Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

Just a couple of nights ago, we here in the Northeast experienced a line of storms that had first brought tornados to the south and then heavy wind, rain, and thunderstorms (and even some tornados) to our region.   That night, as Kim and I lay in bed, there were times when it felt like the whole house was shaking.   Although there was no tornado, we could hear the wind roar as it blew through the trees and against the house.   It felt as if it could intensify at any moment and blow out a window. Thankfully it did not.   But the roar of the wind was surely quite intense—and enough to keep us awake at least part of the night.   The roar of the wind that night makes me think of what it must have been like for the believers on the Day of Pentecost as described in Acts 2.   There we are told that, as those 120 followers of Jesus were praying, “ Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were si...

I’m writing today one last blog about our dog, Mabel.   After rupturing a disk in her lower back last Friday and quickly becoming paralyzed in her lower extremities, on Monday we had to have her put to rest.   Her quality of life was gone and we didn’t want her to suffer any more than she had.   Of course, it was a sad day for us.   We got Mabel about ten years ago from the animal shelter in Bergen County.   I remember coming home from work one day and telling Kim I had found our dog! I had gone on petfinder.com, put in the specs we were looking for in a dog, and up popped Mabel.   Within a week, Mabel came home. She was not only shy but as well, a bit afraid.   During those early days, and on into the years to come, whenever she was nervous or afraid, she would come to me and lean her back up against me to find comfort and shelter. After all, I was the “alpha dog” in the house—or, I like to say, the “top dog!” (Kim was the nurturer, thus she went...

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost two weeks since our daughter, Joanna, left for her study abroad semester in Vienna, Austria.   It’s a weird feeling to have your child that far away, so far out of reach, for the very first time.   This time of year she would normally be back at college, about an hour and a half away.   Although we wouldn’t see her much throughout the semester, communication was easier and it felt like she was within reach.   Now there’s a whole ocean plus half a continent between us. (She seems even further out of reach than when our son, Jonathan, was living in Costa Rica and then Nicaragua for a whole year!)   Of course, Kim and I are glad for Joanna. We know she’s going to have a great experience.   This really is an opportunity of a lifetime!   Are we nervous about all the things that could happen? Maybe just a bit. Yes, we know that there are a lot of things happening in Europe these days.   But we wouldn’t wan...

With a huge nor’easter moving up the coast, people from Virginia through New York are flooding the stores, starting up their snow blowers, taking out the ice melt, and taking stock of their in-home inventory. Our nice, easy-going winter is over.   With the storm approaching, everyone wants to be ready for the worst.   We’ve been doing our share of preparations in our home as well.   After all, like you, we don’t want to find the snow blower isn’t starting or the shovels are missing or we’re out of gas, just when we need them to be on hand.   We don’t want to find ourselves short of food, without a flashlight that works, or without a movie on hand!   And so, we prepare.   We all want to be ready. When I was a teenager there was a popular Christian song entitled, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.”   The song, written in the past tense, described the coming of Jesus at the end of time, in what we call “the rapture.”   It spoke about the difficult...

If you’ve ever driven a new car off the lot, you know that with the car, the dealer gives to you a maintenance schedule. And we all know that, if we begin to neglect our cars they very quickly begin to deteriorate—sometimes beyond repair! The same is true for our physical bodies—they too need regular check-ups, service, and maintenance. That is why your doctor will try to impress on you the importance of returning at least once a year for a full physical and of the importance of eating right, getting enough exercise, and doing all the other things necessary to maintain a healthy body.   This morning, as I sit here at the Toyota dealership waiting for my car to be serviced, I’m reminded of the importance of the regular check-ups, service, and maintenance that we do for our cars as well as for our bodies.   More than that, I’m reminded that the same is needed for our spiritual lives. They too need a regular maintenance schedule. Our spiritual lives as well need regular chec...