Tim Merwin, Author at Gospel Connections

Loving Your Neighbor In A Day Of Viral Madness

Loving your neighbor in the midst of viral madness

Viral madness has arrived and we should all be asking the question, “what does loving your neighbor look like in this present climate?” We have all probably heard by now about the guy who hoarded over 17,000 bottles of sanitizer in his garage. While some look at the viral outbreak and think, “I can profit from this disaster.” Others go out and buy endless amounts of toilet paper while saying, “I just want to make sure we are ready.” I say, “Yikes, what exactly are you getting ready for?!?” While there is wisdom in having a level of preparedness, I wonder how much of the hoarding is driven by either fear or greed. In the next few weeks I hope to help us to explore what it might look like for us to love our neighbors in the midst of the viral madness.

Sunday’s Are Amazing!

If you know me, you know I love Sundays. Why? Because that is the day the church gathers to worship our great God… together. Sure, I enjoy worshiping God throughout the week but on Sunday the church gathers for corporate worship. To hear the people of God sing with passion, pray for each other, serve and care for one another is supernatural. Truly, I am not exaggerating, it is supernatural!

Community Groups (The 3 Legged Stool)

At Trinity Community Church I like to think of our community groups and the three legged stool. A three legged stool is useless if it doesn’t have all three legs. Take away one of the legs and you no longer have a stool that will support you. The same is true for the community group, home group, fellowship group or whatever your church happens to call your small group ministry. While we could always add more legs to our stool, I find it best to operate small groups with clarity and simplicity. Let’s dive in!

To the weary believer in Christ

To the tired believer in Jesus Christ

You are worn out, ragged and weary. You feel tired and at times you think; “I am at the end of my rope.” You find yourself wondering… where is the hope?

A Pastor’s Thoughts From Sunday

A lot happens before Trinity Community Church gathers for corporate worship at 10:00 am on Sundays. This past Sunday I did not have any preaching responsibilities. This means I was able to sleep in a little. When I do preach my day starts early with reviewing the sermon and making any final adjustments.

Alex Bowman preached from Isaiah 13-14 this past week, and I am sure his day started very early with the happy burden of preaching God’s Word. By the way, preaching from Isaiah’s judgement passages can be tricky! Thank you to all of you who regularly pray for the person who is seeking to handle God’s Word at your church each Sunday! Alex handled the Word with precision and conviction. I left Sunday rejoicing in God and meditating on how I might apply the appropriate challenges Alex brought to us through the preached word. It was an outstanding sermon, you can listen to it here. “The Sovereignty Of God Over The Nations”

Random Thoughts From Sunday

I love Sunday! That day of the week when the church gathers together for the CORPORATE worship of God. Let’s face it, we live in an isolated culture. Ours is a culture that values individualism and isolation. Long gone is the front porch where neighbors sit and chat. Instead we have garage doors we can pull into, shut the door, and never engage with a neighbor or stranger walking the street. So, each week the church gathers, and as it does, it swims against culture and swims against the lust of our own hearts that just wants to get away from it all and huddle in our cave of isolation.

Theology… Why Bother? 8 Reasons

Have you ever considered grabbing a thick, big, theology book? Maybe you have attempted it and stopped or perhaps you have thought you could never work your way through it. I want to give you 8 quick reasons to push past these thoughts and begin to dig in to that thick, big book.

Heroes Part 2

Have you had a chance to read Lea Lockhart’s post yet? If not, you can do so HERE.

There is no shortage of articles and blog posts right now regarding those who have shipwrecked their faith. While some of those posts are needed and helpful, it also seems much of what is being written lacks clear thought and compassionate biblical truth.

I rarely do this… but I think it might be helpful to re-post John Cooper’s recent Facebook post. John Cooper is the lead singer for the band Skillet. While Skillet may not really fit my musically taste, his thoughts below are! Don’t misunderstand, John Cooper is not my new HERO – that spot is reserved for Christ Alone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Heroes

By Lea Lockhart

When I was a young girl, I had a teacher named Mrs. Harris. She was so pretty with her long eyelashes and perfect make-up. She dressed very nice every day. Her nails were long and painted pink. I remember her shoes, they made a really cool sound when she walked across the hard terrazzo floor, almost like tap shoes. She wore a different necklace every day. As a little girl, I wanted to be just like her. When I played school with my friends, I was always Mrs. Harris. In my eyes, Mrs. Harris was perfect and I wanted to be just like her until one day I saw her in the grocery store. To my dismay, she didn’t have any makeup on and she

Competing Spectacles – A Review

The digital world we live in demands our full attention by creating spectacular graphics and ever – improving devices to capture our gaze and hold us beyond our initial purpose for the quick glance. What is the impact on society and what is the toll on me and you when we sit before this visual buffet?

There Were Three (A Poem For Good Friday)

There were three

Three crosses that day

Two were criminal

And One to whom some pray

An Open Letter To My Church

I just started reading Aron Osborne’s book, So Many Mountains, Which One to Climb. I only got to page 5 of the introduction, when I had to stop; I’m deep in thought.. Aron’s focus is not even the main thing that I’m writing about, but one sentence just hit me.He’s writing about what he would and wouldn’t want people to say at his funeral. The one sentence that jumped out at me is “He was so devoted to his own tribe that he never even looked to see what was happening on the other side of the street.” That one sentence stopped me in my tracks. Hello Lea, where have you been? He’s talking about what really matters in a church and this is just a tiny sentence that jolted me awake. I”ll explain… thoughts to my church will explain what I mean….

Worldview Matters: 5 Reasons Why I Always Seem To Have My Nose In A Book On Worldview

I read a lot. Some is for fun and some is for work. Currently, I have my nose in four books that were all written to help the reader grasp and grow in one’s worldview. One book sits on the desk next to me, two of them are on my computer Kindle App, and the last one sits on my nightstand waiting for me to return home. The other day it occured to me that I almost always have my nose in a book on worldview. It isn’t intentional, maybe I drift there, maybe I need it, or maybe it’s a bit of both. But, it has me thinking today: Why do I always have my nose in a book on worldview?

Worldview Matters: Reinventing Jesus

Ours is a culture that seeks to reinvent Jesus. Ours is a day that longs for a Jesus who is more like us. A Jesus that will conform to our image and accept us at all cost. In our culture we don’t want the Jesus of the Bible – that old book that is often viewed as irrelevant and contradictory. We want a domesticated Jesus; a Jesus that keeps His distance and doesn’t impose too much on our lives. We don’t want the Jesus of love that cares enough about us to confront us like a loving Father, no, not that Jesus. We prefer a Jesus who agrees with me, understands me, and conforms to… me.

Worldview Matters: Looking At Our Glasses

The below is a re-post of an excellent article Steve Page wrote last year to help us consider our Worldview.

An Illustration

It is really difficult to look at your glasses (while wearing them) when we are so in the habit of looking through them to take in all the beauty of this world. But for this short essay, we are going to urge you to consider your glasses—even if you don’t wear them!