Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

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...

Walking my dog Sadie can sometimes be a bit frustrating. She is what I would call, a scent dog. Although she is relatively good on the leash, her scent instinct can suddenly kick in such that, our twice daily walks can turn into a constant repeat of, walk-pull-sniff. We will be walking along when she suddenly pulls to the right or left, sticks her nose to the ground, and becomes glued to a spot. It seems no matter how hard she tries to walk nicely with me, when she catches that whiff, she becomes totally distracted and can’t help herself; the scent  can be too strong for her to overcome.   It makes me think about how often I can become distracted by things around me—distracted from what I really ought to be doing. There are times when without thinking, I lunge away from my task at hand and find myself glued to something that has caught my attention. It could be the notification that another email has come into my inbox or that someone has liked my Facebook or Instagram po...

Last Friday I went to a local testing center to take a proctored exam to become a Certified Personal Trainer.  I began the course back in November, went through all of the material which included online video lectures and demonstrations, and a huge text book. The course included anatomy and physiology, behavioral psychology, exercise modalities, and even a bit of, what I recognized as, organic chemistry. It was a self-paced course that had to be completed within six months. It took me about 4 months to go through all the material. Then for another month, I studied for the final exam.    I was pretty nervous about the test. It was a lot of material to study and, although I had taken lots of practice tests, I wasn’t quite sure what the questions on the final would be like. Once I arrived at the testing center and was screened through “security” to prevent any cheating (which included making sure my glasses were not “smart glasses!”), I was led to a computer to begin the tes...

Since last June, I’ve been working with a personal trainer who has really pushed me in the area of weight training. The whole experience has been very different for me. In the past, my fitness goals have been centered around running or other endurance sports. Although I’ve done weight training all along, this is the first time I’ve really concentrated on building muscle—mostly because at my age, one quickly loses muscle. I know I’ll never be a “hulk” or all that massive (nor is that my goal). I just want to be healthy and at least a little bit strong.  Part of the training has been learning how to complement the lifting (and the cardio I still do) with the right kind of eating. After all, much of one’s fitness is connected to their food habits. For me, that has meant increasing my daily calorie intake and making sure I’ve got the right balance of “macros”—carbs, fats, and protein. I keep track of everything I eat throughout the day, for I have a daily goal that tells me how many gr...