Open Doors

by Tim Howard

My first job after graduating from high school – at the age of 19 was working at an Exxon Service Station in Vancouver, British Columbia. My assignment was to pump gas into the vehicle, check the oil and tires – wash the front windows and smile. Those were the days when ‘Gas Stations’ actually gave you service and there was no such thing as ‘Self Serve.’ I had been working with my dad since the 8^th grade but this new job was outside the family and I was a bit fearful to say the least.

I was able to land this position because of a relationship I had with a friend – who in turn had a relationship with the owner. I discovered this old adage to be true: “It’s not what you know but who you know that matters the most.”

Relationships are of key importance if doors and opportunities are to open in any area – especially employment. One can understand the frustration with ‘Job Hunting’ in today’s climate because many times it’s done through filling out a “Resume” and little – if any, personal contact.

Having a relationship with God is key because if you are His friend – He knows everyone. He is able to give you favor and open doors for you.

Revelation chapter 3 – in the Bible, we are told that God speaks to a specific group of people and tells them this: “These are the words of him who is holy and true…What God opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds…. I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut… “

When decisions need to be made in reference to future opportunities – I pray the same prayer that I’ve prayed – hundreds of times – over the past 65 years. “Oh God if this opportunity is right for me then ‘Open the Door’ but if it’s not the correct choice – please ‘Close the Door.”

God can open and close doors. When He chooses to close a door it is for our best! We may be disappointed with His ‘No’ to our request but with hindsight – His wisdom can often be perceived. Some of the greatest blessings for me personally have resulted from Him not allowing me to have what I desire and requested.

Here’s what I have learned: When God closes a door that you wish He would open – He does so because He intends to open a door – you could not imagine would open.

In 2002 God closed doors to a 28-year vocation that was based in Fresno, Ca. My resignation brought many tears and not knowing what was next in my life brought more tears.

I could not have imagined what God would do – two years later.

In January 2004 He opened a door to the city of Hanford that would allow me the privilege of being the Lead Pastor of ‘Koinonia Church.” As a result: The people of Hanford and Kings County have provided my family with tremendous joy over the past 13 years. I’m reminded of a scripture that says: “…Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes with the morning…” My morning came in 2004.

Don’t be discouraged when doors are closed or even slammed in your face. God has plans for opening a door that you can’t imagine. He says to you: 1 Cor. 2:9 “… No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” He has plans for you and they are all good.

Make the Rest of Your Life Different

by Andrew Cromwell

Every day is an opportunity to define the rest of your life. Many of us feel that we have already made mistakes that can never be repaired and that have defined our lives. Sometimes we feel trapped and powerless, stuck in our life and condemned to a future that looks like the past. But this just isn’t true. There are so many examples of people who have been right where you are and have changed. They have changed their outlook and their choices and by doing so, they have also changed their future.

It always starts with one decision and it always starts right now.

How will you live the rest of your life? What will define you next month, next year or ten years from now? Will you be moving and growing or will you stay stuck? 

The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:15, “be careful how you walk, not as unwise…but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”  We are surrounded by plenty of evil.  We are more then familiar with its results. The question is how will we walk in the midst of evil surroundings. Will we be wise or will we be unwise?

Here are a few simple truths that can keep us on the right track and help us live the rest of our life with great success.  I must warn you, these are not easy or feel good truths, but they have the power to transform our life if we allow them. If you want to live a different tomorrow, start these things today and you will see the results.

First, pay up.  Romans 13:8 says, “Let no debt remain outstanding.”  We all know that in America the national pastime has been the acquisition of more and more personal debt in order to pay for things we want but can’t afford.  Now that all that has come back to haunt us, we are once again learning the hard lesson that debt does nothing more than make us a slave to the lender.  This year, make a decision to pay your debts — get out from under that credit card debt, sell the car and dump the car payment and make some wise spending decisions.

Second, build up.  After Romans 13:8 says to let no debt remain outstanding, it says “except the continued debt to love one another.”  There is a debt that we all owe and that we can never repay.  That is, the debt to Jesus Christ for loving us unconditionally and for offering us a way out of our self-imposed exile from Father God.  Because of what Christ did for us, we now have an obligation to love and build up our fellow human beings.  If we can realize that life is not about us but about building other people up, we will discover true success.

Third, we must wake up.  Romans 13:11 says, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber.”  Many of us have fallen asleep spiritually.  We have allowed the things of this world, the pursuit of money and the rat race, the toys and trinkets and all the mind-deadening entertainment escapes to lull us into a spiritual slumber.  It’s time to wake up!  The truth is, God has a plan for your life!  He has great things that He wants to do in and through you, but only if we will stir ourselves out of our stupor and get back on the track of life and light. 

So let me encourage you, start the year out right and make a commitment to get out of debt, live to invest in others and to pursue the things of God.  

In Celebration of Moms!

by Tim Howard

This weekend our nation celebrates all mothers!

Anna Jarvis was the catalyst for this tradition of honoring mothers and because of her persistence – on May 9, 1914 by an act of congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

Even prior to that decision, God gave us the Ten Commandments and the 5th commandment says: “Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long…” Ex. 20:12. It is the only commandment with a promise.

Being a mom is not so easy! One woman said: ‘‘before I was married, I had three theories about raising children. Now, I have three children and no theories.'' Can any of you moms relate to that?

If you want to be a mother you must be able control your emotions when you walk to your child’s room in the darkness of night and step on a bunch of Legos that your little one left in your path. It’s not easy!

If you want to be a mother you will be required to work long hours – give up your personal space – be on call 24/7 – get very few hours of sleep – receive little thanks and enjoy it. It’s not easy!

Someone compared a mother to Moses – A leading figure in the Bible who never entered the land of promise. They said: “Every mother is like Moses. She does not enter the Promised Land. She only prepares a world she will not see”.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the famous French sculptor, gave 20 years of devotion and raised $4 million to complete the Statue of Liberty: For over 130 years this statue has towered above Bedloe Island near the entrance to New York harbor. It’s the great American symbol of freedom. The French nation gave the USA this statue, but finding a model for the sculptor became quite controversial. She had to be a woman whose features could reproduce liberty, freedom, respect, love, and acceptance. He examined dozen of outstanding heroes, but in the end he chose as the model - his own mother.

To the Faithful Mother

You put your child’s need above your own desires. When they call – you are there. You do not allow emotion to lead you because you know that love is a decision. We salute you !

To the Unfaithful Mother

God’s love for you is still available. He still wants to grace you with gifts and give you a new start. He will redesign the future for you and give you a mother’s heart. He will hear your prayers and touch your children. He welcomes you!

To the Grieving Mother

You have experienced great loss. Some have sent a child off to war and heard the news that he or she will not be coming home. Some have tasted the pain of losing a child to sickness, accidents and ultimately death.  We salute you!

To the Working Mother

You are seeking to meet a need. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed and your willingness to provide a quality home is much appreciated. We salute you !

To the single moms – the never married moms – the foster moms – the moms of adoption – the military moms – the grandmothers who fill a void and all other moms – The challenge is great and the road is long but God will meet your needs. You are not alone! We salute you!

This weekend we pause to say: Thank You! We value you! We honor you – We are stronger and better people because of you!

Live Your Story

by Andrew Cromwell

There is a fascinating conversation recorded in the Bible in the last chapter of John between Jesus and Peter. During this encounter, Jesus gives Peter a glimpse into the future. Jesus tells Peter he is going to be persecuted at the end of his life because of his faith. Upon hearing this, Peter was a little shocked. I think his mind began to race a bit and he probably struggled with the question, “Why me?”  

Scripture says that he turned around to his fellow disciple, John, and asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” In other words, “Am I going to be the only one that is going to get mistreated because of following you? John will get his fair share too, right?”

I love Jesus’ response because it is so straightforward. He doesn’t mince words and He doesn’t sugarcoat. Basically he says, and I’m going to paraphrase here, “Peter, that’s none of your business, that is between John and I. The only thing you need to worry about is whether or not you are going to stay true to your convictions and follow me until the end.”

Jesus is telling Peter to live out his story. I think He would tell you and I the same thing today. He would tell us to live out the story that He has designed for us and not worry about anyone else’s.

As humans, we really struggle with that. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. We are always thinking about some other person’s life and asking why we are not more like them, why our life is so much harder than theirs or why God is using them in such wonderful ways when it seems we are forgotten.

But that is their story! That is between them and God. Jesus didn’t say to Peter, “You know, Pete, if you were just more like John....” And that is because Jesus is not interested in Peter being more like John. He is interested in Peter being who He needs to be in and through God’s power.

God is not interested in you being more like someone else. He doesn’t need you to be more like the person you idolize or less like the person you demonize. He needs you to be you, transformed into His image. He made you for a purpose. The Scripture says that you are His masterpiece! 

So live your story and stop wondering about everyone else’s. Be thankful that you don’t have to feel like you are ahead or behind anyone else. God’s timeline is custom designed for you! After all, don’t you realize that the very person you compare yourself to is probably feeling the same way and comparing themselves to someone else?

How You Doing?

by Tim Howard

Ever gone to a store or visit a coffee shop and upon entering you’re asked by one of the employees – ‘How are you doing?’ We all have! Who hasn’t been told by a sales clerk, a personal attendant or some other representative to ‘Have a nice day’ upon leaving – Even if it’s 6 pm and the day is behind us!

Phrases like this are commonplace and are usually asked or spoken with no genuine desire to ascertain the truth. They are just mindless statements full of niceties and pleasantries.

As a disclaimer: I too find myself asking rhetorical questions that don’t require an answer and make statements that aren’t rooted in real concern.

When I do, however, broach the subject of ‘wellbeing’ with a person and ask the question – “ How are you doing’ with sincerity, I’m amazed to hear this phrase more often than ever before, “I’m Tired!”

We live in a decade of tiredness! Speaking with a friend recently – she was describing the challenges of raising a grandchild. I chimed in by saying: “ I can relate!” Having my grandson living with us and being a part of the ongoing process of development can be exhausting. I found myself saying to this person: “ People tell me that children keep you young but mine just keeps me tired.”

Weariness is epidemic! People are worn out, exhausted, fatigued, dog-tired, frazzled and too often live on the edge of burnout. In view of this, it may be helpful to know that weariness is not a product of Hard Work.

Working too hard does not create weariness – Working too hard on the things that don’t really matter – causes this condition. Solomon in his book; Ecclesiastes said: When you give yourself to things ‘Under the Sun’ – things that don’t last, the things that are temporal and fleeting without any connection to those things ‘Above the Sun’ – You will experience weariness!

That may be the rationale that prompted The Apostle Paul to gives this admonition: Col. 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Jesus even said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest… “

The real answer to weariness is found when you connect the temporal to the eternal – the things that are ‘Above!’  The things that produce lasting ramifications and are eternal because they are connected to Jesus – who is eternal.

When this happens – our life ‘Under the Sun’ is redefined by those things ‘Above the Sun.’ Meaning, purpose, hope, joy and strength begin to dispel and replace weariness and fatigue. Our lives receive a resurrection of sorts!

So… How are you doing? Seriously!

Are you focused on things under the sun? Is life all about ‘now’ and just trying to survive. Are the earthly things and challenges capturing your full attention? Have you lost sight of the ‘Big Picture?  Maybe a glance upward will restore a better perspective. Maybe a focus on things ‘Above the Sun’ and ‘In the Son’ will make a positive change. It sure has for my house and me – I know it can for you as well … Josh 24:15

Calling You Out

by Andrew Cromwell

Have you ever been called out? If you have, you know that sinking feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach as your name rings in the air and all eyes turn to you to see what your response will be. On June 12, 1987, then President Ronald Reagan called out Soviet Premier Gorbachev in a very public way when he demanded, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” The eyes of the entire world turned to Gorbachev to see what he would do, would he follow through with his promises of peace and openness?

Being called out demands a response. As I read through the pages of Scripture, I see a constant theme there of one person calling out another. Jesus had a way of doing this that was incredibly powerful. He would through down the gauntlet and wait to see how people would respond. He never picked a fight and He was rarely insulting. He didn’t do it just to get a rise out of people. He called people out because He knew they were capable of something more.

There are three ways that Jesus called people out in the Bible and, I believe, He calls you and I out in the same way today. These three “call outs” demand a response. He doesn’t do all three at once but progressively calls people to a higher level of commitment.

The first way is that He calls out for people to step toward Him. Jesus declared, “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” This is the first and most important decision we must all make when it comes to Jesus Christ. Either we see Him as the source of living water or we don’t. This first step is a step of response. Jesus comes to each and every man and woman and child and makes the offer. We don’t have to do anything to receive the invitation, but we do have to decide what to do with the invitation.

This first step is also often the most difficult step. Getting started generally is. Richard Evans said, “the tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” There are so many things we need to do in life, but the problem is that we have to begin. If you want to go to the gym tomorrow morning, it means that you’re going to have to get out of bed when the alarm goes off. But it is so much easier to hit the snooze button!

There are many reasons people don’t respond to Christ — past hurt, false expectations, fear — whatever the reason is, it must be overcome if you want to begin on the road of relationship with Him.

At almost the exact instant that a person responds to Christ, He makes a second “call out.” This second step is to step away from other things. Even as we step towards Christ, He demands that we step away. He said, “if anyone comes after me, he must deny himself and take up his Cross daily.”

This is a step of separation. Jesus Christ is a separator. He separates our calendar into two and He separates His followers from the crowd. To follow Christ is to be different. It means declaring allegiance to the Kingdom of God and renouncing citizenship to the Kingdom of this World. There is a different lifestyle that is required. If Christ-followers aren’t different, then they aren’t really Christ-followers.

The final call out demands a continual response. When Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water, Peter called out and asked if he could join Jesus. Jesus’ response was, “Come.” In that moment, Peter had a decision to make. Would he step out on the water and risk sinking or would he stay seated in the boat. He was the only one of the twelve in the boat that stepped out, and he was also the only one who walked on the water.

Christ is always saying, “Come.” He says, “come closer, don’t be satisfied with where you are at because there is more.” There is always more with Jesus and He always demands more. Following Christ is a journey, not just one step. And is is always encouraging us to take another.

What is the one step you need to take today towards Christ?

Surprise Endings!

by Tim Howard

I can’t remember the first movie I ever saw on the big screen but I do recall the kind of movie I enjoyed as a kid. There had to be lots of action, a lot of suspense and a superhero was indispensable. You know the kind I mean! The ones when everything looks hopeless – evil is winning – darkness is setting in and the end is surely near!

Then out of the blue, a superhero appears! Maybe it’s Iron Man, Super Girl, Spiderman or Superman – But they show up just in the nick of time to defeat the opposing forces and free the people. I loved that kind of movie because they always have a surprise ending and conclude on a positive note. I like the stories that have a:  ‘They lived happily after’ ending!

I’ve been reading some of the great stories in the Bible that have surprise ending. The author of a New Testament book called Hebrews, documents a few of those stories in Chapter 11. 

He says: By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.         

     

By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. As a result: He became one of the greatest leaders of all time.

Consider Abraham’s wife – Sarah. She gave birth to a son at 90 years old – Surprise!”         

Jonah should have been dead after being in the whale for three days but God turned everything around. What are the chances of a teenager named David surviving a fight with a well-seasoned warrior, who happened to be gigantic – His name was Goliath? Take Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den – The three Hebrew boys who were put into the furnace – Gideon who fought thousands of warriors with only 300 men or Jesus who was crucified and put in a grave! All of these mentioned – had a surprise ending!

The Apostle Paul paints a picture of a bright future for all those who put their trust in God. He assures believers that they may be knocked down but they will not be knocked out. They may be persecuted but they will not be forsaken. They will overcome the obstacles they confront and the current difficulties of life. As they go through the valley and shadow of death they need not fear any evil because a Surprise Ending is waiting!

Even though superheroes and Santa Claus don’t really exist, there is a Savior who is willing and able to turn your life around.  Jesus is more than a superhero – He is supernatural!

When He comes upon the wreckage of our lives, in the natural realm, things are altered.  It doesn’t matter how broken, bruised or devastated you are – you don’t need to give ‘up’ but you do need to give ‘in’ to Him by yielding to His directives.

Your future doesn’t need to be bleak because Jesus has a Surprise Ending in store for those who call out to Him.