Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

This past week I participated in my first triathlon, the New Jersey State Triathlon. With about 1,000 participants, the race included a 500 meter lake swim, 11.5 mile bike ride, and a 5K run. It was a very exciting day for which I had put in just over 8 weeks of training.  In fact, it was one of the most exciting things I have ever done, but also the most physically exhausting thing I’ve ever done (and the heat and humidity of the day didn’t help!).  Through the course of the race there were many times when I began to question whether or not I’d be able to finish. At those times, however, I would remind myself that this race was in the end, all about endurance. Could I endure riding 11.5 miles after having just swam 500 meters in, what for me was, a very difficult environment? Could I complete the 5K run after swimming and cycling? Or, would I give up and give in to the feelings pain, tiredness, and weakness that had begun to take over my body?  During my times of trainin...

Every so often, when Kim and I have a bit of free time, we will play the game Scrabble. Those who know the game, know that each player is hoping to form words from the letters on their rack and those already placed on the board. Get the right letters in hand and the words can be many. Get the wrong letters in hand and there’s a chance you might get stuck or end up forming words that bring no more than a few points.  Of course, the larger your vocabulary the better chance you will have of looking at the letters in your rack and the available letters on the board and come up with words that can be formed. That’s why people who read a lot often do well at the game. The more words they have in their head the more they have to draw from when playing the game.  Depending upon whom I am playing with, I can feel as if my head is filled with lots of words or I can feel as if my head is void of any real vocabulary at all.  It makes me wonder, what am I putting into my head? After a...

My grandson Jack, who is now 14 months old, has decided that he wants to spend most of his traveling-time on his feet. In other words, he has begun to walk! It’s not that previously he couldn’t walk at all. It’s just that he felt much more secure on his hands and knees—and he could get around much faster by crawling than walking. Most recently, however, he has begun to make the transition from his knees to his feet.  Jack has begun to walk.  It seems to me that Jack, like most babies, is very pragmatic. Why walk when it feels much safer to be closer to the ground? Why walk when one can move much faster on their knees than on their feet? Why walk when there is yet so much instability in an upright position compared to being down on one’s hands and knees? But as the instability has begun to fade and the pace has picked up, the transition is being made from crawling to walking.   Of course, we are all very much like Jack and most other babies. We like our safety and sec...

This coming weekend, we as a nation will be celebrating our Independence Day (a.k.a. “The Fourth of July”). There will be fireworks, family gatherings, barbeques, and lots of flags flying. And there is much for us as nation to celebrate. The Declaration of Independence was one of the greatest statements of freedom ever made up until that time. And since gaining our independence from the British (an independence that cost the lives of hundreds of soldiers on both sides), we as a nation have experienced the greatest freedoms ever known to mankind up until that time—and in many ways since.  We’ve known a freedom that only a few throughout history have experienced—a freedom that many have only dreamed of.  I think we need to ask, however, have we used our freedom as we ought to have used it? Might there be have been times when we as a nation have used our freedom in ways that have not best served the needs of our nation or the world at large? How about us as individuals? Have ther...

My father-in-law used to say, “The weatherman is always right!”  After all, he would point out, when they give a forecast that says, “ partly cloudy” or “ partly sunny,” whether it's cloudy or sunny, they’re right. When they say, “a chance of rain” or “a chance of snow” or whatever percentages they give, whether or not it rains or snows, they’re right. I know it’s a crazy way to think about it, but he did make his point.  Like many of you, I find myself to be pretty dependent on the weather forecast. Almost as soon as I get up in the morning I check the temperature and the forecast for the day to determine what I should wear. As I’m planning my running or cycling for the week, I’m checking the daily and even hourly forecast. This weekend, with my son Nathaniel and his wife Sarah having their wedding celebration with family and friends (they got married this past August), and with part of it planned to be outside, we are anxiously checking the weather forecast. I think you g...

As many of you know or have experienced, this past week the air here in the Northeast (USA) has been terrible to breathe, with the air quality index at times reaching over 200 due to the wildfires in Canada and the smoke they sent our way. For a couple of days, many people (including myself) wore masks, kids had to stay inside during recess, and even the Yankee game in the Bronx was cancelled. Visibility went down to less than a quarter of a mile in many places.  At times the sky was an eerie orange with the sun turning almost red. I think it has been a reminder to us all of how important the air we breathe, and quality of that air, is to our well-being.  Thankfully, as of the writing of this devotional blog, the air seems to have cleared up (at least where I am in this part of NJ). When I stepped outside this morning, I felt like I could breathe again. In fact, I even took a deep breath to test it out. I don’t think I’ve ever been so appreciative of fresh air!  The Bible...

When possible I like to get a run in, early in the day—as do many other runners. Today was one of those days I was able to do so. So, I was down at the boardwalk in Long Branch, NJ by 7:00 am to do a six mile run. And, it was absolutely beautiful. The sun was still low on the horizon, its rays gleaming off of the ocean. The beach was for the most part empty, except for a few surfers who were trickling in. A handful of people were walking the boardwalk.  The air felt clean, clear, and just slightly warm. It was a beautiful morning for a run. I was so glad to be there, and so thankful for the ability and opportunity to run.   I know some people can’t imagine wanting to go for a run. People will tell me all the time, “The only time I run is when I’m being chased!” or “The only thing I run for is dinner!” And, I get it. Not everyone enjoys running. For me, however, there is something about running that makes me feel alive, especially when I can run in the morning—and most esp...