Tim Boyd's Blog

Will had a speech to do in class.  He's been working on it for a couple of weeks now.  He decided that he wanted his topic to be "God."  That's awesome!  First, I'm glad that God is such an important topic to the little under armour wearing, cool hair flipping, video game playing kid.  Also, how on earth do you do a speech about a topic as large as "God?"  Haha!  I, sort of, talk about God every week for 30 minutes in a speech that I have worked 10-15 hours on.  However, I think Will nailed it! Here it is: "I’m going to be telling you about God today.  I’m going to tell you about three things that all relate to God.  About my dad, a preacher, and when I went to Africa to adopt Silas, and helping homeless people.  First, I want to tell you about my dad a preacher.  In case you did not know what a preacher does let me tell you.  A preacher is a person that teaches about God and tells about the Bible.  My dad ...

Here is how the Easter dinner for the homeless is going to run this year: If you have volunteered to bring in food - please bring it, warmed up, to the kitchen area on Easter Sunday between noon and 2pm.  The closer to noon the better. If you have agreed to volunteer - we need you to... 1) Come to the fellowship hall at noon and start boxing up to-go containers. 2) Group the to-go containers into pods to be delivered by people who have volunteered to deliver them. 3) Deliver the meals in teams.  Take your time and go to places that already know that you are coming with meals.  (They are expecting you!) 4) If you are brave - take the remaining meals to locations that we have been given of people that might or might not be there and don't know that we are coming with food! With all that said... We still need WAY MORE food!  If you have been waiting to sign-up, please sign up Sunday.  If you were thinking that we don't really need you to bring any food...

He was just sitting there in his wheelchair in the cold, white and taupe room.  There were two little beds and tube TV.  He looked up surprised and, for a moment, thought I was his doctor.  That was awesome!  I’ve never been mistaken for a doctor.  He quickly realized it was me.  He fumbled for my name.  “Tim from Westside” I said.  “Yes, I know that” Ed replied. We hadn’t seen him at church for a few weekends and decided that I was going to run down to his place, in an assisted living facility, and see if he was there.  He wasn’t.  It was lunch time so I went to look in the cafeteria, but didn’t see him there either.  So I went to a little welcome desk and asked about him.  Fortunately, his neighbor was there.  She told me to come with her.  I followed her into her room and she handed me a piece of paper with an address scrolled on it.  It was to the rehab center where he had been for the past week.  T...

Once upon a time there were two good friends, a turtle and a bear.  They lived in the same section of the woods.  The bear was big and fun and everyone knew him.  He was very popular and well-spoken.  The other forest animals loved it whenever the bear came around.  The turtle was small, a little quite, but still pretty popular.  Most of the other animals liked the turtle too.  The two of them were very good friends. On one of their regular walks through the woods the bear and the turtle stumbled along a campfire.  It was a good campfire.  They recognized some of the animals there and said “hi.”  Bear said it very loudly, which was his way.  Turtle said it gently, which was more his demeanor.  They sat down and talked with the other animals for a while.  It was a fun time.  The other animals told them that they meet together regularly and they invited Bear and Turtle to come back.  Bear and Turtle agreed...

There is just something about watching older people watch kids.  You can imagine the memories of years gone by, people gone by, and life experiences going through a weathered soul.  You can see the youth and energy of the kids light up the eyes and hearts of the aged.  It's beautiful. Yesterday our Children's Director (Tammy), her husband (Nick), and our wonderful keyboardist (Denise), and I took a group of our "church kids" to sing for, and spent time with, people in a retirement home.  I just drove.  I didn't do much. Tammy led these kids to reach out and introduce themselves to the 20 or so residents that were all around.  I was proud that two of those kids were mine.  Then Miss Tammy sat on the floor with the kids and played a game that involved everyone there.  I was proud that my kids were in a church with Miss Tammy.  She is a great teacher and leader.  She is full of energy, but most of all - she loves those kids!  Sh...

A young woman from my beloved Westside Christian Church sent me two questions for a school project.  I'm sharing them here.  If you're not in the full-time ministry it might give you a tiny glimpse into what we do and how we think.  If you are in full-time ministry please post your additional thoughts in the comments section. 1. What are the hardest challenges about being in full-time ministry? You can go in many different directions with this question. Personally, being in full-time ministry requires a tremendous amount of love for people that you don’t know all that well to begin with.  You have to put yourself out there and love people.  You don’t know if that love will be returned.  Sometimes, that love gets taken advantage of and people you thought you could trust become your enemies.  So much of your “job” is to build relationships with people, so when those relationships get broken it hurts from a career side and personally. ...

The Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote: “One must not tie a ship to a single anchor, nor life to a single hope.” Let me tell you how stupid this is.  It is through discipline and singular devotion that I have found any freedom or happiness in my life. For example, I have devoted myself to just one woman.  Crazy right?  I have committed to love just one woman for the rest of my life.  I have promised to put her above everyone else that is alive.  I have committed to have sex with just her.  Just one woman…for the rest of my life.  As long as she outlives me (which I’m betting she will), I will never have sex with any other woman for the rest of my life, or for all eternity.  What has that singular devotion brought me?  Gee.  Let me think for a little bit.  Ummm.  It’s brought me the single greatest source of encouragement, purpose, happiness, and “home” that I have ever known!!!!  I’m not sure how it’s possibl...