Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

As I’m sure you are well aware, this week is Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday through which our hearts are called to be filled with gratitude for all the good things we have experienced this past year. But what if your year has been anything but good? What if you’ve found yourself in the midst of a year filled with all kinds of difficulties and disappointments? Sometimes it’s hard to say thanks. In fact, at times we just might end up saying it with a bit of sarcasm in our voice.  You’ve probably said it at some time or another; I know I have. When that person cut you off on the road…or bumped you out of the way as they rushed through the crowd…or complained about your cooking, with a bit of sarcasm in your voice you said it: “Thanks a lot!” Sometimes we say it with a bit of humor in our voice. At other times it’s an expression of mild anger. But when we say it, we don’t mean it; we’re not really saying “thank you.” In fact, we probably mean just the opposite.  Unfortunately, that’...

This past September, our church kicked off our theme for this ministry year, “Beyond!” To introduce the theme, I used a clip from the movie “Toy Story” from which comes the line, through the mouth of Buzz Lightyear, “To infinity and beyond!”  Just about everyone loves that movie and remembers that line. It was a great way to get everyone thinking about the word, beyond.   Our theme has been based on the Apostle Paul’s words found in Ephesians 3:20 (from the New American Standard Version) which says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly, beyond all that we ask or think, according to his power that works within us.”  It’s a powerful and power-packed verse that reminds us of the fact that we serve a God who is so much greater than we are and who has the capability of doing things much greater than we could ever imagine. I’ve encouraged our congregation to memorize it, use it in their prayer life, and think of how it fits into their personal lives.  If ...