Tim Harlow

It’s A Girl

I heard those words three times when a child was born. As each one came into this world, I had to wonder what the world would be like for them as a female. I’ll admit I was hoping for a boy at least one time in the bunch (I’ll reserve the option of telling you which one I’d trade at this point). Having a boy would have meant something different whether we want to admit it or not.

I was listening to John Gray talk about the stir he created in the psychological community when he came out with “Men Are from Mars, Women are from Venus.” There were and are a lot of people that want to tell you that boys and girls are just the same, with different plumbing. Let me tell you as an authority on the female gender – nothing could be further from the truth!

However, this brave new world we live in today is a much different place for my girls than it was for my wife, especially for my mom. One of the things that impressed me about our study of the Book of Ruth is how God set up laws and policies to help the widows and ladies who had no way to take care of themselves which meant two things:
1) that God loves everyone, especially those who have no one else, and 2) that women really were nothing without a man.

But the times, they are a changing. We had a woman running for President, and now we have a woman running for Vice President. Sarah Palin has been nominated by John McCain as his running mate. Most people are calling it a shrewd move – whether they like it or not.

So how would we feel about having a woman running the country?

As a father of daughters, I think that my views have changed about this over the years. I think my daughters could do a great job (especially the oldest, bossy one:).

What does this mean for the church? Ah, there is a better question. And one we’re constantly taking a new look at. Paul says that “In Christ there is not male or female." Galatians 3:28

But he also had some cultural implications for some of the churches. He told them that women couldn’t teach men, that they should cover their heads, not wear jewelry, etc. Most Christian groups have decided that some of those social systems are no longer applicable to our current situation. Some have decided that none of them are. And all of us are trying to figure out how the whole thing is supposed to work. I don’t know of a church leader that isn’t wrestling with the role women will play in the 21st century.

It will be interesting.

Tim

Men's Fraternity

Proverbs 27:17 (New International Version)
17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Yesterday morning was a blast. We had 158 guys come at 6:15 am for the first of three (or many) “Men’s Fraternity” mornings. I taught for a while on character and then we spent some time in small groups.
What was interesting to me was:
1) That so many guys would get up early or give up their morning routine to come out. We were setting up chairs like crazy.
2) That many of the guys had been in small groups before. All the guys I spent time with said that at one time or another in their life, they had been in a group with guys who could speak into their life. It just showed me that we all need it and that even guys aren’t afraid of “editability.”

Editability is the new word that my friend Jud made up in a book I was using. His idea is that “accounting” seems to refer to things that happen after the fact. So accountability isn’t as good a word. Editing is something we do WHILE we are still working on our life (book\paper, etc).

I really like that. I have people with red pens who mark up my life as I go.

Do you?

Tim

P.S. Happy 70th birthday MOM. I love you!

Lauren and the ER

My dramatic child called us from Wheaton last night at 1:30 am to tell us that her stomach really hurt. Denise looked it up on the internet and thought it was the basic location of that lovely part of our body that we don't need but it really messes you up sometimes - the appendix.

Denise met her at the ER at Central Dupage Hospital (nice that she decided to go to a close school) and they spent the night doing MRI's and all of that good stuff. The first doc thought it was inflamed, and then just now the regular doc said it didn't need to be removed yet. So Lauren is going back to school and we're meeting her there. This was supposed to be "send off" day, so we will go finish her room and do a couple of things and then say goodbye so I can get back to my day job and preach at 5.

Can I just say - before I rush off - that there is no appendix in the body of Christ. Every part is needed.

As Lauren starts this new journey in college, she is already making great friends and these people will be a part of her life forever. Some will be friends forever, and some won't. I've lost touch with a lot of my friends from college. But they are all a part of the bigger body of Christ. There is no appendix, everyone is needed.

Transitions will happen. We will not all be connected to the same people for the rest of this life. But we WILL be connected for the rest of eternal life. So don't become enflamed and think that you aren't needed:)

For those of you who have been praying, I really believe that is why she is coming home instead of going into surgery. THANK YOU.

Tim

Do we really understand how much Jesus loves kids?

I’ve read this text from Matthew 18 many times and every time it reminds me of Jesus doing a Mafia impression. I picture DeNiro or Pacino saying these words.

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:5-6

This was in my personal reading this week and it fit together for me. I have kids on my mind these days. We had a great night at the Jackhammers’ game in Joliet with literally the majority of the crowd being from Parkview. And our Kid’s workers were especially recognized there as this was a fun - reward night - for them. We have an amazing group of Children’s workers at this church. I say that a lot, but it’s fresh on my mind after sitting in the group of them Monday night. Selfless people, I love them.

And kids are on my mind, because I got to see John and Kim Bretzlaff’s new baby boy named Gibson (yes, after the guitar). Middle name is William, not Les Paul, though.

And kids are on my mind, because my oldest one was home for a week and she’s gone back to Music City, and we are moving Lauren into college in Wheaton tomorrow. She’s been at a camp so she “left home” already, but moving in is this weekend. And Becca is starting back to high school this week. So it’s a big change week for us.

Denise and I commented to Kim that it’s kind of weird for us to be on this side of things. They are bringing one into the world at the same time we are letting ours go on into the world. It’s really hard to believe.

We're having a baby!

Not Denise and I – I’m talking about Parkview!

I got to see the Lockport Campus and the core team on Wednesday night and it felt like a bunch of people getting the new baby's room ready. It’s so cool to see all the stuff happening over there and think about the new baby that will be born on September 21st. Because really that is what is happening over there. Parkview is giving birth to a new church. It’s going to be another location for us with the same leadership and same budget and same sermons on video. But it really is a new church. As a matter of fact, our consultants tell us that the success rate of a “new campus” is much higher than that of a completely new church. These are working all over the country and all over the city of Chicago and it is enabling churches to grow and reach people that would never drive the distance back to the first location.

It was just very exciting for me to get to see the construction and the new parking and meet the team.

We will be commissioning the staff in our services this weekend. We are sending out 250k postcards to the community to let them know we are coming. We will be publicizing it at the Joliet Jackhammers game on Monday night. We’re doing everything we can to give this new baby a fantastic home and a wonderful future. If you want to keep up with the news, go to Pastor Brian’s blog at
Brian's blog

Please be praying for Brian and the team as they make last minute preparations. The staff is in place, the core is ready, and the rest of the equipment is on it’s way. Now we wait and pray for a beautiful delivery.

Don’t miss the exciting conclusion of Ruth this weekend!

Tim

PS. Speaking of offspring - John and Kim are going to have a real baby in the next few days – keep them in prayer too!

And She's Off

We’re taking Lauren to Wheaton today. She is going to a week of Spiritual development and Leadership camp. We won’t actually move her in until next weekend, but she won’t be coming home – so this is it.

We’ve been pretty blue as it’s set in. I won’t lie to you. I put a sign on my door that says, “Don’t bug me. My kid grew up too fast and I’m not happy.”

I was just taking a walk and reflecting (cause for pause). I went to the north lobby of the worship center. I could hear them working on the new administration space above me and see them working on the new parking lot in front of me. It was one of those moments when I get to feel proud of this place here and what God has done.

And it was then that a thought came to me. I think it was God – it was definitely God – saying “hey this is cool, but the most important thing I gave you to do was raise your kids.” I’ve said it a million times, and preached it a few, but I do believe it. No matter what your job, your ministry, your ambition in life – if you are a parent, the number one responsibility is to give your kids every opportunity to follow God’s plan for their life. It’s still up to them to follow and not all of them will – but this is really what it’s all about.

What makes me blog about it, is the need I feel to thank you as a church and thank the elders and the staff for recognizing that I’m first a husband and then a dad and then your pastor.

The elders have always been supportive and never demanding of my schedule as this church has grown. The staff is amazing – especially those who have been around taking up slack forever like Lonnie and Vickie and Sean. And you as a church have been so great about taking care of us and allowing Denise and I to work here and serve here, but never asked us to sacrifice our kids for Parkview.

I just want to say thanks for that. Thank you for being so much a part of Lauren’s life, and letting her be part of yours.

And to the children’s workers and youth workers that have poured into Lauren’s life – thank you!

We don’t know what the future holds for her, but I’m just thankful to have been allowed to work and stay for 18 years in such a great place to raise my family. As a PK, I don’t think she could have had it any better!

Off we go…living forward,

Tim

Providence

I’m always proud of the way Parkview takes care of the less fortunate. You will see in this weekends sermon that it was always in God’s plan for his people to take care of others. I just wanted to give you a “hat’s off” for the school supply drive.

Here is a note from Morningstar Mission – who only got half of what we collected.

Your church did an amazing job. Thank You! It will help out so much. it is an amazing thing to see how giving others can be. i was beginning to stress out about making sure every child had their needed items and seeing everything your church provided is another reminder just to leave it in God's hands.

Thank you and God bless

Jackie Kinney
MorningStar Mission Ministries, Inc

We have another opportunity to pack the food pantries NEXT weekend. Bring a sack of food and put it on your car and we’ll collect them and feed the hungry – the least of these that Jesus said were really Him when we help them.

Many of you have seen the interviews with Steven Curtis and Beth Chapman and their families. Good Morning America did a great job and they were on Larry King Live. It’s hard to imagine being able to recover enough from the tragic loss of their daughter that they can talk about it publicly, but they are – and doing it amazingly well. They obviously have deep faith. It was really good to see Will on there doing well. Here are the links if you’d like to see it.

Larry King Live
Good Morning America

We will talk this weekend about the guiding hand of God and how it works when we don’t even see it. We all have so many reminders (as we look back) at how God works all things together for good.
This Old Testament story of Ruth is a classic tale of just that.

Don’t miss it.

Tim

Life as we know it

it just goes by so fast.

we were visiting with Lauren and her boyfriend Tom last night. It's hard to imagine, but she leaves for Wheaton a week from today. They actually have a camp up in Wisconsin where they take the freshmen to have a time to really get to know each other and deepen their faith before school starts. It's a cool idea, but it means she's leaving before any of her friends. We're not getting all misty yet, and I think it will be different having this one only 45 minutes away instead of the other one down there in Country Music City.

Still, it's cause for pause. I think I just made that up. Every once in a while you should have cause for pause so that you can spend a few moments thinking about life as we know it. And how fast it changes and how good it's been. Cause to pause and wonder what it will be like.

Rachel will be home this weekend from Nashville with one of her band mates from England who is in the country for a jolly holiday. I'm taking him to his first baseball game, etc. (Sox). Should be a fun weekend (I'm still preaching the Ruth thing).

So Lauren is off to school. Rachel will be finishing her senior year at college and who knows what? Poor Becca will be stuck with us by herself for three more years. And life goes on, as we know it - as we don't know it.

I don't have anything brilliant to say about it. It's just weird - and wonderful - and the way it's supposed to be.

Tim

Getting Old

It has been an interesting sports week. Especially concerning the aging process. The Sox signed Ken Griffey Jr., and a lot of people are trying to figure out why? He’s old (for a baseball player) and even though he is a sure Hall of Famer with 600 home runs in his career, a lot of people thought it was a weird move. He proved them wrong by driving in two runs and almost knocking one out last night in his first game with the Sox, but who knows how much he has left? Someone said the Sox added another player to their “softball team,” implying that we’re a little old. We shall see.

And then there is Brett. Arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. I don’t care if you are a die-hard Bears fan, you have to admit that Favre was amazing. If we’d have had him thing would have been very different.
So he retired, but now he’s thinking about coming back. And the Packers want to move on. But he’s such a legend they can’t let him go to another team (like Griffey) so they are offering him money to STAY RETIRED.

All of it just makes me feel good about my job☺. I think about retirement, and I know that someday I will need to step away from the load of leading a large church – but I never have to stop “playing my game.” I think the sad thing for Brett and for Ken and for all sports stars, is when they have to stop playing the game that they have played all of their life. And usually they have to stop playing when they still have a lot of life left in them. So they have to go off and do something else, or coach others, or do commentary.

You and I will never have to do that! Yes, I’m including you. I know you have another job and you may not get paid to “play” for God in salary – but you are playing for God if you are a Christian and you can play for God while you do your other job. And when you are done with your other job, you will only have more time to play for God. Isn’t that cool?

We get to do the most fulfilling thing we could ever do – playing for God – forever. I will be in this game of helping people get to heaven until the day I die. I never have to retire.

Isaiah 40: 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.