GuineaField

I really enjoyed my run Monday morning as Hurricane Sandy began to brew.  She brought strong wind and a cold mist across my path.   Forest Park enjoys several miles of running trails through as much a forest as a runner can get around here.   The scene was breathtaking.   The mighty branches of the oaks were swirling around like leaves.   "The trees of the field [were clapping] their hands."   The forest chorus made a large and majestic sound - similar to Niagara , though perhaps on mute.   Twenty four hours later and the beauty of the storm was gone.   Now, scenes of destruction replace the scenes of majesty.   Among them are scenes from Breezy Point.   I was a security guard in this little gated community in Queens while working as a youth pastor several years ago.   Devastating!   Once quiet sandy streets are now blocked with houses and other floating debris.   100 homes burnt to the ground.    The...

This verse (Psalm 119:91) is so encouraging to me. Here are two thoughts of application. First, all that comes my way is a servant in the hand of God, and I need not fear His servants (to complete the deduction... therefore I need not fear anything that comes my way). Second, I am privileged as well, to be one of His servants. So I want to be as faithful and trustworthy as possible. All things are His Servant   All that comes my way is His servant. Criticism is His servant. Loosing my keys, a splitting headache, and a whole in my favorite shirt are all His servants. They are sent with His permission to build me in grace and glorify His name. The loss of a child, terminal cancer, loosing a job or career, and being side-swiped by a drunk driver are His servants as well. These too are sent with His permission. These too work His work of grace in my life. If you believe this verse then you can smile at life's storms. They are still rough waves to row through. You still g...

A Theory George Washington married a thee-headed alien. This is a theory gaining some credence in popular academic circles. It was not until much later in North American History that the idea of a Constitution and Declaration of Independence came into being - actually the view popularly held today originated in the late 18 hundreds in higher education. At this time in our nation's history our institutions of higher learning were few. A rewriting was extremely easy. And it was necessary in order to formulate a more workable/believable history. So the facts, sadly, have disappeared from our textbooks. It is true, however, that there was a document signed of great significance in 1776. It was this marriage contract with an extra terrestrial being and a prominent British official - George Washington (Oh yeah, we rewrote that matter with concerning British involvement too). The marriage only lasted 13 years due to incompatibility. Though the earliest records do not give this vie...

EXPLORING THE PROBLEM Church planting is a rush, an adventure, an intoxicating ride.   Church planting is discouraging, a disaster, an uphill climb.   And more often than not it is all of these at the same time!     As I think back on four years of ups and downs of church planting at Grace I've come to wonder if at times I was on the verge of the disorder some psychologist call bipolar.   If I understand correctly, a person with this disorder will go through extreme highs (manic) and extreme lows (depressive).   These two emotional opposites swing back and forth forming a yo yo of personalities and emotions.   Riding the church planting roller coaster can wreak similar emotional havoc.   If you don't even out the emotional ride you will develop two personalities as a church planter and neither extreme are consistent with the 'sober mind' required of a minister of the Gospel.   The bipolar dynamic-some of this cannot be helped. ...

I had the honor of presiding/preaching the Gospel at Etta Brown's Home Going service last week. She was such an encouragement in her faithfulness. "Pastor Tim, if I'm not at church I'm in the hospital." What a great example she is compared with those who miss because their child's friend has a birthday party... "So we'll just have to miss this week." She shared a sweet testimony in fighting dialysis, Parkinson's, and still attended faithfully. Etta was baptized at Bethany Baptist church in 1937! Her sister is still a pillar of that church and I enjoyed getting to know her as well as others in the assembly. According to this sister, it was "the first black church to move uptown." It's growth and stability is due to the Lord's using the efforts of a Dr. William A. Jones for 43 years. He was a Pastor that wanted to be sure to teach the Word academically. There were reflections to his desire to teach his people the w...

Here is a letter of encouragement to Charles Simeon, a young man taking a new and noteworthy post in the Church of England - Trinity Church in Cambridge (1782). He faced unusual and even illegal opposition from the start; opposition which lasted on and off for ten years. At one point the churchwardens locked the church so that the people could not meet for an evening service and were left locked outside. People also locked their pews (church members rented seats annaually and had control of who could sit in them)to voice opposition to Simeon. Unmoved, Simeon made his own seats and filled the aisles with other people. He outlasted and won over the opposition, enjoying 54 years of faithful ministry in this perish. The letter below was written as advice to Simeon from an older and wiser man. John Thornton was a well-respected Christian layman: Dear Sir, I was glad to hear the Books came so timely, and that the Bishop of Ely had sent you the presentation to Trinity Church; may a gra...

Lloyd-Jones on Driscollian Pastoral Deportment At the end of the First World War there was in England a famous clergyman who was known as 'Woodbine Willie'. Why was he called 'Woodbine Willie'? The explanation is that he had been a chaplain in the army and had been a very great success in that capacity. His success he attributed to the fact - and many agreed with him in this - that he mixed with the men in the trenches in a familiar manner. He smoked with them, and in particular he smoked their cheap brand of cigarette known as 'Wild Woodbine' commonly called 'Woodbines'. In pre-1914 days you could buy five such cigarettes for a penny. Now this cheap type of cigarette was not the brand of cigarette that an officer generally smoked, but the ordinary soldier did. So this man, whose name was Studdert-Kennedy, in order to put the men at ease, and in order to facilitate his work as chaplain smoked 'Woodbines', hence the name 'Woodbine Willie...