping your sermon notes in. [If you still need one you can get them at the Welcome Center FOR FREE!] Maybe you want to use the online resources that are made available. Click here for audio sermons, outlines and PowerPoint files to help you review. Maybe you want to simply flip through 1 Chronicles asking the Holy Spirit to remind you the things you heard but maybe have forgotten.

However you do it, take a few moments to reflect on this journey and prepare for the next part. After a short series on heaven later this summer, we will begin a series in the fall on the life of Jesus. I can hardly wait!

While I’m waiting though I wanted to give you a chance to chime in. For these upcoming series are there songs that come to your mind that would be great songs for us to sing or have sung to us? Would you share those thoughts with me? There are no guarantees we will use your suggestions, but I want to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me through you if there is something He wants to show me about our upcoming repertoire. I look forward to your input.

Jesus, help us to pursue Your heart. We want to be more like You everyday and we know that will require us to change so we yield ourselves to You. Have Your way in us Lord.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

In Every Season

Sunday morning retuning: Lord of all of me, that’s what I want Him to be. How about you? Are you doing business with what the Lord said to you on Sunday through worship and the Word? I am praying you will.

Happy Summer! Today is the first day of summer and I welcome it. We already have VBS behind us and are looking forward to a couple of months of adjusted schedules, extended time with family, and simply a slightly different pace of life. But that is not the kind of season the writer is thinking about in that song from Sunday. You remember the words…

All of my life, in every season,
You are still God,
I have a reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.
(Bridge from Desert Song, 2008 Hillsong Publishing)

That’s easy to sing on a Sunday morning standing in our sanctuary loving Jesus with hundreds of your closest friends and a bunch of people whose names you do not know…but what a bout the rest of the week?

What about when your loved one is lying on the operating table undergoing exploratory surgery with less than an ideal prognosis? All of my life…
How about on Monday morning when you get the call from your boss and they tell you they are giving your position to the person you just trained? …in every season…
When you get a text telling you that something that an opportunity for which your child has been training for months has been cancelled? …You are still God…
Right after you son greets you with these words, “The frame on my glasses just snapped” and you are not certain they are still under warranty …I have a reason to sing…
[You fill in the blank with something from your life in the last few days]…I have a reason to worship…

God is our victory and he is here. That is another line from the end of the chorus of that song. Let Him be Lord of all of you. He is already, it would be good to adjust your thinking accordingly, and then let Him be your victory. Whatever you are facing today, tomorrow, in this season, or the next, you have a reason to sing, to worship, and it is because He is still God.

Rest in Him today.

Jesus, You are Lord of all of me. I will trust You in this and every season to help me walk with You, singing all the way.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Jesus Makes a Difference Everyday

Sunday morning retuning: “The Lord is enough for me” It was easy to say on Sunday morning, but how about since then? I am praying that you will experience the truth of that as you walk one step behind Jesus today. Thanks for reading.

That is our theme for VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week. I really enjoy this week every year, not only because it is a different schedule and routine for me (and I like different), but mostly because I get to be taught some truths I thought I already knew from a different perspective, that of a child. And I also love being infused with the contagious energy that working with several hundred kids brings.

There is an interesting dimension to the opening and particularly closing sessions this year. A common element of drama has been modified to include a very tangible, practical lesson for the kids. That lesson is that we can and should bring everything to Jesus.

There is a cross set up on the sanctuary floor where it can be easily accessed by the kids. Four of the five days of VBS, during the closing session, the kids will bring something to the cross. The first day it was sticky notes with words or a picture representing something for which they are thankful: gratitude. The second day, today, it was a band-aid with someway they help someone around them: compassion. Tomorrow they will bring rocks representing a sin they need to confess: forgiveness. And the last day a gift bow representing using our gifts to serve our world in Jesus’ name: gifts.

Each day the kids come to the cross. I wish you all could be there and see each day as hundreds of kids bring these things to Jesus. It is teaching them our theme for the week: “Jesus makes a difference everyday.” When we bring our gratitude to the cross, to Jesus, He makes a difference in us. When we bring our compassion to Jesus, difference. Sins, difference. Gifts, difference. We can bring everything to Jesus. We should be bringing everything to Jesus. How are you doing at practicing this simple truth?

You may be wondering about the other day. On one day the kids will take a small jewel home with them. It is meant to remind them of the great treasure of God’s grace. Jesus gives us that and we get to keep it. What a wonderful way to teach that God’s grace is a gift to us, and that we should accept and cherish it accordingly. How are you doing at treasuring this gift?

These are some pretty simple questions, but the way you answer them are truly life-changing. The way the kids answer them tells whether they are allowing Jesus to make a difference in their lives today, and the same goes for me and you.

Jesus, make a difference in me today. Turn me inside-out and upside down. Draw me closer to You, Lord.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

The Earth is His Footstool

Sunday morning retuning: How are you serving our world this week in a way that provokes questions about Jesus?

At Your Feet

Verse 1
Oh that I may know You
Oh that I may worship
Oh that I may bow down at Your Feet
All I have to offer
All I have to give You
Everything I lay here at Your Feet

Chorus 1
Let my sacrifices
Let my heart of worship
Let the praise I lay here at Your Feet
Be a holy fragrance
In this sanctuary
Only You are Worthy of my praise

Bridge
I worship I worship
I worship I worship You Lord

We have been singing this song over the last few weeks. There have been some lines that have become really meaningful to me, as I am sure is the case with you on certain songs that we sing. For me, a week ago Sunday, the line “Only You are Worthy of my praise” really hit me. We were enjoying a wonderful encounter and then God showed me a bit of His glory in this line.

When we are singing, let God speak to you. Worship is a dialogue. It is not just our talking to Him. Though you know this, be willing to receive the things He is impressing on you as we share that experience together each week.

Also be willing to think critically about the things we sing. Do not just accept them because they are on the screen. Make sense of them, and when you can not, ask someone to help you.

I have been thinking about the apparent spatial limitations to this song. You would pick up on this in the line “in this sanctuary”. So are we really only singing about what we offering as we stand in that space on Sunday morning? I think not. Yes, there, but certainly everywhere. Rather than an Old Testament temple mindset of God dwelling between the cherubim, think of it in the context of Isaiah 66:1-2.

“ 1 This is what the LORD says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the LORD.

So if earth is His footstool, that means that everywhere we go we are “at His feet”, right? And if everywhere I go I am at His feet then I can offer my worship anywhere, right? I can not speak for you, but I want to know Him at the grocery store. I want lay everything down at his feet when I am with my family at the park. I want my sacrifices, my heart of worship, the praise I lay at His feet when I am at home relating to my wife and kids to be a holy fragrance in THIS sanctuary.

Do you see where I am going with this? I am out to lunch or is this resonating with you? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Challenge mine if they need it. Affirm them if you like. Let’s continue to position our heart, soul mind and strength to worship!

Jesus, show us how to stay at Your feet. Help us to see you as holy, high and lifted up. Pour out Your power and love and help us to worship You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

The Sacrifice of One, Continued

Sunday morning retuning: Are you living with a forgiving attitude? That was our big idea Sunday. Trust the Holy Spirit to help you do that as Jesus leads you into the places where you will get to practice.


As I was preparing for our services this past weekend, I came across the video we used last year in our Memorial Weekend services. I found myself watching it again, and tearing up even though I pretty much remembered exactly what was coming. I know that I shared it in my Tunings/blog last year, but felt inclined to offer it again with some additional/different thought.

There are at least a couple of reasons for this. First of all consider the text of the song that is being sung as the underscore for this video. It is a powerful song of hope and rest. Honoring to the Lord, and the servicemen and women to whom it is sung.

Mansions of The Lord

To fallen soldiers let us sing
where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
to the mansions of the Lord
No more bleeding no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
just divine embrace, eternal light
in the mansions of the Lord
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard tho the angels sleep
All through the ages safely keep the mansions of the Lord.

I sometimes wrestle with how closely some people connect American patriotism with Biblical Christianity. We should be careful when we begin to draw such parallels; however, I do think their are examples from the former that are “like unto” the latter. And we see one such example in The Sacrifice of One.

But an even greater reason on my mind. Memorial Day is a chance for us to remember the sacrifice of those who have given their lives to protect our American freedoms. I think of the verse, “Greater love has no one than this, that He lay His life down for His friends.” John 15:13 The sacrifice of our military men and women is a great example of this. The sacrifice of Christ, who spoke those words, is the GREATEST example of this. He, after all, is the authority on this…and all things.

I hoped you lived some moments on Memorial Day mindful of the sacrifice of those that we were remembering. I pray you live every moment of every day mindful of the sacrifice of the One we worship.

Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice. You laid down your life for us, and though we have committed to lay down our lives for you, we are apt to pick them up quickly when we feel we have need of them. Forgive us Lord, and help us live with a forgiving attitude.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

At Your Feet

Sunday morning retuning: What was your take-away from the time with John and Darlene Sunday?

Last week I challenged the choir with this idea of staying at Jesus feet. You remember the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42. Martha is scurrying around working and Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet. Jesus gently teaches Martha that Mary has chosen the one needful thing. But how do we live and do the things that are a part of living and yet stay at Jesus feet? How do we stay at His feet and stay a step behind Him? This is easier said than done.

Pastor Myron challenged our elders in the spring with these words from Psalm 27:4.

“One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.”

I am very literal thinker and so I can struggle with phrases like this in Scripture. Really Lord, I am supposed to ask for one thing. Like Mary, the one thing is to worship, but notice that it has different verbs used to describe it: dwell, gaze, seek. Both active and passive words. Words that require different degrees of activity to be sure, but activity nonetheless. I need to stay at His feet,

This thought is echoed in the song that we began to sing together Sunday. Here is a link for those of you who may not have been there to sing it with us. At Your Feet Even as we sang the words to this song below I was struck again by those words “be a holy fragrance in this sanctuary”. It requires us to translate this idea of the temple/sanctuary to our understanding of our being the reservoir of the Holy Spirit. It helps to flesh out this idea of living our lives as an act of worship, for we do not have to go to a sanctuary, we are the sanctuary.

I can be Martha and Mary and the same time. Does that make sense? Hear me out.

Certainly there are times when I need to be mostly Mary, with a little Martha, and other times when I need to be Martha but I better always keep some of that Mary posture in mind. In other words, I can worship as I work, and I must also work at my worship. I can stay at Jesus feet while I am engaged in a myriad of other pursuits as life requires them.

I do not have to stop worshipping to go and do other things. In fact, I had better not do that. As we continue to learn this song, I pray Jesus will teach us how to live it out every day.

Jesus, show us how to stay at Your feet. Teach us what that looks like. Help us to dwell, gaze and seek well as we live in You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Looking Forward

Sunday morning retuning: The Williams challenged us regarding faith, commitment and faithfulness. How are you applying this to your walk?

Dear Worshipers,

I have been thinking about vacation times coming up this summer and getting really excited! My high school class is organizing a reunion, one son has a national basketball tournament, another a Cub Scout Resident camp, and some other time spent in my home among the hills all make me look forward to future events. The time of rest and relaxation fill my heart with great anticipation.

So what are you looking forward to? One of our secretaries just got married and it was really fun to watch her anticipate the wonderful event. Maybe for you it is graduation for yourself or a loved one, or some upcoming visit, reunion, celebration, etc. Whatever it is we all have something to look forward to…

Now before you correct me, or begin to become discouraged let me tell you why I say that. I will use one word: Heaven. Now I will use some other words, if you please.

Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have Paradise awaiting us. I am thinking of our Savior’s words to the thief who offered his version of “Lord, have mercy” when he asked, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:42 (English Standard Version) Do you remember Jesus response? He replied “…today you will be with me in Paradise."

Have you ever stopped to imagine what that thief must have thought? He obviously had faith to ask the question he did. He had already rebuked the other thief who had joined in the crowds jeering. Was he thinking, “Really? Paradise, today? With you? But I have done nothing to deserve this.”

Neither have we. But we have the same thing, Paradise, to look forward to. So how does that shape your gaze? If you are like me, you think far more of the joys one week, one month away, and set not only your eyes, but your hearts on them. Paul told the church at Colossae, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 (English Standard Version)

Jesus, thank you for securing Paradise for us. Help us to live looking forward to it everyday. It will change us.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

What Kind of Friend are You?

Dear Worshipers,

...there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

As I reflected on that verse from Pastor Myron’s message my mind trailed off to the only brother I have. He is my half brother from our father’s first marriage. I only spent a few of my adult years near enough to develop a relationship but I squandered that, thinking I would have more time. You may have some things in your life that you figure you will get to eventually. Like me you are hoping for the right set of circumstances to come along. I regret not being more proactive in that brotherhood.

There is a brotherhood in the faith. Many of you have probably experienced a relationship with someone in the faith that was closer than a blood relative. I have invested in some of those relationships through the years. Some friends in Jesus have been very dear to me. I have been a friend to them when they needed it, and they reciprocated that for me at my time of need.

I know this verse from Proverbs to be true because I have personally experienced it. You probably have as well. You may have a close relationship with a friend right now that helps you to know this as well. If you don’t, I want to encourage you today.

Take some time and consider what kind of friend you are and to whom, and determine to be a better one to the people God has placed in your life for that purpose. While you may really need a friend right now, maybe there is someone around you who needs one even more. After looking at yourself, look beyond yourself and consider how you might be the friend that sticks like the one described in the verse. Maybe you need to be the stick-er, and not the stick-ee.

Even if you have that kind of friend right now, or are investing in a friendship to develop it, keep in mind that no matter how close that friendship becomes, Jesus is closer still. Take some more time to develop that friendship. Other friends may disappointment, Jesus never will. Spend some time with Him today...

Jesus, I want to know that friendship with You so that I can mirror it in another relationship in my life. Thank You for being my friend. Help me to be a good friend for Your glory and the good of that person that needs one.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Have You Seen Jesus Lately?

Last weekend we shared a work entitled "I've Seen Jesus". While it centered about five encounters that Jesus' disciples has shortly after the Resurrection, the musical turned on the synopsis of each of these encounters and our response to them. This was captured with the question, "Why 2,000 years later, are we still so slow to embrace the presence of our risen Lord in our lives?

Here were the synopses:

Perhaps, like Mary Magdalene, we may be blinded by personal pain, unable to see Him clearly through our tears--until He calls us by name.

Perhaps, like the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, we can become so consumed in daily worries, we don't realize He is always walking beside us, desiring our fellowship.

Perhaps, like the disciples, we have hidden ourselves behind locked doors, hesitant to proclaim His name to a hostile world-until He is suddenly there among is, saying, "Peace be with you."

Perhaps, like Thomas, we can easily become hardened skeptics. demanding physical evidence of Christ's claims-forgetting that Jesus offers spiritual assurance beyond any temporal proof.When we believe without seeing, we are, indeed blessed.

And perhaps, like Peter, we let our past failings rob us of the conviction that we can still serve Christ-until we face the Cross and know we are forgiven, forever.

Perhaps...perhaps something has been keeping you from seeing Jesus. Perhaps you need to deal with that so that you can see Him clearly, again. Perhaps.

Jesus we want to see you clearly and often, but there are a lot of things that divert our attention. Rather, wold you allow those things to drive us to You and not away. We are desperate for you, more than we realize.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Loving Jesus

Sunday morning retuning: So we have been charged anew to be “Loving Jesus”. What that looks like on Sunday morning, got it. What that looks like the rest of the week, still working on that. How about you?

Dear Worshipers,

This is easy to say, and not so east to do. Especially when we realize that loving Jesus requires that we love others. Others who are often, rather never as easy to love as Jesus is. But this is no excuse.

Remember the passage about the sheep and the goats. [Matthew 25:31-46] Jesus was teaching about when He would come in all His glory. All the nations will be divided into two groups as a shepherd separates sheep and goats. To the sheep God will say “Come” and to the goats “Depart”.

The goats immediately object and Jesus describes all the times when the sheep showed love and the goats failed to do so. A key line in this quotes the King as saying “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Oh, boy. That is convicting.

So how do I get from where I am, not loving as I should, to where I want to be, loving as I should? I follow Jesus. I determine to let Him guide me in every circumstance, every situation. I decide on the front side how I will choose to respond when things happen. Routinely offering myself to the Lord for the purpose of loving Him and loving others is a great place to start.

An Everyday Creed

Worship is my response to who I value most.
Who I value most is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I was made by Him and for Him.
He is awesome beyond
my mind’s ability to comprehend.
I exist for the purpose of reflecting back to the Lord His matchless glory.
I will exalt Him with my mouth
and with my life for He is my hope,
my joy, my strength, and my salvation.
This day will be used to know Him
and love Him more!

Determine today to know and love Jesus more, everyday.

Jesus, help me to know You and love You more everyday. Help me love the people around me more. Fill me with Your love and help me to be spontaneous in my expressing it. I want to love You more.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

First Love

Sunday morning retuning: One thing Pastor Paul is not short of – PASSION! And what a blessing that is to us. You heard it load and clear “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” As certainly as that image of him holding Levi is etched in your minds, allow these truths to be etched unmistakably into your lives.

Dear Worshipers,

The President of the C&MA, Gary Benedict included in a communication to official workers last week a wonderful personal story that helps us consider our love for God from a different perspective. I share it with you here:

I’d like to share an experience with you from my local church ministry days. If you don’t identify with this story, please pass it along to someone you know who could use some encouragement.

In Revelation 2, John received a message from Jesus to deliver to the church at Ephesus. The message contained the results of their examination. On part one, the grade was an “A.” “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:2-3).

But part two didn’t go as well. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (4-5). Part one of the exam looked pretty good on the outside. But part two went deeper and looked at the heart.

As a young pastor I experienced a similar assessment from our Lord. On the outside everything looked good. People were getting saved, our church was growing, and we were pushing back the darkness in our community. We sponsored evangelistic banquets and other large group events. One encouraged city leader stated after one of the banquets, “More was accomplished for God in the city tonight than has been accomplished in years.”

Hard work and perseverance were achieving fantastic results! By percentage of growth, we were the fastest growing church in The Alliance at that time. But then came part two: While pressing toward the goal, my heart had drifted from a passion fueled by unreserved love for Jesus. While achieving great results on the outside, I was growing empty and tired inside.

The Master had the same three words for me that He spoke to the Ephesians: Remember, repent, return.

• He graciously challenged me to remember the days when infatuation with Him motivated my achievements. When I was seeking Him, the results followed.

• He exhorted me to repent—to turn from any lesser motive and live for Him. I had Kingdom priorities but not “first love” motives. Obedience, duty, and obligation had obscured my vision, and I wasn’t captivated by Jesus.

• He invited me to return to the place of refreshing and true energy for service—to an unencumbered love for my Savior. It is at that place, filled with His Spirit and occupied with His presence, that I found true rest for my soul.

I learned a valuable lesson: Jesus’ words in Revelation 2 were as much for me as for the church in Ephesus. Sometimes I need to take time to revisit that special relationship I share with my Lord. I was busy with ministry and things were going well, yet I had drifted from the best place.

I found that very encouraging and challenging. I hope you will as well.

Jesus, speak to me about my love for You. My life and ministry must flow from there so I must be healthy. Help me Lord to see it clearly.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Directing the [Over]Flow

Sunday morning retuning: How’s your elbow? Your 90 degree PVC elbow that is? Are you praying about how God would want you to redirect a portion of your extra? Please do. You will be glad you did every time you hear a report from our missionaries.

Dear Worshipers,

Pastor Myron’s excellent illustration Sunday really got me thinking. There is a great system in place to pipe support to our 700+ international workers around the world. And it is easy to tap into that pipeline and thus become an integral part of what God is doing.

But we must be careful as we begin to reflect on how we can get involved or more involved, that God is the Source. He simply gives us the opportunity to direct the flow of all He floods into my life. What an incredible blessing that is. To be, as one hymn writer put it, a “channel of blessing.”

In this ministry we share, we do that same thing. God is the Source of our talent and passion and we simply get to direct that toward Him and His people. It is a sacred trust we have been given. May we always cherish it, and be quick to examine our hearts when our directing is tainted in any way.

As I reflected on this I was reminded of a thought I had years ago about this idea of being a channel. We are learning to ask God to fill us everyday with His Holy Spirit. [Eph. 5:18b] Out of the fullness of Him, we are empowered to bless others. There is a real sense in which though God does channel His blessings through us, we are really more of a reservoir than a channel.

This thought occurred to me years ago as I drove by a retaining pond. There was a pipe sticking up above the surface of the water, as well as a drain on one end. Obviously, when the pond was full, the overflow would be channeled through that pipe or drain. That is similar to what happens to us. As we are filled, God overflows and blesses others.

We must be careful to seek that fullness so that we do not serve, give, pray, etc. from another other position, ie. emptiness. Let’s be quick to guard our hearts so that our love for Christ, in all its fullness, would be the sole motivating factor for all we do. I am praying for you to that end.

Jesus, fill us so that we can be reservoirs of blessings to those around us and even to the end of the world. We want to see You at work in our lives, flowing through us. We are desperate for You to do this because we can not do it for ourselves.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

State of the Worship Ministries

Sunday morning retuning: As you follow one step behind Jesus, I am fairly confident your path will look different than the one Tom Stebbins has traveled. It will however have this one thing in common: you will not cease to be amazed at how He will guide your steps if you simply determine to follow in faith!

Dear Worshipers,

Though I had another idea for the communiqué, as I listened to the address of the President Tuesday evening I realized that reflecting over the past season and looking ahead to what is coming is a healthy discipline for any group of people. I did the former part of that labor over our Worship Ministries earlier this month. You can read those reflections in the Annual Reports which will be available for consumption this weekend.

I have also been doing a fair amount of thinking and praying about the future course of this ministry. I have done some listening along the way as well. I have come to some conclusions as we look ahead that I think will help us to better serve the church in her worship as we act upon them. Allow me to elaborate.

When we launched our Encourage/Engage service model, the intent was to create two distinct worship experiences which reflect the diversity of expression currently resident in our church and to create an atmosphere for those experiences to be enhanced. Initially, I was uncertain as to how quickly we could make that differentiation due the demands in would place on our current system. Those increased demands have dictated a slow progress that has left some wondering why we are not experiencing more of a difference.

Lately, I have felt that it was time to reapply ourselves, particularly myself to this diversification, if you will. I spoke of this with choir on Wednesday explaining to them the demands it will place on their ministry as I see it directly before us. My observations and our subsequent course corrections seemed to resonate with them.

All this to say, that for being patient as we have striven to serve the church. Please be patient and prayerful as we enter another season of discovering what Jesus would have us to aid God’s people in their worship. I am excited about the possibilities in each service and simply look to the Lord for the strength, grace and wisdom to stay one step behind Him. Thanks for all each of you does to help in that.

Jesus, as we continue to endeavor to stay one step behind you in worship, please help us to know Your heart on these matters. Though there is great freedom in the tools we use to serve, help us to choose wisely with Your glory and the churches good ahead of all other considerations. We will worship while we’re waiting.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Working to Resolve the Issue

Sunday morning retuning: Remember, you may be facing some very difficult circumstances. Even financially the outlook may look bleak. Simply remember, “But God…” That tends to alter our perspective when we factor Him into the equation.

Dear Worshipers,

I am thankful for the myriad of talented, passionate people around me who help me exalt the Lord Jesus week in and week out. One in particular I am thankful for this week is our Audio Coordinator, Todd Maki. We have been working for some time to balance the choir and instruments on Sunday morning, and this past Sunday was evidence that we have not conquered that issue yet. Todd wanted to speak to you directly to bring you up to speed on where we are with this issue. Rest assured we are seeking the best solution for this issue.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to drop a quick note to address a reoccurring, and extremely valid concern. Namely; ….ahem…."I CAN'T HEAR THE CHOIR". Again, it's an extremely valid concern that has been expressed by quite a few people, and most likely thought by many who have not expressed it. I would assume that the following questions would logically be asked, so I thought that I would state them, and offer an explanation:

1. "Why don't the sound guys simply turn their microphone levels up?" Extremely fair, valid and reasonable question, that has an equally valid and solid answer: we can't. I don't mean that we're at max volume with the microphones (they can go 10 times louder). I mean that because of the poor acoustics of the sanctuary, we're not able to raise the levels of the choir mics any louder without having them feed back (making that really annoying "chimey" sound that sounds like a high pitched whistle). Each Sunday is a wresting match to try to get as much volume out of the choir mics without them feeding back. The next logical question could be asked:

2. "I understand. So…..why don't we fix the acoustic problems in the sanctuary"? As far as I understand it, while some of the prohibitive reasons might have been financial in the past, that is not necessarily the case at present - from what I understand, there have been some funds allocated directly towards this - which helps immensely. So, onward: We were in contact with one man who seemed to have a lot of expertise, that we were looking forward to hire to do the job. But for various reasons, he was not able to. He referred us to a company that he thought would be a good match. We waited quite some time to hear back from this company…and then staggered at the potential 100,000 estimate. Yes….that's how Timothy and I responded as well. So, in a nutshell, each time we get in contact with a new potential person trained in acoustics, it somehow doesn't seem to work out….

3. "So…..what are you going to do about it?"- We're NOT giving up! I'm asking the "me" to turn into "we". Choir - I'm challenging all of you to pray with me, and with Timothy, that the Lord will bring the right person to our church, who has the expertise, insight and knowledge on how to fix our troublesome acoustics - and search as well. Ask around at other large churches, and friends of friends. Any insight that you all might have, please feel free to send out my telephone number and have them contact me directly.

In a nutshell : please be patient with the low volume of the choir until we can find the right person/solution to fix the acoustics - and help us find one!

Jesus, we want to make Your praise glorious. Would you help us discern the cause of this balance issue and deal with it, whether with acoustic treatments, new equipment, a combination of these or something else. Please give us wisdom Lord, particularly to Todd and Timothy.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Resolution

Sunday morning retuning: Are you allowing God to redirect your heart with the money in your hand. Following “One Step Behind Jesus” takes on a whole new meaning when we take out the extra in our wallets, doesn’t it. I am so excited about the Spirit’s work in our midst. Embrace it with me.

Dear Worshipers,

That word has a lot of different meanings. More than I at first realized as I sat in church the first weekend of the New Year. Of course at the beginning of the year the one that comes to mind is setting in our minds that we will do this or that. But there are several others.

Of course, the main ones for us in our little musical world revolve the progression of a voice part or of the harmony as a whole from a dissonance to a consonance. Resolution is also the term used to describe the tone or chord to which the dissonance is resolved. In other words, the tension that results when a chord is suspended finds its release when the chord is resolved. Tenors often have this as they more from a fourth to a third in a chord. It’s the “Ah-h-h-h-h” moment in music, time and time again.

There can be a resolution to the same note, but that is not nearly as “enjoyable” as when the tension is resolved into a harmony or chord. Unison may seem to be the preferred ideal, but I have a different perspective on that. When resolution comes, it may not end up being the same note, but one that sounds good and creates something possibly even more beautiful than unison or the exact same note.

When there is that dissonance, there is a longing for it to be resolved. Even the untrained ear can hear it. There is something that longs for consonance deep in our souls. Resolution meets that longing.

That idea of dissonance to consonance is the constant in many of the different uses of this word. Coming to a place where the tension is resolved, even if not in sharing the exact same view. Truth be told, no two of us think exactly alike. Best friend or spouse. So this longing for resolution is a constant for all of us, in all our relationships.

A solution, accommodation, or settling of a problem, controversy, etc. Resolution. So maybe you are longing for resolution. I know I am. I am praying fro it even today. For me, for you. May Jesus be glorified in all our resolutions…

Jesus, consonance out of our dissonance. Resolve the things in our lives that are suspended. Ease tensions. Create harmony. We believe You can do this, and are trusting you for it.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy