Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Have you ever had a period in your life wherein it felt as if your life was filled with chaos? I have.  Life was going along at its normal steady pace. Everything seemed to be in its place. Everything was in order—just the way like it. Then suddenly the upheaval took place. My world—i.e., my life—was turned upside down. Nothing seemed clear. Direction was lost.  Darkness came like a flood. It felt like the tossing and turning would never end. Chaos had seemingly taken over.  Thankfully, the chaos was not the end of the story. Eventually, it gave into the grace of God and the good and perfect purposes of God.  God stepped into the chaos of my life and brought new direction, purpose, hope, and life. He brought about new opportunities and took me to places I never would have gone otherwise. Thus I can say today, God truly brought about something good out of the chaos of my life.  Of course, this is the way God has acted from the beginning. After all, it’s never bee...

Here in the Northeast, as well as across much of the country, we are preparing for an impending storm. Temperatures will be dropping.  The snow will begin falling, possibly mixed in with some sleet. Predictions for our area range from eight to twelve inches of snow with high gusts of wind. It sounds absolutely awful!   Of course, the grocery stores are busier than usual. In fact, last night Kim and I went to Shop Rite after dinner. By that time the store was not too crowded, but the produce department had been stripped as had the dairy department. (Amazingly, I think there was yet bread in the bread aisle!)  Obviously, everyone was preparing for the storm—almost as if they’re going to be stuck in their homes for the next two months!  Kim and I have been doing our own bit of preparations. We did buy food to get us through the weekend. I checked the flashlights and batteries, in case we lose power. Kim even got out a little transistor radio, again in case we lose ...

Now that I’m working as a trainer at one of our local gyms, I wear basically the same thing every day: black joggers or shorts, a black t-shirt or quarter zip that has “The Fort” logo on the front and the word “COACH on the back, and sneakers. It’s my new uniform. It’s what’s used to identify the trainers throughout the gym and give a sense of professionalism. You might say, our uniform is used to set the trainers apart from the rest of the gym crowd.     Of course, trainers in the gym are not the only ones who, when they go to work, put on a uniform. Nurses, mechanics, doctors, police, construction workers, retail workers, etc. often have a uniform. At times their uniform is tied to the function of their job. And it is their uniform that always sets them apart and help others identify them. For example, it’s the uniform that helps one identify the police officer standing on the corner from the rest of the crowd walking by or the Home Depot worker from the shoppers. ...