A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Acts 16:22-26
On October 5, 2005 ABC Evening News ran a story about a freak accident. In the Florida everglades a python had swallowed a six foot alligator. They were both found dead and the python’s stomach had exploded. I think that many times we are like that snake- - - our lives, and what we have bitten off, seem like more than we can stomach.
Christians have coped with this challenge since New Testament times by learning to look for God’s will in the priorities we set. A generation ago this practice was called devotions. Christians would ask their brothers and sisters to, “Pray for my inner devotional life to be renewed.” They would also challenge one another on the deepest friendship levels and guard against a fall by continually cultivating a deep inner devotional life. They sought never-ending personal renewal by experiencing spiritual focus, emotional restoration, and affirming that Jesus held first place in their lives. The fathers, mothers, teenagers, business people and singles all held each other accountable for their ever growing capacity to offer praise and thanksgiving as well as study and memorize scripture. Every time they met, they would ask each other, “How does it go with your soul?” Many times the look on the other person’s face was all the response needed (it was the look of the snake who had just swallowed an alligator). Then, they would share, pray together, study the Word and learn- - - then make another stride at living life with the devotion that was needed.
What is the alternative to living without devotion? We will miss the focus and serenity that’s essential to our emotional and spiritual health. The apostle Paul writes about such issues in Philippians- - - and the Philippians believe that he knows what he’s talking about.
I have been privileged to meet a lot of people who have faced more than their fair share of life’s problems. Often they can only handle them one day at a time, but their devotion changes everyone who’s privileged to observe them. Yes, many times it’s not only people that swallow more problems than they can handle- - - but sometimes problems swallow people with more faith than any problem can handle. Maybe there’s a little bit of Jonah in all of us.
When Paul was in Philippi he tried to start a church. He and Silas were not only thrown in jail, but they were taken to the hard-core prisoner section- - - the inner dungeon; and if that’s not enough- - - they were then put in stocks. Paul is stuck, he can’t move. In fact, it is surprising that he’s not overwhelmed by claustrophobia! But instead, he and his buddy Silas begin to sing praises and hymns and they don’t give it up- - - they are still singing at midnight! The jailor thought that Paul had been swallowed by the prison, the inner cell, and the stocks- - -wrong! Later the jailer becomes a Christian because he has been transformed by the power of praise in Paul’s life. I pray that all of us practice such a life of devotion this week!
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Being Alone with God: Watch Out!
“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.” Matthew 10:38 (The Message)
Oswald Chambers in “Being Alone with God” points out “it was the twelve disciples who asked him questions and who were puzzled about what was happening.”
It’s in the one-on-one times where we find what we need. “He gets us alone through heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, broken friendships or a new friendship.” Oswald Chambers
It’s when we are all alone in a struggle and no-one else “gets it” no matter how close they are to us; it’s only us that can feel what we feel. But if we seek after God in these times we learn more about His tenderness, caring and willingness to provide (if we let Him) than at any other time. It can’t be explained until it happens―this sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s real. We can’t draw closer until we’re to that place where we are willing to let go of all the stuff that holds us. Things like pre-conceived ideas of what we think our future looks like, relationships that are built on the wrong foundations, the self that has got us into the messes in the first place. It’s those places of self-will and “kingship” of our own lives that doesn’t allow room for God to work. I have heard it said “God only goes where He’s invited. He doesn’t force himself on anyone.” But on invitation- - - watch out! Things will begin to happen and your world will be rocked as re-building takes place. He has a plan for us and it is good, but there may be areas that need dismantling in order to bring good out of it. This is why aloneness with God in so necessary. It is in that time (devotions, quiet time, and Bible study) that He builds up trust with us as He is working so we don’t get discouraged and give up.
The disciples didn’t understand all that was happening, but we have the books and letters written by them about what they learned from it all. They shook the world with what they’d learned and passed it along. Can we expect any less?
Fiona Monaghan
Oswald Chambers in “Being Alone with God” points out “it was the twelve disciples who asked him questions and who were puzzled about what was happening.”
It’s in the one-on-one times where we find what we need. “He gets us alone through heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, broken friendships or a new friendship.” Oswald Chambers
It’s when we are all alone in a struggle and no-one else “gets it” no matter how close they are to us; it’s only us that can feel what we feel. But if we seek after God in these times we learn more about His tenderness, caring and willingness to provide (if we let Him) than at any other time. It can’t be explained until it happens―this sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s real. We can’t draw closer until we’re to that place where we are willing to let go of all the stuff that holds us. Things like pre-conceived ideas of what we think our future looks like, relationships that are built on the wrong foundations, the self that has got us into the messes in the first place. It’s those places of self-will and “kingship” of our own lives that doesn’t allow room for God to work. I have heard it said “God only goes where He’s invited. He doesn’t force himself on anyone.” But on invitation- - - watch out! Things will begin to happen and your world will be rocked as re-building takes place. He has a plan for us and it is good, but there may be areas that need dismantling in order to bring good out of it. This is why aloneness with God in so necessary. It is in that time (devotions, quiet time, and Bible study) that He builds up trust with us as He is working so we don’t get discouraged and give up.
The disciples didn’t understand all that was happening, but we have the books and letters written by them about what they learned from it all. They shook the world with what they’d learned and passed it along. Can we expect any less?
Fiona Monaghan
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The Battle: Bringing Honor to All
If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:26b (TNIV)
On Thursday September 15th, 2011 President, Barak Obama honored the United States Marine Corps and every soldier fighting in the messy war in Afghanistan. He gave the Medal of Honor (the highest honor that our country can give) to a 23 year-old farm boy from Columbia, Kentucky for the worst day of his life (there are only three living recipients of this honor for this war).
When a Marine recruiter first saw Dakota Meyer as a senior he asked him what he planned on doing after high school. Dakota, a big strong boy, told him that he planned on playing college football. The recruiter said, “Good. That’s what I would do if I were you, because I don’t think you have what it takes to make a marine.” Those words haunted Dakota so he enlisted in the marines. He was stationed in the Ganjgal Valley where they were talking to village elders about supporting the Afghanistan government and encouraging them to refuse siding with the Taliban. There were only six marines on this mission. Dakota was asked to stay outside the village and guard the Humvees. Taliban snipers had been positioned in the surrounding mountains and in the village and opened fire on the marines. The gunfire was so thick that it sounded like static. The marines called for support and were denied. The two outside asked to go in to get them and they were denied. So Dakota and his friend, who won the Navy Cross, went in anyway. Dakota was asked if he had thought they would come out alive and he said, “No, but they were our brothers. We just couldn’t leave them there. They would do the same for us.” The press asked Dakota if he deserved the award. He said, “No. I’m not a hero. Those who died are the heroes.” They asked him why he would accept the award and he said, “Because it brings honor to everyone in the Marine Corps.”
Did you know that there are other battles going on in this world? Maybe not with guns, but they are battles for life and eternity. Risk and courage is still displayed; and every act of heroism brings honor to the all those who serve humanity in the name of Jesus Christ. So every time a Sunday school teacher does their best to teach the children who will lead our future- - - it brings honor to all of us. Every time a youth leader sacrifices to spend a couple days with the young people of our church and those young people commit their lives to Christ- - - it brings honor to the whole body of Christ. Every time someone gives a sacrificial financial gift or tithe to keep the church up and running and in the game to make this world a better place- - - it brings honor to all of us. Every missionary we send, every ministry we launch, every act of service that we do reflects on the entire body of Christ. Let’s honor Jesus Christ this week in all that we do.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
On Thursday September 15th, 2011 President, Barak Obama honored the United States Marine Corps and every soldier fighting in the messy war in Afghanistan. He gave the Medal of Honor (the highest honor that our country can give) to a 23 year-old farm boy from Columbia, Kentucky for the worst day of his life (there are only three living recipients of this honor for this war).
When a Marine recruiter first saw Dakota Meyer as a senior he asked him what he planned on doing after high school. Dakota, a big strong boy, told him that he planned on playing college football. The recruiter said, “Good. That’s what I would do if I were you, because I don’t think you have what it takes to make a marine.” Those words haunted Dakota so he enlisted in the marines. He was stationed in the Ganjgal Valley where they were talking to village elders about supporting the Afghanistan government and encouraging them to refuse siding with the Taliban. There were only six marines on this mission. Dakota was asked to stay outside the village and guard the Humvees. Taliban snipers had been positioned in the surrounding mountains and in the village and opened fire on the marines. The gunfire was so thick that it sounded like static. The marines called for support and were denied. The two outside asked to go in to get them and they were denied. So Dakota and his friend, who won the Navy Cross, went in anyway. Dakota was asked if he had thought they would come out alive and he said, “No, but they were our brothers. We just couldn’t leave them there. They would do the same for us.” The press asked Dakota if he deserved the award. He said, “No. I’m not a hero. Those who died are the heroes.” They asked him why he would accept the award and he said, “Because it brings honor to everyone in the Marine Corps.”
Did you know that there are other battles going on in this world? Maybe not with guns, but they are battles for life and eternity. Risk and courage is still displayed; and every act of heroism brings honor to the all those who serve humanity in the name of Jesus Christ. So every time a Sunday school teacher does their best to teach the children who will lead our future- - - it brings honor to all of us. Every time a youth leader sacrifices to spend a couple days with the young people of our church and those young people commit their lives to Christ- - - it brings honor to the whole body of Christ. Every time someone gives a sacrificial financial gift or tithe to keep the church up and running and in the game to make this world a better place- - - it brings honor to all of us. Every missionary we send, every ministry we launch, every act of service that we do reflects on the entire body of Christ. Let’s honor Jesus Christ this week in all that we do.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
Friday, September 9, 2011
We Have a Job to Do
When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and d
id as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Matthew 28:12-15
Conspiracy theories are nothing new in the world. They invented one about Jesus in Matthew 28. (See above verse)
Sometimes conspiracy theories cause great chasms between the generations. That was the way it was in the 1970s, when I was a youth pastor. You can see the differences between my dad, my grandfather, and myself; but we all had something which gave us a deep bond that no one could understand―unless they were radically committed to following Jesus Christ. We were out to change the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not to rule the people with a Christian government, but to change the people one person at a time - because the government just reflects the people. What a uniting force this revolution in Jesus Christ has been through the centuries―different political parties, ethnic groups, economic groups, races all joining together and loving one another―willing to sacrifice their life for the noblest cause in the world.
I read studies that say some believe that September 11th was a conspiracy. I remember talking to some of my friends who were meek, mild-mannered physicians and priests/pastors from New York; and to them those were fighting words. They each had friends and family who died on that terrible day. Today the topic is just as volatile. Many have relatives serving in Afghanistan. There were topics just as difficult to talk about in the years when I was a young pastor, but we knew what was important―we had a job to do. In spite of Watergate or the differing views of the Vietnam war, Christians have always been a force of radical love and change- - - doing something rather than giving into the cynicism of anarchy. If ever there has been a time for America to come together it is September 11 ten years later.
Where were you on September 11, 2001? I was at home trying to call my brother who had an appointment in one of the twin towers. I called families in the church whose had loved ones flying Jets out of east coast cities to see if they had been hijacked. I was in shock that this could happen on American soil. I was also dismayed as some other nations cheered in the streets while others rallied by our side. I think we all prayed a little regardless of our religious ideas.
Last August our financial prospect as a nation was downgraded from Standard to Poor because we could not get along. Now everyone is pointing fingers and I don’t think that’s going to change until the next election is over (if even then), but for Christians there are symptoms and conclusions as well as action plans that run much different than pop-politics. This weekend is a time for us to call our nation to revival, repentance, change, and a new vision of hope. That is what we do if we are more than following Christ, but we are actually in Christ and he is in us.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
id as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Matthew 28:12-15
Conspiracy theories are nothing new in the world. They invented one about Jesus in Matthew 28. (See above verse)
Sometimes conspiracy theories cause great chasms between the generations. That was the way it was in the 1970s, when I was a youth pastor. You can see the differences between my dad, my grandfather, and myself; but we all had something which gave us a deep bond that no one could understand―unless they were radically committed to following Jesus Christ. We were out to change the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not to rule the people with a Christian government, but to change the people one person at a time - because the government just reflects the people. What a uniting force this revolution in Jesus Christ has been through the centuries―different political parties, ethnic groups, economic groups, races all joining together and loving one another―willing to sacrifice their life for the noblest cause in the world.
I read studies that say some believe that September 11th was a conspiracy. I remember talking to some of my friends who were meek, mild-mannered physicians and priests/pastors from New York; and to them those were fighting words. They each had friends and family who died on that terrible day. Today the topic is just as volatile. Many have relatives serving in Afghanistan. There were topics just as difficult to talk about in the years when I was a young pastor, but we knew what was important―we had a job to do. In spite of Watergate or the differing views of the Vietnam war, Christians have always been a force of radical love and change- - - doing something rather than giving into the cynicism of anarchy. If ever there has been a time for America to come together it is September 11 ten years later.
Where were you on September 11, 2001? I was at home trying to call my brother who had an appointment in one of the twin towers. I called families in the church whose had loved ones flying Jets out of east coast cities to see if they had been hijacked. I was in shock that this could happen on American soil. I was also dismayed as some other nations cheered in the streets while others rallied by our side. I think we all prayed a little regardless of our religious ideas.
Last August our financial prospect as a nation was downgraded from Standard to Poor because we could not get along. Now everyone is pointing fingers and I don’t think that’s going to change until the next election is over (if even then), but for Christians there are symptoms and conclusions as well as action plans that run much different than pop-politics. This weekend is a time for us to call our nation to revival, repentance, change, and a new vision of hope. That is what we do if we are more than following Christ, but we are actually in Christ and he is in us.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
Friday, September 2, 2011
"Ministry of Solitude"
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 (NLT)
When I was growing up in the Tri-Cities, it seemed that everyone was always afraid of a nuclear chain reaction at one of the atomic reactors in the Hanford area. They worried that one atomic particle could be transformed by the radiation of another and then transform others to grow at an exponential rate until they were out of control; and there would be a catastrophic nuclear event.
We need such a chain reaction of forgiveness in our community of family and friends. A chain reaction that causes a meltdown of the cold, oppressive wall that is formed by the real hurts and pain resulting from our human imperfections and wrong-doings. I think that lack of forgiveness not only causes families to suffer in loneliness at a distance from the very people they need, but I wonder how many companies are also held back by lack of teamwork- - - which is rooted in real hurts that can only be healed by real forgiveness.
I’m convinced that the message of forgiveness is a universal message in its appeal. The atheist or the secularist knows in their heart of hearts that wrongdoing destroys human relationships and that real forgiveness is necessary. They know this because at some time they have been on the offending side of that equation and their inner hope is that there would be some “medicine” which could repair the damage. They also know this because they have been on the offended side of this universal equation and instinctively they don’t want a watered-down forgiveness that says, “It’s all right to hurt another”- - - they need something deeply transforming that brings atonement for the guilt, pain, and suffering.
The message of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection for our new life, which lasts forever, is one which speaks to every one of our emotional needs.
When I receive communion from an elder after a worship service and the Spirit of God is speaking to my heart―I experience God forgiving my sins- - - I am relieved of my burdens, I am full of trust and hope again, and I love everyone. Yes, everyone! What I had been frustrated and desperate about now unimportant and I praise the Lord. When I take a walk with Jesus, memorize a scripture, spend 30 minutes on my knees soaring in prayer- - - I feel no need to follow one whim or another, but to make a steady course to follow Jesus in my life. Let us not forget the Ministry of Solitude in a world which is overwhelmed by the loudest noise and the quickest fix.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
When I was growing up in the Tri-Cities, it seemed that everyone was always afraid of a nuclear chain reaction at one of the atomic reactors in the Hanford area. They worried that one atomic particle could be transformed by the radiation of another and then transform others to grow at an exponential rate until they were out of control; and there would be a catastrophic nuclear event.
We need such a chain reaction of forgiveness in our community of family and friends. A chain reaction that causes a meltdown of the cold, oppressive wall that is formed by the real hurts and pain resulting from our human imperfections and wrong-doings. I think that lack of forgiveness not only causes families to suffer in loneliness at a distance from the very people they need, but I wonder how many companies are also held back by lack of teamwork- - - which is rooted in real hurts that can only be healed by real forgiveness.
I’m convinced that the message of forgiveness is a universal message in its appeal. The atheist or the secularist knows in their heart of hearts that wrongdoing destroys human relationships and that real forgiveness is necessary. They know this because at some time they have been on the offending side of that equation and their inner hope is that there would be some “medicine” which could repair the damage. They also know this because they have been on the offended side of this universal equation and instinctively they don’t want a watered-down forgiveness that says, “It’s all right to hurt another”- - - they need something deeply transforming that brings atonement for the guilt, pain, and suffering.
The message of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection for our new life, which lasts forever, is one which speaks to every one of our emotional needs.
When I receive communion from an elder after a worship service and the Spirit of God is speaking to my heart―I experience God forgiving my sins- - - I am relieved of my burdens, I am full of trust and hope again, and I love everyone. Yes, everyone! What I had been frustrated and desperate about now unimportant and I praise the Lord. When I take a walk with Jesus, memorize a scripture, spend 30 minutes on my knees soaring in prayer- - - I feel no need to follow one whim or another, but to make a steady course to follow Jesus in my life. Let us not forget the Ministry of Solitude in a world which is overwhelmed by the loudest noise and the quickest fix.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
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