Tim's Topics: God Has A Plan: Follow It And Free Yourselves From...

Tim's Topics: God Has A Plan: Follow It And Free Yourselves From...: Isaiah 58:6-12  English Standard Version (ESV) 6  “Is not this the fast that I choose:   to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo ...

God Has A Plan: Follow It And Free Yourselves From Bondage.

Isaiah 58:6-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁶ “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed^[a] go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? ⁸ Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, ¹⁰ if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. ¹¹ And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. ¹² And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

As I sat at my desk this morning, I began to think about the election, as well as all the questions that people have asked me about the coming election. I have even been asked about certain people making prophetic statements as to the outcome of the election.

As I went to scripture this morning, the text from Isaiah leaped off the page and into my eyes. The key theme in everything that God does and continues to do is out of relationship. Relationship with us and our relationship with others.

Beloved, what Isaiah is telling us is that true relationship and true witness involves Justice and Mercy for All!

God not only wants but demands compassionate behavior, not only because it is the right thing to do, but in the fact that it is pleasing to God. Whatever comes of this election, whatever comes of this world, Isaiah states that God will be our rear guard. 

There is a new exodus and a new age coming, with every action and event to represent God’s plan and will for His creation. Just as he laid out the plan to free the Israelite's from the Babylonians, he will free his people from whatever or whomever holds them captive.

Let us seek God out in prayer, while we remove oppression from the oppressed. Beloved, God still has plans for us that only He knows. Isaiah tells us the fulfillment of unfulfilled hopes and unfulfilled dreams.

Do not worry about what the world does, stay true to your faith, stay true to your God and continue on with the work that he has given each and every one of us.

God has our backs during the election tomorrow and he has our back through eternity, through his Son, our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. 

So fast, pray, be in Sabbath, and let God do what God does.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Pastor Tim.

You are more than appropriate!

Jeremiah 31:3 ESV

The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Last year I attended the funeral of a fallen police officer in a very large community. As I parked our cities car among the hundreds of police cars, I was amazed at the sea of blue uniforms in attendance. But what struck me and made the topic of this blog is what I heard when I got out of the car.

“I should turn off my ring tone it is not appropriate for church, heck, I’m not even appropriate for church!” I took this as a Holy Spirit opportunity to witness for Jesus Christ, as I approached the officer and said the following. “Hi I’m Pastor Tim and I’m a Police Chaplain, you are always welcome in God’s house, and he thinks that you are more than appropriate”. The officer then replied: “Thanks Chaplain, I appreciate that”.

Beloved how often do people think that they are not worthy of God’s love and God’s grace? How many people have said to you, that if they walk in a church the ceiling will cave in or lightning will strike? As I overheard this officer make this statement, I began to think about all of the things that he and other police officers have witnessed. How often have they themselves lost part of themselves in the occupation that they have chosen?

Beloved, there is no hiding from God and nowhere that you can go that God can’t find you and love you. God has the power, love and grace to change hearts, and even the hardest souls. Never be afraid of facing God, because unending love is what God sent His son to die on the cross for. Christ paid our debt and has saved us even when we feel unworthy and not appropriate of His heavenly grace.

My prayer is that you will go inside the walls of a house of worship and meet the people there, called the church. There is nothing that the Father has not seen or witnessed to ever make us not appropriate to be in His presence.

You are Appropriate and you are loved.

Pastor Tim.

From Anxiety to Gratefulness

2 Corinthians 9:7 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Last Sunday as I stood from the pulpit of my congregation and spoke God’s message for His people, I spoke about living life with an Attitude of Gratitude.  On Monday morning I lived with an Attitude of Gratitude, but on Tuesday morning I find myself working from my office at home as I await a plumber’s arrival to our home.  Yes, how can one have an Attitude of Gratitude when they are forced to spend money that has not been budgeted for such an item?

It seems as I am always worrying about something, and for many of us money or lack of it seems to be constantly on our minds. As we face this election year we have seen that secrets and personal information has been leaked about our candidates, information that has occurred in the past as well as recently. It seems as trust and the keeping of information has fallen to a low time moment, but it gives people an opportunity to be honest about their past, present, and future.

As a pastor, I am called to keep confidences. Keeping one trust and confidence is essential to the trust that one must have in their pastors. But as a pastor, my life is an open book and it will always be. In my life I have faced episodes of clinical depression and anxiety, which I have been able to keep a reign on, with the help of counseling and medication.  Every so often this depression makes itself known, especially when I feel that I or a member of my family have been treated incorrectly. Often people tell me not to take it personally, but they do not understand that for a person that suffers from depression, personally is the only way we know how to take it.

I am not ashamed to speak about my bouts with depression and anxiety, because I know that God has given me the strength to fight these battles and come out on the other side. When one struggles with periods of depression they see no way out, and they feel as they are the blame for what they are in every event that they face.

With this being said, what does this have to do with giving of Time, Talents, and Resources to your local church? My friends, it’s all about attitude and pressing our way through difficult situations by taking on the task at hand instead of burying the problem. We are called to be honest with ourselves and honest with others, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual ailments. Likewise the ministry must be honest with itself in its needs and requirements to stay healthy and vital.  

As you read articles on church giving and speak with many pastors, church giving is way down. Sharing the blessings that God has gifted us with seems to be a harder and harder task to undertake. As we sit down on a weekly and monthly basis where does our church come on the list of sharing your blessings? When we break down the needs of church ministry we must understand that to keep the doors open and God’s work continuing, the occasional dollar or two in the offering plate on Sunday will not keep a ministry operating (I say ministry, because the church is the people who minister, and praise God in a place of worship).

Beloved, God’s call for all of us is to be honest with ourselves in whatever we are facing. Likewise, we must be honest with the needs of our local church ministries, and how we are supplying the work and the funds to continue God’s work in this world.  Can you change a light bulb, fix a leaky pipe? Can you find a skill that you have to benefit God’s Kingdom? What are you grateful about and how can you share that for God’s glory?

As I sit here and await a plumber and pay him, I do so with an Attitude of Gratitude in the fact that God has given be abundant blessings, such as water out of a faucet and a roof over my head.

God has given us all our respective houses of worship and the Attitude of Gratitude is that it is not about money, it is about God and our work as the Body of Christ in it. So give cheerfully of your time, talents and resources with Attitudes of Gratitude. You will be glad that you did, and you will be grateful.

Thanks for reading, thanks for being grateful, and thanks for being cheerful

Pastor Tim. 

Tim's Topics: What is Your Passion and Writing About It.

Tim's Topics: What is Your Passion and Writing About It.: 1 Corinthians 10:31   ESV So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Recently I returned to ...

What is Your Passion and Writing About It.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Recently I returned to my University and Seminary homecoming. While there, many memories went through my mind. Memories of good times, and memories of times that I wished I had been a better student. On one occasion I remember turning in my final paper on Christian Doctrine, and I remember the professor saying: “It’s OK Tim, some people just aren’t writers!” I so much wanted to say that some people are not writers if they aren’t passionate about the topic.

Last night, I dreamed dreams and had great thoughts, due to the Holy Spirit or the Down on Main Hamburger I had for my evening meal. (I say meal, because being in the south I can never remember if dinner is dinner or if dinner is supper).

Last night I had dreams of the police chaplain ministry thing that I do, which I am passionate about. In this dream I was leaning over a child caressing his wounded head, when I saw and heard the Mayor of our small town look at me and say, “Do your thing”! With this I prayed over this child for healing and that he not be scared.

Last night it seemed that everything that I dreamed surrounded people and things that I love. When I woke up this morning, God had placed in my head that I must write about things that I am passionate about. God placed in my head that I must write that the world needs more passion, and it needs to exist more around another passion, the Passion of His Son Jesus Christ.

Last Sunday I was driving home from my university homecoming. While driving through my hometown I tuned in the local Public Radio Station and listened to the show called On Being. Poet, Educator, and Catholic Mary Karr was being interviewed about her new work “Astonished by the Human Comedy”.

“A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it.” Mary Karr is beloved for her salty memoirs in which she traces her harrowing childhood in southeast Texas with a mother who once tried to kill her with a butcher’s knife and her own adult struggles with alcoholism and breakdown. She has a captivating ability to give voice to what is funny and wild in life’s most heartbreaking moments. Mary Karr embodies this wryness and wildness in her lesser-known spiritual practice as a devout Catholic — an unexpected move she made in mid-life. (Karr 2016)

In this interview Mary spoke about the human comedy and the fact that life events can be taken as a learning experience, or practice to continue on. Life experiences wake us up and help us to continue on. What is our true self? What are we passionate about? Karr states: “The same voice we use to criticize others is the same voice we use to criticize ourselves” (Karr 2016)

What I am speaking about today is that anyone can write, and anyone can communicate their true selves and true feelings, as long as you write with the passion that these experiences have placed within you.

Mary Karr was passionate about her Catholicism, but this passion was much more. As Mary spoke about finding her faith, her realistic life experiences were spoken with passion, the passion that over time eventually  led her to her faith.

The Passion that lives within the lives of every follower of the cross is that of the “One True Passion”. Jesus Christ, was betrayed, arrested, beaten, mocked, and crucified for our sins, for our life experiences and life failures.  

Mary Karr, writes with passion about her experiences with insanity, addiction, and with her finding a passionate faith when her life felt passionless.  The passion that Mary Karr speaks about really spoke to me. 

When Mary spoke about people gathering together in worship and communally surrendering everything of themselves to God.

My friends, what encourages you? What feeds you? What are you passionate about? My hope for you this week is that you will discover what gives you passion, and write, write, and write. 

For me the Passion of Christ, the agony, the pain, and the love in which he sacrificed himself for us will always be my guiding star. Jesus is all about passion in the fact that he gave His everything for us. The image of Christ hanging on the cross is what guides me to give everything for others, it is my passion.

This is the day that the Lord has made. May you find your own passion your own experience and write about it.

Pastor Tim.

Bibliography

Karr, Mary, interview by Christa Tippet. 2016. On Being (October 16).

Tim's Topics: Giving Everything of Yourselves in Thankfulness.

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