Tim Boyd's Blog

I'm having a tough time with buying presents this year for my kids.  I want to get them all things that they want for several reasons. 1.  They are really good kids.  They can throw their little fits, but ultimately they are just good people. 2.  They aren't really asking for anything.  They are happy with what they got.  They're content. 3.  They are really cute. That's a dangerous combo for a dad.  I want to get them all some really nice stuff but I don't want to spoil them and ruin the great people that they already are. I wonder if this is the first Christmas, as a dad, that I have enough money to buy them good stuff without going into consumer debt.  Maybe I'm having a struggle that you can only have when you hit your mid 30's. My 5th grade son wants a new video game system.  He's not asking for it though.  He would like to have it but he realizes it's pretty expensive.  (He's more mature than I am!)  That makes me REALLY want to g

I've seen the opposite ends of the spectrum today. This morning my wife organized a Thanksgiving Dinner for some homeless and less fortunate people.  We had over 50 people show up to help load the food into containers and deliver it.  We had more than that drop by to bring in the food.  It was pretty nuts.  I didn't even recognize some of the people that helped us out.  One guy that showed up was from another state and happened to be in town, heard what we were doing (don't know how), and then wanted to help us.  It went really well.  People started bringing food in around 9:30am.  We had 150 complete meals with desserts ready by about 10:30 or so and then it was all delivered and cleaned up by 11:30.  Wow. Just a week ago Mindy was considering canceling because we didn't think we even had enough food for 50 people.  When we were all said and done this morning we had run out of containers (150) and had just a little bit of food left over (John 6 - crazy).  It was gr

The key to a Joy-filled life is Gratitude Life truly is great isn’t it?  It really is.  Yet, so many of us are so unhappy, discouraged, and unsatisfied.  Depression is on the rise. It seems that unhappiness is on the rise and we are increasingly becoming an unsatisfied and depressed culture.  It’s not hard to look around and see hopelessness, blame, ingratitude, and worry. And the great part is - is that we can look around at others and see how terribly ungrateful they are, but we seldom apply that to ourselves.  I wonder how many more negative things I say in a day than I do positive things.  Do you complain to your spouse about every person that you finish a conversation with?  Do you have a debriefing after each human interaction you have? John Yates writes, “Our churches and homes can be places of joy. They will be if we learn some of the secrets of joy. I believe one of the secrets of a joyful spirit is coming to understand the graciousness of God. This mighty, ho

Gary Haugen , president and CEO of International Justice Mission , a Christian organization dedicated to fighting sex trafficking, writes, After we have poured into our children all the good food and shelter and clothing, after we have provided them with great education, discipline, structure and love, after we have worked so hard to provide every good thing, they turn to us and ask, "Why have you given all of this to me.”  And the honest answer from me is, "So you'll be safe.”  And my kid looks up at me and says, "Really? That's it? You want me to be safe? Your grand ambition for my life is that nothing bad happens?”  And I think something inside them dies. They either go away to perish in safety, or they go away looking for adventure in the wrong places. Jesus, on the other hand, affirms their sense of adventure and their yearning for larger glory." J esus was completely reckless with His disciples. He asked them to do things that were humanly imp

I'm sorry that your dad didn't stick around.  I'm sorry if you never got to know him.  I'm sorry if your dad physically stuck around but emotionally left.  I certainly don't know your circumstance or where you came from.  Even if I did know those things I don't think a person can ever truly understand what is going on in someone else's head. I wish there was more that I could do.  I mean that.  Almost every single time that I get to do a good "dad" thing I think about it.  I think about you and what you didn't have.  I thought about it when I took my oldest daughter to pick out some clothes at goodwill.  She complained that she wanted some new clothes from a popular store.  I kept putting her off.  I put her off for at least an hour and 2 or 3 goodwills.  She kept persisting.  I finally just told her, "Honey, I'm sorry but we can't really afford to get you new clothes at that store.  Mommy and I have 4 kids and we have to buy sev

Someone’s in charge.  It’s not you.  You already know that though, don’t you?  It’s not the universe.  It’s not public opinion, or the media, or some super-secret group of powerful people.  It’s God.  The immortal, invisible, and all-powerful Creator of all.  He’s the king. This king is not a long ways away.  He is present here and now.  He loves you.  Why?  Well, that’s what He does.  His document for us, the Bible, bleeds with an embarrassment of just how much He loves you.  The Bible isn’t your source?  No worries.  He created everything around you.  The love and encouragement that you receive from your friends and/or family?  His idea.  The beauty in the waves, the mountains, and the setting sun?  All His work.  He didn’t just create it.  He makes is happen every time.  Every molecule in this world is guided by the direct work of His hands.  The joy you get from pouring your life into a cause?  Yep, He made that just for you. God is the King and He’s in charge.  You aren’t

As long as I have been a Christian I have felt a weight on my shoulders to help those who can't help themselves.  (This isn't a "I'm a hero" post.  I've done so little about that burden, other than just feel it.)  Helping people who need help is a strong value in the Christian faith. I first started feeling this burden when I was a weekend youth pastor.  In college, Mindy and I would drive about an hour, each way, to serve at a little church with about 5-7 middle school and high schoolers.  I saw what some of those kids were going through and I thought that the only way to really make things better for them was to bring them into my home.  I didn't.  We couldn't.  But that thought never left me, "If you want to really change someone's life you have to let them live with you." Several years passed and our family was blessed with having a young woman move in with us.  At the time, it was a tremendous leap of faith for me.  I was in

I listen to Pandora at work almost all day.  I've found that if I am picking what I'm listening to than I focus less on work and think too much about the music, but if I let Pandora make my choices than it fades into the background.  My Pandora is mostly a mix of Dave Matthews, folksy worship, people that sound like Marvin Gaye, and 80's soft rock classics.  I know, I know.  I'm the coolest person you know. This didn't just happen.  I have had the same "station" for 3 years now.  I am the kind of person that will thumbs up and thumbs down so that the algorithm can match my taste exactly.  I think I have arrived.  I seldom have to select anything.  It just knows how I'm feeling and what I need to hear. You know what I need to hear?  I need to hear Peter Cetera.  I can't get enough of him. Obviously this has bothered me for over a year now.  If you were addicted to the music of Peter Cetera wouldn't you be a little bothered as well.  I

Two mornings ago I outlawed a word in our family.  I reached the breaking point.  With the two youngest in the kitchen I just blurted out, "You can no longer say "why!"  That word can make my ears start to bleed.  It can make me feel disrespected or untrusted.  It can make me snap like few other words.  There are times when it feels like it's the only word that they say, whether it's the 12 year old or the 4 year old. Go get your shoes on.  Why? Do you have your homework ready?  Why? Time for dinner?  Why? Why do we have to go to school? Why is their no church tonight? Why is this toy broken? Why?  Why?  Why? Kids ask questions.  Aside from being smaller than adults, that may be the most defining characteristic that they have - an incessant desire to ask questions.  Some of the questions are so ridiculous too.  My wife has been talking about this one and we get a great laugh out of it.  For example... Why do I wear socks? Why did I just say th

I like to do big things.  I like to take little moments and make way too much about them.  It doesn’t always work out well for me or those around me.  After I mow the lawn I will comment about how nice our yard looks about 100 times that day.  It’s not because I’m trying to draw attention to my work or that I am looking for praise, I’m just really captivated by how nice the yard looks when it’s freshly mowed.  I do the same thing with food.  I will talk about “that one meal” way too much, even to the point that I am annoying myself with it.  But I can’t stop making big things out of small things. Strike that. I want to be a dad, husband, and friend who makes things a big deal. So, when it came time for Mindy and I to announce to the kids that we were going to have a baby I knew that we had to do something fun.  We settled with having our friend take pictures of the moment when we told the kids so that we will be able to keep that moment alive forever in print.  I also thou

Break Camp At the beginning of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses addresses a weary people who have been through a lot.  They have seen the highs and lows of life.  They have experienced God’s miraculous work and they have bared the brunt of God’s punishment.  They’ve been attacked.  They’ve been rescued.  They’ve experience hunger and plenty.  They have had their share of boring days.  But mostly, they have been stuck walking in circles. Are you stuck? God's message to them was, “The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.   Break camp and advance…”” In what area of your life do you need to “break camp?”  Are you stable and comfortable and wondering what you should do now?  Instead of buying a new sports car to cope with your sense of meaningless or boredom, maybe you can get involved in a long-term relationship with an organization providing food and medical care for the needy in your community or on another continent.  Is it

I've been toying with the idea for a couple of years.  I've been very serious about it the past 12 months.  I'm pretty sure it's time for me to delete my Facebook account.  (This is not a judgement of your Facebook usage.  Stop making everything about you.  kidding...maybe) There are myriad reasons for keeping my Facebook account.  I am a people person.  I'm an extrovert. I like to see what's going on in everyone's life.  I really mean that.  I also like letting everyone know what's going on in mine. I love having something to talk about with people that I've just met and barely know.  I can comment on one of their postings in real life.  It can open a friendship. I have made "real life" friends through Facebook.  That's awesome!  That may be the only reason I haven't already deleted the account. Facebook messenger is a great way for me to communicate within our church family.  I'm worried about what I'd do with out

Several years ago I was a young mid-20’s dude living in Minnesota.  One normal day I was in my car with a passenger who was in his low 20’s.  I was far more mature, obviously.  As we were waiting at a stop light, a middle aged man came down the sidewalk riding a pink kid’s bicycle.  The guy I was with started to laugh at this guy.  It made me mad.  So I went into a story with it. “What if this guy is married and has lots of kids?  What if they are young and his wife has to stay home to take care of them?  What if he’s working two jobs to provide for his family?  What if his oldest daughter really wanted a bike for her birthday, but he knew there is no way he could afford to buy her a new bike?  What if he found this used bike on the other side of town and the only way he could bring it home was to walk it across town or to ride it across town all the way home?  What if he was tired from working the morning shift and the night shift so he decided to right it home?” I didn’t g

One of the best books of the last century is about an old fisherman who represents man's great struggle with life.  This is my favorite quote from the book. "He held on to that fish not knowing how long the struggle would be."   Old Man and the Sea , Ernest Hemingway.  In this story that old man let himself get caught up in the struggle knowing that he was going to lose.  He finally landed the big fish that he had needed so badly, but at a great cost.  He fought that fish for several days and got dragged out too far to sea. The old man kept that fish on his line far too long.  He fought it longer than he needed to.  He let himself get dragged too far out to sea.  He knew better.  He tied the fish up knowing that the sharks would eat it all.  He couldn't stop himself.  He just kept going down that path. Is there something in your life that is dragging you too far out to sea?  Are you "holding on to that fish not knowing how long the struggle will be?"

Wow!   Timothy Keller is really intelligent.  Now, that I have that out of the way. Keller's book, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism ,  is a wonderful combination of drawing wisdom deep out of the well and making it accessible to someone of average intelligence (like me.)  I think he does a great job of drawing on the collective work on the modern-day sermon.  He, surprisingly, disagrees with both Fred Craddock (my favorite preacher) and Andy Stanley (many Pastor's favorite preacher).  I think he has valid concern with each of those guy's approaches to what a sermon is and what is to be accomplished within the sermon.  His main difference in opinion with them revolves around the debate of Expository Preaching vs. Topical Preaching.  (Expository starts with the Bible and works out to daily life, whereas Topical starts with daily life and goes into the Bible.  I agree completely with Keller's assessment in the book.) I also enjoyed the book becaus

Katy Perry's parents came to a church in Bradenton. Here's a link to the whole article in the Bradenton Herald.   It's a good article.  The reporter does a good job of just telling us what happened when they were at that particular church.  Here's just a piece of the article: "They don't want you to be spiritual mom and dad?"  If you, as parents, are not supposed to teach your own children about faith how are they supposed to learn it?  That philosophy probably doesn't work in other areas: Don't teach your kids about sex, they'll find out on their own...uh.... Don't teach your kids about traffic laws, they'll find out on their own....uh.... Don't teach your kids about healthy eating or exercise.... Don't teach your kids how to read.... Don't teach your kids how to be kind.... Don't teach your kids how to...etc... If "kid's finding it out on their own" doesn't work in other areas