I do want to apologize for the lateness of this blog entry. The only excuse I can give (and excuses are like armpits; people have more than one and they often stink!) is that it is that time of the year again; that time when people are in the spirit of giving. No, I'm not talking about Christmas, but the flu season. I feel like I'm finally getting over some kind of bug that has been bugging me for over two weeks now. It has been one of those sicknesses that do not completely knock you down, but is bad enough to make you functionally miserable. But God is always so good and gracious. He is King even over flu bugs and cold viruses. When I am weak He is strong, so I will boast in my weaknesses, that His strength may be perfected. So, when someone feels like a giver and blesses you with this gift this year, above all, pray that God's power will be manifest in your weakness.
What a great day yesterday of celebrating our freedom in Christ. John 8:32: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I really appreciated Dan's sermon from John 8, and through the whole day, my mind kept pondering how often I take for granted what Christ did for us on the cross. Spiritual freedom is such a great gift. I think even as Americans, we often take political freedom for granted; how much more amazing is freedom from sin? Here are the lyrics to the second verse of a song from yesterday's service, "Before the Throne of God Above":
"When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end to all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted FREE; For God the Just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me."
Amen!
Before I close, here's a couple random tidbits from the life of Pastor Tim:
Please continue to pray for the tendinitis in my left hand/wrist: it's been pretty sore the last few weeks. Not good for a piano player!
Molly and I got an e-mail from the Kellers this weekend; they wanted to pass on their greetings to all of you. Sounds like they're doing well, but there's a lot of adjustments involved in getting used to a new culture. Food, climate, pace of life, etc. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
Purdue's football team is 4-0! I had to mention that, because they're playing at Notre Dame this weekend, so this is most likely the last week I can say my team is undefeated :)
It's great having a nephew. Megan, Sam, and James came over a couple times last weekend; it's amazing how much James has grown in the last 5 weeks! Aunt Molly was convinced she could see traces of his first smile too!
And let me close with this challenge (both to myself and to whoever reads this)...It's easy to think of Sundays as "the time to worship". Every day should be a time to worship. I hope that whenever you read this, you'll take a couple minutes to praise the Lord for what He's done in your life...and the spiritual freedom He's given through Christ! Praise the Lord!
It's nice to have the choir back again! One of my favorite parts of the week is Wednesday nights, trying to pull all the different musical aspects of the upcoming service together in not very much time...getting to know this group of people better...praying with them...learning with them...joking with them...evaluating with them...worshipping with them...
I was especially excited this year to have so many new faces in choir...about 25% of the group that showed up Wednesday didn't sing with us last year...I'm really looking forward to watching this year's group grow! It's not too late for you either...just come out Wednesday night at 7:07 and we'll get you plugged in!
One of my favorite things to do with the choir is have them surround the congregation to sing...it creates a stereo effect with a little bit of echo...it's hard to do though! This Sunday, they sang in a round, so not only did they have to work hard to listen to each other, but each group (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) was singing at different times. It sounded great when it was all done...and hopefully the choir members believed me when I told them singing in choir gets easier from here on out! Next week, they'll be all standing together in the choir loft...singing the same song at the same time...it'll seem like a piece of cake compared to what they did Sunday!
We also used our first rehearsal last week to start working on the music for The Christmas Post. It's a yearly tradition that I hand out the Christmas music in September, and then the choir members laugh and say "Yeah, right". Somehow it all comes together though! We're going to use Saturday the 30th as our "Cramming for Christmas" time to try and learn as much of the music as possible...the drama members will get a chance to work on their lines...and hopefully we'll take a big first step toward getting the program ready. If you think of it, start praying now for the show, for your friends that might enjoy coming, for boldness that you will invite them, and all the details that need to be worked out between now and then. I appreciate it!
We got our 1500th hit on the blog today! Hopefully you've found this to be a way to find out more about what's going on at Cornerstone and with each of our pastors. We're looking forward to continuing to develop the site -- your input is important! What questions or topics would you like us to write about? Drop us an e-mail and let us know! Also look for in-depth online coverage of the New Orleans II trip next month; we hope to get a daily update posted during the trip so our prayer warriors at home can be informed about what's going on! We pray this blog is an encouragement to you; let us know how we can continue to improve it!
We had a wonderful time of corporate prayer last evening. There was such an earnest spirit, such a brokenness of heart and such a special sensitivity to God. Last January we spent the entire month focusing on the topic of prayer, so I thought it would be a good idea to remind myself, and anyone else reading this, about the vital nature of prayer. It is indeed the spiritual air we breathe. If you are like me, maintaining a habit of prayer is a daily struggle. Finding the time, the motivation, and the discipline is a constant battle, but it is a battle we must never give up on; we must never throw up the white flag. We will not flourish as individual Christians or as the body of Christ if we neglect prayer. Charles Spurgeon once noted that if you want to see how popular the pastor is, look at the Sunday morning attendance. If you want to see how popular the church is, look at the Sunday evening attendance. If you want to see how popular God is, look at the prayer meeting attendance. My prayer is to see our Wednesday prayer meeting outgrow the basement, and fill the pews of the sanctuary to the glory of God! So, keep on praying and Lord willing, I will see you all next Wednesday.
Nationwide Insurance has a slogan on their commercials: “Life comes at you fast!” Sometimes that feels like a slogan for my life! One thing that seems to be coming fast: James will be four weeks old on Thursday and is almost ready for his one-month-old baby shots. My unofficial nickname for our beautiful child is “Runty Grunty”…after all, he’s just a little guy right now (Runt) and he grunts a lot!
Continuing with the theme “Life comes at you fast!”…it seems like by the time I finally get ready for a Sunday, the Sunday is already over, and I have to turn around and get ready for the following Sunday. It generally takes me two days to prepare each lesson: Tuesday I work on Sunday School, Wednesday morning I put the SS lesson together, Wednesday afternoon I start studying for youth group, Thursday morning I work on my youth group lesson, Thursday night (the last few weeks) I start on my Venture lesson, and finish it on Friday. Somewhere in there I try and work on the other half of my job, Christian education! Life comes at you fast…
Speaking of Venture, we had a good time with the college-age at our first official meeting Sunday night. Special thanks to those of you who were praying for us! I’m teaching during this first month, and we have been learning about essentials you need when starting a new venture. At the kickoff cookout, we discussed the importance of having a quality map (the Word of God). On Sunday night, we talked about the need for effective communication (prayer). I can’t tell you what’s coming up this Sunday night yet, because either A. it’s top-secret or B. I don’t work on it until Thursday/Friday!
Yes, sometimes life comes at you fast…until someone invents a remote-control that lets us put life in slow-motion (like the movie Click), it’s going to be that way! All we can do is depend on God for the strength He promises to provide, and then give Him the glory for the way He works! Keep that perspective during the rest of your week, and I’ll see you Sunday (it’ll come fast!)
Seems like forever since I've posted here...so much going on! Let me see if I can recap some of it:
On Labor Day, we enjoyed two cookouts...one with our neighbors at the apartment complex and one at Ron and Betsy's. It was a nice relaxing day, and a good chance to interact with our neighbors and some of their family as well. When we got to the Earleys' house, Sam and I played H-O-R-S-E on the basketball court for a while. He beat me badly...although I did hit a shot from halfway down the driveway, so my self-esteem remained mostly intact :)
The next couple days were consumed with the last-minute details of the Kellers getting ready to go to Sri Lanka. Molly and I will be house-sitting for them while they're overseas, so we spent a good bit of time walking around the house triyng to digest all their instructions. Was it the dehumidifier or the lawnmower that needs to be emptied? What's that alarm code again? Lots to do and remember! Please continue to pray for the Keller family during their transition.
Friday was moving day. Sam and I made two trips with the U-Haul, and received valuable assistance from friends and family along the way. Funny story: we were planning on going to Sam's Club to buy a basketball hoop and television (essentials in any new house for those of you who wondered :). Sooo..we took the U-Haul bright and early Friday morning to Beavercreek so we could purchase the necessary items. We were on 675 about to exit when our father-in-law passed our truck on his way to work. He knew we were going shopping, so he decided to postpone work for a little while and come help us spend money! By the time we were done, not only did I have a new basketball hoop and television, but Ron had purchased new mattresses and a new television...and we charged it all to Sam's credit card! I think we're going to pay him back eventually... ;) Anyway, the Fraud Protection Agency called Sam later: "Sir, did you authorize a payment of $XXXX on your Discover card today?" Maybe we'll spread out our purchases a little more next time. Just let that be a lesson to you: don't go to Sam's Club with a U-Haul...who knows what you could come home with? :)
We took a break from unpacking Saturday to watch the Ohio St. - Texas game...the first half at Sam & Megan's house, the second half at our new neighbors'. We're good at this two parties in one day thing! (see Monday...)
Yesterday was church and the start of Venture. I'm excited about the potential of this new ministry and have enjoyed watching/helping Jason Flesch lead worship. Hopefully Cornerstone can help develop the next generation of church leaders through this new ministry on Sunday nights!
Last, but not least, choir starts Wednesday. I'm excited for the new year, and hope you'll consider singing with us. Rehearsal starts at 7:07!
I told you there was lots going on! In busy times like these, I cling to Phil. 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." I'm thankful that He is our strength and leads us all the way through our (sometimes hectic) lives. Let me leave you with some of the promises from the hymns we sang yesterday.
Tim
With love and strength for each new day, God will make a way...
Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need Thy tender care...
I will cast all my cares upon You; I will lay all of my burdens down at Your feet...
I have been reading through the book of Ecclesiastes, getting ready for the new fall track I will be teaching this Sunday. Someone has called this book the old curmudgeon of the Bible. It seems so pessimistic, so down, so hopeless, so fatalistic. If anything, it is honest. It doesn't paint life with "Pollyannic" terms. It deals with the perplexities of life head on. That's one of the great things about the Bible; it is honest, brutally honest at times. Sometimes we need to have our heads ripped out of the sand so we can see and deal with this life on a real and genuine level. Well, I don't want to give too much away. If you want to learn more, come to the class which begins this Sunday morning starting at 9:30 in the sanctuary. (I hope that wasn't too much of a shameless plug). That's all I have to say for this time. Anyway, there is "nothing new under the sun." Dan
As part of this year's Most Wanted List campaign, we're hoping to invite 1,000 friends to attend our Christmas program, The Richest Family in Town, in the 1,000 hours before the first performance. You can find more information about our production at: SpringfieldChristmas.com
I do want to apologize for the lateness of this blog entry. The only excuse I can give (and excuses are like armpits; people have more than one and they often stink!) is that it is that time of the year again; that time when people are in the spirit of giving. No, I'm not talking about Christmas, but the flu season. I feel like I'm finally getting over some kind of bug that has been bugging me for over two weeks now. It has been one of those sicknesses that do not completely knock you down, but is bad enough to make you functionally miserable. But God is always so good and gracious. He is King even over flu bugs and cold viruses. When I am weak He is strong, so I will boast in my weaknesses, that His strength may be perfected. So, when someone feels like a giver and blesses you with this gift this year, above all, pray that God's power will be manifest in your weakness.
