What is God Up to…in our Worship Ministries?

Dear Worshipers,

How awesome was that Sunday morning to see God so clearly at work in three of our Elders lives!?! And God is on the move not only at NMC at large, but in our Worship Ministries. You saw that Sunday when our fellow musician, John Grundy, shared of Christ’s work in His life over the last couple years. As you can imagine there is much more to it than a few minutes can convey.

I asked John a few weeks ago if he would be willing to share the following evidence of the Spirit’s transforming power in his life. It just so happened that it was convenient to share that this week. It gives you an even more personal look into what God is doing in our brother. Marvel with me at the Father’s handiwork in John.

I am notorious in my house for losing my keys. A few weeks ago Deb and I were going somewhere and I looked in the “key” basket for the car keys—they were not there. Deb carries a set in her purse, so we used her keys. I was not concerned because I almost always put keys in other specific places if I do not put them in the key basket.

I am the kind of person that when something is lost, it drives me crazy until I find it. When we got home, I began to look in those places for the keys. My pants pocket from the prior day—no. The top of my dresser—no. My coat pocket—no. And I went through the house, checking each of the places where I put my keys if I do not put them in the basket. The next day I looked at work—no keys. Again when I got home I practically ripped the house apart looking for them. As I was frantically searching, Deb mentioned that if I had put the keys where they belonged—in the basket—in the first place they would not be lost and I would not be all frantic looking for them.

The next night, when I came home from work, I was met by a somewhat subdued Deb. She had found the keys. And where did she find them? In her coat pocket. She had taken them out of the basket when she ran an errand and not put the keys back in the basket when she got home.

Two years ago, I would have been furious with her. I would have been so angry with her that I would not have talked to her for four or maybe five days. But I was not angry this time. Instead, I burst out laughing. I was laughing so hard my hands were on my knees to hold me on my feet. The Holy Spirit had created a new me so that I could laugh at this. I was certainly not the old John who would have been furious.

What a beautiful illustration of the Lord changing a life! Do you have a story of God at work in your life? I already know the answer to that question, but not the next. Would you be willing to share it? Guest columnists are invited to contribute. There are more stories than a weekly “tuning” can hold, but let’s try to tell them. Acknowledging Christ’s life changing power in our midst is so encouraging. Let’s make a habit of it.

Jesus, when we ask You to help us walk a step behind You, we are implying You are moving…and You are! Please keep it up. Change our lives so we may accurately reflect Your love to a watching, waiting world.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Celebration of Creativity

Dear Worshipers,

Warning: I want to hear from you on this one. I need your prayerful feedback.

Julia’s song Sunday was wonderful, wasn’t it? And she is going to be a graphic designer. Meet another one who just graduated from college recently and may be joining choir in the fall. Did I hear one of those graduating seniors say they were majoring in dance? We have a small cast of actors from our youth who are serving excellently this week at VBS.

You have already enjoyed some to the labors of Joseph McBride our resident set designer/fabricator, and I learned a few weeks ago that he sings too. I recently met another person who has a background in drama and music who has toured in that capacity. God has blessed us with an amazing amount of creativity in our congregation and continues to do so. I have been prompted lately in several ways to celebrate that creativity, and I want some feedback from you.

For years I have wanted to find ways to encourage the artisans in our midst to use their talent for their Maker’s glory. I have heard of churches doing art exhibits, and poetry readings for example, and am praying about the right venue for our body’s artists. An idea is emerging to do an event where some might sing, others might read, while still others would display their handiwork, even including other items like jewelry or otherwise.

So what do you think? An evening in the fellowship Hall and otherwise where God is glorified as art is displayed, drama is portrayed, music is made, words are say-ed [pardon me, but you get the idea. We could possibly have the Holy Grounds Café open and maybe even offer some other treats. This is just taking shape for me and I want you feedback. Let me know what you think, and let’s see how God will encourage us to encourage our artisans.

Jesus, you created us. Show us how to use all our creativity for Your praise.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

The Sacrifice of One

Dear Worshipers,

What a stirring service on Sunday. The testimony from Ken was God-honoring. When a few people came to the altar during the second service as many were kneeling in their pews I was overwhelmed. Pastor Myron brought the Word to us and provided a powerful reminder: God is in control and He loves us. I am so thankful for those two things.

Then, just when everyone thought we were finished, we experienced one more powerful moment. We spent a few moments considering the sacrifice of a serviceman through the eyes of his daughter. The Sacrifice of One. This proved to be a stirring reminder of the sacrifice of many. We left with grateful hearts.

I hope you each enjoyed your celebrations of Memorial Day. Now we have moved back into another week of worshipping, working and walking. Do you still find yourself stirred by the sacrifice of the One who died for you? Are you overwhelmed by the reality that he loves you? Is it humbling to think that He is on control of everything and is working it all out for your good, that is if you love Him?

I hope you are. He is so good to us. And He is at work in our midst. If you were here Sunday I trust you are confident of that. If you were not, be here this weekend as we gather around the table and consider the last of the Core Values of the Alliance: “Achieving God’s purposes involves taking faith-filled risks; this always involves change. Hebrews 11:6” What changes does God have in store for us, for you? Let’s embrace them with a heart of wonder.

Jesus, have Your way in me. I offer up my life to You. I love You.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Telling His Story

Dear Worshipers,

As Pastor Nathan played and we sang, “I love to tell the story…” my heart soared to hear God’s people declare that simple truth. Then, over the next 30 minutes or so to have our hearts so encouraged at the telling of His story through our guest speakers was quite a blessing. Then, after we prayed for them, we were encouraged to go and continue the telling, as the Psalmist said in 66:16 “let me tell you what he has done for me.”

So how has your telling going? Has it slipped your mind, or been crowded out like mine a time or two? Oh, I did pretty well Sunday afternoon at the Worship Ministries picnic, but I do not think it was long before I was on to other pursuits. The really challenge is letting that pursuit “telling His story” shape all my other ones.

I was thinking of this during staff prayer this morning when one of the Pastors Paul prayed something about being “prone to wander”. Immediately, thought of the text of the old hymn “Come, Thou Fount” which was part of the original inspiration for the naming of this blog. [See early entries] If you do not know it here is a link with the text. "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" David Crowder Band

The line that my mind went to was this. “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” I love Him. I love His story. I love to tell the story. I love discovering everyday my part in it. And yet…I know that my mind-at the rest of me-is prone to wander and engage in other things.

I know you understand what I am talking about, but I did not write to commiserate with you but to encourage you. Think of the first line of the song. “Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.” Tune my heart. I get out of tune. I need you to tune my heart. I line me up with you again and set me back on track. That is exactly what we need. It’s what our Savior wants to do. Why no ask Him again right now to tune your heart? It really not that hard.

Then, when you start to fell a little out of tune, do it again. It’s a musical way of praying “Fill me Holy Spirit”. It is the same thought. I want to sing Your grace, live for You but I need Your help to do even that.

Jesus, tune my heart to sing Your grace. Your never-ceasing streams of mercy call for this response-loudest praise. But not only loud. In tune. Help me.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Saddle Up Your Horses

Dear Worshipers,

What a powerful illustration Pastor Myron brought to us Sunday morning! Giving over the reins to God. Such a simple picture. Such profound implications. As we were praying as a staff this morning, the Lord developed this image a little more while several of my brothers prayed.

I could see vast open plain, like the ones at the foothills of the Rockies. Behind them in the distance rose the majestic snow capped mountains. Immediately before me was a corral with a bunch of horses and off in the distance was a pack of wild ones.

In my mind the ones in the corral were the ones who had been broken. They had yielded themselves to a rider, would were a saddle, and follow commands. Though they did not always comply quickly to the will of their rider, they knew the benefit of such and actually welcomed that direction.

The horses in the open plain were wild. They escaped the influence of any rider, seemingly going wherever they wished, although they generally followed the herd. They were free to pursue their own will, and at the mercy of the wild.

The corral and the plain, the church and the unchurched. Clean, neat. But not really. As with any analogy there are some shortcomings.

Even in the corral, the churched, are those who though they have been broken, still fight at every turn. This portrays the Christian who has not yet given control over to the Holy Spirit. We have all seen this, and if we will be honest, we have all experienced it personally. I want to encourage each of you reading to keep giving those reins.

It made me think of that theme from last fall, Live the Adventure. The most exciting life available to each of us is living in Christ. That is what we have to share with those out in the plains. Not a life of living in a corral, penned in. But learning to yield, to be disciplined so that we can enjoy all God has for us. If you are thinking that giving the reins over to God is boring, not so. It is the most exciting thing you can ever do!

For those of you thinking I am not up for that kind of excitement, let me assure you there is also no greater peace than that which comes from knowing God has the reins of your life. Do not waste another minute plodding down your worn out trail! Give God the reins and see where He will lead you. It will be wonderful. I guarantee it!

Jesus, I give You the reins of my life. I want You to control me, lead me, guide me. I want to know the thrill of life experiencing Your promises to me. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Seeing God at Work

Dear Worshipers,

How is your eyesight? Can you see things clearly? Do you have to hold the newspaper at arms length to read it without your glasses? Fortunately, we do not need to have great eyesight to see God at work. All we need is the faith to acknowledge His activity as such.

I was speaking with a friend this morning. Her little boy has been sick for a while. Really sick. In the hospital sick, a number of different times. He was released last week and headed back to school on Thursday only to have to leave school to go back to the doctor. They said migraines and set mom to get some prescriptions.

While there waiting on them, a man dressed like a hobo came up to them. He placed his hands on her son, which normally would have really freaked her out, but didn’t just then. He said something to the effect of, “Jesus is with you little man. You are going to be fine.” Turning to his mom, the man said “Don’t worry. God is in control.” He looked back at her son and walked away.

By that evening all signs of sickness were gone. When she commented that the medicine had really worked, her son corrected my friend and reminded her of what the man had said. They talked about Hebrews 13:2 and how the man seemed to have been an angel to them. She said it was her best Mother’s Day ever. Her son is still well.

Tears welled up in my eyes as she told me this story. By God’s grace, I see God at work in that situation, as she did. How often is God at around us and we do not recognize it? So I ask the question again…

How’s your eyesight? I am not talking about the Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” I am talking about the spiritual eyesight that allows us to see God at work around us and acknowledge it as such. Let me ask a different question.

How do see God at work around you? God is at work around you. That is not the question. The question is can you see it. Pray for the faith to see God at work in your circumstances. He wants to rescue you for sin. He wants you to experience the abundant life. He wants you to now He loves you. Can you see it?

Pray. And then get ready to have your eyes opened.

Jesus, open my eyes that I may see glimpses of your work around me. I was blind, but now I see. I was lost but now I’m found. I was dead, but now I live. And now my lifesong sings. Amen.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Positive Eternal Difference
Dear Worshipers,

Without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish nothing. Have you let those words sink in since Sunday. They are pretty heavy, and I want to encourage you to spend some time allowing them to settle slowly to the bottom of your soul because this is a core value that must be a part of the foundation of your thinking if you are to be used by God.

Does this mean we can not brush our teeth with the Holy Spirit? No. Go to work, school, the grocery store? Of course not. Teach, preach and baptize? No, we can even attempt these “spiritual” things in our own strength. That is not what NOTHING means.

It is not implying that we can actually do nothing without the Holy Spirit. But we all knew that already because each of us has done far too many things without His leading. Instead, it is stating that we can not make a positive eternal difference without Him.

And that is what God wants to make through us.

It’s also wants God wants to do in us.

He wants to change us until we realize that we must be totally dependent on Him. Far too often we operate in our own strength, follow our own ideas, dream up our own creations, attack challenges with our own determination instead of waiting on God, praying, and then allowing all of our resources to be empowered by Him. I know you know what I’m talking about.

So how do we do that? Focus on the little things. Start small. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you each morning before your feet hit the floor, and then keep asking Him to fill you as you go through the day. He will reveal Himself to you and give you what you need at every turn in the road. Keep it real. Keep it practical.

Remember Pastor Myron’s challenge about looking for unexpected, financial blessings as a way to meet the need for Val Downs? As of this morning he had already received three emails from people who are stoked about sharing since they have seen God provide in an unexpected way already. God is at work in our midst! He wants to work in and through YOU! Ready? Let’s go.

Jesus, I want You to make a positive eternal difference in me today, so that You make one through me as well. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. As I see you at work I will join you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Identified with Christ

Dear Worshipers,

I reminded you last week that we just marked a significant marker this weekend in the life of North-Mar Church. And though we did so with no real pomp and circumstance, Pastor Myron brought another message that could have similar impact on the life of our church should we choose to respond to it. Lord, have Your way in us.

From Romans 6 he challenged us to be identified with Christ. Dead BUT Live! Know it, claim it, live it. Many of you walked toward the front of the sanctuary to affirm your desire to claim your identity in Christ. What a powerful moment! Now what.

How is it going as you are trying to live out that identity? It will not be easy, but you already knew that. For someone, the temptation to gossip has already presented itself and you have had to consider yourself dead to gossip and alive in Christ. For someone else, the allure of pornography may have already crossed your mind and you have been able to claim victory over that in Christ. Still someone else is facing a situation and you are inclined to think that the Lord really does not see you and your pain, but you have reminded yourself that you are alive in Him and He loves you.

You see being identified with Christ comes at every moment of the day, not only the great spiritual moments while you are singing a song of praise with a Bible in one hand and your other lifted to heaven. Yielding to your Master in all things is the way that we demonstrate our identity with Christ. We associate with Him at every level.

That’s what it means to be identified with someone. To associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc. In every way to connect with Christ. That takes some adjusting on our part. Even radical adjusting. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.

So do you know it? Sure. Did you claim it? I hope so. Are you living it? I am praying you are discovering what that means every day. And that today is not exception. Let’s live out our identity with Christ

Jesus, I want to identify with You. Help me live that out by dying to myself so that I can live in You. I want to be dead but alive. Holy Spirit, help me.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Set ME on Fire

Dear Worshipers,

I like marking time, that is celebrating the passing of time especially from a significant event. At North-Mar, we are coming up on such an occasion this weekend. Can you remember what happened in our morning services a year ago this weekend, or maybe more accurately what began to happen. Think about it a minute before you read on.

It was a year ago this weekend that Pastor Myron spoke about baptism and encouraged people to respond and be baptized the next week. What happened next was a remarkable move of God. Over the next seven weeks God chose to Soak The Church as over 180 people were baptized.

It was breath-taking as week after week, for a total of 7 weeks, in each service there were people baptized with many telling glorious LifeChange stories. If you were here during that period of time, you know there are not adequate words to express the joy and excitement of those Sundays. But as with every season, those weeks drew to a close and we moved on, ever wondering what God would do next.

I remember thinking during that time and even asking the question publicly, “Do you think God is finished working here at NMC?” The response was always an emphatic “NO!” since the strong sense that each of us had was that He had really just begun. I still believe that to be true.

Though we have not seen an outpouring in a wave like that, we continue to see ripples. Lives being changed one at a time. There is a sense of excitement in our services. People fill the building for events through the week. Still, I would not be honest if I did not admit that I continue long to see God changing lives in bunches like that season a year ago.

That desire was fueled by a request I invited you to join me in back in February. Here is what I said back then.

When you think about North-Mar, when you are driving here, or away from here, anytime the Lord brings this place to mind I am asking you to join me in this simple prayer: Set Us On Fire. That God would give us an all-consuming passion for the renown of His matchless name here in our community and to the ends of the earth. Will you join me?

I wonder how many of you took my challenge and have been praying. It is easy to shrug off a broad prayer like that and assume that someone else will pray it, and then God will respond to their faithful prayer, so I feel compelled to bring it a little closer to home. Will you begin to pray, Set ME on fire? WARNING! God likes to answer this kind of prayer!

I have begun to ask God why we have not seen Him move like last spring and am searching His heart to discover if there is anything we are missing that is keeping Him from freely flowing in our midst. I believe if we begin to seek Him together to set each of us on fire, we will find ourselves positioned to burn as a community of faith. Holy Spirit come!

Jesus, let revival fire fall. Then on the heals of it, let us see a great awakening in our neighborhoods and cities. Begin that work in me.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Resurrection Hangover

Dear Worshipers,

I was visiting a church pastored by a dear friend of mine this past Sunday during my vacation. In his opening remarks and welcomed to the folks gathered to worship he mentioned that he was delighted to see so many of them again the week following Easter. As you know, many people find their way to church on Easter Sunday morning who have a hard time finding their way back the next week, or for a long time.

He said, “I’m glad to see you are not experiencing a resurrection hangover.” Those words really caught my attention. While the first and most common definition of a hangover is the ill effects experienced after a night of drinking, the term hangover was originally a 19th century expression describing unfinished business—something left over from a meeting—or "survival." [Wikipedia] Another definition and the one that I eventually wrestled with can be defined as a letdown, as after a period of excitement. [dictionary.com]

Easter is certainly exciting. I was using words leading up to and even Easter Sunday morning like pinnacle to describe the importance of the celebration of the resurrection in the yearly cycle of the gathered church. While we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection every time we gather in one way or another, Easter is IT! The DAY!

It is hard not to come down from that. If it is the pinnacle, how can one not come down. You can not live at the mountaintop. There is not much there, other than the feeling of a nearness to the Lord. But life, and ministry, happen in the valley. So how do you keep from letting the hangover come?

You can’t. I really don’t think you can avoid it. But I do think you can avoid allowing your feeling to negatively affect your countenance. As you stand on the side of the mountain or near the valley at the bottom, look up. Fix your eyes again on Jesus, the Author and FINISHER of our faith. [Hebrews 12:2] It may be finished, but you are not!

Put your faith to work for you today for there are still things Jesus wants to do in and through you. Shake off the letdown from previous period of excitement and get back at it, whatever it is for you in God’s gracious plan. There is unfinished business, but that is something to be excited about, not hungover.

Jesus, help me shake off the let down of a previous period of excitement in You. I want to get there again, to that place of exhilaration and exuberance in You. Take me there as I walk one step behind you.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Only a King…

Dear Worshipers,

What an amazing encounter with our Lord Sunday was for us. From the first notes of Palm Sunday services through the dismissal at the musical there was a palpable sense of God’s presence in our midst. I want each of you who were involved in any capacity to know that I am thanking God for you and your contribution to those experiences.

As we went through the musical in the 6:00 hour, I was enjoying myself immensely, which by the way I believe God wants us to do when we are in serving Him in the center of His will. We got to the song “What Kind of King?” which asks a question rhetorically focusing on the realities of what Jesus did and what kind of King that made Him. As we got to the chorus the question is answered like this.

Only a King who gives up His crown.
Only a King his glory laid down.
Only a King who’s willing to give so that others might live.
Jesus the King.

I have sung those words many times. Can really sing them, even direct the orchestra, without really thinking about it? But in that moment the Holy Spirit revealed another layer of the reality of who Jesus is to me. That has often happened to me as I offer my worship to my King, singing something I know, and learning something by revelation I had yet to appreciate.

What a King is our Jesus! What a joy to serve Him! What a delight to be alive forever because of what He accomplished on the cross! AMEN!

As we approach our celebrations this weekend, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, ask God to reveal something of Himself to you. To overwhelm you with the reality of Himself. To touch and heal and restore and forgive and bless. And while you are at it, pray for the many who will attend those services, particularly Easter morning, that God will show His Son to them in a life-changing way.

Jesus, You are alive forever, and because of that so are we. Help us to remember Your sacrifice and revel in Your resurrection this weekend, and always. Alleluia!

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Save Us, Please!

Dear Worshipers,

That’s what the choir will be shouting as they enter the sanctuary Sunday morning carrying palm branches. For anyone with a little church background that will not seem that strange since they will recall the biblical accounts of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of what we now call Holy Week. But before we dismiss this as something we know all about let’s think for a minute why this event, and particularly this exclamation was so significant.

This is true of the word transliterated “Hosanna” because of what it represented.

Our English word is a transliteration (using English letters) of a Hebrew one-word sentence meaning, "Save us, please!" John's Greek text also transliterated hosanna from Hebrew to Greek. The word is part of Psalm 118:25a where it is part of a prayer addressed to the Lord. It is not likely that John failed to appreciate the meaning of the crowd meeting Jesus with the words of a prayer the Old Testament addressed to God. In the course of time the Hebrew meaning of hosanna was forgotten and the word simply became a Christian exclamation of praise. This is the way most of us have heard hosanna; it may be that its use in the very celebrative Triumphal Entry led to this later praise use. [An excerpt from a longer article with an informative section on “John 12:12-19 - The Triumphal Entry” see that subheading about halfway down the page “The Voice” Roger Hahn]

This is very helpful for us who know this word Hosanna from our Palm Sunday chants. For those who were shouting it and hearing it on the road into Jerusalem, there was no mistaking they were heralding the arrival of their Messiah. His riding on a donkey was another fulfilled prophecy that pointed to His Kingship. [Zechariah 9:9]

It has always struck me how quickly the crowds turn on Jesus. It is only days later when the crowd says “Crucify him!” These seems like such a strange turn of events, but for the mind of the Israelite crying out to be saved from the Roman oppression Jesus simply must not have delivered quickly enough. We can be fickle like that as well, can’t we?

So what will your response be as the crowds shout Hosanna this weekend? Will you place your expectations on the Savior as to how and when and from what He should save you? Or rather, will you humbly cry out to Him to have his way and save you on His terms? May there be many who choose the latter response! Will you join me in it?

Jesus, as we have sung recently and will sing again this weekend, “Come have Your way among us. We welcome you here Lord Jesus!” Hosanna! You are the God who saves us. You’re worthy of all our praises.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

I Am Not Ashamed

Dear Worshipers,

What a challenge from the Scripture on Sunday! Paul was under obligation, eager and not ashamed. We need to envision ourselves the same way. I think the first two are a little easier for us than the last.

Under obligation. When we realize the significance of what the Lord has done for us this is not so hard to feel. I like the way one song we have sung recently puts it. “Oh, my words could not tell, not even in part, of the debt of love that is owed by this thankful heart.” But we are not only obligation to the Lord, but also to those who have yet to hear this Good News.

Eager. Again, when we consider the implications the Gospel in our lives, we are naturally enthusiastic about it. But the issue is not enthusiasm as much as faithfulness and the power by which we share must be supernatural and not just natural.

These things are obvious. But no so much so that they go without saying. Because for some reason we often do not live as though we are under obligation or eager, let alone both, and I believe the underlying reason may be that we are ashamed of the Gospel. Before you get upset with me, let me explain.

I do not think that any us of is asked would say we are ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is clearly described in the Scriptures. If we are ashamed, and I am only asserting that we may be, I think it derives from the fact that we have exchanged the Gospel of Jesus Christ for one that is a little less demanding, one that does not place us under obligation to share it, and one that we are not necessarily eager to share. Why might I believe this?

Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ “is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes”. (Romans 1:16b NLT) Too often, we do not see the power of God at work, saving people, and we gradually become comfortable with that, until finally we refashion the Gospel and make a gospel that closely resembles it, just without the power. Lord, have mercy on us to the extent that we have done this.

Sunday we saw the power of God demonstrated in the testimonies from those who were being baptized. We are seeing the power of God at work saving people, so we are less inclined to create our own gospel. May God bless us with a greater awareness of His power so that we will find ourselves under obligation, eager and NOT ASHAMED.

Jesus, give us eyes to see you at work around us. As we do, make us eager to proclaim Your Gospel that has the power to save everyone who believes. When as put our faith to work, may we see people trusting in You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Faith Works

Dear Worshipers,

Pastor Myron will be starting a new series taking us through an overview of sorts of the book of Romans. As he spoke with me last Thursday he shared his working title, Faith Works, and that really got my juices flowing. What a perfect way to continue an emphasis on the filling of the Spirit and even more specifically Pastor Worley’s message this week about the mobilization of fully devoted disciple of Christ. As we begin this new series be praying as God continues to show Himself to us that we would be willing to adjust our living around His plans and purposes, moving on to God’s agenda.

Someone sent the following to me last week. It is a wonderful illustration of our faith working and keeping us one step behind Jesus. Oh, that we would be oft mistaken for our King?

EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU JESUS? [Author unknown]

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over
a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister….” He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, “Are you Jesus?” He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way
to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?” Do people mistake you for Jesus? That’s our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It’s actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Jesus, help us to live so in step with You that we are often mistaken for You. If that happens, it will be a demonstration of the Spirit’s power in our lives, and an opportunity for us to praise You for what only You could do! Do it Lord, for Your glory!

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Dear Worshipers,

I trust that as we came to close in the service Sunday there were some who for the first time were asking God to fill them with His Holy Spirit, as Pastor Myron has taught and was directing and leading us. I am equally as certain that some of them were surprised when no actual fire fell from heaven, or when there were not manifestations of the Holy Spirit like tongues. I am sure some were thinking, “So how do I know that I am filled with God’s Holy Spirit?”

I thought of my two older boys who were in the service Sunday. I do not think they were wondering about the kinds of things I outlined above for they have no context to have formed such thoughts on the Spirit. We talk about the Spirit filling us and leading us, even with our 4 year old who surrendered to Christ last year. It is not always something that is demonstrated by signs and wonders, though I believe it absolutely can be.

Rather, the filling of the Holy Spirit is not always so conspicuous. Though I believe over a period of time His presence in our lives should be obvious, it is not always readily apparent. Part of the reason for that is us, and the other part is Him.

Sometimes we simply do not allow Him to move freely through us. I think of the image of heavenly Dove and imagine how easily a dove is shooed away when not welcome. We do not have to do much to cause Him to retreat from the forefront of our lives.

This can be frustrating, but it also has an encouraging parallel. We do not have to do much to welcome Him back to the forefront either. Remember that simple prayer? “Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit; I want to live for You.” Seems to simple, right? Well, it is. But God knows it must be simple if we are going to be able to do it. Remember, He knows us better than we know ourselves.

If you have not prayed it again yet, why not do it right now? “Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit; I want to live for You.” There may not be signs and wonders, but there will be a quiet confidence that you are at the disposable of the Mighty One, and are empowered to do all He calls you to do as you live for Him.

For more on the activity of the Holy Spirit and our prayers inviting it read my blog entry Never Be the Same Again, Chorus from Tuesday, May 26, 2009.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

One Step Behind Jesus

Dear Worshipers,

Pastor Myron has said this phrase many times lately. I know that I am privileged to spend a good amount of time with him each week so I hear them more than some of you but I know he has been saying them on Sunday mornings as well. They are a significant part of the picture he has in his mind of what God wants North-Mar to look like, and every time he speaks them that picture becomes clearer to me and you.

So what about that picture that is emerging in your mind? Do you see the back side of the Good Shepherd? Do you see the sun beating down on His head, glistening in the sweat on His brow as He turns back to you? Do you see Him gently motioning to you to continue to follow? Do you feel the wind in your face as you press on?

We have been given an assignment this week and I want to encourage you to do it. It was on the back of the sermon notes in the bulletin. In case you failed to pick one up before you left the church here it is, “Take some time this week to root out any legalistic thinking that may be a part of your past.” There were a couple of other encouragements to believe the truth about Jesus, and that God can work in you by His Spirit so you can really follow Jesus, but I want to encourage you to do the first one.

Will you spend some time talking with the Lord about how you view the role of the Holy Spirit in your life? Will you ask Him to reveal and wrong thinking that has clouded your experience of Him? Will you ask Him to show you if there is anything in your mind in particular or your life in general that would impair your yielding entirely to Him?

Though I would want you to come every Sunday with this expectation, I want to encourage you to come expecting to meet God in a life-changing way Sunday as we conclude this two-part series on the Holy Spirit. God has been meeting us in an unusual way recently. I trust you have been sensing that. My call for you to join me in praying for His fire to fall on us is a part of seeing that unfold.

Our desire is to be like Jesus, and a dependency on the Holy Spirit is critical to being like Him. We want to follow one step behind Him, looking to Him for direction and guidance at every turn in the road. Let’s prepare to press into that shared purpose as we gather Sunday. I look forward to seeing you there.

Jesus, set us on fire. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may follow one step behind you. Let Your flame burn to glorify Your name.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Set Us On Fire

Dear Worshipers,

A week ago Sunday we celebrated what God did at North-Mar church in 2009. For me, as I reflected on my inaugural year of ministry here it is overshadowed by these three words “Soak Your Church”. This is exactly what God did as we saw 180 people baptized in May and June. It was a remarkable moving of God.

We sang a song during that season tilted “I Will Never Be the Same Again”. In it were these words. “Fall like fire…burn away the chaff…let a flame burn to glorify Your name”. I think those words were still on my mind as I headed into our weekly time of praying as a pastoral staff.

Pastor Myron was challenging us to pray courageously, being willing to ask God for things that will bring glory to only His name as he does them. We were praying for people to be set free from addictions, for lives to be healed, and marriages transformed. As we prayed, I felt God impressing upon me to ask Him to set us on fire, that we would be filled with the Holy Spirit. I prayed and have continued praying and know what to ask you to join me.

When you think about North-Mar, when you are driving here, or away from here, anytime the Lord brings this place to mind I am asking you to join me in this simple prayer: Set Us On Fire. That God would give us an all-consuming passion for the renown of His matchless name here in our community and to the ends of the earth. Will you join me?

As certainly as 2009 was the year God chose to Soak His Church, may 2010 be the year he chose to Set Us On Fire. Nothing fancy here, just desperation for God to do what only He can do so that when He does it He receives all that glory. That’s the kind of place he wants North-Mar to be. That’s the kind of people He wants us to be. How gracious!

Jesus, set us on fire. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit burn away the chaff of uselessness in our lives and our church. Let Your flame burn to glorify Your name.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Knowing and Obeying God’s Word

Dear Worshipers,

Has this ever happened to you? You hear a message about ________ [you supply words]. A few days later you read a book that talks about ________ as a key element for spiritual growth. Someone sends you an email about ________. You find yourself thinking, “OK Lord, I get the picture.”

That has been my experience these last few days with this core value, knowing and obeying God’s word. I want to share the text from the email I received.

Strange Instructions

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands" (2 John 6).

A distinguished Indian evangelist named Sadhu Chellappa was on a mission trip to a village north of Madras, when in the middle of the night he suddenly sensed God speaking to him: "Leave this house quickly and run away!"

Not exactly a convenient thing to do. But Chellappa was accustomed to accepting even strange instructions from the Lord without debate, so he dressed quickly and ran into the darkness.

After a while, he was in open country. As he passed beneath a large tree, he felt God tell him, "Stay here and start to preach!" Now, even for an experienced evangelist, this was puzzling--because there was no one to be seen. Why did God want him to preach to an empty field in the middle of the night? But he stopped under the tree and began to preach the gospel.

Finally, he reached the point at which he called on his unseen listeners to give their lives to Jesus. He was surprised to hear a voice from the top of the tree and see a man climb down, crying. The man tearfully gave his life to Jesus. When Chellappa asked why he was in a tree out in the middle of nowhere, the man admitted, "I came out here to hang myself.."

How is your obedience quotient? God calls us to be obedient to that small voice inside that can direct us to sometimes do strange things. Jesus was obedient in ALL things. "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (Rom 5:19). God can do exceedingly great things through one man or woman who is willing to be obedient to God's voice.

We all want to be obedient to God’s word, written and spoken. Ask Him with me for the grace and courage to be obedient to His voice.

Jesus, I want to be obedient to Your voice. Fill me with Your Spirit that I may have the grace and courage to listen and obey, radically and immediately.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Highest Purposes

Dear Worshipers,

Last week I wrote encouraging you to set some goals. I gave you a biblical example of the overarching goal that encompasses each of our lives, Christ-likeness. I want to give you another Scripture to consider today as you prayerfully place some goals before you to guide your living.

In a book we are reading as a staff, there is a section titled “Radical, Immediate Obedience”. I know, when I read that I was a little hesitant to flip the page, but wanting to be conscientious I did. The author wrote about the need to guard against comfortable disobedience, rationalizing our unwillingness to fully obey by doing a little less than God has called us to do. He spoke of the need for repentance when we fail to obey, citing Saul and David as bad and good examples respectively. Then came the section that really hit me, and here is where it ties in to our lives and worship.

If you stay away from sin, you will be like one of those dishes made of purest gold-the very best in the house-so that Christ Himself can use you for His highest purposes. [2 Timothy 2:21, The Living Bible]

His highest purposes! Wow. That jumped off the page at me. I consulted several other translations and no others read like this. Most had wording like, “every good work” or something to that effect. [Keep in mind TLB is a paraphrase.] Still, I think there is something profitable to be mined from this.

Certainly, all of the work that God has called us to is noble and honorable. But there are many things that we could set our hearts and minds on that are less than God has called us to do that might be regarded by many as worthy of causes to spend our lives pursuing. These lesser purposes can consume us and become a good reason for not doing the higher things God has actually called us to do.

Though these lesser/higher purposes may be different for you and me let me give you an example. I am confident that part of God’s higher purposes for me is the ministry I exercise on Sunday morning, leading God’s people in worship. I could be involved in a lesser role in the same activity, but that would not be my pursuing God’s highest purposes in my life.

The question I want to pose to you is this. Are you fully invested in God’s highest purposes, or have a myriad of lesser purposes diluted your focus and rendered you ineffective? Consider this question before our Lord and commit to become a dish of pure gold.

Jesus, I want to be engaged in Your highest purposes. Reveal to me if I have rationalized by behavior and soothed my conviction with good works. I am fully dependent on Your leading me and using me.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Goals

Dear Worshipers,

I read an article a couple of weeks ago, right after the turn of the year that talked about coming up with some goals, both personally and pastorally…

I saw a note that Sarah had written with regard to a goal she has set for herself that challenged and motivated me…

I am feeling led to prayerfully consider writing down some things I hope to accomplish with God’s help in 2010…

And I want you to join me.

Setting and striving for goals is a very biblical concept. Sure, management and self-help books will speak of the necessity of writing down realistic and measurable goals, but they did not invent this idea. God did. This is how Paul put his goal setting.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:12-14, NIV]

What powerful word! Forgetting what is behind…straining toward what is ahead…pressing on toward the goal to win the prize. That’s the best goal anyone could have, but there are also lesser goals that are very important, some of them being steps in reaching that ultimate one.

I want to encourage you to pray and write down at least one goal. Maybe it is something short-term, in the next month, or by summer, or by the end of the year. Be realistic. “I will loose 98 pounds this in 2010”, would not be a good example. Make it measureable. “I will grow closer to Jesus”, another bad example.

Take some time this week to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to set at least one goal. Write it down and put it where you will see it regularly. Tell somebody about and ask them pray for you that you will be able to press on toward reaching it. Make a plan to take steps to see it fulfilled. Give glory to God when it is.

Jesus, help me set a goal that will help me press on. I want to be more like You, and that means taking steps toward to the goal that you have called me heavenward to attain. Fill me with Your Spirit as I do.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Worship and Suffering

Dear Worshipers,

To follow up on my thoughts about a generous life from last week I want to borrow the words of a new friend to help you think about worship in a broader sense.

True Worship Steps Into Pain
From Dan On Haiti

Tonight, my heart is half a world away, with friends who are aggressively working to respond to the crisis in Haiti. I don't know all those friends by name; I do know that I am
thankful for their feet going in my stead, ambling through airports and stepping into rubble.

It is ours to remember, that in a time like this in the world, when poverty stricken nations find trouble upon trouble mounting toward them, that we who bear the Hope of the
world enter into their pain - like the God Who we follow.

If Jesus' life evidences anything to us about true worship, it is that the God unseen enters into, walks into, even runs into, the pain of those who are "other." He spends Him-
self on behalf of those He loves. This is His way.

We who live far from Haiti in these moments must allow ourselves to bear pain with them, as part of our human family, and as another reason for the great wealth and gifts we possess in our parts of the world. Strength finds its reason and purpose in covering another's weakness. This is His Design.

They are our family, no matter each one's faith perspective.

We do not all need to be in Haiti. We must trust that those who must go, will go. But is not enough to shake our heads and share moments of awe and sorrow. We must make the
request of God that He reveal to us our part to play, no matter how simple it may be.

I encourage you, as an act of living worship as your read this, to ask what your part is to play. Then, simply respond.

We each have a portion in one another's story. We are connected with Haiti's turmoil in ways we may only sense when the lights are out and we are considering the world in which we find ourselves.

In this case of pain that reaches our eyes and ears, we are invited by God to weep and mourn with them over what is all of our great loss. If it were directly my own, I would wan them to ask what their part was to play in coming to my loved one's support.

True worship, in the face of great suffering, asks for an invitation into the pain that God and the sufferers carry. Simply ask, then simply respond. It is enough.

In this journey of willingness, we find real prayers rising, authentic acts of physical and spiritual generosity, and the ability to partner with God in the ways in which He is inviting us.

It is a privilege to worship with you, in our generation, and to lead others into the kind of worship encounters that compel us into the very Heart of Love, and into the very Heart of Suffering.

We, as followers of Jesus, choose both.

In prayer with you for Haiti,

Dan

Dan Wilt, M.Min.
Learning Community Director
WorshipTraining.com

Jesus, help me understand how stepping into pain can be a powerful act of worship. Lead me with regard to Haiti, and the arenas in my life where I must experience pain first-hand. Give me Your heart of love, the most generous.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

A Generous Life

Dear Worshipers,

I hope you are looking forward to what God is going to do in us as a church and in you individually as we consider His truth over these next several weeks. I want to encourage you to pick up the devotional booklet and go through it, either with your family a friend or with Jesus alone. I know as a family we are going to consider how God would want to love us along in this continuum of living a generous life.

This is an area where I am aware I need to grow. I might be tempted at times to use this as an excuse even though I should know better but giving is not one of my primary love languages. Actually, it may very well be the lowest. For this reason I know this is an area where I need to grow in grace. Though I endeavor to be a faithful and dutiful tither, the above and beyond is not something I excel at. I say this to my shame. But God is at work in me, and I trust will be faithful to complete that work.

Maybe for you giving of your resources is not an issue. Maybe you struggle giving in some other arena, whether it is time or talent. Maybe it is relationally or emotionally. There are a lot of ways we can give and I trust that this season will be a very fruitful one for you if you will spend some time reflecting on the scriptures in the devotional book and what Pastor Myron brings to us on Sunday mornings.

We are going to be memorizing some scripture together over these next few weeks and I would encourage you to do the same. We are starting with Psalm 24.1, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” As you are reading and reflecting on those scriptures take some time to allow the Spirit to write them on you heart. As you do, trust Him to work those truths out in your life. He will amaze you.

Reflect on the words of the song we will be singing through this season and consider if it is your expression of worship. “I Will Offer Up My Life” by Matt Redman.

I will offer up my life
In spirit and truth,
Pouring out the oil of love
As my worship to You
In surrender I must give my every part;
Lord, receive the sacrifice
Of a broken heart

CHORUS:
Jesus, what can I give, what can I bring
To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King?
Savior, what can be said, what can be sung
As a praise of Your name
For the things You have done?
Oh my words could not tell, not even in part
Of the debt of love that is owed
By this thankful heart

You deserve my every breath
For You've paid the great cost;
Giving up Your life to death,
Even death on a cross
You took all my shame away,
There defeated my sin
Opened up the gates of heaven
And have beckoned me in

Jesus, make my life a generous life. One that reflects your heart to those around me. Change me to be like you.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Production Week 2009

Dear Worshipers,

That is the term I use for this busy week leading up to a major production. If you combine the time each person will sacrifice at rehearsal this week it will literally be in the hundreds of hours. Think of what you could do if someone gave you a few hundred hours to work on something. Think of what you could produce if you had 300 hours of concentrated effort to put into a project. Anyone could accomplish something of worth in that amount of time, if focused on a profitable outcome, right? Not without the Lord.

We are focusing on producing this week. Oh, certainly we are talking about the Christmas musical, but I am talking about much more. I am talking about the greatest product of the week which is not what the Lord will do through us but what He wants to do in us. We want to work on all these details so that we can communicate the wonderful message of Jesus clearly and convincingly, but even then, apart from Him it is all for naught. So let us pray for what we desire for Him to do in others, but ponder what He is doing is us.

Remember Jesus’ words in John 15:5b “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from the Lord we can do nothing. A lot of talent, a lot of time, a lot of nothing apart from Him. I do not want to waste this week or it’s efforts, so I commit right now in the midst of everything I have to do and delegate to hold to the instruction in the first part of this verse.

Remaining. That is not so easy to do. I hit the snooze button a few too many times this morning and did not have the time to spend with the Lord that I desire. Remaining is hard to do without time. This is a busy week, but if I do not find the time to remain in Jesus’ how can I hope to bear the fruit He desires. The same is true for you.

I know that I have many of you out at rehearsal several times this production week, but without some time spent with Jesus’ you too will be hard pressed to produce what He desires. And what it is that He desires to produce in you? If you take a few minutes to consider this I think I know He will show you. You remember the list: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Patience is my focus this week. What is yours?

Of course, we are trusting God to do something miraculous through us this Sunday afternoon and evening. I trust Him for His revelation of Himself to all of us, and that some will respond by turning to Him for the first time, understanding the greatness of our God, and their need of the Savior whose name is Jesus. But I also trust Him to do something in us-in me, in you. I am honestly probably more excited about that because I know that the greatest blessing of this musical is for those who are producing it, because the Lord is using that process to produce something in us we probably were not thinking about when we signed on.

Merry Christmas and Happy Producing!

Jesus, produce in me the fruit that will please Your name. I love You and bless You even as I rest and remain in You. I can do nothing apart from You. Have Your way in me.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

God’s Hand

Dear Worshippers,

I am already beginning to see the signs that God has His hand on us in this upcoming endeavor of the Christmas drama and musical. A few indications:

• All 800 invitations are gone. If one of every four evokes a response that could easily fill the sanctuary once. Praise the Lord!
• As were concluding our work of recruiting orchestra members, an oboe player who has played in the past called to ask if we still needed her. She mentioned what a blessing the musical has been in years past and hoped she could still be involved. We said yes. She mentioned that her daughter has played flute here and shared her blessing. And yes, the only other part I was really hoping to cover was Flute 2. Thank You, Lord.
• A Choir member emailed me and mentioned that she had slow pitch with a family member when she invited them to the musical. They responded with interest which was a miracle itself. Coming would be an even greater one. Is God still in the miracle business?
• When our narrator had to back out a couple of weeks ago, God already had waiting in the wings a young woman who has done radio voice-overs who has a flair for the dramatic. She is 90-95% memorized as of Sunday.
• From lights to set, from drama to media, from to choir to orchestra, from invitations to response cards everything is coming together very nicely, thanks be to God!

We need to be diligent in prayer these next 12 days. God is going to reveal Himself through this work. People are going to respond. Eternity will be different for some. The Enemy of our souls does not like that one bit.

Pray for God’s enabling through these final days of prep. Pray for health for everyone involved, and please do not forget me. Pray for those who are inviting and being invited that the Lord would be in those connections softening and drawing hearts to Himself. I am so excited. Thanks for taking part in this, even if only in praying with us.

Jesus, we can see Your hand in the details of the musical. Help us remain steadfast in prayer through the completion of this work that we may be blessed to look back and identify Your fingerprints all over this endeavor. We need you Lord. Have Your way in us.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

It’s Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas

Dear Worshippers,

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? I begin making preparations for Christmas productions in August or September, but every year it seems to come at me faster and faster. Does anyone else ever experience anything like that?

The fact that it’s beginning to sound and look like Christmas fills our hearts with a flood of emotions: excitement over the celebration of the birth of our Lord, mingled in with expectations, obligations, and over commitments. Underneath or behind all that is the real meaning of Christmas. The meaning that causes us to rejoice. It’s a lovely time, but also a hectic time.

The reality is that 3 weeks from Sunday our Christmas production will occur. Only a little over 3 weeks remain for you to invite someone to attend. They will hear the story of Christ’s birth woven together with a contemporary parallel that will bring the mystery of the Incarnation down to an accessible level. It’s a ready made “slow pitch.”

We have even written and provided the invitations for you. The only thing left for you to do is invite. But many people will not even do that. Why? Fear or rejection. Fear of the unknown. Fear.

Don’t be afraid! There is likely someone in your life that is desperate to hear that Jesus is not just the name of that baby in the manger, but also the name that holds the answers to the deepest longings in their souls. Don’t keep that powerful truth to yourself.

Take an invitation and write a simple note inside. For example, “This is an annual event in our church when we remember what all the fuss is really about this time of year. Will you take an hour out of your schedule to come with me [us] and enjoy some while thinking about that? I would be honored if you would join us for this. I’ll even pick you up! Let me know.”

Obviously, you should personalize your note, but you get the idea. Make it a personal invitation. Reach out with the love of Christ to those people maybe only you can reach. You will not be sorry.

Jesus, we know You are the reason for the this upcoming celebration, but many do not. Give us the courage to reach out to them with Your love so they too will realize there is no name like Yours.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Fear Not

Dear Worshippers,

This has always been one of my favorite commands in Scripture. What Pastor Myron preached on Sunday solidified its place for me even more so! Did you catch how many times that command appears? I think God wanted us to hear it!

Countless times over my years of ministry I have said something like, “If we could simply grasp and live out one truth it would revolutionize our impact on the world around us.” That is certainly true of this simple statement.

The AdventureTruth was stated like this: His courage is mine. What an encouragement! Maybe you need to be reminded of that today. Maybe you need to remind someone else.

The song I sang at the end of the service captured this encouragement very well. [Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns, video follows short commercial, “Wait for it”] Particularly powerful to me was that little line, “I barely hear you whisper through the rain, ‘I’m with you”’. Jesus is saying to each of us He is with us. Let us take courage from that for whatever we face. Let us find His certainty in the midst of our uncertainty.

That’s what I did as we prepared for the launch of this new format. Believing that Jesus was asking us to step out of the boat and come to him, we resolved to follow him, no matter the sacrifice. The services Sunday were a blessing to me and I hope to you as well. I found myself thinking about Jesus, rather than music. I want to keep going there. Will you go with me?

In this adventure that is the life of faith in Jesus, we should learn very early on that we must keep our eyes on Jesus, looking to the place where He is calling us to go. When we get our eyes off Him, when we become distracted by anything else, we begin to sink. Like my 8 year old son Isaac wrote as Pastor Myron preached, “We sink in our fear.”

Jesus, help us fix our eyes on You and draw from You the courage we need to face the storms of this life. There is no uncertainty we can not endure when we feel your fingernails clasped around our forearm. We reach out to You in the certainty that you will grab a hold of us and never let go. Thank you Lord.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Love Increasing and Overflowing

Dear Worshippers,

I am really excited about this Sunday and I hope you are too. It truly marks the beginning of a significant chapter in the history of our church. The willingness of the folks in our worship ministry to love and serve the church through our increase of labor is a huge part of this being a transition that will be beneficial to the church.

And there will be an increase in our labors, a song or two more each week and extra material for the choir will not be easy. I hope you are ready for this and are preparing yourself to take on the work. Your attitude will be critical as you approach your part of that work. I want to encourage you to be praying about your attitude that your continued involvement in this ministry would flow out of a heart of love for the Lord and His Bride.

I want to encourage you to pray for the church through this transition as well. The enemy would like nothing more than to continue to make our services a source of frustration and confusion for as many worshippers as possible. We must pray that he will not have his way in that…

I was so encouraged by the Scripture that Pastor Myron shared on Sunday. I Thessalonians 3:12, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” There are three directions that love is flowing in this verse and I think it is important to catch this as we move forward together.

First is the last one mentioned, “as ours [love] does for you”. We must have a love for the Bride. As leaders, those called to stand before God’s church and lead them, we must first example that love to the church. How are you doing in that? Is your first thought, when you stop to think about North-Mar, loving?

Next is the “for each other”. We must love each other. That’s how the world will know we belong to Christ. We are getting better at this all the time as we allow the Spirit to influence our every word, thought and deed. When you think of your brothers and sisters in the Lord, are your first thoughts loving?

Finally comes the “everyone else”. And this is the part that got me most excited Sunday. Sure, we are supposed to love the Lord and His Bride that is what is motivating this transition. Sure, we are supposed to love each other, that is what has spurred us to take on this additional labor, love for our brothers and sisters. But how does the “everyone else” factor in to Sunday morning?

Our Sunday morning experience should be a great, collective example of what we are doing all week long individually. Loving God, His people, and “everyone else”. The everyone else is a huge part of the Great Commission and if we will embrace it we will have a greater impact on the world around us.

Please pray with me that our love would increase and overflow, a demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit in us.

Jesus, make our love increase and overflow to each other and to everyone else. Make North-Mar a place marked by Your love, for Your glory and the good of everyone who comes into contact with Your church.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Prayer: Our First Work

Dear Worshippers,

I so appreciated Pastor Praxl’s message Sunday on this Core Value of the Alliance and our church. If you were not present you can hear it here. [You can also view the powerpoint and follow along on the outline, both posted online.]

I was very encouraged by his perspective on prayer, and practicing it together in the service was a great opportunity for private/corporate worship. As I was praying about my Tunings today, the Lord brought this three-fold prayer back to mind: others, self, God’s will, and reminded me that this is what must be my first work when it comes to planning, preparing, and producing our services each weekend. I want to offer my perspective on this as another example of how to get yourself to a place where you do not worry about anything, because you are praying about everything.

Pray for others: Some are excited about what God is doing in the music of our services. I pray God will give them patience as we continue to seek the Lord. Others are struggling with the changes in the sound of our services. I pray God will give us wisdom as we seek to discern how best to help them engage in worship.

Pray for yourself: I have a longing for freedom to follow hard after God. I need to temper this with sensitivity to the particular make-up of North-Mar Church. I want to demonstrate the gentleness God has recently shown me as I lead this diverse group of people.

Pray for God's will: God desires to soak His church. He wants us to leave talking about Him, not the music. He wants our hearts to be surrendered to Him. What that looks like is coming into clearer view with each passing day.

I want to encourage you to pray with me. I have no interest in tickling people’s ears, but I do want to serve them using music that gives them opportunity to express their praise to God. With the wide-range of backgrounds and ages in our services, this is no easy task. You can quickly see why prayer must be the first work. I appreciate your labors with me in this regard probably more so than any other.

Let’s make prayer our first response, not our last resort.

Jesus, teach us to pray before we do anything else. Teach us to pray while we do it. Teach us to when we are finished. We can only accomplish anything if we are connected to you.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

His Compassion Compels Me

Dear Worshippers,

Compassion - a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Compels - to force or drive, esp. to a course of action

This spring I began to learn some lessons about gentleness. I am not going to pretend that I have learned them well, or that I have finished learning them. I am a work in progress.

When I think about compassion, it’s kind of difficult for me to get beyond the other common word contained within it: passion. Passion - any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling. I feel like I am a passionate person. Maybe it is the artist in me but often my emotions are just below the surface and it does not take much for them to boil up within me to the point of overflow, driving me at times to a course of action. I am thankful for this, because I believe it the way God made me.

However, as He is remaking me I realize my need for compassion. I feel strongly about the things I feel strongly about, if you know what I mean. I want to feel strongly about the things God feels strongly about. Primarily by this I mean the misfortunes of those around me, particularly there spiritual misfortune, but certainly not limited to that.

As I think about being compelled, I would have to admit that more often that not it is my passions that compel me more than my compassion. I want this to change. I want to I want my reactions and responses to be characterized by compassion.
I know that this will require a fairly radical shift in the way I think. I know this will not be easy. I know that it will be an adventure. I know Jesus will help me.

So how about you? Is your pole baited with a worm as you go out fishing every day? Is your tongue filled the words of God, or with your words? Are you fishing, or are you just stirring the water with an empty hook? What changes will you have to allow Jesus to make to make you a better fisher of men?

For me, it’s gentle compassion. For you, it might be boldness. For others, willingness. Whatever it is, let Jesus do it in you and may His compassion compel you.

Jesus, I want your compassion to be what compels me. Make be passionate about the things You are passionate about, then fill my tongue with your words because there are some people in my life that need to hear.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

His Grace Gets Me Going

Dear Worshippers,

We were focused on God’s grace Sunday, but I want to encourage you to linger with me there a little longer. I think we become so familiar with the grace of God that it looses some of its’ amazing-ness. When something is amazing it is said to “cause great surprise or sudden wonder”. Is that what happens to you when you stop and consider God’s unmerited favor in your life? I have to confess that it is not always the case with me. But it wasn’t always that way.

How I resonate with our second AdventureTruth! His grace gets me going. This is indeed a journey. When I first realized that Jesus was and had been walking the dusty road with me I was amazed. Over time that amazement has ebbed and flowed in and out of my experience. I want to stay amazed. Like I was the hour I first believed.

That’s a quote from a song we sang Sunday, Amazing Grace. [lyrics] “How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” I affirm what Pastor Myron declared, “It starts my relationship with Him.” God’s grace got me going on this journey with Jesus. When I remember that night in March of 1992 when I made the decision to accept His grace with tears flowing down my cheeks, I am amazed all over again. There was at least one young man who made the decision to accept God’s grace at the close of this past Sunday morning. Hallelujah!

You need to pray for him that “It sustains [him] on the adventure” as it has sustained you. Look back over the course of your walk with our Lord. Time and time again it was only grace that kept you going. It makes me think of another line from that song, Through many dangers, toils and snares/I have already come./'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,/And grace will lead me home! Grace sustains me.

But it is not just for me. Since “there is a surplus so let’s share it”. Though one line or stanza of the song speaks of this explicitly, the entire song is a testimony to this reality. I might add a stanza for us as we travel with grace on our minds this week, “Since there’s a surplus of the grace my Lord’s made known to me, along the journey that’s He’s planned I’ll share it liberally”.

Be expectant and prayerful. The Lord may present an opportunity for you to share it this week. Be courageous and do it. Even if the person doesn’t seem to hear it, be mindful that there could be someone under a desk…or around the corner…or even in the next room who does.

Jesus, Your grace is enough. It is amazing. Help me share it as I live the adventure You have planned out for me.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

And So It Begins…

Dear Worshippers,

What an exciting weekend at North-Mar! God’s hand is truly on us. To deny you would have to have your eyes closed and your ears covered. As we lift up Jesus in humility and brokenness, He is drawing us to Himself, into the great adventure that is the life of faith in Jesus.

How about our first AdventureTruth? Seeking Him is my starting place. That’s truly where it all begins. Living the adventure is not a complicated thing. We are to blame for making it complicated. We must seek the Lord.

What do I want? Remember the boat in the driveway. Consider asking that question like this. What is it that I think about when I thinking about nothing else? What does you mind trail off toward in its “idle” moments? Careful, that thing can quickly become an “idol” that replaces your desire for God.

If that is out of whack the next questions are more confusing than reassuring. Who is going to lead? Well, Jesus of course, but really. How is this supposed to happen? I will blaze the trail right behind Jesus. He’s the one on the white horse up front right? See what I mean. It can become confusing, but that’s not what Jesus wants to have happen.

In the foyer during the first service someone asked me how the opening portion of the service and gone. The illustration that came to my mind was of a group of people being invited to get into a raft for a whitewater ride. They have their life vests and helmets on and they are standing at the end of the water.

Some are ready to get in, and from the looks of them they must have just finished their last ride because they are soaked. Some are not sure they want to take the risk. Some are concerned about what it will mean if they get drenched or worse yet, if they get knocked out of the raft.

Then out walks the guide for the journey, Jesus. The fears of some immediately dissipate. Others are still not sure. Jesus has been their guide before, but it is their first time on the whitewater and though they trust Him, they are not certain what to expect. He has been their keeper as well, and they really want to go wherever He leads, because they long to believe the unknown with Him is glorious.
Get ready for the ride of your life.

Jesus, You are our Guide and Keeper. Whatever we face, You will be there in the midst of it. Expose our idols and fears. Become all we want, as surely as you are already all we need. Help us to be aware of Your nearness, and Your amazing grace.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Live the Adventure

Dear Worshippers,

We begin the next leg of our journey together this Sunday as we commence a new sermon series, Live the Adventure. In addition to your Bible, we will be providing a number of other tools to help you, including the CD from our Night of Worship, a magnet to keep this theme before you, some online tools, as well as an optional book The Unexpected Adventure. Be ready to grab your “Adventure Kit” when you are at church Sunday.

Beyond the kit, I want to encourage you to be praying as we labor together to enter in to the adventure of faith Jesus has for us individually and collectively. This is a very exciting season for our church and I hope you are finding your place in all that. How I long to experience the kind of Spirit dependence that the early church demonstrates.

I have been reading in Acts lately. If you want to read about adventure this is a great place to start. Through those early days of the Church, the Spirit’s hand is so evident. Then I read these words.

So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers. (Acts 9:32, HCSB)

That is my prayer for us in this next season. That the Lord would give us peace. That He would build us up as we walk with a right perspective on who He is. That the Holy Spirit would pour courage into us, and that we would INCREASE IN NUMBERS. Oh, that the Lord would add to us those who are being saved!

You have a part to play in that. God has your name written in these next chapters of faith-filled adventure. “Saddle up your horses”, as one song writer put it, “we’ve got a trail to blaze.” Won’t you join as in the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace? Let’s follow Jesus into the glorious unknown, unexpected adventure. There’s no life quite like it.

Jesus, we want to live the adventure of life in You. Help us to put aside the things that would keep us from entering into it. Become all that we want, as surely as You already are all that we have ever needed.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Night of Worship

Dear Worshippers,

This is exciting. I have had this concept in my mind and on my heart for some time and am excited about the opportunity to finally do it. At the same time, I am also seriously wondering how many people will turn out. It's the Saturday evening of Labor Day weekend, but easily was the best choice as we head into a full season of ministry.

As we look forward to Saturday evening, I want to ask you to do a few things:
1. Pray - This should always be our first work. Pray for me as I finalize plans. Pray for the team as we prepare to lead. Pray that folks will come out. Pray that God will show Himself to us. Pray that we will respond. Pray the recording would bless those who come AND those who can not over the course of the next few months as we “live the adventure”.

2. Come - I sincerely believe you will be blessed by the things God is placing before us. This hour will give us the chance to meditate on the season that is just before us as a church. It will give you a front row seat on the action as we sing and pray. It will also give us a chance to hear from Pastor Myron as he prepares to lead us through the next few months on the adventure Jesus has for His church which gathers at North-Mar.

3. Bring - Contact someone you know in church and invite them to join you. Maybe you want to have dinner together beforehand, or plan on coffee or ice cream afterwards. Make it a night of worship, not singing and praying, but connecting with God and others, responding corporately to the revelation of our Lord.
This night will give me a more extended opportunity to encourage our people in their worship.

Though I am not planning on an extended teaching time, the sheer focus of the night will give me the opportunity to share a little more of my heart and mind with regard to worship. I am pumped about that because I am pumped about the glory of God is our midst.

My invitation to you…please pray and come and bring Saturday night…for this special event. I am believing you will be blessed. Believe with me.

Jesus, we want to worship You with our entire lives. We also want to gather on this special night to be encouraged in this pursuit even as You reveal Your glory and enable our response. Holy Spirit help us to live the adventure of walking with Christ and so honor the Father.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy

Recording

Dear Worshippers,

Next week we will record two unusual events in our sanctuary. The first a “studio” choir for a project for a sound engineer who has attended North-Mar for the last year or so, and the second a “LIVE” worship event featuring a number of songs that we will sing throughout the upcoming fall series. I hope many of you will plan to attend both.

When I think about making a recording of the music we are making the mind of the trained musician in me begins to have second thoughts. I hear things in our weekly worship team rehearsal recordings I am trying to address. I hear them on the recordings of Sunday morning as well. But I also hear something else.

I hear a group of people that are using their musical talent to make an investment in the kingdom of God. I hear people who are pouring out their hearts to God. I hear people who are willing to stand before the King, not because what they are doing is perfect, but for His activity in making them so.

“…he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hebrews 10:14b God is at work in us. We are all involved in a breath-taking process. A process by which God is making us holy. Clearly seeing ourselves and our God is a crucial part of this process. Even though it can be painful, it is always fruitful.

I look at the opportunity next week as a way for us to place a marker of where we are right now. Musically. Spiritually. Relationally. We can marvel at what God is doing in each of us, and all of us. As we continue in this process, on this adventure, we will able to look back and praise the Lord for His activity in our lives as He continues that holiness production.

Like taking notes that you will keep in your “Message Minder”, these recordings will be a way of noting where we are. Though hearing it may be uncomfortable for those of us that are listening with ears to make improvements and adjustments, it will be profitable. Again I hope that you will consider joining us for both, not o0nly for the experience each opportunity will be in the moment, but what it will give us to look back on and give praise to God again for His activity among us

Jesus, we want to make Your name great. Magnify who You are as we lift our hearts and our voices to You. Help us to see you clearly and see ourselves clearly as we journey on with You.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Following

Dear Worshippers,

A few weeks ago I encouraged you to think about leading. I closed by reminding you that even leaders follow, and who they follow determines how their journey will progress. As I think about leading our Worship Ministry at North-Mar into a new, uncharted season I am thinking much about following.

In the midst of that thinking, across the horizon floated the following story from Methodist missionary and theologian E. Stanley Jones.

He told of a missionary who lost his way in an African jungle. He could find no landmarks and the trail vanished. Eventually, stumbling on a small hut, he asked the native living there if he could lead him out of the jungle. The native happily agreed and rising to his feet, walked directly into the bush. The missionary followed on his heels. For more than an hour they hacked their way through a dense wall of vines and grasses. The missionary became worried: “Are you sure this is the way? I don’t see a path.” The African chuckled and said over his shoulder, “Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path.” (Bwana is a form of respectful address in some parts of Africa.)

This story was very reassuring to me because as I am formulating plans for the fall I keep going back to Jesus for clear direction in every decision, from song selection and personnel training to equipment purchases and scheduling. Each time I am essentially asking Jesus, “Are you sure this is the way? I don’t see a path.” He has faithfully said to me, in not so many words, “In this place there is no path. I am the path.”

We all know that Jesus has declared Himself to be “the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14.6) This is not a foreign concept to us. All the same, we tend to complicate our following with any number of excuses or questions.

North-Mar is in uncharted territory. We are entering a new season on ministry on the heels of baptizing over 180 people in a period of seven weeks. God is leading us through things we have never experienced before now.

Our worship ministry is a microcosm of the church. This is a new era. You can hear it, see it and feel it. I find myself near the front of it searching for the path. Jesus is reassuring me that He is the Path.

Come along with me on this adventure and let us discover His path, rather Him, together.

Jesus, help us to follow well, ever keeping our eyes on You for You are the Path. When other tour guides would beckon to us to lead us astray, help us to fix our gaze on You. We will follow You!

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Leading

Dear Worshippers,

Last night I mowed my lawn for the second time this summer. Before you spend too many brain cells trying to figure out why that is let me give praise to the Lord for all of the men who have come over and helped during my recovery so that I would not be burdened with that physical exertion. I praise God for each of them, and a church family so willing to help.

After the other time I mowed my oldest son Samuel asked if he could help. You must now that I see the four boys that I will have to feed over the next 17 years and then some as a tremendous workforce, in time of course. This is one of the most strenuous things Samuel had ever asked to help with, and I was more than happy to have the help.

Any of you that have worked with young people know the blessing and the challenges of doing so. The blessing is in their eagerness to help and the boundless enthusiasm they bring to learning and trying something new. The challenge is in sometimes keeping them focused after the newness has worn off and the enthusiasm has waned. Samuel was a trooper mowing for probably over an hour with no complaints. I was so proud of him.

It occurred to me as we worked that he needed leadership and training. I told him several things about mower safety and we began. Some things that I had totally forgotten about mowing came back as I saw him struggle with a few things. Starting the mower was hard for him until I told him to slowly pull the cord until it was tight then give it a strong, quick jerk. Mowing in a line was difficult until I trained him to keep one wheel just inside the already mowed section. Pushing the mower was difficult until we lowered the handle to make it more manageable.
I realized through this experience what I already knew on some: leading others can be demanding, but it is far more rewarding.

So I ask you the question: Who are you leading? Some of you are leading family members. Others of you are leading employees or maybe even peers. I would venture to say that every one of you at some point in your week is leading someone, whether you realize it or not. At the very least, you are leading yourself, and self-leadership may actually be the most demanding kind of leadership by far.

Whomever you happen to be leading, can you say to them like Paul said to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ”? [I Corinthians 11.1] For as certainly as we are all leaders, we are followers as well. Who you follow determines how well you will lead, regardless of the parameters.

Jesus, help us to lead well, starting with ourselves, and going outward from there from the most formal to the most casual of encounters. Help us to do this by first following You well. Thanks for such a great example.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Weeding

Dear Worshippers,

I was reminded a couple of weeks ago that the best time to do weeding is shortly after a rainstorm. This is of course because the soil is loose and the weeds come up a little easier. It is a little messier process though due to the fact that the soil has been transformed into mud. Muddy or not, weeding is an essential activity if you want the plants to grow and thrive. Anyone who has ever tried to grow anything knows this reality.

I was thinking of this a few weeks ago and the Lord reminded me that weeding is an essential activity in our spiritual lives as well. The weeds of sin and slothfulness can quickly come in and choke of the growth of your spiritual life. The Parable of the Sower comes to mind. [Matthew 13:1-22] Instead of weeds, this parable says thorns, but the idea of the plants being choked out remains the same.

As I was weeding the first thought that came to mind was how hard it was. This is toilsome work. This is dirty work. You do not always get the entire root, knowing full well you will see that weed again. This is true with spiritual weeding as well. It is not easy. Sometimes you know you did not get the entire root. Sometimes you think you did only to learn later that some still remained.

I thought also of how necessary this work is, and that it would have been better tended to long before. If neglected, plants will suffer and can even be entirely choked out. A similar thought is true of your spiritual life. If you neglect the necessary weeding there your spirit will suffer and maybe even worse.

I finally thought that I wish I had done this right after the rain. With the ground soaked it would have been much easier to deal with the weeds. But that timing was not convenient for me so I had to do my weeding when the ground was pretty dry.

Our church has recently been “soaked”. I hope you got caught up in that. I do not think it is too late to take advantage of that recent shower. Ask the Holy Spirit if there is any weeding that needs to be done in you, and willingly submit even if it gets toilsome and dirty. The labor will not be in vain.

Be encouraged with these words.

Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you. [Hosea 10:12]

Spirit, continue to soak Your church.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy

Synchronized

Dear Worshippers,

I have been working for a while today trying to synchronize a couple of electronic devices. This simply means to go through a process to make certain the same information is in both places and every time they connect both sources are updated with any changes since the last time they connected. It is a more complicated version of “Synchronize your watches”, but the same principle is in play. This is also the process used when you update an iPod or mp3 player.

It occurred to me that this is a great picture of our relationship with God, especially the music player side of it. When we connect with God we want to make sure we have the same information [TRUTH] that He has. This is why we read His Word, pray, and meditate. We want to always be in sync with Him.

The main difference is that He never changes. We change and must be brought back in line with Him. Nothing we do ever changes Him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:9)

The music player analogy is closer to this picture because none of the information from the player ever changes the computer. Even though settings might change that are resident to the player the computer never changes. The player is dependent on the computer to give it any information it needs to function.

Ideally, all the information on the computer that should be on the PDA or player automatically goes to the other device every time they connect. Issues can develop which derail this process, but the computer will diligently notify of any problems and try to correct them. The player is mostly oblivious to these developments.

That leads me to the question, “Are you synchronized?” Is all the information the Father wants to get on you being received? Are you connecting with Him regularly? Are there issues that have developed that He is trying to point out to you?

One other part of this is that with most devices, when they are being synchronized they are simultaneously being recharged. Their on-board power source is resupplied. Are you feeling depleted, run down, empty? Maybe you simply need to reconnect to your Source to strengthen your power level. It’s a simple thing. Get connected today! You will not be able to function per the Designers’ specifications until you do. I am praying for you.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy