A Tasty Dish

A Tasty Dish!

Our strength as a country and as a people is our diversity of cultures and the embracing of different faith beliefs. The United States should think of itself as a recipe that contains so many different and awesome ingredients, that produce an excellent dish. Without my Irish Catholic born mother, I would not be here to add the this countries recipe. We are all created in God’s image, meaning all of us make a beautiful picture and a might tasty dish.

The Sikh faith believes that in death one is reincarnated. The next life is based on how they lived the last. For this Deputies faith, in his life well lived, reincarnation will occur in an outstanding new life.

Last night in Houston a Deputy was killed, this Deputy was viciously and cowardly murdered while he was protecting and serving. This Deputy was of the Sikh faith and wore a turban. He added to our tasty recipe as a country. He was well respected, loved. He was a “Great Cop”! Yet, some were more concerned about his headwear instead of the fact that he gave his life for law and order. To those haters out there, your hatred only spoils our tasty dish of a diverse and wonderful nation. Thank you for adding to our recipe Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal.

Deputy Sheriff Sandeep Dhaliwal was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop in the 14800 block of Willancy Court at approximately 12:45 pm.

A subject approached Deputy Dhaliwal from behind and shot him multiple time. He was flown to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds several hours later.

Two subjects were arrested later in the afternoon.

Deputy Dhaliwal had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for 10 years.

From The Old I Was, To The New I AM

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Recently I was driving through our hometown when I saw an old structure being demolished. Yes, the old building that had been unoccupied for so long was now being torn down to make way for a new structure that would breathe life into a vacant location.

Likewise, when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and is baptized, the old empty life is torn down just like that old building in our town, and replaced with something bright, shiny, and new. When the person enters the waters of baptism, they enter the waters that will take away an unoccupied heart and replace it with a new vibrant heart that is in relationship with Christ Jesus.

From the point of time that one is in new relationship with God, the person thought of in worldly terms and with a worldly heart is made new by being a new creation. Thus, having a new heart for God, instead of only a heart of worldly possibilities, the person now has a heavenly eternal reality in which the possibilities are endless.

So next time you see a building being torn down…drink from the glass half full and celebrate the new possibilities that come with tearing down and building up. Likewise, when Jesus tears down our old life and replaces it with a new life, something better will always come from it.

As we go forth this day, let us consider the building of relationships instead of the tearing down of relationships. You have the power to make new or to destroy the old. What will your choice be? I choose building up and new life in Christ.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.

Happy Role Models Day.

Proverbs 22:6 ESV

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and many will celebrate with their Father’s, but also many will not. For many, their earthly fathers have passed away, or they are not in the picture, they are not involved in the lives of their children. Personally, my earthly father’s Tom and Don have passed away. Yes, this Sunday I will grieve, but a few years ago I became determined not to let my mourning define Father’s Day.

A few years ago, on Father’s Day, I went out and celebrated the positive role models in my life. It just took a card and maybe a balloon, and I would contact them to let them know how important they are in my life. Often these didn’t have children of their own, or their children were raised away from them.

The Bible tells us in: Proverbs 22:6 ESV

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. Who has trained you, who has prepared you in the ways of God and our interactions with others?

As we live our lives in love and relationship with God, let us pledge to make others loved and appreciated this Father’s Day. Maybe…. every day.

We will see our Father’s again, but while they are absent from us, role model dad’s still need our love and our appreciation.

This is the day that Lord has made.

Rejoice and be glad in it.

Pastor Tim.

Tim's Topics: From My Mothers Eyes

Tim's Topics: From My Mothers Eyes: Romans 15:4   ESV  For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the enco...

From My Mothers Eyes

Romans 15:4 ESV 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Eighty-one years ago, this June 6th, the largest invasion armada that man has ever known sailed from the coast of England to the shores of Normandy France. This armada went to free the people of France from occupation, and to free the world from bonds of war. We can never thank our veterans enough, some of them in their late nineties.

As I write this week’s blog, I would like to come at D-Day and World War II from a different perspective. The perspective that I write about, is the perspective from the eyes of a child, in this case the eyes belong to my mother.

My Mother grew up in England, with her young years as being a witness to a country at war and a world at war. From my earliest memories I would hear my mother speak about her time as a child spent in the family’s air-raid shelter, sitting out bombing raids on her country. I would hear the stories of her and her siblings wearing gas mask packs, as they would venture to and from school. I would hear of the stories of my grandfather going into London after bombing raids to free the dead and wounded from the rubble of bombed out buildings. I would hear about the sound that V-1 and V-2 rockets sound like when the fly over your head and what it is like when the sound stops before they fall to the ground and explode. I would hear about my grandparents considering shipping my mom and her siblings overseas as to escape the war. I would hear about the kids getting candy from the United States soldiers, and the words, “Got Any Gum Chum”. I would hear about the near starvation of a country as it was blockaded during the war, and what it was like to be hungry. I saw first hand what it was like as a child when the fear came over my adult mothers eyes when the severe weather sirens (not air-raid) would sound in Moline Illinois. And finally, I would hear about a young eight-year-old girl named "Mary" looking up to the sky as the largest invasion force that man has ever known, flew over her head on the way to France.

My friends, June 6, 1944 is much more than a day, it is a time when the world was freed from tyranny. Hopefully the beginning of the end in which children would see the horrific sight of war firsthand.

Today’s text from Romans, speaks to our learning from history for our instruction, and that because of God’s Word we have a hope that these sights will never again be witnesses by our children. Additionally, we learn from history about the brave people that fought and died for our freedom, in the hopes that they would be that last to have to go out and fight and die. That this would be the last war to end the horrible sights that children see.

Unfortunately, this is not the case and war and its horrible images exist to this very day. Let us thank those brave men that battled, fought, and won on D-Day 1944, and let us continue to follow God’s Word and learn from history, and to continue in "His Hope."

Thank you, Veterans, and those who never came home from those shores. And thank you Mom, for sharing the stories of what your eyes saw, with me.

This is the Day that the Lord has made. Pastor Tim.

Tim's Topics: What's Your Answer?

Tim's Topics: What's Your Answer?: 1 Peter 3:15   ESV But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you ...

What's Your Answer?

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

If anybody knows me well, they know that I do my best to communicate well, as to be understood, as to have clarity in conversations.I am sure that I am not the only person that struggles when they leave messages by phone, or email, and the message is never returned. Often people do not respond to certain communications because they don’t want to reply, because they seem not in agreement with the communication (Saying yes or no can be difficult).On rare occasions some may not reply to messages, because the message is not worthy of the respect of a reply, or that the message is bothersome in some way.

What our scripture from Peter is telling us today is that communication is to be acted on and responded to. We also learn that at times people find themselves unready or unprepared to respond to questions and communications. Whatever our thoughts on communication, or responding to communiques, our text advises us to take courage in our replies. We also learn that when replying to messages, people of faith must respond (whatever the answer) in hope and kindness.

Look at your inboxes today and ask yourself "What messages have I not replied, and why"? Our next steps are to take courage and reply in honesty, but with love and hope.

1.Act.

2.Prepare your response (pray about it).

3. Take Courage.

4.Respond in Hope and Kindness.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.