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

Happy Easter

To all my family and friends I want to wish you a wonderful Easter. I was thinking about the empty tomb and how skeptics say there is no proof of Christ’s resurrection. There is plenty of proof; they’re just not looking in the right place. For me, I don’t need any proof, I know what I know and you can’t explain that.  If I had to point to one thing it would be the apostles. After His Jesus death on the cross, the very same men who had just spent the pretty much every minute or every day with Christ for the last 3 years were not only mourning but in total fear for their own lives. They were all in hiding, waiting and watching, fearing to show their faces in public. After the resurrection, that all changed. No longer were these men afraid for their lives. They went out in public proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ with boldness. What changed them? You certainly are not going to freely give up your own life for a lie or a scam. What these men encountered that so radically changed their entire thought process and motivation was the risen Lord Himself.

Happy Easter! If you know the risen Lord, may this day be one of celebration and joy. If you don’t know Him, may the Holy Spirit shine His light of love and acceptance in your heart. 

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

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?

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?

So true

“Friend, you cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. And what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can’t give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody. And when half of the people get the idea they don’t have to work because the other half’s going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea it does no good to work because somebody’s going to get what I work for. That, dear friend, is about the end of any nation.” -Adrian Rogers

Important

Greetings all,


I wanted to take a moment and let everyone know that the donation links on our website (www.anchorholdsministries.org) is working now. I set it up through Google Checkout. I went with Google because for non-profit organizations they do not charge any fees to process credit cards. Also, Google is probably the most secure out of all the ones I researched.


As you know or may not know, we are taking donations to help get bibles to people who would otherwise not be able to own one. We have been working with a pastor Isaac in Kampala, Uganda. Pastor Isaac has such a wonderful heart, and he is a true servant of God. Pastor Isaac has planted several churches there in Uganda and that is where their main need is. The churches that he has planted are growing daily and they do not have the funds (remember, these people live on less than two dollars a day and less) to purchase the word of God for all the new believers.We have also been contacted by Pastor Canny O. Canice in Gbagada Lagos, Nigeriawho is experiencing the same growth and is in desperate need of bibles as well.

We can purchase bibles for about $2.00 each, so even a small donation will go a long way. The bible says in John 1:1 In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The bible truly is the word of God... living, breathing, giving life to all who will open their heart. I have talked with Pastor Isaac on the phone, and I can't tell you what it would mean to the people there to have their own bibles.

So take some time to pray about this and see if this is something that the Lord would have you participate in. Anchor Holds ministries

makes all of its financials available up request.

Thank you for taking the time to read this posting. I know how busy everyone is and I truly appreciate it.
May God bless and keep you always,
Tim
tim@anchorholdsministries.org



Wrestling with God

Greetings,

Well I’m finally through! I can no longer do it… I can no longer wrestle with God. You see for years now I’ve been on the outside looking in. From the time I was 12 years of age when my friends and I would go see the movie Jesus Christ Superstar, I’ve known what my calling in life was, but thanks to the lie, I’ve followed through with my calling till now. I do have one huge sin that I have to confess to though. You see, for most of my life I have allowed Satan to convince me that I was not good enough to be a pastor/teacher. So I’ve always been on the outside looking in. Even though I know the truth, that Christ paid the price for my sins, I still felt the “not worthy” thing (I know... I know... none of us are worthy). But over the last couple of years, the tugging at my heart, the desires of my heart to serve God have all been magnified 100 times over. The best way to describe the last couple of years has been “I’ve been wrestling with God”. I’ll tell you what; you’ll truly know when you are wrestling with Him… I’ve never been so tired emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically. I had to surrender all, He will not stop, and He is relentless in His pursuit. God will never force you to do something, but He is sure to make His will known.

I already have a website (www.anchorholdsministries.org) from where I share things about Christ and what He expects from us. My site also helps promote other Christian sites and followers of Christ and the ministries they have. After some time of serious prayer I will start a small home bible study group. From there, that is all up to the Lord.

One of the reasons I have been so reluctant all these years is I didn’t think anyone would come to a church that I started. I’ve felt for years now that the true message Christ taught has been watered down. But there is a movement in the Spirit building and more and more people are hungry for the real truth. It is all coming together in God’s timeline.

Please keep me in your prayers and the direction God would have me go. May God bless and keep you always.
Tim

Christianity is not about

"Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in your beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken."
— Rich Mullins

Thursday, Jan 21, 2010

Greetings !

I didn't realize so much time had gone by since my last posting. Well I think things are starting to look up for us. For one thing we did get the car back.. What a relief for everyone. Now I can get to work on time and my brother in law does not have to take me to the train and pick me up. What a burden we have been for them. They would never say anything, they have been so kind and supportive with us.. We will never be able thank them enough!

This last weekend we went house hunting... What a joke! The problem here in this area is the economy is not suffering like the rest of the country so no one is leaving here.. But there are allot of people moving here. So finding a place has been very discouraging. By Sunday evening we were deciding if we should stay or go. We were feeling like such a burden to my brother in laws family... We did not want to strain our relationship with them so we were seriously thinking about going back. Fortunately, that night my niece come by and suggested we take over their less since they were moving out on the first. Their apartments allow dogs up to 70 pounds. Its only a one bedroom, but since we don't own anything that will work out great. Only a few months left on the lease so if we didn't like it there that allows us to move if we want. Worked out for both parties bug time.

They also have some extra furniture that they are going to let us have like a bed and dinning room table. My father n law has an extra tv he is going to give us. I pray that God will bless these kind people for all their help.

This has been one of the most trying times in my life. I'll be honest, there have been times through all of this that I have wondered where God is. Not once have we gone hungry, we have had a roof over our head every night with a bed to sleep in, and we have been surrounded by loving and caring people... God has been with us big time. Thank you Lord !!

I'm typing this from my phone again and my big fingers r getting tired. I pray that His peace will fill your hearts. Never forget, no matter what is going on in your life... God is there!

Tim

August 6 2009

Greetings,

Currently my life like the rest of the world is in disarray. I've been out of work for several months and my family life sucks as well. But is life has taught me anything, nothing stays the same. So I know brighter days lay ahead. One good thing on the horizon, it's almost time for the football season to start... and Sons of Anarchy is coming back on in Sept.

I did go for a job interview yesterday for the Beaufort county school district. They are looking for 4 IT desktop support people. I think the interview went well. We are supposed to know for sure by this Friday. I've still been driving Limos for a good friend of mine, but there has not been much work. This is the slowest time of the year for them.

I watched Rescue Me last night (love that show). This one was a good one... the scene at the end between Tommy and Sheila was freaking HOT! No sex or anything, just the way she was explaining her attraction to him was... WOW!! Doesn't hurt that she is one hot lady! If you've not seen the show, take a Tuesday evening and watch it... It's for sure one of the better shows on the tube. "Tube", lol... can't call them a tube anymore can we... tubes are long gone from TV sets.

Peace out!!
Tim

Life update for 02/12/09

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted here. So many things have happened, so many things have changed but yet many things are the same. I'm still in Savannah Georgia. Although back in Sept I did make an attempt to find a job in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since I'm in the IT field Salt Lake is one of the hot spots for the IT industry. In life timing is everything, and unfortunately my timing to go out there and look for a job was off. 3 days after arriving in Salt Lake the stock market started it's downward spiral and the job market doors shut. I was staying with family there, but with the doors closing I figured I better get back home to take care of my family there. Since then I have been doing odd contract jobs with different companies. Mainly IT consulting stuff. I have also been working part time for a local computer repair shop here in Savannah. Even though it's part time the money really helps. Still behind a couple of months on rent. But we have a wonderful landlord who is so understanding (God bless him).

Things are looking up though. Around the first of January I was contacted by this head hunter company about a local job here in Savannah servicing Dell computers. At first I was told I was perfect for the job. Then they said sorry but they needed someone with A+ certification (which I never got). I've always found the certification stuff kinda silly. I have over 10 years of experience in this field but because I don't have a piece of paper I'm not qualified. Anyway, about 3 weeks go by and I get an email from this same company for the same position. Seems now the company is willing to count the experience as good as having the cert. After a couple of more weeks of back n forth emails I was accepted for the position. Last Friday I took the drug test which they should have gotten the results back from like the next day. Due to some kind of mix up I won't find out till today. I already passed all the Dell tests, so soon as they get the results back I can start working (Thank you Lord)

To be honest my spiritual side of life has been as dry as my job search. I know God is there and is very concerned with every aspect of my life. But I've just been dry in that area. It's not HIM, it's me. I've just been so focused with finding work, trying to take care of the bills that I've put HIM on the back burner. As we all know, that is the opposite of the way it should be. This last week it's been hitting me hard how backwards I have it. So every day I've been starting in prayer time with HIM. I can feel the difference already. I don't know why we as humans tend to rely on our on so much. It never works out and in our heart of hearts we know better.

Better stop for now. I'll post here how the job thing along with my walk with the LORD.

May God bless you and keep you always..
Love,
Tim

Life update

To my family and friends,

Just wanted to let you all know that at the end of May I'll be going to Springfield, Missouri to get my CDL. There is a trucking company there that trains you for free as long as you drive for them for one year. I gave up my CDL about 8 years ago, never thought I'd be going back to it. The money is actually really good now in the trucking industry. The trucks have microwaves, refrigerators, you can even get email right in the cab via satellite technology. I'll be gone a couple of weeks at a time from home, but I'm never home now, and the pay is allot less. The company has great benefits as well. There just isn't any tech jobs here in the Savannah area, and I've been out of the industry far to long to ever get hired again. So, I'm going back to what I was always very good at. Reminds me of something John Lennon wrote in a song "Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making plans".

I've been praying about this allot for a while now. Things that have happened in my life over the last year keeps pointing me to this decision. I'm keeping my options open, so please keep me in your prayers that this is the direction the Lord wants me to take. I have a real gift for reaching out to people out in the world. I used to minister to people all the time when I was driving before. The CB is a great tool for getting the good news out there. I used to think that the Lord wanted me to Pastor one of His churches, but as time has gone by, I think my calling is ministering to those out in the world.

Thanks for taking the time listen, it is my hope and prayer that the good Lord will keep you all safe and well.

Peace and love,
Tim~