I’m sorry, but I did miss blogging last week and I don’t intend this to be become a habit, but I guess we’ll see. Right now I’m sitting in my room at Family Camp at Northland in northern Wisconsin in the middle of a week of preaching and teaching. I’m at the end of a travel “spurt”, where I’ve had the opportunity and obligation to do a bit of traveling and preaching. I don’t travel that often or that much, but a couple of times a year I do have some traveling to do, often for the seminary and other times just to help churches. These preaching trips have provided significant blessings to my life personally. Certainly sometimes they are long, hard, and exhausting, with little measurable benefit. However over the years, through these trips I have cultivated a few incredibly precious, significant, and edifying relationships that I treasure. These friendships have provided perspective, encouragement, instruction, refreshment, the “faithful wounds” of a friend, and “iron sharpening iron.” These times away also provide fresh opportunities to read, reflect, plan, dream, and on this trip in particular…get away with my wife.

I think most of us came into summer exhausted. I know I certainly did. However after a week of vacation and a little preaching on the road, I am feeling a bit “revived” and see/feel some wind filling my sails again. It’s good. It’s from God. I’m thankful. So, on Saturday, my wife and I are planning to fly home. Then, the Lord willing, we are planning to worship and fellowship with you on the Lord’s Day as we observe the Lord’s Supper. It will be a bit of a different Sunday as we as citizens of the United States remember the cause and cost of obtaining our political freedom, while giving first place to the cause and cost of the purchase of our spiritual freedom, our redemption through Christ’s greatest sacrifice on His cross. See you there, Lord willing.

In Him,

P. Tim

It seems that while the summer schedule does become a bit more “fluid”, it actually is just a full as the rest of the year. It’s not as predictable, but just as packed full of action. The Lord blessed our family last week with a wonderful week of vacation down in Ocean City. Sixteen of us packed into the house and had a great time together for the whole week. The weather cooperated. All of the grandkids had a great time together. As adults we ate a lot, talked a lot, chased kids, played a bunch of games, spent some time on the board walk, made many new pleasant memories, and otherwise had great fun together.

This next Sunday our teens leave for a missions trip to Thailand. They will be staying and ministering with Jim and Kathy Hayes, our veteran missionaries there. Please remember to pray for them as they go. It’s a trip full of great opportunities, but there has been some political unrest lately. So, I would encourage you to pray. I would also encourage all of our church family to join in or continue on in the 105 project this summer. It has been a great encouragement to hear of so many of you joining us in reading the whole Bible through in 105 days. If you didn’t start with us last week, don’t sweat it…just join in where we are in the schedule and finish the beginning sections you missed at the end…or make them up on the way. There is something transformational about spending extended times reading God’s Word for each individual who does it, but also for our church family as a whole. It isn’t easy, but it’s doable and really worth it.

See you Sunday, Lord willing. Remember it’s Father’s Day!

In Him,

P. Tim

Mark 6:31-32 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

So, that’s the plan! We’re going to get of town for a week to refuel, refresh, rejuvenate, revive, re-whatever! The longest hall of the year in my pastoral life is January till June. It seems to pick up speed, allow little rest, demand more and more, and get fuller and fuller. So, even though I’m not a sea-shore kind of guy, I’ve been aching for our family Ocean City getaway. It’s a fantastic family time. My wife does a wonderful job organizing things. It’s more recreational than restful, but it’s lots of fun…and even though it’s action packed, the early mornings provide some very refreshing quiet times for coffee, the Word, and unhurried conversations with God. So, in case you haven’t picked up on it yet…I’m really looking forward to going.

Just a heads up kind of prayer request…after many years of doctor’s visits, treatments, medications, and delays, Mark Farnham is right now in surgery receiving the gift of a kidney from his brother in law. I spent the morning down at University of Pa. Hospital with their wives and other visitors. A part from normal delays in schedules, things are going very well. This is certainly and undeniably a specific and essential answer to prayer, for which we are all very grateful. Updates on Mark and Tom are being posted regularly on facebook…wherever that is! I have no idea.

Have a great day, a great week in the Lord!

In Him,

P. Tim