Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

A couple of weeks ago I took an afternoon run that began as a 5 mile run but ended up at 7 miles. In truth, when I returned to my house I looked at my GPS watch and saw that I had clocked 6.9 miles. So as most runners can understand, I ran up the block .05 miles and then back to make it an even 7 miles. Blame it on a bit of OCD or pride or whatever you like, but I just couldn’t end my run with an unfinished mile.  I posted my run that day to a running group I belong to on Facebook (for runners age 60+) noting that I had to put in the extra .1 mile to make it a complete 7 miles and I received over 450 reactions and more than 150 comments. All but one person said they would have done the same. I guess I’m in pretty good company when it comes to not wanting to walk away from an unfinished mile—at least among runners! (Kim still can’t understand why I couldn’t leave it at 6.9 miles!)  It makes me wonder, however, how many “unfinished miles” we all live with; how many “unfinished m...

Now that we’ve come through our Easter celebrations, I can’t help but wonder what life was like for Jesus’ first group of followers after Easter—i.e. the day after Jesus’ resurrection. I know what life is like for most of us after Easter Sunday. We go back to work or school. After a day of celebration, we force ourselves to get back into the normal routine of life—albeit a little tired and a still a little full from all the food we’ve eaten. We ask each other, “How was your Easter?” and then go on to talk about the weather or the latest news items. We enjoyed the church services, but now it’s time to get back into the real world of schedules, stocks, and sports. Like the day after any holiday, the day after Easter—and thus, life after Easter—can even seem to be a bit of a letdown.  But I wonder, is that the way it was for Jesus’ first followers the day after they experienced the risen Christ? Did they just get back to the normal routines of their lives? Was it a day of letdown? Did...

Have you ever watched as a line of storm clouds begin to make their way towards you? What might have begun as a bright, sunny day begins to turn a bit darker. The darkness begins to increase, as the storm clouds roll in. Finally, they take over the sky and eventually burst sending down buckets of rain, at times filling the sky with lightning and thunder.  Such was the case with Jesus’ final week—and especially his final day. The week began filled with the brightness of worship and praise, the hailing of Jesus as Messiah and King. Throughout the week, however, the sky was changing. By Thursday evening, it had become obviously darker. By Friday afternoon the storm clouds had rolled in, in full force—Jesus was being whipped, forced to carry his cross up Golgatha’s hill, and finally nailed to that cross. A deep darkness filled the earth. Then, like lightning and thunder filling the sky, Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” And he died.  It's hard for us from our perspective to under...

We all have our morning routines. That is, we all have an order in which we, once we get out of bed, do the things we need to do to get ready for the day and out of the house. And many of us can be very, very regular about our morning routines, allowing nothing to get in the way of our routine.  Mine goes something like this: get out of bed, take a shower, brush my hair, shave (and the shaving cream, post-shave balm, and razor need to be put in a certain order on the sink), get dressed, make the bed, make the coffee, walk the dog, feed the dog, eat breakfast, read my Bible and devotional book, pray, brush my teeth, put my gym bag together, gather my stuff, and leave for the office. I think I’m tired just thinking about my morning routine! Of course, there are days when the routine gets mixed up a little bit. For example, if I’m going to go to the gym or take a run in the morning, I’ll save my shower and shaving for afterwards—or maybe even eat breakfast once I get back. I’ve learne...

Many of us saw the sad news this past week how, Monday night Fountain of Life Center in Burlington, NJ, one of our Assemblies of God churches, was completely destroyed by a huge fire. This is a church that has used their sanctuary (which seated 1800) and facilities not only for their own usage, but as a great blessing to our district and to the surrounding community. Thankfully, the church’s school and athletic building were saved from destruction. But the sanctuary and church facility was completely burned to the ground.  As sad as I feel about what took place, I can only imagine the grief of the pastor, staff, and congregation as they look at their precious place of worship now in ruins. The task before them is tremendous: trying to figure out where to hold worship services, working through all the details with the insurance company, overseeing the cleanup, and eventually figuring out how to rebuild. It’s a daunting task for any congregation, but especially for one with a buildin...

Being March 17, today is widely known as Saint Patrick’s Day. For many it is a day to celebrate Irish heritage, attend parades, eat corn beef and cabbage, and drink beer. The day is decorated with four-leaf clovers and green is everywhere (even in our bagels!).  And for the most part, the real Saint Patrick and the reason for a day to honor him has been lost. Yet, he must not be forgotten. So, here are some facts regarding Saint Patrick.  1. Saint Patrick was one of the first great                   missionaries who brought the gospel beyond the boundaries of Roman civilization—in this case, to the people of Ireland.  2. Saint Patrick did not require the native Irish to surrender their belief in the supernatural beings of the Druids, but to see them in a new light—as they really were: demons. 3. Saint Patrick believed that the power he brought through the gospel was stronger than the power of    Druid...

Earlier this week, for the first time ever, I went to the rock climbing gym without anyone else. Without a friend to belay me (i.e., hold and manage the ropes while I climbed), I had to strictly use the auto-belay devices the gym has in place. These are devices into which the climber hooks their harness, that then manage the rope as the climber scales the wall. At the end of the climb, he or she lets go of the wall and the auto-belay lowers them to the ground.  The main difference between climbing with the auto-belay vs. having a person belay you is that the auto-belay is completely unforgiving. Let me explain. If one is climbing up the wall and gets a bit tired or slips off the wall, when there is a person managing the ropes below, the climber will most often hang there and can then begin their climb again from that particular spot on the wall. When using the auto-belay, should the climber let go of the wall for any reason, they will automatically be lowered to the ground, thereby...