So, Sarah is here and everyone is doing well! Naomi is very motherly, and loves to spend every waking moment with Sarah. Rachel, on the other hand, is content to play by herself when Naomi is “taking care” of Sarah. Rachel always said that when baby Sarah comes, she wanted to name her “Sweetheart.” Too funny. Anyway, when Audra was in labor, a thought came to me that I admit is a little weird, but I think it’s a good analogy. This Bible passage came to mind: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” His disciples replied, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus answered, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” I was watching Audra in labor, and thinking in my head…”this baby won’t be able to come out…there’s just no way!” (Sarah obviously did come, and she was 9 lbs. 7 oz.!) As I was thinking about that verse, I adapted it for the moment: “I tell you the truth it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a baby to be born.” “Then who can be born?” “With man this is impossible, but with women, all things are possible.” OK, I told you this was weird. But when you look at both quotes, they really are the same. After all, Jesus said to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must be BORN again. I was reflecting on the mission we have before us in the churches of Ault and Nunn, and considering how our situation is similar to a woman in labor. It’s a lot of hard work to have a baby, and oftentimes, you just don’t want to push any longer. There are times when you feel like the baby will never come out. But we must have faith in God and believe that with him, all things are possible. It may seem impossible for that friend or family member to be born again. The circumstances may seem insurmountable. But hey, if God makes it possible for Sarah...

It’s funny how the times in your life when you have the most going on, which means you have so much to write about–you have no time to blog about it. That’s how the past month has been. But here I am, back again, ready to continue my blog. The recurring thought that has been going on in my mind this past month is how grateful I am to so many friends who helped us move. There were so many good friends in Alabama who helped us pack, load the truck and send us on our way. I miss you all dearly. So many people sacrificed their time to help us, and we had no way to repay them, because we’re no longer there. And then when we arrived in Colorado, everyone here has been so helpful as well. We arrived to a newly renovated home, and many people helped us unload the truck (in less than 2 hours!). Basically, we feel like everyone has given so generously to us during this time, and we have had no way of paying it back. It’s a very humbling experience. I just wanted to say thank you to so many friends and family members who have gone totally out of their way to help us. It has not gone unappreciated. Those of you in Alabama, we miss you and really hope that you are already making plans to come visit. Seriously! Sarah Joy hasn’t arrived yet. We are expecting her any day now. When the big day happens, you’ll see pics here! Speaking of pics, I am uploading some more pics from Colorado on my blog. They will be listed under the “Family Photos” link on the top menu of this blog. Lastly, I wanted to let everyone know that I am experimenting with my sermon preparation as a new pastor. I have decided (at least for the time being) to write an original song that goes with the sermon I’m preaching. I’m doing this to help me focus my sermons and allow God to speak to me as I prepare them. I’m not using them in the worship service–they are meant to be useful for my sermon prep time. I’ve...

If you’ve asked that question, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I often ask myself that question, too. You see, I’ve always believed the Gospel, and I’ve always taught it, too. I’ve always felt it’s the most important issue in all of life. But something has changed recently. I can’t stop thinking about it, talking about it, appreciating it, longing for more of it. What has happened exactly? I think part of the reason is that I hadn’t heard it expounded on for such a long time. The things that I’ve written in my blog on the Gospel–those things haven’t been taught to me for quite some time. Perhaps some of you read my blog, and think–“Well, duh. You’re not saying anything new here, Tim. We all know this about the Gospel and have moved on from this a long time ago. This is milk, not meat” Well for me, it’s new all over again. New in a way that it’s never been like before. This is the closest I’ve ever been to what it must feel like for someone who has lived all their lives as a non-believer, and then 30 years later, they come to faith in Christ for the first time, and what a dramatic change it brings–eyes opened, joy floods, a new mind in Christ, etc. Those aren’t just words or phrases to me right now. Sure, I’ve heard songs that sing about it, and I’ve even expounded on it myself in lessons to the youth when I was the youth pastor–but I’ve recently realized in a new way that everyone needs to have the Gospel preached to them–even ministers like me. I am convinced there is something that happens on a spiritual level (something I can’t quite explain right now) when one chooses to submit oneself to the preaching of the Gospel. But you can’t do that unless it is preached to you and you come literally face-to-face with it. It’s one thing to preach the Gospel to someone else, it’s another thing to have it preached to you and for you to soak it in. This is one of my greatest fears of becoming a pastor–I can’t let myself preach the Gospel week after...

One thing I’ve heard quite a bit is that statistics show that 3 out of 4 new church start-ups in America fail. How can this be? Where did the power of God go? This statistic sounds totally pathetic to me. I’m sure there are several reasons for such a statistic. However, I fear many of those reasons boil down to simply a lack of faith in the power of God. Do we truly realize that we can trust in the same power that created the entire universe, supernaturally healed diseases, parted the Red Sea, and raised Christ from the dead? Did we not start up this church because He called us to do it? Are we not building a church in His name with His power for His glory? That is, if you really do believe God created the universe, supernaturally heals, parted the Red sea, and literally rose Christ from the dead. Do you believe it? Do you believe we have that same Spirit inside of us, and that this same Spirit is at work in the world? Then what can stop us? What is stopping 3 out of 4 churches from carrying out Christ’s mission? Wasn’t Paul convinced that neither height nor depth nor… and didn’t Jesus say that nothing could stop His church–not even the gates of hell? What has happened? Has God suddenly faced the reality that His power, though strong enough for back then, isn’t a match for our modern world? Here’s what I’m afraid that statistic really means: three out of four new church start-ups end up folding because they cannot financially sustain what they think it takes to grow a church. That’s right–it’s all about not having enough money. It’s too bad God doesn’t have enough money to fund His mission. The church had to be marketed and advertised, the pastor had to be paid, a building had to be rented or purchased, utilities had to be paid, and and support staff had to be supported financially as well (i.e. worship leader, youth pastor, etc). So if the church is unable to get enough people to start attending and give so that these financial issues are covered, God won’t be able to...

When people hear someone preaching that humanity is headed for hell unless they repent, most people take offense and say something along the lines of, “God is a God of love, but you are portraying Him to be the very opposite!” The funny thing is, this has always been God’s way of showing that He loves us. Because there is impending doom on the horizon, God clearly spells it out to warn us and encourage us to repent. It is all throughout the Old Testament in the history of Israel. It’s Peter’s first message on the day of Pentecost, the birth of the Church, when the Holy Spirit first came down. Look at the city of Ninevah. Wasn’t this God’s message to its inhabitants as well? That they were going to be destroyed by God! (Which is why God is accused of not being loving.) But what happened? They repented, and God’s deeper will (that all come to repentance) was fulfilled. You see, God really DOES love us, even though we are in serious trouble with Him if we don’t repent. This is why Jonah had run away to begin with–he knew the heart of God–that God would show mercy on repentant sinners. Remember: Jesus is coming back. The first time He came, the message was to repent and follow CHRIST (John the Baptist). It’s no different this time either. And remember this as well: It was the religious teachers who refused to be baptized by John. It was they who refused to believe that John’s message came from God. They also felt that it wasn’t necessary for them or their followers to follow Christ, subsequently. That’s because they thought God was pleased with their efforts at being good people as they followed their religion. These same people today are telling us that people who follow the world’s religions are ok with God because they are trying their best–“so stop judging them!” These religious “leaders “are fools. Why? Not only are they leading themselves away from God, but they are blindly leading many other blind people who look up to them into the same pit. These people take God’s message of repentance and surrender to Christ as a message...

It’s a pretty humiliating feeling. Like you’re no one important. Expendable. Nothing noteworthy about yourself. But I also think it’s the truth. Some people have a special talent, skill, or personality that draws them out of the crowd and into the spotlight. Perhaps they are recognized for their intelligence, a unique talent, or incredible physical attractiveness. I think deep down inside, all of us wish we could become that kind of person. Nobody wants to die a nobody. Even in church circles, we have our celebrities. We elevate people who can speak well or have a musical gift. Or if they can write good books or grow a church. Or if they can somehow move us with their testimony. As I make this move to Colorado, I have to admit, part of me wonders if I’ll just fade into the background and become a “nobody” pastor in the middle of some distant small town, and I will live an insignificant life and drift into the shadows. Yet I’m also thinking that you are blessed if everyone perceives you as a nobody. If nobody perceives you as a somebody. That’s because the Bible teaches that only God is somebody, and we are nobodies. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from Me you can do nothing.” It’s hard for people who are perceived as somebodies to believe Jesus’ words. If you gain recognition in the eyes of others, you start to believe what they believe about you. When I was younger, people in church often complimented me for my musical talents when it came to playing the piano. Pretty soon, I started to feel that it was unnecessarily defining me. I quickly got tired of people telling me how great I was, partly because I felt…Hey, there’s more to me than just a piano player! But more than that, it was always awkward to respond to their compliments. I appreciated their good intentions, but…well, it’s hard to explain. I soon backed off from playing the piano in public for various reasons, and even to this day, a part of me doesn’t like to do it that often. But there’s also a part of me that likes that...

In case you haven’t heard yet, we are moving to Colorado! I have accepted the opportunity to become the pastor of two small rural churches 15 miles east of Fort Collins. Whenever you announce something like this, everyone wants to hear the details. After all, you don’t do something crazy like leave your home and move your family over a thousand miles away from everyone unless something lucrative has turned up. Well, I’m sorry to say, there’s nothing lucrative to share. We are downsizing quite considerably, and we won’t be making any more money either. There are times when I think about what I’m about to do and my mind starts running…If this isn’t God, Tim, this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. And I believe that is a true statement. For several reasons, however, I do strongly believe God is calling us to these two tiny communities in Colorado. Because of all of this, I kinda feel like an expendable pawn in God’s hand. He’s sovereignly choosing where to place us, and it’s not my place to resist. I trust that He knows what He’s doing, and I want to do my all for Him where He places me. If things don’t turn out for my “good,” that shouldn’t factor into the equation. This should be all about what is good for Christ and His kingdom! I am much closer to accepting this than I was six months ago! The position is bi-vocational, and I hope to continue in the legal video business to supplement my income. If that doesn’t work out, I will have to find additional employment elsewhere. In addition, we will be moving a month before our baby is born, which presents several challenges. But I believe this is God, and because of that, I choose to trust God that He will take care of all the questions and concerns we face. I also have some fears about taking on this responsibility. At times, it feels daunting. Beyond the legitimate concerns I have, there are silly ones too, like: What if I have to immerse someone in baptism who weighs three times as much as me?  How do you do that without the power...