Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

--> Whoever came up with the expression, “He eats like a bird” to refer to someone who eats tiny amounts of food was terribly mistaken.   In fact, I have come to realize that they knew nothing about birds.   After all, we are told that the average bird eats ¼ to ½ of their body weight every day. That means a 2 lb. cardinal eats ½ to 1 lb. of seed a day!   That’s like me eating up to 75 lbs. of food every day! It’s no wonder my bird feeder gets emptied so quickly.   Yesterday morning, before the winter storm came upon us, I filled up the birdfeeder thinking the birds will need food for the next day or two. By around 3 pm, it was empty!   A bunch of birds had flocked to my feeder and I didn’t see one bird that ate “like a bird!”   In fact, I’ve noticed that especially when the temperature drops or a storm is coming, the birds in my backyard begin to eat like crazy, almost as if this could be their last meal ever!   They eat frantically...

I know many of us just celebrated Valentine’s Day with cards, candy, flowers—maybe even a candlelight dinner.   That’s pretty much what St. Valentine’s Day has been turned into; it’s become an excuse for a little bit of romance.   But, did you know the day is named after a real person? He was a third century leader in the church who was martyred for his faith.    The stories surrounding St. Valentine are many. What we do know is that, he lived during one of the most immoral periods within the Roman Empire.   Sexual promiscuity was rampant. And, at one point The Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage so that men wouldn’t have an excuse not to go to war.   (Newly married men would not join the army to fight; some say such was Roman law.) St. Valentine, however, not only preached the gospel and led people to Christ, he then performed secret weddings for these new believers.   Eventually, St. Valentine was arrested for breaking the law. ...

This past week, we had a couple of really nice days; they felt like a touch of spring! On one of those days, I decided that rather than go to the gym I would go for a run outdoors. And, since it was so nice out, I decided to take a ride to the ocean and run the boardwalk, my favorite place to run.   That was not the best decision I’ve ever made! You see, when I left my house the thermostat in my car read 64.   However, when I got about a block from the boardwalk, which is about 5 miles from my house, the thermostat suddenly dropped to 55.   By the time I got to the place where I parked my car, it had dropped to 48—and, it was quite breezy.   I began my run, heading south and into the cold breeze that was beginning to pick up force.   Those walking on the boardwalk were dressed in hats, gloves, and winter coats. I had no hat or gloves; I was freezing in my shorts, t-shirt, and running pullover, which I had thought for sure I was going to ha...

How cold is it? Well, it’s been so cold in parts of the US that it’s colder there than it is in the Artic or Antarctica. It’s been so cold that in some parts the postal service stopped delivering mail, schools closed, and whole cities stayed indoors. It’s so cold the whole of Lake Michigan has been frozen over. It’s so cold people are blowing soap bubbles in order to watch them immediately crystalize in the air in front of them! Tragically, it’s been so cold that as of today, 21 deaths have been blamed on this polar vortex. I think many of us are dreaming about warmer days to come. I know I am. Actually, just over a week ago I was in that warmer weather when I was down in Nicaragua. It felt so good not having to wear a bulky winter coat, hat, and gloves. I could just put on a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, and I was good to go. It felt so nice being able to jump into the ocean, lie out on a hammock, and just feel the warmth of the sun. Ah, now I’m dreaming again…dreaming of ...