First Things First

Pastor Tim Howard
January 10, 2009

Like many young children growing up on the east coast, I enjoyed learning and playing the game of baseball. When I hit the ball off that “T” at the ripe old age of 4 and ran directly to second base, however, I should have realized that pro ball was not going to be an option for me. The coaches, players and the people were all shouting the same thing. “You must go to first base first.” It’s a part of the game. It’s the way you play the game. It’s necessary if you are going to win the game. When you don’t go to first - FIRST, you are disqualified and lose.

What is true for the game of baseball is also true for your life. If you don’t put first things first, you will lose. No one wants to be a loser! No one makes plans to end up bankrupt and lose their business, reputation and possessions. Who marries someone with the desire to be divorced? Losing is not fun and losing is not what God intends for those who seek His wisdom. There is a way that leads to death and defeat but God’s way leads to life and victory. The teachings of Jesus help define our priorities and explain the importance of putting first things first. When you do this, you experience fruitfulness, fulfillment and success. If you don’t put first things first, you will be aligning yourself with the losing team.

Take note of what Jesus considered first things.

The First Commandment: Matthew 22:36-38 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

To succeed in life you must make God the first one you turn to in life.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” To succeed in life you must make God’s business your first concern, even above your own.

Matthew 7:4-5 “How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” To succeed in life you must be willing to let God correct your life before you attempt to correct others.

Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” To succeed in life you must make sure your relationships are free from anger, bitterness, resentment, envy, coveting and any damaging attitude.

These “first things,” or core values, are a guiding rule for living successfully with others. They are the bottom line for a victorious spiritual life. God has designed you to be fruitful so I encourage you to put first things first in 2009.

Having A Senior Moment

Pastor Tim Howard
January 24, 2008

It was two o’clock on Saturday afternoon while I was having coffee and enjoying the spring weather. The phone rang and rang but I was too self-absorbed to answer it. I rationalized to myself that whoever was on the phone would call back if it were important. After the ringing stopped, a sigh of relief returned to me but then the ringing began all over again. This time I went to the phone even though I was a bit perturbed, and in the most kind and cordial voice I could muster up under the circumstances I said, “Hello, may I help you?” “Yes, this is the marriage coordinator and the wedding is about to begin. We were wondering where you are since you are the one performing the ceremony?” Instantly a chill went through my entire body. I felt nauseous and began to shake with anxiety. I had forgotten something very, very important to a young couple. Their wedding day! Thankfully I was able to arrive on schedule and the celebration was redeemed and filled with joy. I wish I could attribute that event to having a senior moment but I was only in my thirties. Forgetfulness affects people of all ages.

That incident happened many years ago but I have never forgotten the importance of our memory and what devastating things can happen when we forget. We may be able to laugh at certain things when we reminisce, but memory loss and forgetfulness has a sobering side as well. When people remember less and less as they age, they often become disoriented and make some bad decisions. People can take advantage of them and cause great pain if they choose to do so. I recall a time when my teenage son was mowing a few lawns to earn some extra income. At one home, an elderly gentleman who was battling Alzheimer’s disease paid him $20 as he arrived to begin the work. Half way through the project the man came out and tried to pay him again. When the job was finally finished, he once again asked my son how much he owed.

Stories like this are very sobering. Psalms 106 tells us another sobering story about God’s people when they forgot how good God was to them. They forgot he had rescued and restored them. They forgot his kind deeds and His words of wisdom. They were like the nine lepers in Luke 17 who forgot to give thanks for their healing. This memory loss caused them to stray and drift away from God. They experienced turmoil and great pain just because they didn’t remember.

How can you guard yourself from spiritual forgetfulness? Consider reading the Bible on a daily basis. It will remind you of God’s faithfulness. Develop lasting friendships because you might need someone to call you on a spring afternoon when you are self-absorbed and forgetful. Gather at one of the many churches throughout Kings County and be reminded of God’s love on a weekly basis.

Here are a few quotes you may want to remember throughout 2009.

Over-night success usually takes about 15 years.

Live beneath your means.

Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.

Take responsibility for every area of your life.

Your attitude is an odor or a fragrance.

The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greener where you water it.

Success is not permanent, and failure is not final.

God is greater than any giant you may face.

God is For Us

by Blake Cromwell

Too often I meet people who doubt that God is on their side. Deep inside is a pocket of sad memories of personal failure or sins for which they have never been able to forgive themselves. They either don’t know or have forgotten that Christ was nailed to the cross so that they can stop constantly nailing themselves for mistakes and sins.

For all who struggle with personal condemnation, please help yourself by reading and re-reading Romans chapter eight in your Bible. This chapter starts with the wonderful proclamation, “Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” and ends with, “nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.”

On the cross Jesus said, “It is finished.” This means the debt for ALL sin was paid in full. Every other world religion is based on what you do to please God, but Christianity is based on what Christ has already done for you.

Towards the end of Romans chapter eight the writer ask the question, “Who would dare even to point a finger?” He is talking about the tendency we all have to feel guilty, condemned and accused even if we believe that Christ forgave our sin. This is because we haven’t dealt with the voice of accusation that is inspired against us.

Our inner critic agrees more with what the evil one says about us than what the Holy One of Israel says about us. Churches, Christians and even family members are too ready to condemn when someone has failed rather than being God’s instrument of acceptance and forgiveness.

Years ago Woody Hayes, the Ohio state football coach, was fired for striking an opposing player on the sidelines during a game. The press had a field day with his firing and really tarred and feathered the former Buckeye. Few people in America could have felt lower than Woody at that time. He not only lost control in a game and did a foolish thing, but he lost his job and the respect of the country.

At the end of that season, a professional athlete’s banquet was held for the top players and coaches in the league. Of course, Tom Landry, the famous coach of the Dallas Cowboys, was invited. Guess who Tom Landry invited as his honored guest? Woody Hayes, the man everyone was being encouraged to hate and criticize. Landry knew that although Hayes had made a mistake, it was not the end of the world.

My hope for everyone in the Kings County is that they could find a Tom Landry to help them in their time of need. Let me assure you that as you place your faith in Christ, He promises to take you as His special guest to a banquet in Heaven. Until that special day comes, why not visit one of the pre-celebration parties being held in the local churches in the Kings County.

Reignite Your Spiritual Flame

by Blake Cromwell

Many who read the next several paragraphs will closely identify with the embarrassing misadventure of Harley Sheffield.

Sheffield, a 32-year-old resident of Redmond, Washington, was one of the 10,000 people selected to help transport the Olympic flame across America to its summer resting place in Atlanta, Georgia. As he rode across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge with the torch nestled in a holder on the back of his bicycle, Sheffield’s rear tire caught an expansion grate on the bridge.

For bicycle travel, the torch rests in a Plexiglas holder over the rear tire. The tire blew out. So did the flame.

Sheffield couldn’t believe it, “The torch,” he later recalled, “had shattered all over the ground.”

According to Alexis Davis, spokeswoman for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, torches have gone out before. “But,” she adds, “the mother flame is kept within yards.” On those occasions, the “sacred” flame, which is kept in a lantern for just such purposes, ignited a replacement torch, and the 15,000-mile trip continued.

Using this story as a modern day parable, I offer a spiritual application for our lives.

Sociologists tell us that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are searching for a spiritual flame that once burned in their lives but has long since “burned out.”

Our story, the life and times of modern America, has become a common one. As children, or teenagers, God and His Church were very large, very real and very important to many of us. All was well as we pedaled across the wide and wondrous bridges of life.

But then there was a bump in the road. We left home to strike out on our own. We went to college, entered the military, or got a job. We got married, had kids. Some did drugs, or involved themselves in countless other distractions.

And some how, in some way, people by the hundreds of thousands began to sense they had been separated from the flame. People who study such things tells us that many of those same people are now searching, looking diligently to again find the fire, that once burned so brightly in their lives.

If that is you, know this. The “Sacred Flame,” the Spirit of Christ has always been close by, ready to reignite and burn brighter in you than ever before.

All of us, at one time have had our lives jolted by unexpected and unwanted bumps in the road. But such moments need not be the end of the journey.

Having said all of that let me take this moment to encourage you with the realization of God’s continuing love for you; and to invite you to His house, His Church this weekend. This is a great weekend to reignite your spiritual flame. Come again to feel the warmth and see life in the brightness of His Flame. It will be a great day for you and all the churches in the Kings County.

Healing the Past

by Blake Cromwell

Recently I finished a series of teachings about God’s desire to heal us from the wounds of the past. My premise was that we all carry around memories that rob us of joy and sour our disposition. People are affected by hurtful memories of ridicule, of severe criticism or of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. These memories cause oppression that drains us of the abundant life that Christ desires for us.

Where do these hurtful memories come from? Many times they come from those nearest to us—our family members, our siblings, and even from our past playgrounds. In a moment of cruelty, someone near to us unleashed an assault of wounding words or physical blows. After pastoring for more then twenty-five years, I have discovered that everyone has hidden emotional wounds and they take longer to heal then physical ones. The good news is that Jesus desires to heal us of all the bruises of yesterday.

For all those who have gone through a war or lived in a home that was a war zone, God says, “I heals the brokenhearted and bandage their wounds.” For those who are brokenhearted over the death of a loved one or over someone walking out, this verse says God wants to heal your heart. Let me share with you four steps God uses to heal our emotional scars.

First, bring your hurts into the light. The worst thing you can do is to shut down, retreat, and rehearse the offense over and over. This mistaken strategy only amplifies the emotional wound and enlarges the problem. Psalms 32:3 says, “When I kept things to myself, I felt weak deep inside me, I moaned all day long.” Constant fatigue can be a sign of an unhealed emotional wound. If you find yourself moaning and sighing throughout your day you might need to deal with suppressed emotional wounds. Find someone you can confide in and begin bringing these hurts into the open. It’s the only way you’ll truly find freedom.

Disappointed

by Blake Cromwell

As Israel left Egypt and headed towards the Promised Land, God led them through the wilderness to teach them to trust Him. He used the wilderness as a training ground to improve the character of His people. In the wilderness, Israel lacked sufficient water, they missed the Egyptians cuisine and they resented their leader. Israel was constantly disappointed and they allowed their disappointments to control their destiny. We can learn a better way.

In life there are three common disappointments. If we can identify these areas early, then perhaps we won’t fall into the trap Israel did. First is disappointment with things. The toys our kids just had to have last Christmas are now stacked in the closet and the kids are on a quest for bigger and better stuff. Things are great, but they break and rust, and if we aren’t careful we will begin to be controlled emotionally by them. Things can enhance our lives but they can never totally satisfy.

Second is disappointment with events. Reservations are lost, jets delayed, hotel rooms are smaller than we expected and the kids are bored with the selection of TV stations. Most of us need a vacation after the vacation. We plan a date with the wife and the babysitter cancels at the last minute and leaves us at home disappointed. Events have a way of falling apart, and if we aren’t careful we become frustrated and bitter because “it just never works out.”

Third is disappointment with people. People let us down, they cop out, they don’t follow through and then they criticize us for not being more understanding. You loan out money or a lawn mower and never see it or the person again. People just have a way of falling short of our expectations. The trick is not to let our disappointment make us cynical, for then we will forever be caught in a vicious cycle.

These common disappointments test our reactions, our attitudes, our faith and our character. Like Israel whom God lead into the wilderness where they faced disappointments, we too face daily disappointment that test our character. The question is do we see God in the common disappointments of life or do we just become frustrated and anxious?

Israel’s response to a lack of water or a delay in the journey was to gripe, grumble and criticize. That kind of response is called immaturity. One minute Moses is their hero, the next minute he is a zero. Israel reminds me of children who quickly forget the labor and love of a parent. Did you know the average homemaker prepares 30,000 meals and makes 40,000 beds in a lifetime? Have you ever taken this for granted? I know I have.

Our life is not meant to be controlled by “things, events and people.” Life is a gift we have from God. In life, we make the choice to be happy or miserable. God gives us a free will to embrace what we will face today with either excitement or dread. What we do with things, events, and people is up to us. If we choose to make the best of them, we will begin to develop the character that God is looking for in each of us.

Today don’t be fooled by disappointments, rather look at them as opportunities to develop good character. All of life is a decision. What choice will you make today?

Touch of Heaven

by Blake Cromwell

The Elephant Man is a film based on the true story of John Merrick. If you have seen the movie you know why John Hurt was nominated for an Academy Award for his part in playing the disfigured on the outside but beautiful on the inside, Merrick. You see, John was afflicted by a rare disease that caused tumors to grow all over his body.

Throughout the movie Merrick is tormented by his fellow human beings. We watch as he travels as the main attraction in a circus freak show. The film’s director shows us life through the eyes of Merrick. Women and children scream in horror at his grossly deformed body. Others laugh and mock him as if he is beyond feeling.

Doctor Frederick Treves is introduced to John Merrick and begins to uncover the hurting man trapped in this terrible cycle of abuse. The intervention of the doctor is a touch of heaven in a man’s personal hell. A permanent home in a London Hospital is provided for John. The Doctor and his friends begin to pour into Merrick the gift of unconditional love and a transformation begins before their very eyes.

The Elephant Man is a tremendous film, yet it is difficult to watch. Each time I watch it I am moved emotionally and I cannot help but reflect at this modern day parable. It is a parable about how we should reach out to the scores of John Merricks that are all around us who are scarred emotionally and relationally. My passion as a Christian is that we all would help others discover that everyone has personal dignity and purpose in the person of Christ.

I want to commend those churches in the Kings County that are opening their doors to meet the practical needs of people in our community. These churches view their services as places that people can find shelter from the rejection and disdain of others. Churches that are bonded together not by common race or wealth or social status, but bonded together by the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the common goal to help others know Christ.

Thank God for Beans and Rice in the Park that New Beginnings Church provides every week. Thanks for the Soup Kitchen that is there every day and is provided by the Episcopal Church. Thanks for the tutoring program for students struggling with literacy provided by our friends at the First Presbyterian Church. For the Champions Recovery Program provided by Sue Braz for those overcoming alcohol and drug addiction, and for the numerous programs provided for the needy by Jerry Bloom at the Salvation Army.

Many of these churches and others offer life skill programs: classes for parents, for those in grief, for those struggling with emotional problems, for managing finances, for those going through divorce, for overcoming sexual abuse, and just about any other problem present in our community.

Thank you to the churches in the Kings County who are rising to the challenge to meet the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of our hurting world. All of these (and there are many I am not aware of) are expressions of a touch of heaven to the personal hell many are experiencing today.

If you would like to help provide that touch of heaven in someone’s life, why don’t you volunteer at one of the many programs available in our community.