Tim Harlow

Faith to Move a Mountain - Or a Cloud

The end of vacation. Normally, I’m ready to get back, even if it’s just a few days (like this one).

But I’m really not ready to leave. I like it down here in the Keys and I like hanging with my family and not other interruptions. I haven’t really unplugged, and I haven’t read like I wanted to, but the family time was priority and it was stellar. We got to Snuba (like Scuba but no certification).

We saw barracuda (du, du na, na – du na na, du na na, du na na, du na na, du na na, du na na, du naaa – waaah, waaaaah – now the song is in your head. If it’s not, you're too young or too old) and a nurse shark and lots of cool fish and lobster. The Keys is an amazing area for wildlife. And we got to eat a lot of seafood. You know it’s been a good week for my wife when she says she wants to go to IHOP for dinner on the last night so she can get something besides seafood.

Mostly – we hung out and had fun. No TV, not too much email or interruptions, no sermon to prepare for (thanks to Bill) – just the family. My wife with a mystery novel and sun tan lotion. The girls laughing together and being goofy. And the best Key Lime Pie you could ever imagine (we just finished one off).

I rented a small catamaran today and took the girls sailing. There wasn’t a lot of wind, but it was great to be out there with just them.

Speaking of a lot of wind – thanks be to God for answering prayers about the weather. Early in the week the forecast every day was for rain, most days over 60% chance. But we seriously prayed about the weather because we really needed some good family time. When we went snorkeling the people said it was the clearest water they’ve have in 3 weeks. It’s been hot. The sign on Walgreens said 106 the other day, but the weather has been great.

Do you think God cares about the weather? I mean, my praying for less rain contradicts someone out there who is praying for more rain (theoretically – I don’t think they farm around here). So how does it work?

Me and the Kids

So I’m on vacation this week down in the Keys. You can get a glimpse at this link: http://www.fla-keys.com/marathon/

It’s crazy timing. I was home from Ecuador less than 24 hours and hit another plane back down to where I just flew through the day before. But this was the only week our schedule and the girls schedule could work together. Next week I have a convention in Kansas City that I’m teaching at as a part of the organization. So we’re literally cramming vacation in this week.

Family is the priority to me, no matter what else I end up being called by God to do. I’m first a husband and father. So if we have to make a crazy schedule to make it happen, IT WILL STILL HAPPEN!

The problem with the schedule is really more about the girls and their mission’s trips all throughout July. And we still left Rachel home. She’s interning with the church worship department this summer and needs to stay on task.

But we are here, and here is a pic out the back door looking out into the gulf. Some friends are letting us stay here and it’s quite a bit nicer than the Motel 6.

My story for the day came from the airplane.

We were on the Southwest plane in group A, thanks to a wonderful administrative assistant who pays attention to making it happen.

So if you get to come in first, you can pick your seats. I’m not one of those guys who gets there early so I can be first on, but I like being in group A, so I’m at least not in the middle.

My wife wanted to sleep so I was going to put her by the window and the seats in the exit row were still open on one side, (the premium seat with a window and no seat in front of you.) So I put her there and was going to sit next to her, and have the girls sit behind us so they could spread out.

Then the flight attendant asked me a very interesting question. She said, “Sir, are those your daughters behind you?” “Yes.” “Can you assure me that in the event of an emergency – your first priority will not be for your children?”

Ecuador...leaving but never forgetting

I just had one of the most emotional experiences of my life this morning. There are some days that you will never forget, one way or another. The unforgettable picture of my beautiful wife as she came around the corner with her father on our wedding day; the birth of each child; special things my children have done in public that I have witnessed; their baptisms; the first time preaching in each of our new buildings. All of those special memories will never go away.

The experiences I have had on other continents in the past year have also been burned into my subconscious. The images from the slums of Nigeria will also never go away (nor the smell). Today, I had another one. I’m taking these pictures with tears in my eyes as we are welcomed into this little village (30 minutes north of the Equator.

What really strikes me is the fact that this is a village of people who are on the upside of poverty. They are creating commerce; they have a thriving church; they have hope and joy. All because Compassion has been there for 20 years now.

It gives me hope that we will see that in Africa in 20 years. It has been awesome to see God at work. It’s been awesome to see the tremendous organization of Compassion that helps 800,000 kids around the world. But honestly, the best thing has been the mentorship of one of the greatest Christian leaders I’ve ever met. Wess Stafford is like a cross between Mr. Rogers and Donald Trump. Loving and a tremendous leader. We call him JJ, (which stands for Jesus Junior.)

(Here’s our group with Wess Stafford at the Equator – it’s weird because it’s cold there and you can see snow on the mountains)

I want to be like him when I grow up.

Blessings from South America,

Tim

PS: I ate Guinea Pig today.
Tastes like chicken

Compassion in Ecuador...

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write sooner…We flew to Ecuador on Monday and we’ve been running so hard ever since.

I’m in a plane now flying between the cities of Guayaquil and Quito. The flight is 35 minutes but the drive would be 8 hours and we would have to go through an area that is ripe for crime.

We spent the first day and a half visiting Compassion projects in Guayaquil. It’s been fantastic to see the sponsorships in action.

And I’m here with the President of Compassion and 7 other pastors. The combined attendance of the 7 churches is over 30,000 people a weekend.

I can’t imagine the impact this week will have on the kingdom.

Compassion has three levels of sponsorships. One level is where you can go into a village and set up a child protection program for a village. It’s for the mothers who are expecting children and to help them as the children grow until age 3. I spent the afternoon yesterday in the home of a single mom in a slum area who was raising a little three year old boy named Michael.

He is a beautiful child. The program is fantastic, each mother gets a visit every week from their counselor who works with both of them and checks the child’s progress.

The Child Sponsorship program is the one that most people know. Compassion has 800,000 kids and a $341 million dollar budget this year.

Then they have started a Leadership Development Program that is basically a way to take the sharpest kids and pay for their college (it’s $300 a month).

I was in the home of one of the girls today who is the same age as my oldest daughter and reminded me so much of my daughters. Great heart, beautiful, talented, personable, spiritually way beyond her years (okay, I’m slanted in my opinion, but it's true.)

Fathers and such...

"This, then, is how you should pray:" 'Our Father in heaven… ' (Matthew 6:9)

Father’s Day is a tough one. For so many people, “good father” is as much an oxymoron as “good Samaritan” was to the Jews in the story I preached from last week. I know that many people have already lost their fathers and they feel that grief. Many didn’t ever know their fathers. And worse yet, some had a father that they wished they never had.

So when Jesus tells us to pray “Our Father” in heaven, it makes some people squirm.

Of course, he covers it in Matthew 7 when he says,

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

The bottom line for this is that even if you had a good dad, he was sinful. As good a dad as I try to be – I still am evil. I’m not Dr. Evil – but I still lack in a lot of areas.

The bottom line here is that we all need a good father. And we have one. If Father’s Day isn’t something that floats your boat this weekend, maybe you need to change your thinking.

Believing...

Denise (my wife) has been doing a great Bible study by Beth Moore and she always shares her insights with me. This study is about actually believing God.

I know it sounds dumb; we should all be past that, right?

But in my reading this week I read this from the Master:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matt 21:21-22

I can hear you now – “Hold on a minute Pastor! This isn’t one of those kinds of churches, is it?”

I don’t know – is it?

I mean, I understand your question. I hate it that “those kinds of churches” have misrepresented the Bible and made it seem as though God has promised us to have a perfect life here on earth. That’s not true, and it’s not a lack of faith that gives you cancer\financial problems\relational problems or whatever.

But what about it – do you believe God? Do you really think he could cure you from your disease? Really? Your marriage? Really? Your job issue? Seriously? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD IS GOD?

The Children Give Him Strength

I found this interesting nugget in scripture this week…

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise (footnoote says "Or strength.") Psalm 8:2

That’s interesting, isn’t it?  God gets strength from our praise?  Especially the praise of children.

Jesus quoted this Psalm later as he is on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A large crowd-fathers, mothers, and children-line the streets to wave palm branches and shout in excited voices, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21 :9). Jesus is the hero of the day.

But…”When the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw. . . the children shouting in the temple area,. . . they were indignant" (verse 15).

Mad because children were praising Jesus.  Was it the kids, or the target of the praise?  I don’t know, but probably both.

Jesus immediately defended the young ones. He quoted Psalm 8:2: "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise." No doubt he could have added, "Oh, yes, I hear them! And so do the massive hosts of heaven and hell. Nothing pleases God more. If you try to silence them, the stones will cry out."

Give it up, Children.  Wherever you are – don’t make the stones cry out.  And don’t let anyone look down on the children. 

We are going to be talking about the importance of children for a few weeks here, and helping out with the children of the world.

When you realize that God loves the praise of children, and gets some kind of loving “strength” from the children – it should make you realize how upside down God’s view of children is from the rest of the world.

And how important it is for us to have the same priority.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them." Matthew 19:14

Tim