Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Not too long ago, someone in the gym I go to said to me, “Thanks for remembering my name.” Then they said to me, as so many people do, “I’m good with faces but bad with names” as their excuse for forgetting my name. I wanted to respond, “Of course. That’s true for everyone!” After all a face is visual, and what’s visual sticks in our brains much more easily than that which is only heard.  Someone recently posted, “Not to brag, but I can shake your hand and forget your name simultaneously!” And we all know that can be true. As quickly as someone gives you their name, it flies out of your brain and you’re left wondering what just happened. But without putting forth effort and concentration, it’s easy to quickly forget a person’s name, especially when you’ve not had much interaction with them. That’s why in some settings people are asked to wear name tags. Not only is the person’s name right in front of you, but you will be much more likely to remember their name once you see it....

In my last blog (June 21,2024), I wrote of waiting for the arrival of Caleb Daniel, our third grandson. Well, he arrived right on schedule (June 24) at the healthy weight of 9 lbs. 5 oz. So just like the old TV show from the 1960’s, Jonathan and Danielle (his parents) can speak of “My Three Sons”: Jesse, Jack, and Caleb. And, I can now refer to my three grandsons!  And what’s both so wonderful and amazing about it all is, as Caleb has entered our family, he receives as much love as do his brothers; they don’t lose any of the love we have had for them while Caleb receives all the love he needs. Let me explain what I mean.  I remember when Kim and I were starting our family, I wondered how in the world I could ever love another human being as much as I loved Kim. After all, being married to Kim was one of the greatest joys of my life (and still is!). Yet, when our firstborn Jonathan came along I felt a new love emerging such that I didn’t have to take away any love from Kim to l...