Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Last weekend Kim and I spent a couple of nights at our family cabin in the Adirondacks. Our main purpose for going up was to close it up for the winter. Since the cabin is not winterized, it is unusable during the winter months. Thus, the pipes need to be drained, all food removed, the bedding put away, etc. Kim and I both agreed that it can feel a bit sad when it all gets shut down at the end of a season. And for me, it felt like a sign of the passing of time.  I’m sure you would agree, time passes by so quickly—most often, more quickly than we would like it to. It feels like we’ve just taken down the Christmas tree and packed away all the trimmings, when the holidays are back in view. Before you know it the kids are grown, off to college, married, and having kids of their own. The aches and pains and wrinkles of aging begin to appear.  Retirement comes.  Your celebration of  10 years of marriage turns into a 30 year celebration, then 40 years, etc. (If you’re on th...

Next Saturday, September 19, I’ll be officiating at the wedding of my nephew Andrew and his beautiful bride-to-be Angely.  Of course, this final week before the wedding is filled with a fury of preparations on the part of the couple and their families. As with most weddings, there have been months and months of preparation. A venue has been contracted, food chosen, invitations sent out, table arrangements made, and the list goes on. I, for one, don’t envy those who are involved in making sure that all the final details are in place! For my part, I’m working to make sure the ceremony is in order, my pastoral message is finalized, and that I’m prepared to do all that is required of me to help the couple have a beautiful and meaningful wedding. And I’m praying each day for Andrew and Angely that they would have not just a beautiful wedding but a beautiful and God-honoring marriage.  All of this makes me think about the most incredible and beautiful wedding of all that any of us w...

Here at the Jersey Shore, the locals refer to the weeks after Labor Day as “Local Summer.”  It’s that time of year when the water is warm, the daytime sun is strong, and the crowds have gone home—mostly back to North Jersey and New York. In a sense, the beach has been handed back over to the locals. That includes Kim and me!  I don’t complain much about the crowds who come down to the shore in July and August. After all, those who come to their summer homes, or for a week or even a day help so many of the local businesses survive. And I suppose, the crowds bring a bit of excitement to the area. But there is something refreshing about being able to go to the beach this time of year and feel the change in the vibe—i.e., a much more relaxed vibe—and enjoy a bit more space on the sand. And, it helps me appreciate all the more that Kim and I have been blessed to live where we live.  I say that because, I hear so many people complain about living here in Monmouth County, NJ—in ...

This past week was my birthday—August 25th.  I’ve received cards, some gifts, and balloons. I’ve had cake and other sweets to celebrate turning 67. And, there were all the Facebook messages, a few phone calls, and some text messages, all wishing me a very happy birthday. I’m grateful for it all.  However, that was this past week. Now a week later, the messages, cards, gifts, etc. have ceased. At this point, I’m simply living my life as a 67 year old, going about all the normal routines of life, just one year older. Do I feel any different? (We’re always asked, how does it fell to be ____ years old?). Of course, not. The day after turning  67 I felt l just as I did the day before. After all, in the end, one day simply flows into the next, one week into the next, one year into the next. It’s usually not until we look back over time that we begin to see and feel the effects of time, age, and all the birthdays that have come along.  The good thing about birthdays, howeve...

Last weekend I ran my first 5K race in well over a year! I ran it to celebrate six months since my spinal surgery back in February. Although my time was not my fastest, crossing that finish line felt pretty special.  After all, because of what was happening in my spine, this past year my running was sporadic, to say the least. There would be a few weeks or even a month or so when I felt well enough to run. But then there were weeks and eventually months when running, no less racing, was out of the question. Thus crossing that finish line was pretty special.  That finish line, however, was for me really just another starting line—another beginning.  When I crossed that line, I not only had that feeling of accomplishment—i.e., “I made it!”—that I usually do, but I very quickly (at least on my way home), began to think about my next step in my training: how I might increase my pace and decrease my time, and when my next race might be. For me, crossing a finish line is never ...

Recently, Kim and I, along with our family, spent our annual two weeks at our family cabin on Lake Pleasant in the Adirondacks (that’s in upstate New York). As we do each year, we took a few hikes up and down a couple of local mountains. Although the mountains we climbed were nothing too crazy (one of them just over a 1000 ft elevation gain), they yet required a good amount of energy and effort on our part—especially on some pretty steep inclines. Eventually, however, the light broke through and the peak of the mountain was revealed. And at that moment, the payback was well worth the trip: a gorgeous view from the top!   Of course, on the way up we were surrounded by trees and could only see the forest around us. On the way up, we were focused on the trail as we tried to keep course and not trip over rocks and roots. On the way up, we were our legs at times began to tire. On the way up,  we our destination remained unseen for our view was limited. Once at the peak, howeve...