Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

I remember how, when our children were young, we tried hard to teach them to say, “Thank you.” Each time they would receive something from us or from someone else we would say, “What do you say?” And they would eventually respond, “Thank you.”  Our goal of course was to not only teach them proper manners, but as well what it means to be grateful. The first was easy; the second not so much. After all, just because one says, “Thank you,” doesn’t always mean they feel thankful for whatever it is they have received. Our hope as parents was that, eventually our children’s words would represent something within their hearts.  With the arrival of Thanksgiving, I want to remind us of not only the importance of giving thanks, but of actually having a thankful heart. Again, the first is easy; the second is a bit harder. How do we go beyond merely saying, “thank you” to a deep-felt sense of gratitude? Let me share a few means of doing so. (1) Learn contentment . The Apostle Paul wrote of...

Since my retirement from pastoring, I’ve been working as a personal trainer at a local gym, The Fort Athletic Club, as well as through my own business, Second Wind Personal Training. I’m passionate about fitness and health both for myself and for others. That’s why I entered this field as a second career. It’s my hope that I might be able to help others gain the fitness and health they need to enjoy life and live the kind of life God intends for them to live. After all, an unfit and unhealthy body ends up as a body filled with limitations. A fit body is able to move and do and enjoy every aspect of life.  However, I’m also keenly aware that we as people are more than our bodies. God created us as holistic beings: body, mind, soul, and spirit. He designed us to be multi-faceted, not merely one dimensional bodies. That requires that we not only take care of our bodies, but as well care for our whole selves—i.e., our minds, our souls, and our spirits.  The Apostle Paul wrote to T...

With fall in full force, the trees here in New Jersey are bursting with color. The reds, the yellows, the oranges, and even the browns of fall are as awe-inspiring as are the purples and pinks of spring. The colors of the season highlight the fact that we live in a colorful world.   Not only that, but the way we react to the colors of fall (e.g. going to “see the colors” and all the pictures we take), reminds us that we were made for color. Our eyes were designed to perceive color and our brains designed to interpret it. We paint our homes with an array of colors both inside and out. We are intrigued by artists who know how to use color in just the right way or the designer who knows how to bring the right colors together. We create fabrics that are filled with color and thus wear clothing filled with color. And we can’t help but comment on the colors of a rainbow or of a sunrise or sunset as they show up in the sky. Again, we seem to be made for color.   As I was gr...