Would you die for a lie?

Think about it… would you die for a lie? I know the majority of people are looking for physical evidence to confirm their faith… That is not what faith is about. For me God is not about physical evidence (although that evidence is all around), it’s about what I know. I know God is real… it’s like what they say… I know what I know. Scripture calls this “His spirit indwelling in us”.

As technology has increased and our access to information is now instant, we no longer listen to our hearts. With that change, humans are living less on faith, and more on self.  You take the human heart out of the equation and you lose compassion. There is no such thing as a Christian without compassion.
We have to find a way to continue to make our experiences real. Watching a video online of homeless man sleeping in the gutter has far less impact on us than if we meet this person on the street.

That’s why it is so important for churches to reach out in their communities. Send out individual groups to meet and talk to those who are not as fortunate. If you are a member of a church that has no community outreach, I challenge you to find another church that lives out the gospel message, not just talk about it.

The majority of the apostles died a martyr’s death. Not only did they die for their faith, but the way they died. Some of the most inhuman ways to die were they subjected to. Think about this, if you were nailed to a cross, upside down, and given the chance to live if you only confessed that Jesus was a lie and renounced your faith. You are not going to die for a lie, let along the kind of death these men were subjected to.

Just some thoughts… Hope everyone has a great Sunday. Blessings to you all.

Tim

New direction

After a lifetime of testing, trials and prayer, I’m moving forward and starting a church. The Lord planted this seed in me some time ago, and everything is coming together now according to His plan.

The vision the Lord has given me is one of the first century church.

We will be Christ centered, teaching straight from the word of God.  We are a non-denominational church and welcome anyone.

Our model will be… "UP" (reaching up to God in worship and prayer)… "IN" (Serving one another and meeting the needs of the body) and "OUT" (Reaching out to the local community and abroad through our mission programs).

I will be updating our website over the next few days to include more information. For now we will be meeting at our house Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm – 8:30pm starting April 13th.

Please keep us in your prayers. Anytime you try to expand the Kingdom of God you can expect great resistance from the enemy. Thank you and may God bless and keep you always.

Tim

Urgent help

I received an urgent message yesterday from our pastor in Kenya. His wife (Lydia) went to the hospital last night with stomach problems. She has had a growth in her stomach for some time now, but they have never had the money to have the growth removed. She was in great pain yesterday and went to the hospital. They have no money to have the surgery done, the hospital told them they will go ahead and remove the tumor for 12000 shillings ($150.00 US dollars).  Pastor Barasa Moses has asked for help paying for the surgery. We have some extra to give, but not enough to cover it all. Any donation amount would be greatly appreciated. If you are not able to donate, then please lift Pastor Barasa and his wife Lydia up in prayer.

Thank you and God bless,

Tim

Japan needs our help... BIG TIME !!

This last week the world witnessed the power of mother nature on an epic scale. Our brothers and sisters in Japan are suffering the effects of this devastation. World Vision has set up several ways for you to donate... you can text to give option (share this on your blog or Twitter): Text "4JAPAN" to "20222" to give a $10 donation, you can visit http://bit.ly/Japan-Quake-Tsunami-Relief



Please take a few moments a day and pray for the country and the wonderful people of Japan. We have no idea what they are going through... Lord God please be with the rescuers, please guide their hands to those who need help the most.

Thank you and God bless,
Tim

Help needed

Our ministry in Kampala, Uganda is in need of a small digital camera. Nothing fancy, doesn't need allot of megapixels. Just something to get some pictures on to promote the ministry there. Please drop me a line if you something cheap and no longer use. If you can help please drop me a line at tim@anchorholdsministries.org


Thank you and God bless.
Tim

Self

No one really wants to follow Christ do they? I mean think about it. A life of total self-abandonment. Forsaking all for Christ and the Kingdom of God. Caring more about others than yourself.  Literally giving all you earn to the poor and trusting in God to meet all your needs. Boldly sharing the gospel with everyone you meet, even if it costs you your life.

Mark 8:34-38, Matthew 16:24-27, Luke 9:23

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

During the time of Christ, the cross was the symbol of a tortuous death, not the view of the cross we have today, this cherished symbol of atonement. Christ always talked about the cost of following him. I don’t take the verse as being literal, meaning to take up the cross and physically die, although if you truly follow Christ that may be the ultimate price you pay. I believe Christ is talking about dying to self in order to truly live.

One of my all time favorite scriptures gives the perfect example of what Christ is talking about.

John 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”.
And that is the ultimate purpose isn’t it, to produce seeds.

Dying to ones self, that totally goes against everything we are as humans, especially in our super size me society. That makes the idea of self-denial all the harder. But the cost of following Christ is so worth it, so rewarding, not only in this life, but the one to follow. From what I witnessed when my son passed away, there is no doubt in my mind that there is an afterlife. That’s for another story.

Please don’t get me wrong, when I write these things, I’m writing to myself as well. Just things on my heart that I like to share.

Blessings to you all,

Tim

Yard of hell

‎"Christ wants not nibblers of the possible but grabbers of the impossible. Some wish to live within the sound of church or chapel bells. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell" ~C.T. Studd

Please read

Our dear pastor and friend in Uganda is asking for our help. He has exhausted all his financial resources serving the church and now faces eviction from his home. Follow this link to find out how you can help more...
http://www.anchorholdsministries.org/news_help.html 

Thank you and may God bless you,
Tim

What are you listening for?

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

An Indian was walking in downtown New York City alongside a resident friend. As they approached a busy street corner in the center of Manhattan, the Indian seized his friend's arm and whispered, "Wait. I hear a cricket." "Come on!", the city boy sneered, "This is downtown New York -- how could you possibly hear a cricket?" His friend persisted however, "No - seriously, I do!"

As cars were roaring, horns honking, people shouting, brakes screeching, cash registers clanging, subway clamoring and people bustling about, the Indian began leading his friend along slowly, every now and again stopping and turning his ear toward the seemingly noiseless sound. At last, the Indian insisted they were near and proceeded to follow the sound across the street and toward a small dark corner next to a graffiti covered wall. There, he bent down to a miniscule tuft of grass and pulled out the cricket. "I told, you", he said, "I heard a cricket."

Astounded, the New Yorker marveled "How could you have heard that cricket in the middle of all this noise?" "Well", said his foreign friend, "My ears are different from yours. It simply depends on what you're listening to. Here, let me show you what I mean." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change --a couple of quarters, three or four nickels, and a dime and a few pennies. "Now," he said, "watch this." He held the coins waist high and dropped them to the sidewalk. At once, every head within nearly a block turned around and looked in the direction of the Indian.

"You see, It all depends on what you're listening to."

To what sounds are our ears trained to listen? Are they trained to hear the sound of money, of gossip, of complaining, of worldly things or are they trained to hear the still small voice of the Most High, directing and advising us in the way we should go?

Help keep them warm

The weather here today has taken a definite turn for the colder. With that, we need to remember the less fortunate in our communities, especially in the northern states where winter months can be brutal. With that, let's all go through our closets and dresser drawers to find the clothes we no longer need or wear. This winter will see more homeless in our country than ever before. Lets be Christ like and help take care of the less fortunate. Contact your local mission and find out ways you can help... and don't forget the warm clothes.

May God bless and keep you always,
Tim

http://www.anchorholdsministries.org

tim@anchorholdsministries.org

Warrior

I am a warrior in the army of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire. I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity. I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army; but, I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there. I am a warrior. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up. I am a warrior. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me. I am a warrior. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom! No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to. I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit. When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win. My God will supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me, and hell cannot handle me! I am a warrior. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a captain. I am a warrior, in the Army; I’m marching, and claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a warrior, marching Heaven bound. There are four kinds of soldiers: 1. Active Duty: Serving the Lord faithfully, daily, and on duty 24-7-365.2. Reserve Status: Serving only when called upon, or twice a year: Christmas and Easter.3. Guard Status: Backing up the Active Duty group.4. AWOL! Absent With Out the Lord. Which kind are you?

Prayer request

Hello my dear family and friends,

I'm posting another prayer request from my dear brother in N.Y. His son (My nephew) is facing his last chemo treatment in about a week. But my brothers email is also about 2 young boys in the same cancer ward where they go. Please lift them up in prayer. We serve a MIGHTY God who is able to meet our needs.

Greetings to all;

My wife and I were in the Syracuse Hospital yesterday visiting Bobby Ostman which found out they he will have to stay hospitalized for another month. They want to make sure the infection does not come back to his leg. Bobby has already been in the hospital for the past 2 1/2 weeks and has undergone 2 operations to save his leg. Please pray for the infection to stay out of his leg and pray for strength for him as he will under go 3 more rounds of Chemotherapy in the next few weeks. He will start a round today. Bobby has been really down , but Chris and I had him smiling and joking last night. It was so good to see him smile. The real reason I am writing is because I found out last night that a young man named Jonathan which is 6 years old and has recently had a bone marrow transplant is not doing well at all. We have roomed with Jonathan and his grandmother (Wanita) many times in Syracuse ,and I can tell you by my experience that they have had one of the most difficult situations. As I said Jonathan is 6 years old and has leukemia. He has been in remission 3 times and it has came back worse each time. He under went a bone marrow transplant over a month ago in Rochester . He was doing well until a week ago. Chris spoke to Wanita last night and Jonathan is in a Coma and is in Guarded condition. His grand mother ask us to ask for prayers for him. Please lift him and his grandmother up and for the Lord . I have a had a wonderful verse on my heart lately and it just keeps coming back through different situations. It is Jer. 29:11-12 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. "

I will keep you all posted on these children and there Families and there situations. Our Son Billy had to be rushed to Syracuse this past Saturday as he had a nose bleed that would not clot. We did get it taken care of and he is back home. Please also pray for our Son Billy as he will under go his 14th and final round of Chemotherapy (Praise God) on Friday Feb.1- 6.. He will get Chemotherapy for 5 days and should be home by the 6th. He will need to be back in Syracuse every other day after treatment for at least two weeks. His doctor did say it will take over a year for Billy to bounce back from his treatment, but we are so thankful to the Lord for getting us this far. God has been so good to us. I personally want to thank each one of you for your thoughts and prayers for my Son and my family and all those families in the cancer ward that we try to be a light to. God bless you and thank you.

In Christ
Pastor Bill Lower
wlower@aol.com

Thank you all for taking the time to read this blog. May the good Lord keep you all safe and well.

Your brother,
Tim

My nephew

Well the roller coaster continues. After Billy (My 15 year old nephew) had the tumor removed from his stomach, the doctors felt confident that they had removed all the cancer.

After removing the tumor, the doctors continued to run more tests.My brother called me tonight with some disturbing news. Billy has bone cancer. He will start 40 months of chemotherapy tomorrow.

Please lift Billy up in prayerthat the Lord will heal him completely. Also continue to lift Billy's family up for strength and God's peace through all of this.

I pray that God will keep you and yours safe and well. You can write the family at wlower@aol.com. I know they would love to hear from you.

Peace,
Tim

http://www.theanchorholds.net/

Billy update

Greetings all,

I have an update from my dear brother in NY who's son was waiting for test results concerning the lump they found in Billy's stomach. I've posted his email below here. in blue.

Dear Bros.
I just want to let you know we got preliminary results today on our Son Billy. He has Some type of Lymphoma.It is definitely cancer. The Doctors have not gotten all the results but want to operate on Morning early. We do not know what to do. Please pray that we make the right decision. We are searching to get more opinions. We know our Lord is strong enough to get us through this. I will keep you all updated. Thanks for your continued prayers.

John 11:4
When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."
This is our prayer.
Bill Lower
(Pastor WHCC)

Please lift this family up in prayer. The young mans name who is now battling cancer is Billy Lower. We are standing firm on the word that Bill (The father) received from the Lord.

Thank you for taking the time to lift this family up.

Blessings to you all,Tim