Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

We all have our morning routines. That is, we all have an order in which we, once we get out of bed, do the things we need to do to get ready for the day and out of the house. And many of us can be very, very regular about our morning routines, allowing nothing to get in the way of our routine.  Mine goes something like this: get out of bed, take a shower, brush my hair, shave (and the shaving cream, post-shave balm, and razor need to be put in a certain order on the sink), get dressed, make the bed, make the coffee, walk the dog, feed the dog, eat breakfast, read my Bible and devotional book, pray, brush my teeth, put my gym bag together, gather my stuff, and leave for the office. I think I’m tired just thinking about my morning routine! Of course, there are days when the routine gets mixed up a little bit. For example, if I’m going to go to the gym or take a run in the morning, I’ll save my shower and shaving for afterwards—or maybe even eat breakfast once I get back. I’ve learned it

Many of us saw the sad news this past week how, Monday night Fountain of Life Center in Burlington, NJ, one of our Assemblies of God churches, was completely destroyed by a huge fire. This is a church that has used their sanctuary (which seated 1800) and facilities not only for their own usage, but as a great blessing to our district and to the surrounding community. Thankfully, the church’s school and athletic building were saved from destruction. But the sanctuary and church facility was completely burned to the ground.  As sad as I feel about what took place, I can only imagine the grief of the pastor, staff, and congregation as they look at their precious place of worship now in ruins. The task before them is tremendous: trying to figure out where to hold worship services, working through all the details with the insurance company, overseeing the cleanup, and eventually figuring out how to rebuild. It’s a daunting task for any congregation, but especially for one with a building of

Being March 17, today is widely known as Saint Patrick’s Day. For many it is a day to celebrate Irish heritage, attend parades, eat corn beef and cabbage, and drink beer. The day is decorated with four-leaf clovers and green is everywhere (even in our bagels!).  And for the most part, the real Saint Patrick and the reason for a day to honor him has been lost. Yet, he must not be forgotten. So, here are some facts regarding Saint Patrick.  1. Saint Patrick was one of the first great                   missionaries who brought the gospel beyond the boundaries of Roman civilization—in this case, to the people of Ireland.  2. Saint Patrick did not require the native Irish to surrender their belief in the supernatural beings of the Druids, but to see them in a new light—as they really were: demons. 3. Saint Patrick believed that the power he brought through the gospel was stronger than the power of    Druids and their evil spirits. 4. Saint Patrick was the first Christian to speak o

Earlier this week, for the first time ever, I went to the rock climbing gym without anyone else. Without a friend to belay me (i.e., hold and manage the ropes while I climbed), I had to strictly use the auto-belay devices the gym has in place. These are devices into which the climber hooks their harness, that then manage the rope as the climber scales the wall. At the end of the climb, he or she lets go of the wall and the auto-belay lowers them to the ground.  The main difference between climbing with the auto-belay vs. having a person belay you is that the auto-belay is completely unforgiving. Let me explain. If one is climbing up the wall and gets a bit tired or slips off the wall, when there is a person managing the ropes below, the climber will most often hang there and can then begin their climb again from that particular spot on the wall. When using the auto-belay, should the climber let go of the wall for any reason, they will automatically be lowered to the ground, thereby hav

Our two grandsons, Jesse and Jack, are now approximately 2 ½ years old and 10 months old. Jack, the younger one, is now crawling everywhere as well as pulling himself up into a standing position whenever he can. Jesse, like any two-year-old, is all over the place, constantly on the move. They are, of course, a real handful for their parents—albeit, a good handful!  What is really amazing is seeing them already interacting with each other and wanting to play together. It’s obvious that they are becoming best friends.  Even a few months back, we noticed how Jack would follow Jesse with his eyes. When Jesse would begin to talk or run past him, Jack would turn his head, catch Jesse in his line of sight, and begin to watch his every move. Now that Jack can crawl, wherever Jesse goes Jack wants to go. Whatever Jesse is playing with Jack wants to play with (much to Jesse’s chagrin!). When Jesse banged himself at our house and gave out a bit of a scream, Jack began to cry! Like most little bro