Worshiping in Community

⁷ Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. ⁸ For now we really live, since you are standing firmin the Lord. I Thessalonians 3:7-8


Today's society is a society that is ever so busy and always on the move, often we make worshiping in church lower on the "to do" priorities list. People have said to me: "Pastor Tim I don't need church when I can go out and worship outside in God's creation". I would agree with this in the fact that one can truly communicate with God in these places, but this still does not replace worshiping with other believers at church. In his book "Life Together" Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote the following: "The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer". Bonhoeffer went on to speak about the Apostle Paul in the fact that he longingly called to Timothy to come see him in prison in the last days of his life. 
Brothers and Sisters, we need other Christians around us in our life to keep us ever walking in the light and away from the darkness that the Devil is constantly attempting to draw us into. My prayer for you is that you always have that quiet one on one time with the Lord, but that you attend the worship service of your choice as to be emboldened, comforted and encouraged.


As you make your activity choices in this life, never lower our delete the corporate worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ out of your activity selections.


Thanks for the company
Pastor Tim.

June 17, 2012 is Fathers day and as you remember your dad, we invite you to bring him or memories of him to church with you at First Christian Church in Benton Kentucky. We will celebrate our dads and memories of our dads, by celebrating and worshiping our Heavenly Father. Our address is 2515 South Main Street (across street from the Save-A-Lot). Church school 9:45 AM and Worship at 10:45 AM. Love your dad or your dads memory by sharing the Heavenly Father with him, or if you are a dad, share the Heavenly Father with your children. To God Be the Glory.

D-Day Sixty Eight Years Later

As we approach the Sixty-Eighth anniversary of the D-Day invasion of France during World War II, we think of the words that General Dwight Eisenhower spoke to the troops prior to their departure: "Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."  This week my blog is dedicated to the greatest generation, those troops that stormed the beaches of Normandy. While I was preparing to write this blog I read the book "Taking The High Ground by Colonel Jeff O'Leary", and was led to a story about Loren Weldon, who was part of the United States Navy invasion shore party on that June 6, 1944 day. 

What amazed me as a small town pastor who has never served a day in the military was the strength and resolve of these men and of Loren as he pondered the words that the military chaplain had just spoken.  Loren stated: "I prayed for my God to be close to me and others to be close with him"! After this Loren explained and described the carnage that was the landing zone beach of that invasion day, and how many souls lost their lives that day to preserve freedom. 

Loren stated that even after all these years he could still see the vivid images and still smell the horrible smells of carnage. This day he urged all that would listen to: "Stay close to the Lord in prayer and thank him for every day,  that God is a great God and wants our souls to rest in him.  Loren felt that God truly delivered a great deliverance on that day. As we commemorate this Sixty-Eighth anniversary of D-Day, let us be thankful to those that fought and died for the liberation of France and for the liberties that we all enjoy this very day. 

Our World War II veterans are dying at the rate of over One Thousand a day, and soon all we will have is memories and written history to remind us of this great generation. The same can be said for the fact that a man once died on a cross for our salvation and our freedom. May we continue to read his history book (The Bible).

Thanks for my freedom

Pastor Tim

Last Nights Traffic Accident

As I look at Facebook I often see many prayer request in regard to tragic events that occur to others, and my response is by replying: Keeping this in prayer. And as I lift the situation up to the Father in prayer, I wonder about what the Body of Christ, his people called church should be doing for those in need, dispear and grief.

I often aske myself the question: “Preacher, none of those involved are your church members, what can you do?” It is at these times when the Holy Spirit speaks to me the loudest and the clearest. 

Today, I could quote many scriptures in reference to God’s healing power and presence in times such as these. We that gather as people of faith know these scriptures and rest upon them to give us comfort when we need them the most.

So what can we do for those that are enduring through times of crisis.

1.      Pray hard and pray through.

2.      Volunteer to assist the families: Do their yards need mowed? Do they have animals that need taken care of?

3.      Be prepared to be their community of love and support now and in the future. Call their pastors and offer any support that may be needed or required.

4.      Next time you see one of our local emergency responders and public safety professionals, extend your words of thanks, and when you bow in prayer always lift them up.

Today, we that gather and pray for all those in need Christian love, even if we are not closely affected. As God’s people and God’s united community, we are all closely affected and called to respond however God calls us to respond with our ministries of time, talents and resources.

I leave you with the following scripture: Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ 
Galatians 6:2 

Praying unceasingly as part of God’s Church Universal

Pastor Tim

Well friends, today is election day in Kentucky and many of us will be going to the polls to vote for our candidate. Many of us will take the opportunity to vote and proudly display the "I Voted" sticker that we get after casting our vote. 2 Samuel 23: 3 tells us that whoever we vote for must rule over people in righteousness and they must fear God when governing over others. The importance of this text is two fold, as it tells us that those whom we vote for must make righteous decisions for those that have placed them in a position of trust. Secondly, those that we elect must understand that they are responsible to God for the choices that they make in leadership and governing. In one's holding an elected office comes a great deal of responsibility that is not to be taken lightly. So as we go and decide who will govern over us, let us make our decisions based on whom will accept and work responsibly in our trust. Let us also be ever so thankful to God for allowing us to live in a country in which we are free to choose those who will make decisions for us.

A Pastor Happily Wearing An "I Voted" Sticker.

Pastor Tim

Graduation Sunday 2012

As I write this blog the seminary that I graduated from has just had it's graduation for the year 2012, which means that I have been out of school now for a year. It's hard to believe how time flies by so fast and that another group of seminarians have been equipped to enter the world as pastors for Christ Jesus. This next Sunday at church we will be celebrating Graduation Sunday in which we will congratulate those that have been equipped to move onto the next phase of their lives. Additionally, we have three teachers that will be retiring from Marshall County School District, who are now approaching new life experiences.

The Gospel of John 17: 6-19  shows Jesus placing his believing community before God, as he is about to send them out into the world in mission. As Jesus entrusts this community to God's care, he has entrusted our graduates and those moving forward in life experience to us in continuing nurture and continuing care. How these folks move forward in life is a testament to their relationship with Jesus Christ as they enter the world via new experiences. We as church family are called to continue guiding them in encouragement and love, while keeping the evil one from disturbing their paths. 

Let us gather and celebrate their accomplishments, while letting them know that they are sanctified by God as they enter the new and uncharted  waters of their lives. We as community, and believers in Jesus Christ are to send them out in the knowledge that in Jesus they have been set apart, for God's work and God's love.

In Christ's Love

Pastor Tim

Response to Bully Project Movie

*This is such an important topic that I wanted to share this link to a recent story of a teen suicide due to bullying. Please view and speak to all kids that you know, make sure that they are not being bullied.


http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/us/2012/05/08/dnt-teen-kills-herself-after-bullying.kare


Response to Bully Project Movie

Last night we took several of our church youth to see the movie "Bully". This movie for one year followed kids that were bullied daily, as well as parents of children that  committed suicide due to being bullied. Brothers and Sisters this movie affected me greatly as I witnessed violence committed against those that cannot defend themselves. As I watched this movie, my special needs son sat next to his mother and me, and as the movie went on I could hear Ben's breathing grow faster and heavier and his nervousness start to manifest. 

Yes, Ben has been bullied in his life, because kids do not understand his ailment, the only thing that they can come up with is that "He's Weird!"  As a parent who has been told by youth that they have come to his defense in these times, I say "Thank You". Beloved, this blog is much bigger than one child, it speaks to all those that go through life every day in fear of bully's.  The Bible tells us: 

Leviticus 19:18

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁸  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

My prayer for all of us this day is that as God's people we stand up for those that cannot defend themselves, and that we show humanity that God loves all and that God has made us all different and with individual uniqueness. 


This film has touched myself and our youth very much and I believe that it is a must see for everyone. Let us all stand up and say no to bullying.

Movie Link: http://thebullyproject.com/

Movie Trailer Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G114cy-fnAw

Preaching against Bully's

Pastor Tim