The long walk on a small campus.

 Joshua 6:1-16

When I was a student working on my undergraduate degree, I was required to fulfill math requirements.  As a person that has fought math all his life, college math was no different as I studied and still got less than stellar grades.

As I walked across campus after studying most of the night for my math final, my head was overflowing with what I had studied. Previous exam attempts had shown poor results and I was truly afraid of not getting a passing grade on the final.

As I walked I did the only thing that I knew how to do, which was go to the Father in powerful and serious prayer. As I walked the long sidewalk on campus, I prayed in a circle around the quad and told God the following: “God you have called me to be a minister and you have called me to be here, I beseech you to intervene in this exam, supply me with the needed knowledge to be successful “.

After my walk and this prayer, I felt the power and grace of the Holy Spirit come over me and give me the authority to do the following. I walked directly to the professors office and advised him that the knowledge was in my head right now at this very moment, and could he give me the exam now, and not make me wait. I told Dr. Jenson that my head was leaking and I needed the exam right now, with this he smiled at me and placed the exam in an envelope. He had me take the exam to the campus proctor for immediate test taking.

As I sat down and took the exam I felt the knowledge leak from my head and into the pen as it marked the exam. Upon completion of the exam, I left the proctors office with a peace that flowed like a river, and passed the test and the class.

Brothers and Sisters I encourage you to walk and pray large serious prayers  before God, the God of all love and power wants to answer prayers and is not afraid of powerful prayers. Make your circle and pray your prayers before the Lord this very day.

The receiver of answered prayer

Pastor Tim

Can You Go Home Again?

John 14:2

 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you^?

Hello from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where I am currently attending Alumni Spring Renewal. As I write this article, I sit in the seminary chapel preparing for morning worship. As I sit here in contemplation of the day’s activities, the phrase “You can’t go home again comes to mind”  As I sit here this morning as one who is worshipping, there is a sense of filling in the fact that I am free to just worship and be filled with the word of God.

As I sit here, I contemplate the six years that I spent on this campus and in this chapel preparing for ministry. The last year I have had three homes, Seminary, Moline Illinois, and for the last ten months Benton Kentucky. I find myself carefully thinking about where to call home, and where to tell people where home is when asked.

As we enter our first week after Easter, the promise has been fulfilled and the empty tomb celebrates and promises the fact that with Jesus Christ we have come home, and through his promised fulfilled the home is eternal.  As we contemplate this week after Easter and as we go into the future, let us not worry about where we call our earthly home.

Next time somebody asks you where home is, tell them this: “I live with Jesus Christ with all of my heart, all of my soul and with my entire mind”. Living with Jesus is a home where furniture never needs moved and the mortgage never needs paid. Jesus Christ has paid our eternal mortgage and we have been given an eternal address with him.

So as I sit hear preparing for worship and I hear the piano being played and the hand bells being practiced, I have the knowledge and the promise that you can go home again and my home resides in the loving and promise fulfilled arms of Jesus Christ.

Home Is Where Jesus Resides.

Pastor Tim Polley

Reverend Timothy Polley is the Senior Minster at First Christian Church in Benton Kentucky and a 2011 graduate of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque Iowa.