Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

It’s been almost three weeks since my retirement from full-time pastoring and I can tell you,  everything is different. I no longer have the same routines I once had. I find myself  immersed in a very different environment. I’m no longer doing many of the things I once did on such a regular basis. Yes, everything is different.  For the many years I was pastoring, I had pretty set routines. I knew when I needed to be in the church office, which days were for sermon preparation, when there would be staff meetings, and which days and times were my own for going to the gym, getting things done around the house, and spending time with family. I had my Sunday morning and Wednesday night schedule. I knew which evenings were set aside for meetings, services, counseling, etc. My schedule now looks very different.   I now find myself immersed in a totally different environment. As you may or may not know, I’ve plunged into the world of personal training. I’m jump-starting...

Last weekend Kim and I spent a couple of days at our family cabin in the Adirondack Mountains. It was a nice break after all the busyness of my retirement weekend and the weeks leading up to it. Being there gave us a chance to unwind and catch our breath.  As most of you know, however, when the Harrises go away to relax that doesn’t mean we sit on the beach or couch all day. For us, relaxing usually includes some sort of activity. So, our first morning there, after eating a relaxed breakfast, Kim and I decide to go for a hike up Panther Mountain.  Now let me be clear, this was not a hike up one of the high peaks (as our son Jonathan would do). Although it was quite steep in some parts, especially towards the top, it was just shy of a mile each way with an elevation gain of 666 feet (don’t worry about that number, please!). Going up took us about 40 minutes, including a couple of short stops. Once we reached the top we sat on the rocks, ate a snack (there must always be snacks!...

As I wrote last week, this past Sunday was my retirement Sunday. I had a great weekend with my children and grandchildren. We went to the beach and out for dinner on Saturday, and of course they were with us on Sunday for our final service. Our church, Shrewsbury First Assembly, honored and celebrated Kim and me with kind words, prayers, gifts, and a beautiful reception. And I was so blessed to have so many extended family members and friends from throughout the years join us that day.  Then came Monday and Tuesday and….suddenly, it all seemed so final! One season of life had ended and a new season had begun. Yes, I had been planning for this moment for over a year, yet it still seemed so sudden—and again, so final. By Tuesday, I was questioning whether or not I had made the right decision. Was this a good thing? Would I get used to this new life? Would I become anxious, depressed, bored, lonely, etc.? Would Kim and I make it financially? So many questions—and even fears—began to r...

This coming Sunday, September 7, 2025, is my retirement Sunday here at First Assembly of God in Shrewsbury, NJ.  After over 40 years of church ministry, ten years here at First Assembly, and over a year of planning with my church board and assistant pastor, the day is upon me. This Sunday I’ll be preaching my final sermon as a “Senior Pastor.” And I’ll be moving from one season of life to another. After Sunday’s service I’ll officially be a “retired minister.”  That doesn’t mean I’ll be sitting around doing nothing. I do hope to still be involved in ministry, filling pulpits and helping churches as needed. I might do some writing. And in case you don’t already know, this past year I received my certification as a personal trainer. Right now the plan is to work at a local gym a few hours per week as well as run my own training business (Second Wind Personal Training). And of course, I’m hoping to get a bit more time with my kids and grandkids!  As most pastors can attest, ...

As many of you know by now, I’m currently in the process of retiring from over 40 years of pastoral ministry. My final Sunday at First Assembly of God of Shrewsbury, NJ will be September 7, just over a week from now. Thus over the past few weeks, I’ve been dismantling my office, piece by piece and book by book. And, have I collected a lot of books! After all, in ministry one is constantly using books.  Some of those books were one time reads. Some were kept on hand for help with further study and sermon preparation. I had my share of commentaries, word study books, concordances, counseling books, leadership books, and more. Some I’ve given away. Some I’ve reshelved in another room in our church office for use by others. And there are a number that I’ve boxed up to bring home. Thus, both my office and my home now have boxes of books.   Admittedly, it’s not easy for me to part with books that have been on my shelves for so many years. In fact, the other day I found myself g...

Most mornings, I try to eat a good/healthy breakfast to get my day going.  For me that means eggs, toast, some fruit, including a banana, and of course coffee. My goal is to eat a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat so that I can avoid the morning crash I would face when eating merely a bagel and butter or a muffin or a bowl of cereal. I think of my breakfast as fuel for the day. It’s like putting gas in the tank so that I’ll have the energy and strength to do what needs to be done, at least in the first part of that day. In the same way, and even more so, I know I need to fuel not just my body but as well my heart, mind, and spirit. That’s where time spent reading the Bible comes in. Thus, each morning, I pull out my Bible (actually on my iPad), and pick up where I left off the day before, reading two passages of scripture, including one Psalm. Often I include a reading from a devotional book as well.  You see, my time spent reading the Bible is not merely an obligation, ...

The other day, as I was walking the boardwalk, I passed by an elderly couple walking hand-in-hand. I couldn’t help but stop and ask them how long they have been married. The husband simply said, “A very long time.” The wife, however, with a big smile on her face gave the real answer: “70 years!” I thought that was astounding. Here they were, married for 70 years, and still walking the boardwalk hand-in-hand! (Think of it, they must have been in their 90’s.) I let the couple know that about two weeks ago, Kim and I celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary!  To which the wife responded, “Mazel tov…may you have many more!”  At that moment, however, their 70 years of marriage made me feel like a newlywed—as if I was just starting out. I wish I could have sat down with them and heard their stories and learned how it was that after 70 years of marriage, they were still holding hands. I’m sure they would have had some pretty good advice.  As I reflect on my own 40 years of ma...

Over the past few weeks Kim and I got to spend quite a bit of time with our three grandsons, Jesse, Jack, and Caleb. As we did, we learned one of the dinner routines they often do as a family in order to create conversation around the dinner table, as well as keep the kids engaged during that time (after all, like most kids they hate sitting at the table for too long).  Their routine is called, “Highs, Lows, and Buffalos.”  One by one each family member first shares a “high”—that is, something from their day that was especially good or that they really enjoyed. Then they each share a “low”—i.e., something they had to do or that took place that they didn’t like at all. Then they share a “buffalo.” I’m not sure why it’s called a “buffalo,” but a “buffalo” is some sort of surprise that they experienced that day. (I guess if they came across a buffalo that would be quite a surprise!) So, during our time together with them, we would periodically all share our “highs, lows, and buff...

This past week our son Jonathan’s family was with us. That meant that all three grandsons were here: Jesse, Jack, and Caleb. One evening, as the others were getting ready for bed (which is quite an event!), Caleb, who is now just over one year old, was with me on the couch as we waited for his mom or dad to come get him for bed. While we waited he and I played his little one year old games, like gently bonking heads or letting him clap my hands together. He has gotten to be quite animated and can be so much fun—and seems to love playing with his grandpa!   Suddenly Caleb laid his head down on my chest. He moved back and forth a few times, making me think he was just playing another game. Before I knew it, however, his head was down between my shoulders—i.e., on my chest—and he had fallen asleep. I was pleasantly surprised and quite glad that he would feel so comfortable with me that he would fall asleep on me in that way.  I immediately thought of one of my favorite verse...

If you don’t know already, after 41 years of being involved in ministry and 34 years as a senior pastor, at the end of the summer I’m retiring from full-time pastoral ministry. My final Sunday here at Shrewsbury First Assembly is September 7 which is now just about two months away. I have to admit, this is a quite a bitter-sweet time as I know I’m going to miss many things about pastoring while at the same time I’m looking forward to the changes that retirement can bring, especially more time with my family.  In the meantime, I’m getting myself and the church ready for what is to come. I’ve been working with our church board and assistant pastor, Guilherme Medeiros, who has been elected to step into my position upon my retirement, on this transition for about a year. Especially over the past six months, I’ve worked with Pastor Gui, preparing him for the role he is about to step into, hoping to help him and the church be well-prepared for the future that is before them.  For my...

I think you would agree that we live in a culture in which working “’round the clock,” as we call it, is something of a badge of honor. Those who “burn the candle at both ends” and say, “I only need a few hours of sleep,” are looked up to as if they are some sort of super hero. But is that the way it is supposed to be? Is that what God intended for our lives? Is that how God designed our bodies to work?  The more I’ve dived into the fitness world, the more I’ve learned about the importance of a good night’s sleep—which is usually defined as seven to eight hours of good sleep. It’s during sleep that our bodies recover from not only that day’s run or workout, but most importantly from the stresses and strains of what has often been a busy day. During sleep, our bodies heal and build and get back to where they are supposed to be so that the next day we can function at our highest capacity. Just ask any sleep-deprived parent of a newborn what happens when one loses too much sleep! I be...

Yesterday, here in New Jersey, it was so hot and humid one would have thought we were in the middle of August. By the evening, the sky darkened and tremendous thunderstorms came roaring through pouring down rain and filled with gusts of wind that picked up patio umbrellas and took down tree branches. This morning, however, everything is different. The sky is a perfect blue. The humidity is gone. The air feels fresh and clean. And the temperature has moderated such that you are neither hot nor cold. It’s a beautiful day here in New Jersey. Yes, as they say, “What a difference a day makes!” You’ve probably experienced it many times in your own life; I know I have. One day feels dark and stormy; the next is bright and clear—and visa-versa. One day everything seems to be in order; the next is filled with chaos—and again, visa-versa.  The truth is, what we are experiencing on one day or, we might say, in one season of our lives, is not necessarily what will always be. Life has a way of ...

I’ll never forget the day I became a father for the first time. Having watched my wife Kim go through a long labor and then deliver our son, Jonathan, my love and respect for her skyrocketed. She had just gone through a physically and emotionally exhausting ordeal that had brought forth this incredible little baby boy. And what amazed me most about it all was that, upon having our son Jonathan placed on her chest and into her arms, Kim began to ooh and ahh over our new son, acting as if nothing had happened—as if the last 18 hours had been a walk in the park! For a moment, I didn’t know what to think.  Then I got to hold him. And as the little guy (all 9 lbs. 12 oz. of baby!) was placed into my arms, a new found love began to fill my heart. At that moment I realized the incredible capacity to love that God has placed within our hearts. After all, I had wondered beforehand whether or not I could ever love another person as much as I loved Kim. Or would it just be a lesser kind of lo...

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a run on the boardwalk and purposefully ran at a slow pace. The goal was to keep my heart rate relatively low. It’s a training strategy that supposed to help builds one’s aerobic capacity—and burn fat. It sounds easy, but I can tell you it is not, at least not for me. It takes discipline to keep the pace down so that the heart rate stays down. That meant, every time my heart rate would begin to go up past a certain point, I would have to slow down even more until it came back in line with my desired heart rate goal.    Yesterday’s run of four miles took me 53 minutes. That’s a long time for me to run that distance. (It turned out to be a pace of 13:14/mile).  To me it was more of a jog than a run—I might even call it a slog!  And it did require quite a bit of discipline on my part. But as I was running at that slow pace, I continued to tell myself it was worth it. And I began to realize that at the slower pace, I was in fact able to en...

Last week, when Kim and I were visiting our son Jonathan and his family, we took a walk/small hike with Jonathan (who had his 11 month year old son, Caleb on his back) to and into a nature preserve near their home. To get there, we had to walk through the townhouse complex in which they live and, for a short bit, along the road. Once we got into the preserve, we followed the trails that were throughout—trails that were for the most part well-maintained. It was a really nice hike through the woods, up and over some small hills, across a hanging bridge, and along a small lake.  To get back home, Jonathan suggested that we take a different route that would lead along a creek and right to his backyard. I’m not sure we made the best decision when we said yes to his suggestion!  All was fine at first, but once we got out of the preserve proper, and since the “trail” in that part of the woods is not really maintained, we found ourselves walking through high brush and grass. After all...

Last week, our daughter Joanna received her Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology. After five years of study, she was hooded and given her diploma. And now this week, the same is taking place for Joanna’s husband Daniel as he receives his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. So, by the end of this week they will officially be, Dr. and Dr. Zakzewski!  They are now a husband, a wife, and two doctors!  What’s most amazing to me is that they began their degree work at the same time and have finished at the same time—and at two different schools. Unlike many other students who hope to finish their doctoral work in five years, but often spend at least another year working on their dissertations, Joanna and Daniel each completed their degree work within the five years originally planned. (And part way through their first year, were married!) It’s not too often that a married couple both begins their doctoral work at the same time and completes it at the same time.  But here ...

I know that this weekend is Mother’s Day, but on this weekend I can’t help but also think about my dad. You see, since his birthday was May 10, it was always very close to Mother’s Day. In fact, some years his birthday actually fell on Mother’s Day. And it was eleven years ago this week that my dad passed away on May 7, 2014. We then buried him on May 10, on what would have been his 86th birthday (which like this year, fell on a Saturday).  So on this weekend, although I’m remembering my mom whom I loved very much and who passed away in 2017, I’m also thinking a lot about my dad.    That's me with my mom and dad - 1960  Like any of us who have lost a parent, there are times when I wish we could still talk to each other. Sometimes, I instinctually reach for the phone thinking I can give him a call to tell him about something that has happened in my life. Most of the time, we would talk about our cars, repairs around the house, or a Yankee game. Once I had kids, I woul...

I’m always a bit jealous of those guys (and ladies) who are, what we call, “good with their hands.” They can build things, fix things, create things. I know some guys who can build a table or deck, remodel a kitchen, and fix just about anything that breaks. They have skills, both natural and learned to do whatever may need  be done around the house, to help others, or make a living.  And they often use those skills to bless other people’s lives.  When I see what some of these guys can accomplish with their hands, it makes me wish I had developed some of their skills myself somewhere along the way. But I didn’t. That means, I am often dependent on others to help me get certain things done around then house—which at times mean paying someone to do what I wish I could do on my own.  At times I may try to fix something or accomplish a task on my own, only to become frustrated or hit a dead end and then have to call someone in to help me—or even undo the mess I’ve made. (...

Throughout the years, I’ve had people ask me if they should call me “reverend” or “pastor.”  I’ve usually answered, “That depends.” To me, “reverend” is a title earned by means of a credential given—in my case by means of my ordination as a minister of the gospel through the Assemblies of God. “Pastor” is a term of relationship. To those outside the church, especially those with whom I may be doing some sort of business, I’m “reverend.” But to those within the church (and sometimes outside the church), those whom I am leading and guiding in spiritual matters, those for whom I may be spiritually responsible in some way, I am “pastor.”  I liken it to the fact that I am a “father.” But to my children I am “Dad.” “Father” is a word that describes the fact that I have children. “Dad” is a word of relationship that only my children use when speaking to me or about me. In fact, I would find it a bit weird if someone other than my children would call me “dad.”  I am a “grandfathe...

When one follows the biblical chronology of Jesus’ final week, his “Passion Week,” it is clear that the day of his crucifixion and death was Friday. We call it “Good Friday” or more accurately, “Holy Friday.” (“Good” comes from the old English term that actually meant “holy.”) It’s the day that Christians are to remember the suffering and death of our Savior, Jesus. It’s a Friday to be remembered! How unfortunate, however, that so many Christians show up on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection, but make little time to worship on Good Friday. For although it is the resurrection of Jesus that brings meaning and power to his cross, without the cross we would be left in our sins. Without Jesus’ suffering and death, the price for our sin would have been left unpaid—and we would be left with a debt of sin that we would never, ever be able to pay.  The fact is, our salvation has been bought and wrought by means of the cross.  So, God forbid that we should ever forget! God forb...