Cranking it Back Up!!

Yes! It's been a while, but I'm cranking the blog back up.  It's time to get serious about getting God's Word out there and sharing HIS life with thousands of people on the internet.  So I need for everybody to subscribe to this blog and share it with your friends, etc.

Thanks for your support!! 

Jeremiah 32:17

Against the Wind

I have started working on my body again.  It seems that after all of that hard work I did a couple of years ago that I have now gained most of the weight back.  It seems to be a never ending cycle with me. 

I joined a free gym at a local church which is about 5.25 miles from our house.  This morning I decided that my cardio work out would be to ride my bike to and from the gym.  It’s a beautiful day here: sunny and about 70 degrees.  I started out on my journey and made it to the gym just fine.  It was actually a very relaxing ride.  There are not many hills in Panama City Beach.  I worked out at the gym and was looking forward to riding back to the house.

I started the ride and crossed Front Beach Road.  Then it happened.  I turned the corner.  I turned into a very strong wind.  Suddenly I was pedaling much harder.  I kept going.  As the wind blew stronger it became increasingly harder to move forward.  “I’m Not Giving Up” was playing on my iPod.  I pedaled harder.  Then I started talking to myself. (I have heard that brilliant people talk to themselves!) “Tim, you can do this.  Put one foot down at a time.  That pain in your legs is nothing.  Keep going! Don’t give up!”

I spent much of my life trying to live the Christian life the same way. I pedaled harder and harder and it seemed the harder I pedaled, the slower I moved.  There was something wrong. It was like pedaling against the wind; the wind of self sufficiency!  Then it happened. I turned the corner.

God brought me to a place of brokenness in my life.  I am so thankful that I turned that corner! It was during that time that I discovered what it was like to live with the wind at my back:  the wind of the Spirit of God always moving me where HE wants me to be.  Oh, believe me, I have turned and gone against the wind of the Spirit.  Every time I move against the will of God, live according to my flesh, or just plain rebel against what God wants for me, I experience going AGAINST THE WIND – and it just wears me out!

God designed the Christian life so that the wind blows from behind.  Our job is to go with the flow of the wind of the Spirit.  Life will be less stressful, more enjoyable, and abundant!  (John 10:10)

Isaiah 40:29-31

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
³¹ But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

But............

This morning in my time of prayer and studying God’s Word, God brought me to a passage of scripture that really touched my heart.  It started with one of those little words of the Bible that I love so much! (The word “and”) Then it moved to one of those little words that I absolutely love:  BUT.  That’s right I love the word BUT in the scripture!  It usually has some bad news in front of it followed with the good news of a promise from God.  Here it is…..1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified I the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God!”

Paul has just listed a bunch of sins in the previous verses – BUT!!  Isn’t that a beautiful word?  Paul just refuses to lump those who have been WASHED, SANCTIFIED AND JUSTIFIED in with all of those other sinners!  He is not minimizing their past because he says that some of them used to commit those sins.  BUT now………they are WASHED clean of any sin they ever committed, they are SANCTIFIED (made saints of God) and are declared righteous, and they are JUSTIFIED!  Yes they committed those sins but they are not identified by them anymore because with God it is JUST AS IF THEY NEVER SINNED AT ALL!!  (Justified).

Now….don’t you just love the word BUT???

Playing Tag with the Waves

I love to walk on the beach. I love to watch people walk on the beach. I love to watch kids walk on the beach. I love the beach. This morning when I was walking on the beach I found myself playing tag with the waves. My goal for this morning was to walk down the beach at a brisk pace and return to the house without dying. I've gained most of the weight I lost in 2010. As I walked I tried to stay close to water but not get wet. However, there were a couple of times when I was unsuccessful the the water came up over my shoes and soaked my feet. It's January and the water was very cold! As I kept walking, it occurred to me that life on this earth seems a lot like those waves. Sometimes life just surprises us. Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's not so good. But there is one thing for sure in all of this. God knows what He is doing! He is never take by surprise. Sometimes He even lets the waves of life crash over us so that we get a "wake up call!" It is through those wake-up calls that we are given the joy of seeing God work. Through HIS work we then get to know HIM better. I am so glad that God is "for me!" He loves me! He rejoices over me with singing! And yes sometimes He even lets a wave give me a wake up call! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

ONE -- a marriage event

Friday Evening, March 16^th -- This unique approach to a marriage conference begins with the Friday evening Dinner Theatre. Tim and Debbie furnish a dramatic, musical comedy and multimedia presentation depicting their journey through 36 years of marriage.  This unique blend of teaching, technology, and drama will have everyone laughing and crying.  But most of all it will show what can happen when a husband and wife become ONE in Christ. 

Saturday, March 17^th – Breakfast is served and Sessions 1 and 2 will follow before lunch.  Lunch is served and session 3 closes out the conference.  The teaching approach Tim and Debbie use could best be described as tag team.  If time permits there will be a candid question/answer session.

The conference ends with a commitment ceremony reinforcing “ONENESS” in marriage. Each couple will receive a memento of the ceremony.  Couples will also receive a “ONE” MARRIAGE CONFERENCE workbook.

Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center

Talladega, Alabama

Just a few minutes from Talladega, Alabama, lies 783 acres of land. It is a place of refuge from today’s society; a quiet, peaceful place for learning more about God and training to serve Him, while surrounded by His creation.

Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center has been a gathering place for Christians from around the world for more than 60 years. Walking through the campus, guests are captivated by the wonder of nature at Shocco Springs. “This is such an awesome retreat. I felt so close to the Lord surrounded by His creation,” commented Joyce Higuchi, a guest from Wailuku, Hawaii, about her visit at Shocco. “This is just a small taste of what it will be like in our Heavenly home with Him,” said Lahoma Stumbaugh, a guest from Prattville, Alabama. Hoyt Wilson from Birmingham, Alabama, was impressed by the clean-kept grounds and facilities and commented, “The grounds were so clean and beautiful. They said, ‘Welcome…God’s spirit lives here.’”

 Beautiful hotel style rooms in a beautiful setting make Shocco Springs a perfect place for a marriage retreat!

God Loves Us!! He rejoices over us!!

Last Friday when I was sitting with my grandson, Cash, God let me get a glimpse of how HE feels about me. I was pretending to chase Cash around the room and he was running from me -- all of the sudden he just stopped in his tracks and ran toward me and put his arms up in the air so I could pick him up! Needless to say - my heart melted.  Just think, God's heart melts when I "stop dead in my tracks" and throw up my arms!  He rejoices over me!  And you!!

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warior. he will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." Zephaniah 3:17

Beyond the Second Veil.......

Two years ago as I was studying His Word, God pressed a truth deep within my spirit that is life changing! I had been studying to prepare a study I was doing on the Tabernacle of God in the Old Testament. As I approached the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle I became intrigued by the second veil. The veil was a magnificent piece of hand-woven the finest of fabrics and materials. (Exodus 26:31) The purpose of the veil was simple, yet profound: The veil separated the people from God and His holiness!
The second veil into the Tabernacle was replicated and hung in the great Temple in Jerusalem. Now fast-forward to the day Jesus hung on the cross to become the sacrifice for all sin. Matthew 27:50-51 says: 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” (NKJV)

The significance of “how the veil was torn” amazes me. Remember the purpose of the veil was to separate man from the holy presence of God. Only the High Priest was allowed behind the second veil. He went behind the veil one time each year to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the MERCY SEAT as an offering for the sin of the people. It was then that the presence of God would come and dwell in the Holy of Holies.

This man-made veil (at the instruction of God) was put in place because of a man made problem: SIN. (Genesis 3)

Simultaneously Jesus is breathing his last breath on the cross and God is tearing the second veil in half from top to bottom. The second veil is torn half from top to bottom!! The veil was TORN TOP TO BOTTOM!!!! (I repeated it because I didn’t want you to miss that part! Haha!)

It was as if GOD was saying, “MAN, you caused this problem called sin way back in the Garden of Eden. You caused the separation between us because SIN and HOLY GOD do not go together! You fell to the temptation placed before you, therefore I placed a curse on all of mankind from that day forward. Sin would eternally separate us unless the ultimate sacrifice for sin is given. That sacrifice is my Son, Jesus I have given Him freely. (John 3:16, John 14:6) Now, he has paid the price on the cross and has shed HIS precious blood. There is no longer the need for the second veil to separate us!! So I, from heaven, am reaching down to the second veil. By My own hands I am tearing it from the top down because there is nothing you can do to satisfy my judgment! (Ephesians 2:8-10) You now have full access to the Holy of Holies because of what Jesus has done for you!” (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:1 and Hebrews 4:14-16)

As I imagined God saying these things the truth was pressed deep into my heart. Man created the separation from God but God loved us too much to let the sin/separation remain! He has invited us to enter into HIS presence and do it without shame! (Hebrews 4:16) Christ breathed His last breath and God took hold of that separation – split it from top to bottom! Praise God!!

I am teaching a series of studies on Wednesday evenings at First Baptist Church of Sylacauga called “Beyond the Second Veil.” Everything that was hidden now belongs to anyone who will believe! What was there? Come and hear!!! Come and BELIEVE!!

Hebrews 9:1-9 (NKJV) (bold, italics and underline are mine)
1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—