Tim Harlow

Parkview in Ireland

You may have remembered me talking about the people from Ireland that wanted to start a satellite church there, well they’ve started. Using our DVDs, Parkview is touching lives on another continent. How cool is that! Read Ruth’s message and remember to be praying for them.

I am sorry I did not get a message off to you right away. We had to wait to get everyone together one week, because everyone had made plans to go away for some sightseeing. We had an absolutely wonderful service together two weeks ago using Parkview's first DVD. It was very well received and caused some great excitement. People felt that they had been to a worship service, knew some of the songs, and most importantly were fed spiritually. THANK YOU.

Bruce and I have just returned from a five day "holiday" in Paris and the beauty of the DVD was that we could pass the disk on to one of the other families for them to still get together. I will touch base with them later today. Another Christian family arrived in Kinsale over the weekend and is looking forward to joining us in our home services. They are familiar with Parkview, because of a sister in the area who I think they said has attended / or does attend. Small world.

I am looking forward to attending Parkview in person again in mid-September when I am in New Lenox to meet and assist with our first grandchild. It will also be a great opportunity to purchase some much needed Bible study materials for our ladies' group to study.

Thank you again for relighting our fire in Ireland.
Blessings,
Ruth

Ireland… Lockport… and wherever the Lord leads.
Tim

Work It

Denise and I were doing our “spiritual training” at the same time in the same room this morning, and she had a scripture come up that needed further study. So she shot it over to me, because I have the software on my laptop. I found a really interesting explanation and I thought I’d share it with you in case you’ve ever read this passage in Philippians 2 and wondered what in the world it was talking about.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Your first thought is “wait a minute – I thought I didn’t work for my salvation.”

Let me give you the Bible Exposition Commentary on this, I think it’s really good.

“Work out your own salvation” (Phil. 2:12) does not suggest, “Work for your own salvation.” To begin with, Paul is writing to people who are already “saints” (Phil. 1:1), which means they have trusted Christ and have been set apart for Him. The verb “work out” carries the meaning of “work to full completion,” such as working out a problem in mathematics. In Paul’s day it was also used for “working a mine,” that is, getting out of the mine all the valuable ore possible; or “working a field” so as to get the greatest harvest possible. The purpose God wants us to achieve is Christlikeness, “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). There are problems in life, but God will help us to “work them out.” Our lives have tremendous potential, like a mine or a field, and He wants to help us fulfill that potential.

Dig out your salvation. That’s a great explanation. Because like I said in my last blog, I think that we spend a lot of our lives in the shallow water of complacency. But Paul is saying, you have so much more available to you. “Don’t you want to live out your salvation to its fullest?”

God didn’t save you so that you could bide your time and get by until you die. Work it out!

“With Fear and Trembling” – meaning that you have a greater respect for what God is doing inside of you. Are you afraid to get to heaven and realize that you had so much more you could have done in your life? Man, I am. It makes me wake up in the middle of the night.

¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

My impact is not limited by God or his purpose - it’s limited by me.

Dang.

Tim

Pro-active

I got back in time to stop in after the Matt Hughes event last night. People were still lined up until way after 9:30 to get a chance to meet him. The cool thing was that I didn’t know most of the people in the line. And they didn’t know me. Because they weren’t from Parkview. I loved it! We had 800 people there and would estimate that well more than half of the crowd was not from PCC. Hundreds of people who might not have been in a church in a long time, coming to see a guy they respect who happens to be a Christ follower. That is cool. That is the church. We are Parkview.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped put this together. It was a huge win for the Men’s ministry and the Outreach ministry. I was very proud. It was just so cool to walk into my own building and it was just like I had been walking through Midway airport.

I also spent some time last night getting caught up on the amazing week of CIY (MOVE). It’s a week where our High School youth and their sponsors spend time learning and growing in Christ. All of my girls were there and they were full of the stories of how God moved in the lives of the 130 plus people we had there. This organization is one that has been around since Denise and I were kids and we can remember how much the week impacted us. It’s cool to see it continue and grow.

And I guess that is kind of my theme for this blog. I was at the Blessing Ranch (see the last blog) with my wife to help us continue and grow in our marriage and ministry. A bunch of kids and adults from PCC were at Christ In Youth, figuring out how to continue and grow. We had Matt Hughes to help our church continue and grow in reaching our community.

Let me ask you something – what are you doing to continue and grow? Life is like riding a bike. If you stop moving – you fall off!
Summertime is a perfect time for you to think about readjusting some things so that you can move forward – grow – get to a new place – in your faith, your relationships, in your life.

I know you are busy, I am too, but your journey is going to be determined by your pro-activity, and not just your activity. We’re all active – life makes us active. Proactive is deciding ahead of time where you want your journey to take you.

Where are you going this summer?

Tim

At the Ranch

The Blessing Ranch to be exact. It’s outside of Ft. Collins, Colorado. The name is sort of a misnomer. This is the place where Pastor couples come to get “blessed” by a Christian psychologist who helps them sort out all of their junk. This is the place I described as something akin to putting needles in my eye.

The truth of the matter is my marriage and my ministry are worth the time, and worth making the effort to grow. I can make jokes, but this is a blessing. Dr. Walker is a friend of mine. I’ve been here 3 times with groups of Pastors and this is the second time with my wife. It’s so important to get this help from the outside.

Listen, I’m well aware that Satan’s best tactic would be to take our marriage or me down. We may not be on his “Ten Most Wanted” list, but he knows how much damage it could do. So Denise and I are committed to working on our relationship and we need help doing it. I hope you will all do the same. Even if it’s reading some books or going on a marriage retreat – get some help! I’m setting the example here.

Happy Father's Day Dad

The best moments are the ones where I’m sitting at the kitchen counter, maybe staring across the open pages of a book, maybe mindlessly bending the corners of the papers littering the countertop, and he’s standing cutting strawberries into his cereal, and we’ve landed on something that needs talked through. Or the other night, when we came home from a Sox game with all the family in tow, and it was late, but I asked for a bike ride and he pumped up the tires. It was less about riding stealthily through the quiet neighborhoods under the stars and more about the fact that I had some things that needed talked through.

Sometimes I’m just a little girl and things need talked through. These are the best moments.

They say that when I was little there was no off button. Pure chatterbox, through and through, processing and talking like the alphabet was a gold mine and I was gonna get my share of the wealth. Mom would listen forever, then pass me off to Dad for his own ear workout.

And the listening always said, You matter. You have something to say that I think is valuable and I want to know you, so talk it out. (Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. Now that’s what I call listening.)

Have I mentioned that my dad is an inspiring, tireless, giving, crazy representation of my Dad?

To my dad: You and mom are my best friends. I’m exhausting and overbearing sometimes and you just never quit. You have poured yourself into me, Lauren, and Becca and we don’t even appreciate the half of it. Your life says to me that loving God and loving people is it—and sometimes it drives you to bend the rules, sometimes it causes you to be an absolute nut. Sometimes you look a little crazy…and it’s because you have your priorities straight. Your tenacity in this church, your marriage, your family, could only be from God and his evidence is all over you and your life. I have snuck onto your blog to chatter some more and say this: I love you. So much. We three are the luckiest daughters on the planet.

Vehement shoes.
-ee/rayray

My dad can beat up your dad.

It’s true.

See, ever since I was born I knew I was one of the luckiest little girls because I could be so proud of my dad. Whether my huge smirking baby cheeks proved how much I adored him, or my fat little infant thighs were testimony to how much he filled me with love, my daddy blessed my life starting from day one.

The biggest testament to my dad’s awesome parenting is how he made me and my sisters legitimately think we were princesses. Countless homevideos feature me and my sisters in costume, dressed to the nine only to twirl around in circles for the camera, and for dad. See, no prince was necessary when we had dad’s admiring smile. You all look so pretty. Twirl around again!

Even now those approving glances mean the world, even if they do involve embarrassing exposure in front of the whole church congregation.:) And what is so beautiful is how he not only makes us feel important, but his love and approval have translated into a royal treatment of a different caliber. Dad has shown us how Christ loves us, and because of his example, we are living and striving towards our own relationships with the King. We are legitimate princesses in Christ because dad helped us believe we are so worth loving.

Thanks dad for embracing this topsy-turvy life with three girls. Thanks for loving us individually, for making us so so proud to be your daughters, and for keeping your eye on the prize of Christ the whole time. We love you. I love you.

<3Lolo

MY dad is the best. Everyone says that about their father, but if you were to look at my family you could see how my dad has had an impact on each one of our lives. My dad always takes time for play (especially now that we have a wii). He always pushes us to do our best, but won’t be let down or upset if we fall short of what he wants.

My dad is loving, kind, and compassionate. My dad is the face of Jesus. When he plays with kids, a sense of joy comes over him. He taught us how to be all the things that Jesus is. I am who I am because he chose to listen to God in all ways. My dad paved the way for our family. He looks out for us and always wants the best for our family, but never hesitates to tell how things do not always come easy. You have to trust God, he says. I learned to have my own relationship with the Savior because of his and mom’s example.

My dad can be my best friend and my worst enemy, but I will always know that no matter how much we disagree on things, he only wants the best for me. My dad deserves so much more than one day; he deserves eternity.

I love you dad. You’re the best.
Love, bec

Happy Father's Day!

I’m just sitting here thinking how blessed I am this Father’s day. It’s a beautiful day, I have a fantastic wife and three amazing daughters and a great place to live and work. And I have a Heavenly father who loves me no matter what.

That should make it a good Father’s day for anyone. Even if you are in a tough spot today, even if you had no father or a bad one. Even if you’ve been a bad father – your Father still loves you UNCONDITIONALLY.

I’m also blessed because I have a great dad. It’s cool as your kids get older and they get to see their grandparents from adult perspective. They get to appreciate them for more than just being the person who always gave them candy☺. I appreciate my dad because he is someone who never stopped growing. He never stopped learning and trying new things. He still does. He’s an inspiration to me and to his grandkids.

I’m blessed because my dad loved me and my sister unconditionally. He provided for us, he gave for us – just like his heavenly Father. He was a preacher, which comes with it’s own set of ups and downs, but more than that – he was and is a Christian. A child of God. More than anything, I’m thankful that he passed that on to me. And inspired me to do the same.

Happy Father’s Day, dad! I love you. You were the best. You are the best.

(my dad at the Grad party - passing on his wisdom to Bill Brown's kids. Lord knows they need it)

Happy Father’s Day, Don! Thanks for being a great dad to my wife and a wonderful granddad for my kids.

Happy Father’s day to all of you dad’s out there. Make sure you take the time to tell them “thanks.”

The 5th commandment says that we are to honor our fathers. It’s not an option.

Check Out the Swanbergs!

Storm Chasers-Father and Son Team

Hey,

We’ve been talking about Jesus calming the storms and doing miracles around here. How about a couple of guys that go chasing storms!

I just thought you’d want to see this crazy news report about our own Darrell and Joel Swanberg who happened to go storm chasing last weekend (while I was trying to have a graduation party) and caught some crazy footage of the tornadoes.

It’s one thing to ask God to calm the storm. It’s another to go chasing them! I love this!

Tim

Tracking a Tornado Interview

It's Graduation Party Day at my house

so I don't have a lot of time to blog.

My parents are here from Ft. Wayne. My inlaws came up from Missouri. my sister flew in from Dallas. it's a house full And we've got Rachel home and the whole family together. Quite a great time. Went to the Sox game last night to watch them beat the Twinkies. Did anyone know that the Sox are also in first place?

i'm just saying.

I'm so thankful for my family. For the heritage that was passed on to Denise and me and on to our children. It's so cool to be around my family. It's cool to have the Grandparents together because they actually knew each other long before i was born. crazy small world. I'm just so thankful for the blessing.

I know that not everyone has this heritage. But you can start one.

I had a blog update yesterday about the Great Investment and our building projects.

and a great one on Wednesday about Lauren's graduation. So read those and i'll get back to the party.

And get to church for Krispy Kreme's. I'm preaching on Baptism and it will only make sense if you show up!

Tim

The Great Investment Update

• The Lockport Campus is officially under construction. Or should I say demolition? We are on schedule for opening in the fall. We are still looking for our part-time Children’s Ministry Director for this campus, but all of the other staff is hired. Check out the Lockport Blog written by Campus Pastor, Brian Hunt, for a quick update. If you are interested in learning more about being part of this exciting new ministry it would be good for you to consider attending the next Lockport Gathering this Saturday, June 7 right after the service.

• We are within two weeks of beginning construction on the new parking that will provide us with an additional 299 spaces. Look to the east of the building as you drive in this weekend and you will see that some of the earth moving equipment is already lined up and ready to go.

• We are still working with the architects to get the final design completed for the new chapel, children’s space, updated gym for students, and much needed administration space that will allow us to free up additional room for children’s ministry. We will keep you posted as things develop.

Thank you so much for your faithfulness in giving to the Great Investment. I am so proud of this church and its commitment to doing everything we can to reach people with the love of Christ.

Tim

Lauren Graduates Today

I know, I’m just writing about my kids these days – but it’s my blog. Deal with it.

The significance of this day in our family’s history is directly tied to our church's history in every way. The pride I feel in my daughters should be shared by everyone at Parkview who provided a place for them to find peace and love and grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is especially true for Lauren and Becca. They were born here. Lauren was almost born the first day we moved to this town in January of 1990. Denise went into labor the very first night. They put her on some meds and she held off until March 2nd. This Parkview Journey has in every way been Lauren’s journey. She was the recipient of thousands of hours of care in the church nursery, MDO, Sunday School, VBS, etc. Her mother started the MOPS program which brought us so much help and encouragement through those preschool years.

We’ve been watching a lot of old videos lately. Denise prepares a “life of” video for each of our kid’s graduation parties that chronicles their life in short form.

It seemed like everything we watched was either a holiday or something at church. There is just no way to minimize the importance of Parkview to my family. And I know we lead it and we led it and all of that. But it was a team effort. It doesn’t take a village to raise a child, but a church community in your child’s life is immeasurable!

I’m showing at video at church this weekend of Lauren’s baptism 10 years ago. In the video I say, “Someday Lauren will be choosing a college, etc., and making really important life decisions.” (which cracks me up in light of the long process of college choosing that we’ve been going through). But then my point is that this decision, to follow Christ, is the one that will make eternal impact. It is the most important decision she has ever made. And it was made with the help of the community of believers here at PCC - our “Family” in every since of the word. I’m so thankful for that.

So when I brag on my children (Lauren was number 8 in her class of 950! I think that made her the Octodictorian). When I tell you what God is doing in their lives. Be proud with me. They aren’t my children, they are God’s. And all of us just got to help.

Parents - Dig in and get your kids involved. Help them make choices to be involved in children’s and youth activities (over the other choices they have in life). Stay at a church long enough for them to make lifelong friendships. (Every video I saw had Carolyn Beil in it) Parents you need help. And the church can provide that help.