Grace House

On Sunday May 22nd, my little church plant went into the heart of downtown Jackson to serve the least of these. This was our second time to go back to a place called Grace House, which is a transitional home for those with HIV/AIDS. Our mission was simple: Just love on people! And we succeeded. We had a cook out, played volleyball and lead them in a time of worship! It was amazing and the Spirit of God was there!

However, I am also a little disturbed. No, not because the residents have made poor choices and now they suffer from an incurable disease, although that is heartbreaking. No, I'm disturbed because the director told me that very few "Christians" will even come to Grace House. "They are afraid," she said. She told me that some of them want to bring food by (I guess this is some ritual to help ease the guilt of not actually loving others) but they will set it on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and then run back to their car, hoping that no one will see them, (or touch them). Sad. Very sad.

I am so glad that our savior doesn't treat us that way. That Jesus doesn't see our sin and our disease (our leprosy) and say, "Well, I'll just pray for them and love them from a far." No, our Jesus loved, touched, healed, laughed, cried, and even partied with wretched sinners!

Church, it is time the church started acting like the church. It's time we quit thinking of ourselves, and just simply love people the way Jesus would. After all, Jesus left the splendor of heaven to became like nothing!

Oh and by the way.....you can't catch AIDS by hugging or shaking hands with someone....Just saying!

Bird Lessons

The other day I was sitting on my back porch working away on my laptop, as I am now, and I learned a valuable lesson about serving "the least of these" by watching a beautiful family of birds.

A few years ago I was given a gift, a little "Alabama" birdhouse (I'm a huge Alabama football fan so this was a cherished gift, even if I don't like birds). I proudly hung this birdhouse out on my back porch for decoration, never once entertaining the thought that a family of birds might actually take up residence there (I know...I'm a little slow).

Anyway, as I was typing away on whatever important task I was on at the moment, I couldn't help but notice that a bird kept nervously flying back and forth above my head. Finally, it found the courage to land on the post outside of the birdhouse resting just inches from where I was sitting. Once it landed, I could hear a chorus of baby birds begin screaming for their breakfast. For a man who isn't a huge animal enthusiast (although, I do love my dog), I was suddenly fascinated by this mother bird caring for her three little baby birds. I watched for over an hour as this mother would fly away looking for a piece of breakfast to bring back to her babies. She must have done this 50 times! And each time she would land on that little post in front of the hole of the birdhouse I could see the babies all open their beaks wide just waiting with anticipation for whatever delight mother would bring back. Each time she landed they would get so excited and be begin screaming for more. Momma would feed one of them and then fly off the get more breakfast for another baby, seeming to never tire in this process.

As I watched this mother care for her birds, I wandered if we really care enough to feed those who are hungry both physically and spiritually, as this mother bird cares for her babes. Take a look around you and you will see many who are screaming with their mouths wide open saying, "Notice me..., I'm hungry, I'm hurting, I'm wounded, I'm desperate." This mother bird never stopped feeding her babies. I'm sure she tired at times, but she understood that her number one responsibility was to care for her young; who are weak, immature, poor, and not yet ready to fend for themselves. This is what Jesus has called us to. This is our responsibility. This is ministry. Simple ministry. Yes, it is hard and tiring at times and many will never appreciate what we do. But we have to continue to love, feed and care for the least of these. After all, this is what being a Christ-follower is all about!

Let's learn from this beautiful family of birds what it means to care for others!

Oh and by the way, the whole time this mother was feeding her young, the "Father" was perched a few feet away on my kid's swing set watching my every move. Hmm.......

Blessings...Tim

I'm Back!

Hello fellow Bloggers! I am back! It has been about two years since my last post (sorry of the delay). A lot has happened in my life since my last post. And I hope to share some of that with you! I also hope that we can share some things together as we all share life experiences and how we can live life to the fullest, loving God with everything that is within us and serving the least of these! So keep watching for daily or weekly posts! And let me know your thoughts or opinions, no mater what's on you mind.

I'm glad to be back!

Love ya, Pastor Tim

One More Thought

Brennan talks about his battle with alcoholism, and how that disease meant failure with no redeeming aspect whatsoever. Listen to his words after he began to "live out of the center" (meaning his life lived in the center of Christ).

"But living out of the center has taught me that every failure succeeds in some way. It provides the opportunity not only to humble the self but also to be gentle with the failures of others. If your life or mine was an untarnished success story, an unbroken upward spiral toward holiness, we might never come to understand the human heart." - Brennan Manning

Wow! How cool is that? I am thankful for my failures! So that I might be able to better understand my life in Christ. And I will be able to be more gentle with the failure of others.

Lord Jesus, thank you my failures. And may I be a little more like you each day as I live out of the center.

Humbly, Tim

A Truly Close Encounter

"Christianity was no longer simply a moral code but a love affair, the thrill, the excitement, the incredible passionate joy of being loved and falling in love with Jesus Christ." - Brennan Manning, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus

Those were the words of Brennan Manning after a real and life-changing encounter with Jesus. Have you had one? I don't mean do you go to church or do you know who Jesus is? But have you truly encountered him and realize that now you can live life to the fullest. Jesus is not just a set of rules he is life! As the Apostle Paul says over 160 times in his epistles, we should each live our lives "in-Christ". Our emotions are his emotions, our sleep is his sleep, our play time is his play time, our life is his life. Jesus is thrilling, exciting and life-changing. So embrace him and give him your whole life not part of it!

Pastor Tim

Life Is Hard

Life. At times it can be hard, difficult, frustrating, maddening, sad and beautiful. Some call it a mystery. However, it is what it is. And the real question is what are we going to do with this life? We know there will be good times and bad times. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” What comforting words. No matter what cards you are dealt in life, no matter how hard things may get, we can still find peace. We can still take heart, because no matter the situation, the failure, the heartbreak or the pain Jesus has already overcome it. Wow, that is powerful!

Do you know that God really does love you and cares about you? Now, I’m not just saying that because I am a pastor and that is the right thing to say. I say that from experience. I know it to be true because I have felt it and experienced it in my darkest times. When no other human words or touch could suffice, God’s gentle, yet firm arms embraced me and I experienced peace. He cares about what you are facing and what you are going through. And actually he wants the best for your life. John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus says I come to give life and give it to the fullest.

The holy Trinity is vastly aware of the spiritual struggles and temptations we battle on a daily basis. We are at war, no doubt. But through it all we have a God we can trust. One who loves us and even one who can relate to our suffering, abandonment and temptations. My dad has a framed, rather crude, hand written (or scribbled) picture on his office wall from a 5 or 6 year old boy that reads, “Life is hard sometimes dad, but when you’re around it’s not.” You see, I gave that to my dad some 30 years ago. I wrote it from my heart one day and simple told him how I felt. Already at age 5 or 6, I understood there to be disappointment and hurt in the world, but I know that my father was there to see me through many of the bruises, cuts, tears, heartbreaks and disappointments that life had to offer (and he still does by the way). And of course, the same is true of our heavenly Father. Life is hard, real hard sometimes, but when He is around (which is all of the time), He is there to love us, shepherd us, discipline us and care for us. We just need to stop and take the time to tell him how thankful we are and that we loved. Who knows, He might even hang it on His heavenly wall!

Blessings,

Pastor Tim

A Brief Discussion on Evangelism

The other day a good friend of mine and I were having a healthy discussion on the nature of evangelism. The discussion focused primarily on this question: Has the face of evangelism changed over the past few generations or is it still the same? I’m not talking about the mandate from Scripture to share our faith, nor am I suggesting that Jesus has changed, for he is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). However, I do wonder if our approach to evangelism changes within the context of the ministry in which we are doing. My friend and I had two very different points of views, which of course is okay, yet, I know one day he will eventually see things my way. I’m joking of course, but it was a great conversation and I felt we needed to blog about it.
First off what is evangelism? Does it mean we go out and try to find some person that we can convert to Christianity so we can mark off another name on the chalkboard or does it mean we try to show people the Love of Christ and how he wants them to live? In Matthew 28:19 Jesus told his disciples this: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Almost all Christians refer to this verse as the Great Commission, recognizing what we as believers are called to do. But read it carefully. What does it say we are to do? Nowhere in there does it say to “save” someone. Rather, it says to “make disciples”. As I began to study this Scripture I realized that my perspective on evangelism was all wrong. If our calling is to make disciples rather than converts then our approach has to be different than just knocking on someone’s door and asking, “Hey if you died tonight where do you think you would go? Would you go to heaven or would you burn in the eternal pits of hell?” Okay, okay, some of you might be saying that is a bit dramatic. But is it? How does it sound to those unbelieving strangers whose home we have just invaded? If we are going to truly live out the Gospel mandate to make disciples then I believe it must happen in the context of relationships.
Relationships are everything. As a matter of fact the two greatest commandments have to do with relationships. We are told to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love others (Mark 12:28-31). Everything boils down to relationships. Love God and love others, this formula is quite simple actually.
As I look at Jesus in the New Testament, I see Jesus involved in peoples’ lives building relationships in order to minister to them and turn them into disciples. Jesus did it with the woman at the well first, by building a relationship with this woman of another ethnic group and secondly, by having a meaningful conversation with her. This was unheard of in that day, yet Jesus set a divine appointment to share truth with her. And he used water, which the woman was after, as common ground to initiate the conversation. Jesus did get to the point of acknowledging her sin put not until he first built a relationship with her (John 4:1-42). I also find this true with the story of Zacchaeus, the most notorious sinner in all of Jericho (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus finds him and tells him that he is going to hang out at his house (or crib - for the MTV generation) for awhile. Later Jesus proclaims that salvation has come to this house because of the life change that has taken place in Zacchaeus. And there are numerous other Scriptures that tell of Jesus hanging out with liars, cheaters and other sinners, building relationships with them and making disciples.
I realize that there is no “one way “to do evangelism. Each person has their own personal style. My friend that I mentioned earlier feels that it is best to just approach anyone and bring up their spiritual walk immediately, kind of like, “Hey do you know Jesus and if not do you want to”? On the other hand, I feel it is best to build a relationship first and ease into the conversation about Jesus. My friend commented on the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19 that came to Jesus and asked him what he needed in order to have eternal life. Jesus told him to obey the commandments and then sell everything and follow me. The rich young man went away sad because he loved his wealth. My friend argued that there was no time for a relationship there, Jesus simply gave him the plan of salvation and the man went on his way. True, but the difference between this story and the two I mentioned is that this man approached Jesus with a direct question. With Zacchaeus and the woman at the well Jesus went to them. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are times when you know “now” is the time to ask about their spiritual well-being, and there are times when you realize that “now” is not a good time.
The point is this; if you are a believer then you are called to share your story. You don’t need a specific game plan or the four spiritual laws memorized. Simply, know where you were before Christ, where you are now because of Christ, and where you are going because of Christ, and then tell someone. The one thing my friend and I do agree on is that it is essential that we share our faith with an unbelieving world. Figure out your style, and then go and make disciples for Jesus!

Any thoughts, comments or questions you have please blog them.

Blessings – Pastor Tim

One final note: A special thank you to my “friend” in this story. If it was not for him I would not even have this blog. He set it all up for me because I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to computers. Thanks friend and keep on sharing your faith!