The Pope. The Third Great Awakening?

Ephesians 5:14 ESV

For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

As I watched the television this morning and saw the exuberance of the people as they welcomed Pope Francis to America, it reminded me of another Great Awakening in America. The Second Great Awakening of 1801 is where 20,000 people arrived at the Cane Ridge Meeting House in Cane Ridge Kentucky. It is said that many fell to ground in prayer when preachers presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is said that many stayed at Cain Ridge for almost a week, many having walked or came by wagon to hear and to have their spirits awakened.

As we watch the Pope travel to America and as we see Americans cheer and shout His name, we sense an excitement and an exuberance that has not been seen in a long time. Pope Francis is called the “Peoples Pope” or the “Servant Ministry Pope”, but hopefully the attention will be focused on America’s Great Awakening for Christ Jesus and taking care of the less fortunate.

Whatever your views on the Pope’s theology, getting people to focus on God is always a good thing, and if it takes the Pope to bring about a Great Awakening, so be it and thanks be to God.

My prayer for you all and for America is that as you watch the Pope in America your thoughts be taken to the first “Suffering Servant” Jesus Christ and that it sets forth an awakening in America that focuses on helping our fellow humans and doing so in the name of Jesus Christ.

It is about time that Americans fell to the ground and worshiped God, and we know that a blessed America is only blessed when it blesses God as Ruler, Creator and Lord of all.

This is the Day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.

Tim's Topics: Hope Over Heroin Prayer Walk Carrollton Kentucky

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Hope Over Heroin Prayer Walk Carrollton Kentucky

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Tim's Topics: Give 'Em the Pickle!

Tim's Topics: Give 'Em the Pickle!: Special Edition Acts 20:35   ESV In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember t...

Give 'Em the Pickle!

Special Edition

Acts 20:35 ESV

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

When I worked in the corporate world, we would go through mandatory training every year. Much of our training consisted of enhancing and re-tooling our customer service skills.

Each time we trained we knew we were going to “get the pickle”. Yes, we were again going to see the training video entitled “Give ‘Em the Pickle” by Bob Farrell. Bob was a product of the depression, even losing his father to suicide after the stock market crash of 1929.

Bob Farrell became a successful restaurant chain owner and motivational speaker. Bob starts his video speaking about a customer that wrote him a letter about being charged for extra pickles at his restaurant. The customer stated in the letter that they loved everything about his restaurant, but charging for extra pickles was too much and they would never again eat at his restaurant.

After writing the customer back and assuring them this was not how they conducted business, he used the following slogan as their customer service mantra: “Give ‘Em the Pickle”!

Well, I learned that Mr. Farrell passed away this week at the age of eighty-eight. And this led me to ask the following question: As followers of Christ how do we Give Em the Pickle?

Yes, customer service is not only needed in our work lives, it is needed in our lives as those that proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. How do we welcome others in our houses of worship, and how to we treat those who are our customers?

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32“Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33“But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35“On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’36“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37and he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Beloved, Jesus was correct. Showing Mercy and Justice to all though the love of Jesus Christ is the pickle that we give our customers, and our customers are our neighbors.  I have attached a video of Mr. Farrell to this blog and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and that it reflects that Christians are to be all about customer service.

“Give ‘Em the Pickle!”

"Therefore" Encourage One Another

1 Thessalonians 5:11 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

“Good morning, hope you are all doing well and I hope your week is just awesome!” Words of encouragement, maybe many or just a few, maybe to a few people or maybe just one. In today’s social media world of instant contact, and in today’s world of hurry, hurry, high stress areas of life, maybe just a few placed words can make the difference in someone’s day.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians states in this verse a “therefore”, meaning that he is exhorting the church to encourage one another, and to build one another up. Paul is telling them that as people of Christ, as people who live with Christ in them, we are more than built and designed to lift people up.

When we bring encouragement into another persons life, we not only understand their need for encouragement, we also understand our own comprehension of how we are connected to one another. As we need encouragement, we know that others do as well.

So send someone a quick text message, send them a quick tweet, or maybe a card or phone call. It is God’s need that is designed that we communicate the good news and happiness that can only be expressed by His people of unending and eternal life.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Pastor Tim.

Christianity and Violence Don't Mix!

Proverbs 3:31 ESV 

Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways

One need only watch the news or go to social media to see the violence that is occurring in our country and around the world. Viewing these stories of senseless killing is enough to take the hope and happiness away from anyone.

What is the world coming too? Why does life seem to have less significance? Why are people around the world so willing to lash out in violence? These are questions that we have all asked ourselves on at least more than one occasion.

As people that call themselves followers of Christ, Proverbs 3:31 tells us not to envy those that take up their hands in violence. Verse 32 of the Proverbs 3 text also tells us that the Lord detests such actions at the hands of those that he created.

Beloved, as the world continues to distance itself from Jesus Christ, the more we will continue to see violence surge around the world. We that are in relationship with Christ Jesus truly understand that the things of the earth cannot truly satisfy.

What is the attraction to taking a life? Power, wealth, revenge? Beloved the kingdom of heaven has no such need for these things. The eternity that we have been promised in heaven will be our eternal refuge from the evils of this world.

My prayer for us this day is that we as people of the Risen Savior need not ever be envious of those that seem to profit from violence and fear.

Let us also pray that the world sees the failures of violence and begins to draw closer to God’s call for peace and unity in the world that He has created.

Do not envy the world, envy the promise of Jesus Christ. He promises eternal life and not earthly death.

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