Wherever we are in along the road…
God sojourns alongside us.
In our confusion and our distress, in our joy and excitement…
God feels our emotions with us.
In our fragmented world, so desperately in need of hope and healing…
God calls us to a new way of being. God calls us to be transformed by the extravagant love which overcomes even death.
Praise be to God! Praise be to Jesus!
Shine, Jesus, Shine!
Suggested follow-up hymn: Shine, Jesus, Shine (#39 in Chalice Praise)
Tim strives to share God’s extravagant love for all–no matter what & without strings. Seeking to follow the lure of the Spirit, Tim writes about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in an era where Christianity has come to be associated with hatred and political wedge issues. “Heinous things have been said & done (& still are) in the name of the One who breathed in the Divine,” notes Tim, “but Jesus shows us that God loves extravagantly.” Following the teachings and life of Jesus is about inclusion not exclusion. It is about compassion, grace, and admitting no one has all the answers. It is about responding lovingly to the best of our human ability. It is about people not institutions. It is about social justice. It is about caring for creation. It is about being who we were each created to be. Tim is a former early childhood educator, a runner, a hiker, a devoted husband, father of two adult children and their spouses, and a grandfather of two perfect babies. Tim serves as Lead Pastor of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Albany, Oregon. He writes from home, from the coffee shop, and wherever the trail leads him.
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