Things My Mother Always Forgot

As many of you know, my mother is in a nursing home.  She will be 98 on her birthday, June 19th.  The older she gets, the more she forgets.  Recently I went to see her and she did not recognize me.  I told her that I was Tim, her youngest son.  She quickly replied that I could not be Tim.  She said, "You are too good looking to be Tim!"  Honestly, I did not know what to think about that statement!  Was that a compliment?  You decide!

As I sit here on Sunday afternoon of Mother's day I decided to write a tribute to her that she will probably never read.  It's about her forgetfulness.  There were some things that she always forgot and I am forever grateful.

1.  Mother always forgot how tired she was because there was always something else do.  She would get up at 4:30 a.m. and cook a full breakfast of biscuits, bacon, eggs and gravy.  Then she would work all day around the house, in the garden, sew, "put up vegetables," work in her flowers and then come in the house and cook a full supper, clean up the kitchen and get Daddy's lunch ready for the next day's work.  

2.  Mother always forgot to do things for herself.  She was always doing something for someone else.  She would help my grandmother, teach Sunday School, (she was my teacher until 5th grade) make clothes for my sister and for me, take food to people in our community, serve as a room mother, and so much more.

3.  Mother always forgot to think that there was something that she could not do.  She would tackle a project and see it through to the very end.  There were days when I would come home from school and she had moved a wall in the house.  I will never forget the day I came home from school and found her in the side yard building a round BBQ pit.  She mixed the mortar and laid the bricks.  We had some good food cooked on that thing!  She was always creative and took up painting in her 70's.  I have some of her beautiful paintings as proof that she could DO ANYTHING!

4.  Mother always forgot that she never finished high school. When she did get to sit for any length of time she would read.  She loved to read.  We had a set of Compton Encyclopedias.  She would sit and read them.  I gained a love for geography and travel from sitting with her while we visited far away places "in the encyclopedia."  

5.  Mother always forgot that I was her favorite!  After all, I am the baby of six children.  I recognize the fact that if my brother and sisters read this, they will be unhappy!  However, when we would be at family gatherings and start talking about how spoiled I was she was quick to remind them that I was the baby and that THEY helped spoil me as much as she did!  Actually she loved us all unconditionally.  She was tough on us sometimes, but I'm really glad.  There is not telling where I would be if she had not been tough. She prayed for me everyday.  

6.  Mother always forgot how strong she was.  She is one of the strongest women I have ever met in my life.  NO!  She IS the strongest women I have ever met in my life.  I know that she had a tough life.  I know that she grew up in the Great Depression.  I know that she lived with difficult people in her family.  I know that her marriage to my daddy was not healthy.  Yet, she remained strong.  She remained strong in her faith.  She remained strong in her love and dependance on the Lord.  One of her all time favorite hymns was, "I Must Tell Jesus."  The last few words to the first stanza of that old hymn says, "Jesus will help me, Jesus alone!"  

Because she forgot so many things, I will remember so much more that she taught me through her forgetfulness.  I'll write about those for another blog post.

Happy Mother's Day Mother!

Your good looking baby son!

Tim

Go ahead! JUMP!

I attended a small rural school in Alabama.  Some of my greatest times of my childhood are from my days at Roy Webb School. One of my strongest memories is “the wall.” One of the true tests of “manhood” was if you could stand on the wall and jump off. I remember the first time someone dared me to jump. I walked over to the wall and stood there. I held my breath………and then I “chickened out.”  I was paralyzed with.  I could not move forward. Some of the boys made fun of me for being afraid, some of the girls just giggled!

The next time someone dared me I went through the same routine but this time – I DID IT! I jumped. The feeling of victory was great! Everyone cheered and I felt like such a man.

About 30 years later, I visited the school.  Everything looked the same. Well, not everything. I went down the hall remembering the smells, looking into the rooms and then I remembered the wall.  As I walked down the steps the memories rushed back to me.   There it was. I found it!!  It was about three feet tall! I took one step off the wall and the rest is history. I did not get the same exhilarating feeling but the memories were great…memories of the day when I conquered – THE WALL!

As you walk with Jesus you are going to face “walls” every day! Those seemingly impossible situations rise up and impede your forward progress in your walk with the Lord.  In order to experience all the blessings God has in store for you; you must take a leap of faith.  It is scary to jump into the unknown.  “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

God’s plan for your life is not based on what YOU can see.  God’s plan for your life is based on what HE already knows! 

God has a plan for you.  (Jeremiah 29:11) Seek Him first and that plan will be revealed to you.  (Matthew 6:33)  Trust in the Lord and He will make a way. (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

JUMP!!!

Still Waiting......

Waiting is SO hard for me.  I really do not like to wait on anything.  I am of the opinion that ALL traffic lights that are red should be for someone else!  I also believe that I should have my own private lane for driving.

When I was a kid growing up in Alabama there were wild plum trees growing next to our house.  I love plums!  Spring would roll around and the plum trees would be loaded with beautiful while blossoms. It was at that time I knew that it would not be long until I would be filling my pockets and my stomach with plums.  After the blooms were gone tiny plums would appear, then the waiting would begin.  I don’t remember exactly how long it took for the plums to become eatable but I do remember what would happen if I rushed to eat a green plum before it became ripe! (Don’t worry; I will not share the details!)
 
Have you ever taken a bite of a pre-ripe, still green plum?  I have.  The taste is an explosion of bitterness!

The older I get, the more God is teaching me to wait on Him.  My problem: I do not like waiting.  God is teaching me right now.  I am learning as much about the past as I am about what God wants for my future.  For instance, take this plum thing.  God brought back this memory of my childhood to illustrate some occurrences in my life when I rushed ahead of Him.  There have been some times in my life when I rushed ahead of God, without waiting for a clear “go ahead.” (Green plum city!)  It was during many of those times that I experienced a hardship, a disappointment, a further delay, a sadness or even chaos.  In many cases, God blessed me anyway, but I wonder what could have happened if I had simply waited on God to complete HIS work.  I admit it – I bite into green plums! However, God is teaching me to wait on the sweet juicy nectar of His will!

Isaiah 40:31 – HIS strength.
Psalm 27:4 – Courage
Psalm 37:5-12 – Trusting and feasting on my inheritance in Christ
Galatians 2:20 – Identity in Christ

Just like the plums of my childhood.  I cannot rush the ripening process.  Ripe is ripe and not one day before.  So I wait because I know what rushing ahead of God can produce.  I wait because I do not want to miss the sweet, sweet nectar of His will and blessings for my life!  I am waiting.

To be continued……..

Still Waiting on God to Blink.....

Yesterday I wrote a blog post called “Waiting on God to Blink!”  Today, I am still waiting.  You see there are some major hurdles in my life right now.  There are the usual ones that everyone faces, but I have some unusually big hurdles to jump.  Yesterday I closed out the blog by saying that “GOD CAN DO MORE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE THAN I COULD EVER DO IN A LIFETIME OF TRYING.”  So here I sit waiting on God to move the mountains or give me super strength JUMPING POWER!  

Proverbs 3:5-6 are some of my most favorite verses in scripture.  It goes like this: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NKJV)  The part of these verses that always gets me is the “lean not on your own understanding” part!  This is the place where trust and action meet up with each other and test our willingness to “rest” in Christ!  My pattern of action is to panic and jump into short term fix mode for anything that is not going right in my life.  Always, always, always when I jump in REACTION  instead of quietly RESPONDING I find myself in trouble. I do not mean that I get in trouble with God, I simply mean that the natural course of panic always leads to hasty decisions and regrets.

So here I sit today.  I am still waiting on God to blink!  I’m waiting on a major breakthrough.  I know that God can do more than I could ever think of imagine.  I know that He is working.  I just want Him to blink! I am trusting in HIM.  I am not trusting in my feelings, emotions or even what I “think” – I am trusting in God! I am listening to God and following the path of Psalm 37 – “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…..”

So I will keep you posted on this blog.  I promise, you will be the second to know when God blinks! Debbie will be first, of course!!

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A NEW SERIES OF VIDEO MESSAGES FROM THIS BLOG!!  I appealed to my Facebook friends to help out with this new series.  I asked them to share the ONE word from the scriptures on which they would love to hear a short teaching.  I am compiling the list and will begin here next week!  It will be in video format.  Please pray for me as I prepare these 5 minutes messages and launch them into Cyberland! 

Thanks for joining me here today!!  Share, tweet and FB this blog to all of your friends.  Let’s spread the GOOD NEWS of God’s grace and truth to as many people as possible!

"Waiting on God to Blink"

Recently after a long week of sales calls but no sales for our magazine, Coastal Christian Family Magazine,  I found myself very tired and discouraged.  After talking with Debbie for a long time we both decided that I needed to take the rest of the afternoon and “rest.”  So I went back to my office feeling beat up and discouraged. BUT! I love that word!  But, what happened was a real blessing.  It was a time of renewal, trusting, resting and understanding who God is and who I am!

I took the first few minutes to “not think.”  My little ADD brain was about to explode and I just needed to stop thinking about anything.  It took a while but when I was ready, God began to speak through the quietness, the stillness and the “rest” of the moments that followed.  It was almost as if I could hear him saying “Come unto me Tim – you are tired and heavy – I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:25-30). 

In the hours that followed something wonderful happened.  God began to bring scripture to mind that I had been memorizing for a couple of years.  I heard Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”  I could hear Him saying, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount of with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)  Then of course Psalm 37:4—6, “Trust in the Lord and do good……feed on His faithfulness…….He shall bring it to pass.”  Read the whole passage – it will bless you!!

As I meditated on these verses I began to feel my spirit rising!  The clouds of worry and discouragement dissipated and God began to me again through the remembrance of Jeremiah 32:17:  “Ah, Lord God!  Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”  He just stretched out His arm and created planet earth!  When I thought about it for a minute or two, again, God began to show me a thing or two.  This thought came coming to me over and over again: “God can do more in the blink of an eye than I can do in an entire lifetime of “trying!”  I had been focusing on what I thought was impossible and not on the one who makes all things possible!

So what happened?  What happens next?  The answers to those questions are simple:  I don’t have a clue.  So here I am today waiting on God to blink!  What am I going to do while I am waiting?  I’ll let you know next time.  HINT:  Read Proverbs 3:5-6

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—

Better than a cage......

My friend and sister in Christ who is a member of our church (Cheryl Alverson) sent the the following exerpt from an article she was reading. I loved it and thought it would be a blessing to you. THE CAGE IS A SCARY PLACE TO BE!! Be blessed by this article – launch out today – use your faith. Don’t get comfortable in “the cage.” Whatever God is calling you to do – where ever God is leading you – BE OBEDIENT.

HERE'S THE ARTICLE:
Read about a pastor considering whether or not God was leading them to start a church in NYC. He admitted he had a lot of fear in his heart about the city. He just couldn't imagine moving his family to a city that lived under the steady threat of attacks. Also, it was not known to be a place where a new church could become a sustained presence. He admitted that his lack of interest in the city was more about personal fears than about the city itself or God's intentions for them.

Sitting in the hotel room after spending the previous few days in New York City at the invitation of a friend, reading the last book of Tolkien's trilogy, The Return of the King, he came to a dialogue between Aragorn, the heir of Gondor, and Eowyn, a noblewoman of Rohan. Eowyn is pleading to join Aragorn on a dangerous journey. After Eowyn says she fears neither death nor pain, Aragorn asks what she does fear, and Eowyn replies with a profound statement:
~~A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.

At that moment, he said he sensed God was saying something like this to him: "The longer you play it safe and avoid risk and the potential of loss, the more you will accept the present and lose your capacity to dream about and shape the future. When you give your fears more authority than the Spirit of God, all chance of God-exalting valor and generational impact is lost." He resolved that morning not to make decisions based on sensitivity and submission to his fears but on sensitivity and submission to the Spirit.

He said from that moment, God clearly began to move their hearts to NYC. One year later, they were closing on an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and preparing for the most significant move of their lives. Since that time, they had come to realize that NYC is one of the greatest places on the planet, a wonderful place to raise a family, and , by God's grace, Apostles Church has become a sustained presence in the city, seeking to renew all things with the message and mercy of Christ. That is much better than a cage.

From:
The What If or If God? article if by Rev. J.R. Vassar, founding and lead pastor of Apostles Church in New York City. This article was in Ligonier Ministries' Tabletalk Magazine, Sept. 2011 pg. 12

The Cardinal and the Blue Jays

THIS BLOG ENTRY IS DEDICATED TO MARTHA SIMS WHO WENT TO BE WITH THE LORD IN JANUARY, 2010.

Yesterday morning as I was sitting in our kitchen at the breakfast bar, some movement caught my eye outside the French doors which open to our back yard. When I turned to see what was moving I noticed a beautiful, bright red Cardinal sitting on the edge of the fountain/birdbath. Just about the time the Cardinal started to take a dip into the water, like a flash, a Blue Jay swooped in and tried to knock the him off of the bird bath. Unsuccessful, the Cardinal tries to go in for refreshing morning dip and the brilliantly colored Blue Jay swoops in again. Well, the Cardinal had enough of the Blue Jay’s swooping and started to fight back. I have never seen a Cardinal and a Blue Jay fight before! Let me just say, the Cardinal was losing! However the red bird kept flapping and yelling; the Blue Jay kept swooping and flapping and even called in back up. Two Blue Jays ganged up on one Cardinal and pretty soon the Cardinal gave up and left. The Blue Jays flew away. None of them enjoyed the cool refreshing water.
As I was watching this spectacle, I could not take my eyes off what was happening. I even made my early morning status on Facebook coincide with what was happening in my back yard. People who are my friends on Facebook even made comment about how there would probably be a sermon in that story somewhere. So I started to think about it and even ask for suggestions about providing a text and a title for a future sermon. I was laughing to myself and just waiting for all of the ideas to come forward. Some suggestions were made but honestly, no sermon -- just a good lesson for all of us to learn.
Many times when we come to worship together, we are just like the thirsty Cardinal. All we really want is to come and drink in the living water of the Lord as we worship Him and hear from His word. But sometimes the Blue Jays show up in the form of a person, an event or a physical ailment. We try to fight those feelings but sometimes they seem to multiply and gang up on us so we just quit and we miss the blessing of the refreshing water of life.
The next time that happens remember the Cardinal and the Blue Jays and don’t let some bird steal your joy!
• “For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8
• “As the hart pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” Psalm 42: 1-2
• “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” John 4:13-15

Good News!!! The Truth....finally!!

I was born Timothy Wayne Childers on December 18, 1954 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Gadsden, Alabama. I was born again on August 26, 1982 in Leeds, Alabama. I will never forget the night I sat across the dining room table from my pastor, Alk Kavli. I bowed my head, prayed and accepted Jesus as my Savior. It was 17 years after Jesus accepted me that I learned what it meant to be accepted by my heavenly Father....to experience His life flowing with power through me. I had spent 99.9% of my Christian life working FOR God. In 1985 I surrendered to the ministry, moved my family to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Since that time I have served Palestine Baptist Church in Bogaloosa, Lousianna...Lakeside Baptist Church in Metarie, Lousianna...Emmanuel Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama...First Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee...College Heights Baptist Church in Gadsden, Alabama, Sr. Pastor at First Baptist Church in Mableton, Georgia. Presently I am the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Sylcauga, Alabama. I am retiring from that position on December 31, 2011 so that Debbie and I can concentrate on getting the message of God’s grace around the world!

In 1999 God showed me the truth. I learned what it meant for God to work THROUGH me. The following is my journal entry for November 3, 1999.
"This journal is full of entries where I have made commitments to start fresh. As a matter of fact just about a week ago I made the entry just before this one. As usual something filled the space and I did not keep my commitment to come in early and have my quiet time, etc.

I have been growing increasingly concerned about myself. Over and over I have felt like I was turning into my Daddy. (Note: My father committed suicide in 1991.) I have acted like him lately. I have experienced some of the things he experienced. I have felt as if I was headed for some kind of show down. Debbie even confronted me the other night with the reality that I have every symptom of someone who is clinically depressed. I did no want to hear that but the symptoms do no lie. The past few weeks have been some of the most miserable of my lifetime. I have been on edge, to the point of tears, weeping openly for hours, stressed out over things at church - even though if things got any better there I do not know what I would do - I even go so low that a couple of weeks ago (after a fight with Debbie and a few days of low living before hand) that I prayed that God would take me out of this world. I had been having thoughts of just driving away and never looking back. It is not that I do not love my family, it is just that at that time I was under the delusion from the devil that they would be better off without me. We were leading a conference in Prattville that weekend and my topic was - "How to Get Over Life in the Pits.? How appropriate that God would have me lead a conference about being in the pits. I certainly could give them first hand information about what it felt like to be there. I thought as I got up to lead the conference that I would die. As I began to lead the conference, something began to happen. God began to speak to me. I was leading the conference for me. The conference was based on Psalm 40:2 where David said that the Lord has lifted him from the miry clay, set his feet upon a rock and established his steps. Well the Lord did that for me and He pulled me up?but I knew that there had to be more to this. We returned home on Saturday and I began to try to get to the place where God would speak to me about what to preach on the next day. Nothing came. I am not surprised given my state of mind. The next morning I arrived at church at my usual Sunday morning time around 6:15 a.m. I sat in front of the computer and could barely pray. Nothing I looked at in the Word jumped off the page at me. Nothing was coming. I was supposed to preach about vision because we are in the midst of a stewardship campaign. I went through my files and decided to preach my sermon on commitment that I preached as a trial sermon at CHBC. It was decided. That is always such a relief. I could not get excited because it was not a fresh word from the Lord and I was feeling like I was slipping back into the miry clay again."

Pretty depressing, huh? Well, it was depressing then, but now when I look back on those days I can truly rejoice because of what God has done in my life. That night when it was so dark in my life something wonderful happened! I died to myself. I did not really know what had happened until I started reading Handbook to Happiness by Dr. Charles Solomon. I called my wife and said, "I am reading a new book and if it is true I will spend the rest of my life telling people about it.? It is true and I am happier and more fulfilled than I ever dreamed I could be.

I was the kind of pastor that wanted results. If I did not get the kind of results that I wanted, I blamed myself. I always assumed the answer was that God is not pleased with my preaching, leadership skills, or my abilities. My response was to make commitments to pray more, study more, visit more, plan more, and program more. I never kept those commitments because I too busy. The guilt was unbearable. I was burning the candle at both ends and I ran out of wax. Oh, I was getting results! Things could not have been any better in my ministry; but it was never enough for me. When I came to the end of myself and began to understand the truth of the crucified life - the resurrected life of Christ in me, I began to really "rest.? I am busier now than before, but full of passion for the ministry. The difference in me now unbelievable! I have learned what it means to live in Christ. I no longer feel guilty when throngs of people do not respond during our services. I have been set free from worry. My marriage is stronger. I have stronger relationships with my church family. I am more relaxed. I can have fun again! It is a great life?. HIS life!!!

The Secret Place

Psalm 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” NKJV

When I was younger there was a popular television show called, “I’ve Got a Secret.” It had several hosts, but the one I remember was Bill Cullen. The format of the show was pretty simple. Sitting together on one side, behind a desk, each of four panelists took a 30-second turn questioning and then guessing a contestant's secret. The contestants were a mixture of ordinary people and celebrities. In the opening show in 1952 it was revealed that Boris Karloff’s (horror movie star) secret was that he was afraid of mice!

We are intrigued by secrets aren’t we? I love the promise of the secret place in Psalm 91:1 -- “the secret place of the Most High.” The obvious truth here is that we as Christians are dwelling in the secret place of God.

The Hebrew word for “dwell” is yashab. It means to “sit down, specifically as judge.” The English word is simply not strong enough to convey what dwell really means. In contrast, if one were to relax around a table in a casual setting, the word “recline” would have been used to describe their posture. We know from scripture that Jesus is sitting in authority at the right hand of the Father. (Hebrews 12:12)

Friend, in Christ we have may precious promises. One of the greatest promises in scripture is spoken by Jesus in the Revelation.

20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “
Revelation 3:20-21 (NKJV)

Do you realize what you just read? The child of God is granted the privilege of sitting in Jesus’ lap on the throne of God! The secret place is a glorious place.
In Christ, as over comers, we are already there. (READ: Ephesians 2:4-6) However so many times we refuse to believe it! Aren’t you glad that scripture does not lie! We are there with Him now – resting, reigning with Him!

Living in God's Amazing Grace!

God's GRACE is an important to me!! In 1999 I started God revealed the truth about grace, acceptance and forgiveness that is mine through Christ, and my identity and inheritance in the Kingdom of God. I’ll never forget the day God revealed the truth to me. The whole front of my shirt was wet from my own tears of joy! I called Debbie and told her that God had shown me something that I had never heard preached from a pulpit. I also told her that if I determine that it’s the truth, I will spend the rest of my life teaching others about what God was teaching me! Good news folks! It was and is and always will be the truth!
This blog is one of the resources God has given me to share HIS message and MY story! It is a constant theme in my preaching/teaching. As I said, I will spend the rest of my life telling anyone who will listen about the grace of God!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THE GRACE OF GOD?

The following statements reflect what it means to live in God's grace. There is great power that results from exchanging your life for the life of Christ in and through you!!

 It means serving God because He has fully and permanently accepted us through Jesus Christ, not because we want to gain His acceptance or become more pleasing to Him through our works.

 It means motivating Christians to live out of love and thankfulness, rather than guilt and duty.

 It means believing firmly in Biblical absolutes and trusting in the life of Christ within to enable us to live by those absolutes, but rejecting attempts to legislate the Christian life through human rules.

 It means unconditionally accepting people at their current level of spiritual growth and development without condoning their sin, just as God does, then encouraging them to grow in an atmosphere of grace.

 It means creating an environment of honesty and transparency that models God's love and acceptance; not ignoring or approving a person's sin, but loving people in spite of their sin with a goal of bringing them to truth about it.

 It means placing the primary emphasis of the Christian life on inner motivations rather than outward behaviors, believing that when inner motivations are right, the right outward behavior will follow.

 It means refusing to deny or minimize the pain that comes into our lives because of our own sins and failures or the sins and failures of others; rather, it means viewing pain as a means of bringing us to an experience of God's grace and life.

 It means following the relational style of Jesus, who accepted and forgave sinful, lost people, even though they may have failed miserably, then through truth and love led them to a better life in Him.

 It means interpreting the Biblical commands as describing a mode of life befitting someone who has already been accepted by God, not as laws that bring us more merit with God.

 It means resting IN the life of Christ and operating from our new identity in Him, not in our own strength, but His.

I am constantly amazed at God’s grace in my life. There is nothing I can do to earn it, I do not deserve it but God gives it to me anyway!! What a great God we serve!

A Great Song of God's Grace and LIfe!

This song says it all for me! I spent most of my life thinking that God was mad at me! But...in 1999 I came to the truth of God's grace and love! When God sees me - He sees the righteousness of Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:21 is proof!! -- "He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might BECOME the righteousness of God IN Christ Jesus." (Caps are mine.)

Now enjoy listening to this song and realize just how much God loves you!!

Guilt Vs. Conviction

When I was a kid I had several chores that I was required to do by my parents.

• Help work in the garden

• Take out the trash

• Make up my bed

• Clean my room

• Cut the grass

During the days of summer I would dread doing some of those chores. I particularly hated cutting the grass. We never seemed to have a lawnmower that wanted to start! My daddy would work on those mowers and try to keep them tuned up, but I would pull and pull and pull.

Many days I would pray for rain so I would not have to cut the grass. As time passed during the day and it would it would be time for daddy to come home -- well, I would panic! Guilt would start to overcome me. I felt so guilty when I did not do what my daddy wanted me to do. The reason I felt so guilty is that I WAS GUILTY! I was disobedient because I knew that I should have cut the grass early in the day.

Feeling guilty is one of the devil's greatest weapons in his arsenal of deception. You see, when I felt guilty for not cutting the grass the real feeling of worthlessness is what overtook me. When my dad started to call me lazy, etc., I felt guilty. Guilt never motivated me to do anything.

Conviction on the other hand affects me differently. It is a tool that God uses to help me see that I are missing His blessings if I disobey Him. Conviction motivates -- guilt paralizes! Conviction is simply realizing that what you are doing is wrong and changing direction. Conviction leads to repentance. Guilt leads to more guilt.

In my relationship with God I have come to realize that He does not want me to feel guilty -- He wants me to feel convicted. For many years I related to God to the way I related to my earthly father. When I would miss the mark, disobey, willfully sin -- I would start to feel guilty. I would feel worthless. I would feel so hopelessly rejected by God. Nothing could be further from the truth. He was not rejecting me -- He was convicting me -- showing me, loving me, teaching me, and helping me!

• Guilt = Satan's tool

• Conviction = God's instruction

Rest! Ahhhhhhh!!!

This morning when the elliptical machine at the gym was trying to kill me I thought to myself: “I have been on this thing for 30 minutes and have not moved forward one inch! What am I doing? I need to rest!” I finished my workout and stopped to rest for a couple of minutes and then I sat down on the abs machine. Notice I sad abs! Right now I have a “one pack.” My goal is to have more than one! I set the machine on 110 pounds and started my routine. I made it to 20 reps. I’m sure the look on my face indicated that I needed to rest…and I did. I rested for about 30 seconds and started the second set of reps. I made it to 20 again; this time with sweat dripping off the end of my nose. I stopped and rested again. Now, I was on my final set. My goal was to make 10 more reps for a total of 50. I made it! Then I rested for about 1minute and started to work out my chest muscles. During the course of the morning at the gym, I took several minutes just to rest between exercises and weight machines.

I have met Christians who approach their Christian life the way I approached resting in the gym this morning. They will get very excited about a project or ministry in their church. They will go at it like gang busters for a while and then – POOF! Where did they go? It’s as if they disappeared. In reality what has happened is that they are resting. They get tired. Some people call it being “burned out.” I’m always cautious of folks who operate in their Christian lives this way because their actions are a sure fire sign that they are operating in their own strength instead of “resting” in Jesus!

Look at what our Lord said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (NKJV)

I have studied this passage numerous times but have never noticed the word “give.” It jumped out at me this morning. Jesus said that he wanted to “give” us rest. Resting is a gift from Jesus? YES!! But, not the kind of rest I described earlier. It’s not about resting between projects or works that we do in service to the Lord. The rest Jesus gives is a state of mind; a REALITY for all times.

I have finally come to understand what “resting” means when it comes to my relationship with Jesus. The rest that Jesus GIVES is understanding who I am in Christ. The rest that Jesus gives is understanding what I have in Christ and living out my life in HIM rather than “trying” to live the Christian life. It is impossible for YOU and I to live the Christian life!

I felt like I had earned a rest this morning in the gym. I had worked hard, sweat was dripping and my muscles were aching! I earned a rest. You and I cannot earn the kind of rest that Jesus gives. The Christian life is not about working so hard that you work up a sweat! (Thank you Jesus!) The Christian life is not about earning anything! The Christian life is about receiving the gift of “rest” from Jesus without working to earn anything!

Christianity is not about what you do it is about who you ARE! Now…..think about that for a while and take an eternal rest period in Jesus! You might just find yourself more energized and busier in the Kingdom than every before. The difference will be that you are not tired! Wow!