I had just gotten into my car after a morning workout at the local park, the radio had a report that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Details were sparse but it was thought to be a small plane. What a tragic accident I thought. I had to get home and get a shower before I went to a Ladies' Prayer meeting at which I had been invited to give a devotional. By the time I got out of the shower and turned on the TV I saw the second plane hit. I won't forget that feeling. It was unlike any I ever felt before. I went on to the prayer meeting and of course our agenda for that day had changed. The world as we knew it changed. I remembered trying hard not to cry as I led this small group in prayer. I could not help it. I was glad there was a prayer meeting set up. There was comfort at least in that.
No doubt many of you clearly remember that day nearly 10 years ago. We will gather this Sunday on the anniversary and I will preach what I preached 10 years before. God's word never becomes obsolete, neither does His comfort nor His conviction. We will do more than remember, we will seek "A Way to Pray Forward." What kind of people should we become if we really follow Jesus' words in Matthew 5:43-48. It was a challenge for me to preach that then, it is just as much a challenge to preach it now. Pray for an open heart and join me Sunday.
For the journey...
Tim
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Too Hot to Make Sense
I cannot remember it ever being this hot, this long. This kind of heat wears us out. It can work on your mind and your attitude. I drive past the guys pouring concrete on Sam Houston Street and I am glad I have mainly an inside in the air conditioning type job.
What is the hottest, most miserable you have ever been? A day stands out in my mind from my high school days, working with my father in our dairy and ranch operation. It was a hot dry August day when we discovered that a windmill we had to provide water for our cattle was not working. On that particular property, that windmill was the only source of water. We had to "pull" it which meant we had to pull all the pipe out of the well and replace worn parts until we could get it working again.
The windmill was in a place of no shade, no breeze, high humidity and full sun. It was hard and frustrating work pulling up a long string of pipes up with a block and tackle. Each joint in the pipes was rusty and hard to break apart. The pipes grew hot in the sun and the pipe wrenches got so hot you had to wear gloves just to handle them. It was just my father and I working on it. I have already told you I am not much of a plumber. In the peak of the afternoon sun and the height of our frustration, my father let out his exasperation with the statement, "There is just no sense in it being this hot!"
I knew what he meant even though I look back now and see that is not a logical statement. At that moment we were beyond logic, it was pure emotion. We finally got it fixed after two days. The water flowed again and we looked for jobs in the shade and had a new found appreciation for electric pumps.
Maybe you have been there too. Not working on a windmill but where the difficulty of life just does not make sense. We wonder why we have to go through what we are facing. We are discouraged and our thoughts are bleak and full of dread and misery. We can't change our circumstances and we feel hopeless. Where can we turn to face what we are having to go through?
Maybe God wants to help us in the very place where things are not making "sense" - our thoughts. God does want to help us and can change us. We don't often think of Him changing our line of thinking but the Bible often points to that. That is where we are headed this Sunday. We will look at how God wants to change our thought lives, even when life doesn't make sense.
For the journey...
Tim
What is the hottest, most miserable you have ever been? A day stands out in my mind from my high school days, working with my father in our dairy and ranch operation. It was a hot dry August day when we discovered that a windmill we had to provide water for our cattle was not working. On that particular property, that windmill was the only source of water. We had to "pull" it which meant we had to pull all the pipe out of the well and replace worn parts until we could get it working again.
The windmill was in a place of no shade, no breeze, high humidity and full sun. It was hard and frustrating work pulling up a long string of pipes up with a block and tackle. Each joint in the pipes was rusty and hard to break apart. The pipes grew hot in the sun and the pipe wrenches got so hot you had to wear gloves just to handle them. It was just my father and I working on it. I have already told you I am not much of a plumber. In the peak of the afternoon sun and the height of our frustration, my father let out his exasperation with the statement, "There is just no sense in it being this hot!"
I knew what he meant even though I look back now and see that is not a logical statement. At that moment we were beyond logic, it was pure emotion. We finally got it fixed after two days. The water flowed again and we looked for jobs in the shade and had a new found appreciation for electric pumps.
Maybe you have been there too. Not working on a windmill but where the difficulty of life just does not make sense. We wonder why we have to go through what we are facing. We are discouraged and our thoughts are bleak and full of dread and misery. We can't change our circumstances and we feel hopeless. Where can we turn to face what we are having to go through?
Maybe God wants to help us in the very place where things are not making "sense" - our thoughts. God does want to help us and can change us. We don't often think of Him changing our line of thinking but the Bible often points to that. That is where we are headed this Sunday. We will look at how God wants to change our thought lives, even when life doesn't make sense.
For the journey...
Tim
Friday, August 26, 2011
News Making Rain
I awoke this morning to see that rain and its results were the headline story in the local newspaper. That says something about how dry it is in Texas. I looked at my grass. I remember thinking the day before when I took the garbage can to the curb, "Well, it does not look like I will need to mow this weekend." Today, it looked like it had grown an inch.
Then I noticed something else - crickets. They were singing. I don't remember them chirping at all this summer. Now they were loud and clear and close. I went into my garage. There was a cricket in there really going to town. It was so loud that I thought for a moment some sort of alarm was going off. I began to walk around the garage to find what was happening and the cricket went quiet. I faintly remember an old movie about some swamp creature that would make the crickets go silent as it walked by. I guess in my own garage, I am that creature.
Did you stand at your window for a moment yesterday and watch it rain? If you did, did it bring a smile to your face? It is amazing how something we so often take for granted can become so precious. It is also amazing what a difference one thunderstorm makes in the middle of a drought. The sources of life and growth grow more precious in their absence and more powerful even in their fleeting reappearances.
I hope you are not in a spiritual drought, but if you are know that God has a way to sustain you and bring life. It may only be the spiritual equivalent of an afternoon thundershower, but it make a big difference.
This Sunday we will look at how God makes a change in our heart - how He brings new life to us from the inside out. I hope to see you there.
For the journey...
Then I noticed something else - crickets. They were singing. I don't remember them chirping at all this summer. Now they were loud and clear and close. I went into my garage. There was a cricket in there really going to town. It was so loud that I thought for a moment some sort of alarm was going off. I began to walk around the garage to find what was happening and the cricket went quiet. I faintly remember an old movie about some swamp creature that would make the crickets go silent as it walked by. I guess in my own garage, I am that creature.
Did you stand at your window for a moment yesterday and watch it rain? If you did, did it bring a smile to your face? It is amazing how something we so often take for granted can become so precious. It is also amazing what a difference one thunderstorm makes in the middle of a drought. The sources of life and growth grow more precious in their absence and more powerful even in their fleeting reappearances.
I hope you are not in a spiritual drought, but if you are know that God has a way to sustain you and bring life. It may only be the spiritual equivalent of an afternoon thundershower, but it make a big difference.
This Sunday we will look at how God makes a change in our heart - how He brings new life to us from the inside out. I hope to see you there.
For the journey...
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Quotes from a Colonoscopy
I have seen several celebrities video their colonoscopies to show later and encourage others to also have it done. I had a colonoscopy this week but do not fear, there is no video, at least not for the public. I can encourage all you "50 somethings" who have not had it done to do it. The procedure itself is a piece of cake as you will see as you read on. Now drinking the prep, that is a different story but still it is very doable.
As we got ready for the procedure I was a little apprehensive. My father had a preacher friend who went under sedation and cursed everyone out. Of course he did not remember it but sheepishly admitted that he hoped he had "gotten it out of his system." I did not cuss but I was a little out of it for a while.
As the nurse administered the sedation into my IV she asked if I felt anything. "Nothing yet," I replied. Then, what seemed like only seconds later I said, "OK I can feel it taking affect now." The nurse answered, "Sir, we are already finished with the procedure." Wow, if only they could make the prep drinking time go by like that. Some of you are probably thinking, "If only they could make the sermon time go by like that."
Also, they told me later that right after they finished the procedure they told me they were done. I have no memory of this but apparently my response was, "OK, can I have something to eat now?" I was pretty hungry by the time it was all done. In all seriousness, I can encourage all of you who have put it off (like I did) to go do it. It is not bad at all and it is worth it to find out what is really going on. We have to know what is going on inside so we can stay healthy.
It is never fun to be carefully and thoroughly examined but it usually turns out to be worth it. In our church right now we are examining ourselves through the Vital Church process, we are still in the "Kingdom Visioning" stage where right now we are working on a mission statement and a values statement. You may be asked for your input. I hope you will answer thoughtfully. We need to know what is going on inside the body so that we can continue to be healthy. It works that way in the body of Christ too and you don't have to drink any prep or go under sedation. Just share from your heart.
For the journey...
As we got ready for the procedure I was a little apprehensive. My father had a preacher friend who went under sedation and cursed everyone out. Of course he did not remember it but sheepishly admitted that he hoped he had "gotten it out of his system." I did not cuss but I was a little out of it for a while.
As the nurse administered the sedation into my IV she asked if I felt anything. "Nothing yet," I replied. Then, what seemed like only seconds later I said, "OK I can feel it taking affect now." The nurse answered, "Sir, we are already finished with the procedure." Wow, if only they could make the prep drinking time go by like that. Some of you are probably thinking, "If only they could make the sermon time go by like that."
Also, they told me later that right after they finished the procedure they told me they were done. I have no memory of this but apparently my response was, "OK, can I have something to eat now?" I was pretty hungry by the time it was all done. In all seriousness, I can encourage all of you who have put it off (like I did) to go do it. It is not bad at all and it is worth it to find out what is really going on. We have to know what is going on inside so we can stay healthy.
It is never fun to be carefully and thoroughly examined but it usually turns out to be worth it. In our church right now we are examining ourselves through the Vital Church process, we are still in the "Kingdom Visioning" stage where right now we are working on a mission statement and a values statement. You may be asked for your input. I hope you will answer thoughtfully. We need to know what is going on inside the body so that we can continue to be healthy. It works that way in the body of Christ too and you don't have to drink any prep or go under sedation. Just share from your heart.
For the journey...
Friday, August 12, 2011
Downhill Yields to Uphill
I got to hike a few trails on my vacation. As we were coming to a particularly rocky and narrow place on one trail, a man who was obviously very experienced in hiking met me coming down. He was thin and dark brown from the high altitude sun. His hiking gear was well used but obviously good stuff. On his lip was a large curled mustache. He had the air and appearance of a real character. As I plodded upward toward him and the narrow place in the trail he stopped and moved aside to give me the trail. I stopped at about the same time he did thinking I would let him by and catch my breath. He motioned for me to come on and said, "Downhill yields to uphill."
I hesitated. He insisted, "No that's the code, downhill yields to uphill."
I remember reading that somewhere but rarely saw it applied but this man knew "the code" of the trail and insisted on living by it. I obliged and trodded up breathing hard. Then I reflected on why this was so. It was a polite thing to be sure but also a good thing. Those going down have less a burden, less a strain and they are to look out for and yield to those who are still on the way up.
It does not sound like a bad thing to apply to the church either. We are to value those who are still bearing the burden of the uphill climb of the Christian life and give them a break as they head toward some experiences we have already had. We are to look out for those coming up and give them a clearer path to tread, knowing we have been where they are going.
It was also helpful when some of the downhill people would say to us uphill strugglers, "It's not far." "You are almost there." "The view is worth it." Also good things for us to keep in mind in the church.
Do we value those uphill strugglers? Do we value the journey enough to encourage those on the way? My crusty trail expert seemed to value that and "the code" he not only knew but sought to live out by example.
What do we value at Northside? Who do we value? Good questions that we will be asking and listening to your answers for as we continue to grow through the Vital Church process. Just as we found some interesting things in asking each other about the mission of our church (results of that are coming soon) I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the values of our church.
For the journey...
I hesitated. He insisted, "No that's the code, downhill yields to uphill."
I remember reading that somewhere but rarely saw it applied but this man knew "the code" of the trail and insisted on living by it. I obliged and trodded up breathing hard. Then I reflected on why this was so. It was a polite thing to be sure but also a good thing. Those going down have less a burden, less a strain and they are to look out for and yield to those who are still on the way up.
It does not sound like a bad thing to apply to the church either. We are to value those who are still bearing the burden of the uphill climb of the Christian life and give them a break as they head toward some experiences we have already had. We are to look out for those coming up and give them a clearer path to tread, knowing we have been where they are going.
It was also helpful when some of the downhill people would say to us uphill strugglers, "It's not far." "You are almost there." "The view is worth it." Also good things for us to keep in mind in the church.
Do we value those uphill strugglers? Do we value the journey enough to encourage those on the way? My crusty trail expert seemed to value that and "the code" he not only knew but sought to live out by example.
What do we value at Northside? Who do we value? Good questions that we will be asking and listening to your answers for as we continue to grow through the Vital Church process. Just as we found some interesting things in asking each other about the mission of our church (results of that are coming soon) I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the values of our church.
For the journey...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Knowing Where You Are Going
I can hardly believe it is finished and opened. Laurent Street has been under construction for what? Seven years? It just seems like it. Now we can navigate a newly paved smooth street right up to the church. I am so glad because the traffic cones and barrels that directed our traffic patterns nearly got me into trouble one day.
I was third in a line of cars driving north on Laurent approaching the Mockingbird intersection when it was under heavy construction. The traffic lanes were being changed almost daily it seemed. We were weaving our way through the maze of cones leading up to the intersection. The car at the front drove over to the left through the cones, then the car in front of me and so I followed. I think it hit all of us about the same time that we all had just pulled into a lane that was meant for oncoming traffic. There were only two lanes open and we were in the wrong one. I had just followed the guys in front of me. We all were able to get back into the right lane before any south bound traffic came our way but it did leave me with a funny feeling. I had just followed the car in front of me and I had been led astray.
In our fast paced, chaotic, ever changing, always under construction world, it is important to know where you are going. We can't just follow the guy in front of us or drive through the traffic cones the way we did the day before. They may have changed. Our days call for us to be focused followers of Christ. Focused on Him; focused on the mission. That's why we are reconsidering the church's mission statement. To be honest, our new statement will not be much different from the old one, but hopefully as we prayerfully consider where we are going, we will begin to follow Christ more carefully, personally, intimately and not just follow the guy who happens to be in front of us.
For the journey...
I was third in a line of cars driving north on Laurent approaching the Mockingbird intersection when it was under heavy construction. The traffic lanes were being changed almost daily it seemed. We were weaving our way through the maze of cones leading up to the intersection. The car at the front drove over to the left through the cones, then the car in front of me and so I followed. I think it hit all of us about the same time that we all had just pulled into a lane that was meant for oncoming traffic. There were only two lanes open and we were in the wrong one. I had just followed the guys in front of me. We all were able to get back into the right lane before any south bound traffic came our way but it did leave me with a funny feeling. I had just followed the car in front of me and I had been led astray.
In our fast paced, chaotic, ever changing, always under construction world, it is important to know where you are going. We can't just follow the guy in front of us or drive through the traffic cones the way we did the day before. They may have changed. Our days call for us to be focused followers of Christ. Focused on Him; focused on the mission. That's why we are reconsidering the church's mission statement. To be honest, our new statement will not be much different from the old one, but hopefully as we prayerfully consider where we are going, we will begin to follow Christ more carefully, personally, intimately and not just follow the guy who happens to be in front of us.
For the journey...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
I Am Not A Plumber
July has not been a good month for me an plumbing. In fact I can never remember a time I have had more plumbing problems, sadly I have no one to blame but myself. Earlier this month I was up in the attic storage getting some things down for a trip. I accidentally and unknowingly bumped my attic A/C unit's drain pipe loose. It did not start leaking until after we left on our trip. Fortunately a family member came to take care of our dogs and found a stream of water flowing from the ceiling into our kitchen. She got it stopped but now there is a big stain in my ceiling.
Next I went to repair the toilets in my parents old home. The inside parts were all worn and not functioning, flappers need to be replaced and so forth. I have done this before so I thought I could do this again and I was successful with one toilet but with the other, as I was hooking the flapper on to finish the job, the plastic part that holds the flapper completely broke off. I will need to remove the tank and get a new part. The bolts that hold the tank are rusted and almost impossible to get to. I gave up for another day but felt defeated again by plumbing.
Not having picked up on the fact yet that I am not a plumber, I could not let well enough alone. I have had a very leaky faucet at the back of my house for quite some time. With all the dry weather watering we need to do, it leaks a lot. I just couldn't stand it, I had to try to change it out. I found what I need to repair it, thought it through, turned off the water at my meter and started what I thought would be a ten minute plumbing repair. As soon as I twisted the old leaky faucet I knew something was wrong. I stopped, returned it to its original position, turned the water back on and saw what I had feared - the pipe to the faucet had broken in the wall behind it. I gave up in defeat again but this was not something I could just walk away from.
I called a plumber and told what had happened. I was told, "We love you do-it-yourselfers." Fortunately they came that afternoon. As I led them to the back yard and my problem, I will never forget the look on the plumber's face as he saw it. It is not the look that any homeowner wants to see. He mumbled under his breath, "Oh my!" Fortunately, skilled plumbers fixed my problem in a matter of minutes but now I have a hole in my bedroom wall with a view to the back of my new plumbing.
Part of my problem is that I am a farm boy. Farm boys thing they can fix anything and if they can't fix it they can use duct tape and bailing wire to make it work. I must have been absent on the day where they showed how to use duct tape and bailing wire to fix plumbing. I don't know how to do it. It is clear, I am not a plumber.
We all have problems that we can't solve. It is hard to admit that. Fortunately the worst problem we cannot solve ourselves has been solved for us. Jesus came to be a savior for us in the sin that we cannot fix - that always defeats us and leaves us with stains and holes in our soul. But he did fix it and fix it completely. He asked us to remind ourselves of that when we observe the Lord's Supper. I hope you can join me Sunday.
For the journey...
Next I went to repair the toilets in my parents old home. The inside parts were all worn and not functioning, flappers need to be replaced and so forth. I have done this before so I thought I could do this again and I was successful with one toilet but with the other, as I was hooking the flapper on to finish the job, the plastic part that holds the flapper completely broke off. I will need to remove the tank and get a new part. The bolts that hold the tank are rusted and almost impossible to get to. I gave up for another day but felt defeated again by plumbing.
Not having picked up on the fact yet that I am not a plumber, I could not let well enough alone. I have had a very leaky faucet at the back of my house for quite some time. With all the dry weather watering we need to do, it leaks a lot. I just couldn't stand it, I had to try to change it out. I found what I need to repair it, thought it through, turned off the water at my meter and started what I thought would be a ten minute plumbing repair. As soon as I twisted the old leaky faucet I knew something was wrong. I stopped, returned it to its original position, turned the water back on and saw what I had feared - the pipe to the faucet had broken in the wall behind it. I gave up in defeat again but this was not something I could just walk away from.
I called a plumber and told what had happened. I was told, "We love you do-it-yourselfers." Fortunately they came that afternoon. As I led them to the back yard and my problem, I will never forget the look on the plumber's face as he saw it. It is not the look that any homeowner wants to see. He mumbled under his breath, "Oh my!" Fortunately, skilled plumbers fixed my problem in a matter of minutes but now I have a hole in my bedroom wall with a view to the back of my new plumbing.
Part of my problem is that I am a farm boy. Farm boys thing they can fix anything and if they can't fix it they can use duct tape and bailing wire to make it work. I must have been absent on the day where they showed how to use duct tape and bailing wire to fix plumbing. I don't know how to do it. It is clear, I am not a plumber.
We all have problems that we can't solve. It is hard to admit that. Fortunately the worst problem we cannot solve ourselves has been solved for us. Jesus came to be a savior for us in the sin that we cannot fix - that always defeats us and leaves us with stains and holes in our soul. But he did fix it and fix it completely. He asked us to remind ourselves of that when we observe the Lord's Supper. I hope you can join me Sunday.
For the journey...
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