Tim Boyd's Blog

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 ...

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 gr...

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...