Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Recently there has been a commercial on TV in which a guy in a truck yells to the people in the car next to him something like, “I’m going to be distracted as I eat my sandwich and swerve into your lane.” Then a woman in a convertible warns the people in the car next to her that she is going to be putting on her makeup while driving and cut them off. In the final scene, a guy gets out of his car in a parking lot, goes over to the people in another car who are getting ready to pull out, and warns them that he will be talking on his cell phone, not paying attention to what is behind him, and back up into them. The point is that accidents don’t announce themselves (thus, you need to make sure you have the right car insurance!). It’s true, accidents don’t announce themselves. Life is filled with the unpredictable. The weather forecasters may try to predict the weather; the economists may try to predict the stock market; the pollsters may try to predict the outcome of elections; the medic...

I’m not much of a football fan. In fact, I almost never watch a football game on TV. However, I did watch the second half of the Jets vs. Steelers game. And, I was as disappointed as any diehard NY/NJ fan when in the end the Jets lost by five points. Anyone who was watching the game knows that the Jets had a really bad first half. But, in the second half you could see them working hard to come back. Although there were some plays that fell a bit short, they did make up a lot of ground. But, as happens in any game, in the fourth quarter, the clock began to wind down. The pressure was on. And I kept thinking, if only there was a little more time; if only they could somehow turn the clock back – even by a few minutes. But, the clock kept ticking, until the inevitable happened. The clock ran out. Time came to an end. And there was nothing more the Jets could do to win the game. When you think about it, it’s a reminder of what our lives are like. How many times have I felt like I’m way ...

This morning we awoke not only to snow covered with ice, but to no electricity as well. That meant no lights, hot water, heat, clocks, refrigeration, computers, radio, WiFi, etc. The cause? A power line had come down thus cutting off electricity to the houses on our block until near noon. It’s amazing how dependent we are on the electricity that comes into our homes. Without it, we found ourselves having to improvise and figure out how to go about the normal tasks of our morning routines. I also found myself doing things out of habit that had absolutely no affect - e.g. turning on a light switch as I walked into a room without any light coming on. All of this because we had been cut off from the source of our electric power. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 – NIV) That’s right, Jesus is our power source. As long as we remain connected to him, we are filled wi...

The other day, as I was walking our dog Mable, I noticed our new neighbor who lives behind us throwing something out onto the snow. As I walked by, I asked him if what he was throwing was bird seed. He replied quite matter-of-factly (and as if rebuking me), “Of course, it’s bird seed. How else will the birds find something to eat in the snow?” I was a bit taken back by the insinuation that it was my responsibility, as well as his, to make sure the birds had enough to eat during this season. Although, I might throw some stale bread out to the birds, I’ve never thought about buying bird seed to spread out each morning. For me, it’s enough trying to remember to feed the dog! I was reminded however of Jesus’ words found in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (NIV) Just like my neighbor, God is concerned for and takes care of the birds (as well of...