Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Have you ever had what is called, “writer’s cramp?”   It’s when a writer sits down to work on a book or article—or whatever it might be that he or she is working on—and they are stuck. They have no ideas. They don’t know where to start. They feel as if they have nothing to say.   Their mind is completely blank.   I hate to admit it, but that is how I felt this morning as I sat down to write this Pastor’s Devotion.   I tried to review the events of this past week.   I thought about what I have been doing, what I’ve been reading and hearing in the news, as well as conversations I’ve had. I thought about my kids, the dog, and the weather. And, of course, I looked in the Bible.   But, my mind was blank.   Nothing was connecting.   Nothing inspired me.   I had a bad case of writer’s cramp.   I know this is a terrible thing to admit to those of you who are now reading this, but it is the way I was feeling this morning.   So, wher...

As I was walking our dog the other day, I realized that all around me were hardened mounds of snow, lining the roads, driveways, and sidewalks. They seemed frozen into the landscape, as if they have always been there. Worse than that, right now it feels as if they will always be there! At this point in the season, the hardened mounds of snow that surround us make us feel as if we will forever be stuck in a perpetual winter! (What a dreadful thought!) Thankfully, we all know such will not be the case.   Although it may appear as if those mounds of snow are here to stay, a bit of warm weather, along with some rain and warming sunshine will together work their magic and slowly melt away the snow. Before we know it, the grass will begin to appear, the flowers will burst through, and the leaves will begin to bud.   Soon it will be spring! And, we will look back barely remembering what we once thought were mounds of snow that would last forever . We all have seasons in our ...

In many places in the world, and most especially here in the United States, today is meant to be a celebration of love.   Yet, we all know that the way our world defines love is often warped and confused. Love is so often tied to physical attraction and romance and disconnected from its true meaning: commitment and self-sacrifice.   Love in our world is defined by the emotional feelings we get from being with someone who makes us feel good. That is why it comes and goes so freely—i.e. the person we love today is easily exchanged for another tomorrow. The love we experience in this life can so often lead to great disappointment.   I simply want to remind you today that there is a true love that is deeper and truer. It is a love that will never, ever fade.   That love is, of course, the love that God has for us as his children.   In fact, the greatest Valentine ever given or received was the expression of love given to us by God our heavenly Father when he ga...

Twice this past week we found ourselves digging out from the snow.   It has surely been quite a winter here in the Northeast. Thankfully, much of the time the snow has been light and fluffy and easy to remove. But this last storm was a different story. Because the temperature was a bit higher, the snow that fell was wet and thus heavy. Added to that was the fact that freezing rain and sleet fell on top of the snow, covering it with ice and making even heavier.   The hardest part for my neighbors and me was clearing the sidewalks in front of our homes.   Throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the snowplows came by and pushed the snow and frozen slush not just onto the curb, but over the curb and onto the sidewalks. Thus, we had over two feet of snow, frozen slush, and ice to remove—much too much for the snow blowers to handle. So one of my neighbors and I took the sidewalk one piece at a time, working from each end, breaking away the ice and removing the top ...