Tim Harlow

stinklings

I just got back from spending a few days with some of my preacher friends in Ohio. We call ourselves the “Stinklings.” The ‘Inklings” was the name of the group of writers many years ago that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien. They had a group that met at a pub and helped each other write. Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings, and so much great writing came not only out of some of the greatest minds of our day, but because they got together and helped each other in the journey.

This group is not a group of great minds and not good enough to be in the same category as thinkers (and we avoid pubs). But we like the idea, so we call ourselves the “Stinklings.” We stink, but we are still leading together and working together. The other three all pastor churches about our size and are my age and we really work well together. We share sermon series ideas and occasionally preach together. But more importantly we’ve committed to walking together through the journey of ministry. I have a lot of guys like that in my life, including my two brothers in law, but the four of us share a lot of similar situations in our life and we have decided that we are going to hold each other to the task of being the best leaders, preachers, husbands, fathers, and sons of God that we can be. I’m better because I’m with them.

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.

The Roadblocks to Faith

I can’t tell you how overwhelming it is to go in and read the roadblocks to faith that people put on the walls.

For those who don’t know, last weekend at the end of the service we gave everyone a post it note with a picture of a roadblock on it and asked them to put their roadblock’s to faith on it and we would pray for them this week.

It’s been so powerful. The responses are so much deeper than I thought they would be. There is a lot of pain and fear on those walls. And they have all been prayed for, many times over. We’re leaving them up for this weekend so that you can know that if you put something up there – it is covered in prayer.

In my devotions this week, I was reminded of a verse that may help

Psalm 53:2-3 2 God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

We Absolutely Have to Make Room!!

 

What a great weekend!! We had 3,443 people in attendance hearing God’s word! If you were in the 11:00 AM service on Sunday, you already know that the place was packed. There were only 3 parking spaces left in the entire lot for that service. That is awesome except for the fact that we saw a number of cars drive the lot trying to find a space. Some left. That kills me since most first-time visitors come to our 11:00 service.

So, this message is to those of you that are long-timers and MEMBERS of Parkview:

MAKE ROOM FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE SEEKING OUT OR RETURNING TO THE FATHER AND GIVE UP YOUR PARKING SPACE AND YOUR SEAT AT THE 11:00 SERVICE!!

Attend Saturday evening or Sunday at 9:00, but please don't come to the 11:00. If have to be here for both services on Sunday because you are serving that is great! Just make sure you get a head start and use the shuttle at the Horton Group on 183rd Street between LaGrange Road and the church.

Do you really want to explain to God why you couldn’t give up your space on Sunday for a new family because it was too hard to attend on Saturday evening or Sunday at 9:00 or because you just didn’t like riding the shuttle? I was going to say, “I know it’s a sacrifice…” But I’m not gonna say that! I’m just not sure that changing service times or riding a bus really falls in the category of “Sacrifice” when it comes to helping people find their way back to God. OK, sermon over. (Besides which, riding the shuttle is actually pretty fun...check it out!)

Also, we want everyone who wrote down their “faith roadblocks” and placed them on the wall to know that the staff, elders, and prayer ministry volunteers will be praying for the concerns all week. God can do incredible things when we bring our junk before Him and ask people to pray for us.

Love you, Tim

Seeing the Miracles

Be sure to watch the video about our “Why” campaign, coming up. We need all of Parkview in with us on it. Check it out on my previous blog article.

It’s back to school time. I’m taking Rachel to Nashville right after services tomorrow. Moving her into an apartment this time, until December, and then she goes to England.

And I was just with someone who’s first kid has gone off to college - and my two High Schoolers are getting ready to start Tuesday, and all of it plays together to make for that bittersweet time of fall. It’s seems that more than any other time of the year, this is the time when parents think about all the life change. “I can’t believe little ???? is going to be in ???? grade.”

It’s a time for reflection in a way; because we’ve been so busy raising them that we have missed some of the miracles along the way.

It’s just funny to me because I ran across the disciples doing the same thing in my quiet time this week.

On-Ramps to Community...

If you were with us last weekend, you know that we're going to be really hitting the idea of community over the next few weeks. I think this little video will give you a pretty good overview of the opportunities Parkview has for you to get connected. So check it out.

Also, I hope to see you all this weekend when we're going to be looking at the faith of Moses. It's gonna be great!

See ya then...Tim

"Hur" People

Here is a follow up to last week’s explosive service.

Honestly, I’m very happy with the way things have played out this week after our bomb scare. The newspapers did a nice job of covering it, as has the police department, and the church staff, and really everyone involved.

Bill and I tried to go see the man who made the statement about having the bomb in his briefcase, but he has been released from jail and we were not given any more information. So I dropped off a letter in care of Sergeant John Keating (who is a part of Parkview and handled the case) who will send it on to the man. I just explained that we were sorry it all happened and that it had to go down like it did and that we were praying for him.

Understand that we are not pressing charges. But he is charged because it is a felony crime to make such a statement. It’s not a statement, it’s a threat. I’m still very pleased with the way things were handled, but we can all stand back in relief and try to bring some of God’s grace and love back to this man’s life.

I have heard from people all over the area and country about it. It’s amazing how news travels. My friend, Dave Stone, who preaches in Louisville, Kentucky, called me yesterday because he heard about it in a Louisville restaurant from a Parkview member who must have recognized him from when he spoke here. Amazing.

Video Clip from Sunday's Service...

I thought you might want to see this short clip from Sunday's 11:00 AM service where I was able to give a brief explanation of events surrounding the threat to our congregation.

I would just like to say again how proud I am of how everyone remained cool, calm, and collected through everything. And let's not forget to keep this guy in our prayers.

Video Statement from Sunday's Service

Not Your Typical Sunday...

Well, it was an interesting day around Parkview yesterday.

For some reason, Satan did not want people to hear about Moses yesterday. I could just feel it from Saturday afternoon on. My daughter was hassled as she lead worship (and yes, I am very proud) and all of us could just tell that this service must really have some fantastic, eternal consequences for the Kingdom of Heaven – because it was hard to get-er done!

It was topped off by a bomb threat at the 11 AM service. You can read the full account at www.parkviewchurch.com/statement_08_06_07.html.

I was teaching at the What We Believe class (which had 67 people in it, about the size of the average church in America – weird) and Bill was standing in the back giving me the motion that he needed to talk to me before I went back in to preach.

He filled me in and I could only smile. I don’t know who this guy was; I don’t think he’d ever been to church here before. I don’t believe he was in any way serious about what he said. But when Mike Bannos, our head usher, saw that he was carrying a briefcase and acting strangely – he just asked him “what’s in the briefcase.”

When your answer to that question is “A bomb,” you’ve just gotten yourself in a lot of trouble.

Bill was in the area, as was a Parkview member who is a Will Country Sheriff’s Deputy and a member who is a Orland Park Police Sergeant. Together they quickly escorted him and his case back out of the building over to the retention pond area away from all the people. The call was made and within 3 or 4 minutes we had police and fire here.

They quarantined the north entrance to the building, but decided against evacuation. Because the case was outside and our building is made of concrete, the safer place was inside. As well as the fact that there were others with this guy that they wanted to question who were in the service.

So… we carried on with the service. I’ve preached through a lot of things before, but this was new.

It's Cool to Be Holding God's Hand

We’re talking about Moses this weekend – don’t miss it.

D.L. Moody said: “Moses spent his first forty years thinking he was a somebody. He spent his second forty years learning he was a nobody. He spent his third forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.”

What a great story.

We’ve been gearing up for the new season around here. It’s like football, or school, or whatever – we have seasons in ministry. After Father’s day, the regular stuff slows down for July and we can concentrate on getting ready for VBS and the fall.

VBS was amazing. No telling how many kids gave their lives to Jesus, I know a bunch of them did, and all of them moved closer in their relationship to God. So now we are rolling on into the year ahead.

I have to tell you, the meetings we’ve been having remind me of a pre-season football team gearing up for what they think is going to be a fantastic season. It feels to me like we’re going back to the Super Bowl. We had a meeting with the elders in the middle of VBS and it was just us sharing with them all the amazing God-things that are happening and the opportunities before us. From the staff that we have hired and are hiring – to the opportunities for ministry, on and off our campus – to the building stuff we will be working on – it’s like “wow, I sure am glad I’m on this team because we’re going to the Super Bowl.”

We Had A Record VBS this Year!!

We had a record VBS this year. Over 773 kids participated, including 202 junior highers. We had around 400 workers, which was an amazing ratio of 2 kids to one worker. Why do we have so many workers? Why are there so many people leading worship on a stage our size that still doesn’t hold everyone? Why did the kitchen crew decide to make meatloaf and peel 150 pounds of potatoes to make mashed potatoes to feed all the workers? And why would our “basement people” give up their nights to rock babies and sing Bible songs with preschoolers? Because it’s FUN! Serving the Lord alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ is FUN!! It’s exhausting, but when your head hits the pillow and those stupid songs finally stop rolling around in your head – it’s the picture of that one bright smiling, blond haired, 6-year-old girl’s face you see – and you know it was worth it.