Praying for a Community in Mourning

Sunday morning retuning:  How quickly we forget God’s sufficiency?  He gave us His Son, so will surely give us all things.  Suffering from Spiritual Amnesia?  Remember Jesus alone provides.

While we were worshipping the Lord at North-Mar on Sunday, just south of our little burg of Warren, Ohio, six families were weeping having lost a son or daughter.  I have to admit that when I heard about it later that day I was sad to hear that these young people had lost their lives, but it did not grip my heart.  Forgive me, Lord.  As I heard people mentioning that it had become national news, CNN was the first I heard had covered the story, I realized I needed to pay more attention to this tragedy.

I googled and found a couple local articles and began to read.  That’s when it really hit me.  This could have been my son.  In the list of young people I saw the names of two fourteen year-old victims, eighth grade students in Warren.  My oldest son is in the eight grade.  The gravity of this accident began to sink in.

We spoke about this during our normal Tuesday morning meetings as a staff and learned that a partner in ministry with us who is deeply embedded in the community where many of these young people lived is ministering to their families.  It became immediately apparent that I needed to ask you to pray and that we could do so with profound clarity.

I texted this brother and received a quick reply back from him.  We need to pray for God to provide financially and spiritually.  There is a need for assistance in covering funeral expenses.  (What a terrible thing to have to do at such an awful time.  A fund has been set up for donations.)  There is also a need for peace this world can not give. [John 14:27]  I assured my brother we would pray so please join me, and let us together trust that God will somehow bring some good out of this seemingly senseless heartbreak.

One of things I reflected on as we prayed was how often as we are worshipping God, enjoying His unmerited goodness to us, they are others who are weeping for any number of reasons.  We have hope, and we must not keep it to ourselves.  People around us are lonely, hurting and dying.  I am trying to take from this episode the sobering reminder of the reality of death.

Here in Warren, there is a community just beginning to come to terms with a great and unexpected loss.  Friends far away, please pray for us to do what we can when we can over these next few days and weeks.  Friends near, pray for our neighbors who are grieving, dazed and confused, and then act as the Spirit leads.

Jesus, tears are falling, hearts are breaking, how we need to hear from You.  Spirit, bring comfort and peace in the midst of this tragedy and draw hearts to the Father as You bring the comfort only You afford.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Any Questions?

Sunday morning retuning:  We have given the Kingdom Assignment to Growth Groups this year!  Be praying for them that they may advance God’s kingdom through their assignment!!

A couple weeks ago I began to explain the transition that our worship team ministry will be going through this summer as we go from a full-fledged rotational basis to two set teams with subs filling in as needed.  I have had some good feedback from a few of you, some questions and a little fear.  Let me put the latter to rest by explaining myself a little more.

I mentioned “open auditions”.  It is my intent for everyone interested in serving on our teams to “audition”, this includes current members.  This will give me an opportunity to assess ability and recruit the teams based on this assessment.  My intent at this point is to put a CD together with two new songs so it is a level playing field and have everyone play some portions of this two songs in a quick 10-12 minute slot for which people will sign up.  This is consistent with my desire to welcome new players onto our teams.  Once invited to serve on a team, another audition will be unlikely, unless playing ability merits it.  At that point, only prospective members would need to audition.

Of course, not everyone who auditions will make one of the two teams.  Those who are capable of serving, based on the audition assessment, who do not make a team would be asked to become part of a group of people who would be called on by team members to fill in for them on weeks they are unavailable.  Even though team members will be expected to play their two weeks on as often as possible, things happen that will make this difficult or even impossible at times.  This pool of substitutes are no less important than team members to the ministry, and as such will have access to the website so they can continue to prepare and maybe have opportunity to join a team in the next cycle.

I am not certain as the length of commitment long-term, though I will be asking for an initial commitment through the end of 2013.  At that point, I intend on evaluating teams and giving people opportunity to recommit or not, occasionally asking people to step away to make room for developing other players.  I am hoping these on/off ramps will give people the flexibility to be involved as their life/family schedule permits.  I have spoken with a couple of larger church that use a 6-month cycle, so that is what I have in mind tentatively, though I want to remain flexible to the right length for our setting.

I hope that clarifies a bit more of the details of how this may work.  If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask or share them.  I value your input and the contribution each of you makes to what we doing together as we serve Christ and His church here at North-Mar.

Jesus, as we find our way through the details of a new way to do worship ministry, help us hear You clearly, and walk in faith and confidence that You are leading us.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

What’s Next?

Sunday morning retuning: God is on the move at North-Mar Church.  If you were present in the services Sunday I am certain you caught several glimpses of things only explainable as the work of God.  Especially those two powerful LifeChange stories. I can hardly wait for what is next.

What’s Next?  Pastor Myron began to answer that question Sunday for us a church family in terms of 1. Maintaining and Improving our Current Facility, 2. Local Outreach and 3. Global Missions.  These are our top three priorities as we stand firm (Gal 5:1) after our mortgage is paid off this summer.

You must know that just as the Elders have been praying about these matters of the last year and more, so I too have been praying and looking to God for an answer to this same question as it impacts the future of our worship ministries.  I want to take a few minutes to paint a picture of how God has been leading me through this process.

Throughout my entire ministry life I have practiced the model of rotational worship teams that we use now at North-Mar.  Over the last couple of years I have begun to struggle more and more with the limitations of our current model and have considered alternatives.  I have spoken with churches larger than us to see what they have learned that could benefit us.  I have tried to carefully consider the unique implications of the local body we serve, and from whom we are drawn out to lead.

All of these influences have led me to a conclusion.  It is time for a change.  It has been difficult to come to a place where I am ready to step away from some values that have guided me, but I am trying to be careful and not allow them to be a yoke that holds us back, and in some ways they have been.

In short, I am planning on having open auditions for our worship team ministry from which I hope to form two teams which will play two weekends a month.  Beyond this there will likely be other musicians/singers who will be on a sub list to fill in as needed on those two set teams.  We will interview a couple times a year to accept/decline continued involvement on the two teams, presenting on/off ramps for people going through different seasons of life.

I believe this will benefit us in multiple ways.  Chemistry is something we have lacked because our teams our truly rotational.  This model addresses that.  It also ups the ante for those who are serving.  Coming prepared for your teams night is important and knowing when you are on helps.  Individuals will be responsible for filling their own vacancies so there is fewer 11^th hour calls from me/Tammy.

They are some logistics to work through and a myriad of questions to answer and I trust I will have the opportunity to do that before auditions in late April/early May.  I hope to form teams by June so they can both prepare for the Fall recording which I am hoping to do in-studio.  Please pray as we transition and endeavor to stay one step behind Jesus.

Jesus, we want to stay close to You and help our church family enjoy Your glory.  Guide us as we look to You for what is next in this journey for our worship teams.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Fat Tuesday

Sunday morning retuning: Pastor Myron and Sharon shared details and the impetus for their recent Pastoral Care trip to three of our international worker/missionary families.  While I appreciated the colorful stories and the glimpse into those lives, what really struck me was the Scripture.  May “increasing and overflowing love” mark our lives.

We are entering a particularly religious period of the year beginning tomorrow.  I use the word religious carefully there, mind you.  Many are enjoying today as much as they can because they intend on entering into a season of self-denial tomorrow.  Thus the folks in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday.  Many in evangelicalism are not familiar with it, but I am speaking of Lent.  (For those wanting more info, you could start here.)

In short, it is the season of the Church Year beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing through Holy Saturday, the day before Easter.  For many this is a season of self-denial, prayer, fasting and giving as we prepare for Easter by going through a period of mourning and reflection on the nature of Christ’s sacrifice.  I encourage you to make some preparations for Easter as well even if giving up red meat is not one of them.

This is a good idea.  Welcoming into the regular cycle of life, something that disturbs or interrupts our habits, the mindless minutia.  Taking some things away to make room for remembrance.  But more so than giving something up, which may be necessary, I want to encourage you to shift your focus, to refocus on Christ in these days.

Like the ashes, sometimes from the burned remains of last years Palm Sunday branches, which will mark the foreheads of many worshippers tomorrow, may our lives be marked by a careful remembering of the passion of the Christ.  And what will be that mark, that distinctive characteristic in your life?  I am praying mine will be love.

A few years ago, I came across a simple prayer that pops up as a note when I look at the task “Preparing for My Day” on my calendar.  I do not look at it regularly, but when I do it reminds me of this the greatest commandment which Jesus taught.  I do not pray it religiously either, but maybe that could help.

God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving You and loving other people--because that's what life is all about.  I don't want to waste this day.

That is my prayer on this Fat Tuesday, this day of indulgences, to be more loving.  I have a feeling I will be even more thankful for His sacrifice that ever if I am able to maintain this focus.  I know I need a lot of help.  How will you observe Lent?

Jesus, help me to soberly reflect on how to best prepare for Easter.  I will begin today.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Surprised by Glory

Sunday morning retuning: Pastor Paul Armitage reminded us from Micah 6:8 what the Lord requires of us.  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  Those words are still ringing in my ears today, and I pray God will work them out in my living.  How about you?

So now I have been challenging you to pray for God to “Show Us Your Glory” and encouraging you to think about how to prepare for that  and what it looks like in your life.  Here is another illustration and encouragement as you walk along a step behind Jesus.  

Last week during choir, God revealed His glory to me.  We were dutifully rehearsing a song when the Lord decided to overwhelm me with a sense of His presence, surprising me with His glory.  I could barely finish directly the song, then had to a minute (which felt like an hour) when it finished to compose myself before I could even speak.

When I did I encouraged the choir members to linger in those moments when they occur.  My temptation was to press on, but the Lord stopped me and then used my experience to instruct me, and I hope my friends as well, that it is good to enjoy the God’s glory when it settles down on us.  A couple of disclaimers:  1) I had done nothing unusual to prepare for or deserve this encounter, but 2) I had prayed for His glory to be revealed.  God does what He wants, when He wants, how He wants, that’s part of the privilege of being God after all.

Here is a link to the song.  It’s a great song, but I find it interesting that I had sung it several times before God hit me with the text  the way He did last week, and has not since.  Jesus Died My Soul to Save   The text can be seen as you scroll down through the link, take a look especially at the use of the words swallowed and aches.

Another practical example...Earlier that day, last Wednesday morning, I was walking into the church the moment the skies opened and dumped a deluge on me.  Suffice it to say I was surprised to get drenched in a matter of seconds, but what really surprised me was the response of people who saw me as I entered the building.  

I felt like Moses having just come down from the presence of God’s glory on Sinai.  It was like people did not want to look at me, but it was because I was wet of course.  It was like they wanted me to cover up the evidence of my encounter saying essentially, “Go get yourself dried off”.  It gave me the perspective of being marked by an encounter.  I was surprised to get wet, much the same way we are at times surprised by God’s glory.

Allow me to encourage you to seek the glory of God’s presence, then to allow yourself to linger in His presence when it settles upon you, however and whenever it does.  Then go away, on, forward allowing your life to be marked by His glory.  

Jesus, show me Your glory.  Help me to live expecting You to do that at any moment.  When You do, help me linger there.  When I do, help me to walk away marked by Your glory.  Do the same for my family of faith, for our good and Your glory.  in Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Making it Personal

Sunday morning retuning: Pastor Alan Kropp reminded us of how Jonah struggled, shared his own struggle with God’s redeployment, and challenged us to consider our heart with regard to going.  A great word to us from our Lord.  As you hear God whisper “Go”, be careful your living isn’t replying “No”!

The last few weeks I have been asking you to join me to pray “Show Us Your Glory”.  We have considered the context around Moses’ request of the same thing in Exodus 33.  Last week I called you to consider what Exodus 34 does not say about God’s answer.

Now I want to come at this from a different angle.

We have been asking God to do something in our midst, when we are gathered for worship, but now I want you to ask yourself a question.  Am I willing to let God do in me what I have been asking Him to do through us?  Though similar, that question is different in that it requires us to look inward more than outward.

You see, asking God to reveal His glory in our church, though dangerous, may or may not have implications on your willingness and preparedness to respond to His manifest presence. Asking God to reveal Himself in you has direct and immediate implications on you.  And just what might those be?

God must make us spiritually fit to receive all that He is longing and willing to do.  God revealing His glory will usher in LifeChange.  Am I ready for that?  Do I want more of Him or more of the same in my life? The second question seems easy to answer, but it really all hinges on the first.  Am I ready for changes in my life?  

This will require that we examine ourselves.  That we consider who we are, and who God is, and be willing to make the necessary adjustments to be more like Him.  He wants His glory to be seen in us, but are we ready for what that will require.

I am not saying we have to get ourselves together before we come to God.  Quite the contrary!  I am making clear that if we want to know His presence manifest in our midst we must be increasingly willing to engage in the process of transformation.

Am I ready for God to reveal His glory in my life? Am I ready for him to change me?   Am I ready for a taste of heaven?  Am I ready for God to move?

I think of the lines we have been singing lately from the song When You Move...

For when You move our lives are changed.  We know a taste of heaven here.  We crying out for more of You, Lord come and move.

Jesus, help me to know if I am ready for Your glory in my life, and through my life in my church.  Spirit, examine my heart and reveal to me any things I may be longing for more than You and the evidence of Your presence.  Father, I want to long for You glory more and more.  Show me Your glory.  Amen.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Seeing God’s Glory

Sunday morning retuning: Sobering words from Pastor Paul about our role in going.  Are you taking any action steps to press into what God is calling you to do as you go?  Carefully consider what God may be saying to you and commit to letting God’s light shine through you, no matter where He leads.

So the last few weeks I have been encouraging us to think about Moses encounter with God where he asked to see God’s glory.  I have also been challenging you to partner with me to pray that God was show us His glory, and I am still accepting willing participants.  Before we go any further though I want to take the opportunity to help you understand exactly what we are asking for.

When we consider Moses encounter, I find it fascinating that we only have sketchy details as to what the experience was like for Moses as described in Exodus 34. We know God came down in a cloud, stood there with Moses and passed in front of him.  We know bowed down and asked the Lord to go with them again.  Moses stayed there on the mountain for forty days and nights with eating or drinking, and wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant.

What we do not know is what that looked like to Moses.  God’s glory is not described to us, and frankly, I think that is a good thing.  If it were, we would be prone to what to reproduce it somehow, and desire the same expression, as opposed to receiving the Lord however he wants to reveal Himself to us today, and in our services.  I have often said that I am thankful for the descriptions of worship in the New Testament, as opposed to prescriptions, for it gives us the freedom to seek God without constraining His creativity to reveal Himself.

So how do we “see” God’s glory?  James McDonald in his book Vertical Church puts it like this.  “When someone or something evidences the reality of God’s existence, that revealing is God’s glory.  We don’t see God; we see the evidence that He has been at work; we see His glory.”  That is well said and the goal of our seeking, to see evidences of God at work.

I believe we see evidences of God at work.  We have recently had a talented musician who happens to be a relatively new follower of Christ serve with us on worship team, and their response was gratitude for being able to express their love for Jesus with their music.  This is only one evidence of God’s work I have seen lately.  Will you join me in praying for more evidence?

Jesus, reveal to us the evidence of the Father at work in our midst.  As you do, give us eyes to see it, and Him.  Show us Your glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Show Us Your Glory, Expanded

Sunday morning retuning: So we will spend the next four weeks focusing on the middle name of the C&MA, that is Missionary.  Giving, praying, going, and ,sending, but not necessarily in that order.  From this first Sunday the question...Are you willing to make a Faith Step with regard to Missions Giving?

Thinking about going?  Moses was in Exodus 33, the passage I opened up last week and have been meditating on since then.  How appropriate since we are hearing about going, ie. missions, these next few weeks.  Interesting how God seems to do that when He really wants to get our attention, isn’t it?

So in this passage we find God telling Moses to lead Israel into the promised land.  Moses says something that should characterize our every response to God’s leading.  “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”  [Exodus 33:15]  How often are we willing to go whether or not God goes with us.  As we are asking God where he is leading us next we much acknowledge our dependence on Him.  We could learn a lot from Moses here.

After asking how anyone will know God is pleased with them if His presence does not go with them, Moses asks the question that we must ask ourselves on Sunday mornings especially, but every day as well.  “What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”  What is that distinguishing factor?  God’s Presence.

The Lord assures Moses He will do what he has asked, then Moses makes the request He has been leading up to.  “Now show me your glory.”  Now I ask myself, he has already been on this mountain with God for some time, received the Ten Commandments, gone down, and come back up again.  He has been speaking with God.  Yet he asks to see His glory.

What is it about God that Moses is aware He has not yet seen?  What more could he want?  I do not know.  The story goes on the describe how God was going to honor Moses request, yet does not record the moment it was fulfilled.

What a bummer!  But what words could convey that encounter?  As we sang, “All I Have is Christ” Sunday, the Lord revealed something of the all-sufficiency of Christ to me.  I tried to convey that to a friend today but could not really find the words.  If you have encountered the glory of God, you know what I am talking about.  and you want more of it, just like Moses.  You can also understand why I am asking you to join me in praying for God’s glory to be revealed in our worship services.

I warned you last week and I am asking now if you will on every Wednesday, and whenever else the Lord prompts you, join me for this next year in this simple prayer.  “Show Us Your Glory” If you will, please reply and let me know.  I will add you to a list and pray for you to keep that commitment.  I want to plead with God for His presence.  Will you join me?  This is your chance.

Jesus, show us Your glory.

Here is a great song to encourage you in that prayer.  Open Up the Heavens.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Show Us Your Glory

Sunday morning retuning: Loving Jesus. Growing Together. Serving Our World.  What steps will you take, or rather, where you do sense Jesus is leading you to go to stay one step behind Him in 2013?  You do not want to be the same person a year from now do you?  Please do not look at it like a list of things to do.  Rather, try to see it as a verbal map of how God might be leading you to be more like Him. 

As we round into a New Year, I am sure resolutions are on many of your minds.  Some of you have already gotten off track from the pace you wanted to set.  I pray you will not be discouraged, but rather see this new beginning as a time to recalibrate.

I am thinking about that for us collectively and so my eyes have been mind open these last several weeks for where Jesus might be leading me to lead us.  While reading yesterday, some words jumped off the page at me, and I am believing it was the Holy Spirit that caused them to do so.  Let me explain.

Many of you have heard me pray before a morning service something to this effect.  “Lord, let us each return to our cars later knowing that we have meet with You.”  I have always longed for that to be the mark of what God has led me to do, to create an atmosphere where people can encounter Him.  I have failed many times, but He is gracious AND jealous for his glory. 

As a staff we are reading a book together, seeking God’s insight into how we do church, particularly our Sunday morning worship experience.  The book is Vertical Church, by James McDonald.  I have only read the introduction, but I am excited because it was here that I was reminded of Moses prayer in Exodus 33:18, “Show me Your glory.”  That really resonated with me.  I want to spend some time unpacking that next week, but for now I want to give you something to listen to and a challenge to consider.

Here is a link to a great song that gives voice to this cry of Moses, and connects it with walking with Jesus, think Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-11) Show Me You Glory - Jesus Culture.  I long to look on the face of the One I love, what a great line.

What we really need is the presence of God.  An awareness of His manifest presence in our gatherings is what we need.  It’s what the people who come to worship with us need.  It is what I long for in our services.  So I want to ask you on this Wednesday to join me for this next year in this simple prayer.

“Show Us Your Glory”

If you will, please reply and let me know.  I will add you to a list and pray for you to keep that commitment.  I want to plead with God for His presence.  Will you join me?  If you are not convinced you are ready to commit yet, don’t.  That’s OK.  I will give you another chance next week when I unpack Exodus 33 a bit.

Jesus, show us Your glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Hope, Fear and Jesus

Sunday morning retuning: Jesus wants to use us to declare His love and truth.  The kids reminded us of this powerful, challenging reality of the Incarnation as they shared in word and song in their musical.  Are you making yourself available to Jesus to use for His purposes?

I have been pondering some other words in the last week and plan to give all who attend our Christmas Eve Services next Monday a chance to join me.  We will read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and sing a number of carols that allow us to consider these marvelous realities.  The children will hear a special story from Ms. Robin.  Then we will take some time to think.  After all, thinking can be worship too.

I will ask everyone to consider the hopes that heap up in their hearts on Christmas Eve and as we round out one year and look into the next.  Christmas is such a hopeful time for many.  The fact that God sent His Son, the Light, into this dark world is cause for rejoicing.  What hopes fill your heart this Advent season?

Next I will ask everyone to consider the fears that shift like shadows in their souls at the dark time of the year.  Christmas is such a fearful time for many.  The fact that God sent His Son, the King, into this scary world gives us hope, but we still have fears, and His Incarnation helps Him empathize with us.  What fears fill your soul this Advent season?

Finally I will ask everyone to consider Jesus.  All our hopes are realized and our fears overcome in Him.  Our understanding of who He is greatly shapes our ability to rest in Him, or not.  What ideas of Jesus are alive in you this Advent season?

Here is a link to Chris Tomlin singing the song and the words for you to ponder.  Merry Christmas!

Hallowed Manger Ground (Chris Tomlin and Ed Cash)

Verse 1
What hope we hold this starlit night
A King is born in Bethlehem
Our journey long we seek the light
That leads to the hallowed manger ground

Verse 2
What fear we felt in the silent age
Four-hundred years can He be found
But broken by a baby's cry
Rejoice in the hallowed manger ground

Chorus 1
Emmanuel Emmanuel
God incarnate here to dwell
Emmanuel Emmanuel
Praise His name Emmanuel

Verse 3
The Son of God here born to bleed
A crown of thorns would pierce His brow
And we beheld this offering
Exalted now the King of kings
Praise God for the hallowed manger ground.

Jesus, it is Your presence that made that manger ground holy.  It is Your presence that makes us likewise.  We praise Your name, Emmanuel, God with us.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

There is Peace Here for Now

Sunday morning retuning: Thanks to all my friends who helped make The First Noel possible.  What a delight to serve the Lord with you.  I can hardly wait until next time, but am learning to savor the warm glow of God’s glory we just enjoyed!

Invariably there is at least one line that the Lord speaks to me through each of these major works we share.  I say at least because after you have lived in a set of songs for a couple months the Lord speaks at different points from many of them, which is why I continue to hold to the long-held belief that the greatest blessing from these productions belongs to the choir who has ingested these truths.  That is an unashamed plug for involvement in choral ministry.

Anyway, the one that caught my attention this year was one of the original works in the musical called “Great Mystery”.  The line came from the third verse of the song, which in and of itself was a lead-in to the popular Chris Tomlin Hallowed Manger Ground.  Speaking of the wise that soon would come and bow it says, “There is peace here for now.” 

Side note.  Funny thing is, when I first was learning the song, I sang the words incorrectly.  I started to learn it as “there is peace here and now”.  Which seemed at some level to make sense, and still does because when the Prince of Peace came he brought peace that can never be taken away, but only into those who receive it.

I like the urgency that this line speaks.  Here for now.  Don’t miss it.  It could easily be “here right now.” Enjoy it.  Savor it.  Relish it.  This is the thought that I have been challenged with the last while, and want to pass along to you.

It the midst of an already busy life rushes the Christmas season.  There is peace, here for now?  Really?  Have you seen my calendar and to-do list?  The challenge is to find peace, as elusive as it seems, for I believe it is here for the taking.

Our family has an Advent tradition of lighting some candles, reading some scripture with devotional thoughts, singing and praying each night of December.  It is not always easy to carve out the time, but we are diligent.  The kids help us because they really wan to do this, and I firmly believe it has little to do with tradition of the piece of chocolate in their Advent calendar.  I think it has more to do with the moments of peace it affords in a busy season.

I want to encourage you in particular to try to live in the moment, soaking up all God has for you right then.  It is so easy to become overwhelmed with the demands of the season: relationally, financially, emotionally, etc.  Do not worry about tomorrow, enjoy Jesus right now. [Matthew 6:25-34 (New International Version)]

Whatever you have to do, please slow down enough each day of this Advent season to reflect on the difference Christ’s coming is making on you.  I am a work in progress, you are too, and these moments help us remember that, and usher in the peace we need to continue in Christ-likeness.

Jesus, help us each experience Your peace this Advent season.  It is here, for right now, this moment.  So help us enjoy it, for our good and Your glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Potential

Sunday morning retuning: So what kind of heart do you have?  As realized as Pastor Paul preached that there are times when I exhibit each of those qualities: hard, shallow, distracted, good.  How I want my heart to be fertile ground all the time.  Help me Spirit!

That is the word that is on my mind today.  Why?  

The election.  What are the potential ramifications of the votes we cast today?  Our God is sovereign and He is the One who establishes and tears down (Romans 13:1-7) but yet there are ramifications of our choices for us personally and for our country.

Pastor Nathan.  Though I am really sad that God is redeployed his emerging talents, I am excited about the potential impact on people for the glory of our God.  This is a great picture for each of us as we keep ourselves open to the Lord for His redirecting.

Worship Conference.  I will be with some worship pastors from large churches around the Alliance.  I am excited about what may come out of that, with one area involving technology and music in particular.  What else does God have in store?

God’s Word.  If I will keep my heart before God and allow Him the freedom to work in me, I might actually become the man, husband, dad, and pastor that he desires for me to be.  The alternative does not honor God, or allow me to fully experience his goodness.

So what about you?  Do you see the potential all around you today.  Potential for your choices to influential the direction of the lives around you for some time to come.  Potential for God to receive glory if you stay one step behind Him.  Potential for God to grip your heart through your circumstances if you keep your eyes and heart open.  Potential for God’s Word to really change you, and keep changing you.

Believer, your life in Christ is wrought with potential.  Walk in it today as you stay one step behind Him.  And enjoy it!

Jesus, help me to realize the potential in and all around me.  Give methe faith and the courage to embrace and experience You unfolding that before me today.  Thank You for loving me even when I don’t. Amen.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Relentless

Sunday morning retuning: We were reminded of the forgiveness Jesus offers to “50” and “500” sinners.  (See Luke 7:36-50)  We have been forgiven much, but do we love much?

As I sat on my couch last night listening to the wind howl outside one word came to mind: relentless.  This “super”-storm sounded different than most other in that the wind did not seem to stop or let up.  It sounded like the blower that inflates our boys waterslide each summer, constantly blowing, just MUCH BIGGER!

That got me thinking about what God might want to be speaking to me through this.  [Do you do that?  When a thought comes to mind, take it back to God and ask what He is saying, that it.]  Don’t get me wrong, I do not do that all the time, but when I do, it’s always good.

I felt first of all…no wait, let me tell you something else about this concept before I give you my first impression.  I did a quick word study of relentless and learned it only appears in the NIV 84 one time, where it refers to God’s enemies.  In The Message, it is used a number of times and most often refers to God’s righteous anger.  Only in Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple is it used to describe His love.  Yet, that is the sense that comes to mind for me when I think of this word.

Now for my thoughts.  I though about David, you know the “man after God’s own heart”, that is, who pursued God’s heart.  He passionately went after God, yet not without fail.  Just like us.  In response to His relentless love for us, we should love and pursue God relentlessly, without any sign of slowing or stopping.  How often we fail.  I think of the line sand Sunday from Shine into Our Night, “We’ve seen Your glory Lord, but looked away.”  Why do we do that?

We asked forgiveness on Sunday for “our obsession with creating a life of constant pleasure.”  How true.  Instead of creating a life filled with the Glory of our Creator, we strive to fill it with creature comforts.  How do we get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Him and his purposes?  We pray, relentlessly.

How do we pray?  Here’s an idea.  Open Up the Heavens.  Can you feel their passion as they sing?  [Worship team members, singers and players alike, we could take some notes from their facial expression and their engagement in singing their praise.]

This kind of prayer will broaden your perspective.  It will get your eyes off of the struggles and problems right before you.  It will remind you of how lofty and great is the hope we have in Christ.  What we see before us is not all there this, but only a shadow.  The grave was not the end for our Master and will not be the end for us either.  This song reminds of that in typical progressive bluegrass fashion.  [When she shared this with me Sarah was wondering when we might do this at NMC.  I replied, “When we have a banjo player.”]

Jesus, help us be relentless in our pursuit of You.  Have mercy on those who are caught in the relentless pounding of Hurricane Sandy.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Tired of the Negativity?

Sunday morning retuning: Two weeks from today we will cast our ballots? Are you prepared and well-informed?  There are some resources at the North-Mar Church website that can help.  

If I see one more negative add I think I am going to scream!  I understand what one CNN analyst said when he quoted some statistic about the effectiveness of negative adds to influence voters, but I would really like it if they candidates could spend more time, AND MONEY, telling me how they are the better choice based one what they will do.

And what they say they will do should be what influences our votes in a couple weeks, but not because of it’s impact on our pocket books so much as our conscience.  We must discern where the candidates stand on issues of morality and let this information influence us above all else.  The economy, foreign policy and any other number of issues are important, but less important than those of morality.

Even still, as I was reminded this morning, our hope is not in the future president of our country, but in Jesus, our Messiah.  Our greatest responsibility is not even to vote, though I plead with all of you to do so, but in living out our hope in lives bent to his purposes. 

Romney said something in the debates last night that sounded presidential, something about believing in America, the great hope of the world.  Jesus Himself is the great hope, and America can be an expression of that, but we have forgotten in many ways many of the truths this nation was founded upon, because many believers have failed to live up to the light we have.

I saw this video a few weeks ago, and considered showing it in our services, but decided against it after conferring with Pastor Myron.  I think it has a positive message to it, one that I would much rather see repeated on my television screen, even if I do not agree with every single thought portrayed and image used.  It reminds of the promises we are hearing these days then takes a turn you do not expect.  I pray it will encourage you to be a positive voice, in these next two weeks, and beyond…

Jesus, help us to be a positive influence upon the world around us, even as we look to you as the source of all Hope.  Shine Your light into our darkness, until Your glory fills our eyes.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

What’s Your Vise?

Sunday morning retuning: Are you living a life of repentance?  The analogy from Sunday of a vise really grabbed a hold of me.  Sorry for the shameless pun.  It will be difficult to live a life of where you have turned away from your something until you have identified it.  Have you?

I grew up with a clear mental picture of the purpose of a vise.  My dad always had, and does to this day, a small vise on his workbench in the basement.  I remember as a kid putting things in it, cracking them down super tight and smashing them with a hammer.  Even when I would try to bend them back, they were never the same.  They were marked by the pounding and the grip of the vise itself.

If I were to ask you what your “vice” is [notice the different spelling] you would likely think of a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit that marks or plagues your Christian life.   I find it ineteresting that these two words, vise and vice have very different but associated meanings.  Sorry but I really like words and their meanings so you will have to bear with me.  I had never considered these two before.

Let me make this a little less academic and a lot more personal.  We are studying the concept of margin as a staff.  Our text is a book of that title, Margin, by Richard Swenson.  [There is a sample at the link.] He defines margin as “the space between our load and our limits.”  I liken the concept to the margins of a book.  Does you life have some space, like the margins of a book, or is it jammed full like the page of a book that has words going all the way to the edges so that you have to move your fingers to see them all?  If you are feeling like you do not have any, take solace if you can in the fact that what you are feeling is a societal epidemic.

Pastor Scott asked us a great question today, he has a gift at that you know.  “If you think back, when did margin start becoming a problem for you?”  As I pondered this, I could not remember when I first noticed it gone.  Only when I became aware of the concept several years ago, did I realize it had been crowded out at all.  This led me to the conclusion that at least in my thinking, margin-less living was fairly ingrained.  I confess that it is a vise for me, squeezing the life out of me, unless I am conscious of it, and war against it, or turn from it, which I routinely try to do.

Before you think, what’s the big deal with that, you have to understand that it effects not only the way I think, but by default every decision I make, every word I speak, every thing I do, unless I consciously choose to live a life of repentance.  Do you see where I am going?

Living with margin is my vise, or more truly one of them, but it might not be yours.  What is?  Once you have identified it, you have a much better chance of turning from it successfully.  I pray you will today, for God’s glory and your good.

Jesus, help me and my friends live lives of repentance.  Thank You for Your light which shines the way, and Your strength which enables us to walk it, one step behind You.  

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Resting...Resting

Sunday morning retuning: I was retuning Sunday.  For the first time in a long time, I was not in any church service of any kind.  I actually did not feel like being anywhere either.  My family was all at church and the house was quiet.  Weird!  Helped me realize how much I really enjoy getting together with that quirky bunch of folks called the church...  

"It is advised that at least one week be taken off of school or work.  Gradually increase your activity each day."  Funny how mandatory rest can seem on one hand like a week of vacation, and on another like a prison sentence.  I guess it's really all about perspective, right?  Well, that's what I am working on today it appears.

And there is a difference between active rest and passive rest  The former I suppose is filled with purposefulness and meaning, the later seems devoid of true significance.  I know I need the rest, but there are other things I would like to do.  I feel like I am waffling back and forth between the two.  Maybe blogging about it is my way of being passively active?

As I was reflecting on resting this morning, the text of a wonderful, old hymn came to mind, "Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting."  That link will take you to the text and the original, or at least widely recognized tune for this great text.  Though the entire hymn is rich with imagery of the experience of resting in Jesus, I really love the line in the 3rd stanza which speaks of His love which "Compasseth me round with blessings, Thine is love indeed."  My experience of His love for me flows directly out of my simple trust in Him.

I came across a newer version of this old hymn about ten years ago, and it included those words, but I could not find one today for you to listen to that did.  I like this version by the Shelly Moore Band best of the ones I heard because the tempo helps me imagine resting better than many others.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Jesus, I am Resting, Resting


Let me leave you with a question.  Are you resting today in the joy of what Jesus is?  If not, what's stopping you?  Pain, obligations, responsibilities, commitments, friendships, family, work, debt, plans, dreams, etc.  Determine today to find out the greatness of His loving heart.

Jesus, help me and my friends to rest in you today.  Whether we are active or passive, draw us close to You.  Whether we are working or waiting, teach us to rest. 

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Stopping the Flow

Sunday morning retuning:  So what was your fill in the blank?  “Jesus, I’m in pain with ________.  Help me!”  Continue to invite Him to do so.  He loves you!!

We were listening to something as a staff earlier today that really had an impact on me. So much so that I wanted to share it with you, believing full well it will have an impact on some of you as well.  Here it is:

Spiritual disciplines are more rightly viewed as anything that stops the natural flow of sin in your life.

When I have thought of spiritual disciplines, I have always thought in terms of prayer, bible reading/memorizing, worship, etc.  Not only that, but I have thought of them in terms of making me a better, stronger Christ-follower, not in terms of stopping the flow on sin.  And so I have often struggled with what I understood were the excepted norms of spiritual disciplines without the ability to understand part of why.

I have talked for years about worship being a way of life, or a lifestyle.  Worship is not something we do as much as a they way we do it.  When we worship Christ as a way of living, everything we do is bent in this direction.  I have often quoted 17^th century monk Brother Lawrence who was responsible for the wisdom of The Practice of the Presence of God and I believe was a cook in a monastery said something like “I slice carrots to the glory of God.”

That phrase has resonated with me across the years but I have seldom heard someone echo it.  This idea of stopping the flow of sin in our lives, could just as certainly be stated as directly the flow of our lives to praise.  You see, that is what God has called us to in Christ, living our lives “in a manner worthy of the gospel”. [Phil 1:27]  In this way, anything that stops the flow of sin, or starts the flow of praise, can be viewed as a spiritual discipline, in my humble estimation.

Do you see where I am going with this?  Tonight, when I kick the soccer ball around with 7-year old Josiah, that can be a spiritual discipline as I demonstrate the love of the Father to my son, and stop of the flow of potentially otherwise self-centeredness.  Don’t mistake what I am saying, I could do that, or ANY other thing for that matter, in a way that does not glorify God, or stop the flow of sin, but I will make the conscious choice, I will discipline my mind, to show Christ to my son in that moment.

What will you do today to stop the flow of sin in your life?  Read the Bible, play soccer, or something else.  May God bless your increased awareness of Him as you do.

Jesus, help me and my friends know you better as we stop the natural flow of sin in our lives and live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

In Christ,

                      
Pastor Timothy