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A New Plan

December 30, 2021 by Tim Sherfy

For years, the last couple of weeks of the year were a flurry of activity for me. This was goal-setting time, a time to reflect on what I accomplished over the past year and make plans for what I would aspire to do in the year to come. I had one-year plans, three-year plans, five-year plans, and ten-year plans. I laid out everything neatly and precisely. While my goals would evolve, I always had a roadmap for my life.

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I was leaving as little to chance as possible. “The man who fails to plan plans to fail”, or so the saying goes. But, to quote another famous saying, “Man plans, God laughs.” Except I’m not sure God was laughing at all the plans I was making. I think shaking His head might be more accurate.

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The Faithfulness of God

February 24, 2020 by Tim Sherfy

All followers of Jesus desire to grow in their faith. We feel if we had more faith, we wouldn’t get so stressed out or worry as much. So, we pray and study; we beg and plead, all the while asking God for more faith. What if we’re focusing on the wrong thing? What if, instead of focusing on our own faith, we focused on the faithfulness of God?

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His love and provision are everlasting. They never fail. He never leaves our side and is always going with us, no matter what we may face (Deuteronomy 31:6). I believe if we grasped the faithfulness of God, the need for our own faith would be almost irrelevant. He is already more than we could ever need.

Eliminate Hurry

December 6, 2018 by Tim Sherfy

Dallas Willard once wrote, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” This is difficult for me to hear. I struggle slowing down. I have a need to always be accomplishing something. I admit to having difficulty enjoying vacations because I’m always focusing on what’s next instead of taking time to enjoy the moment. Perhaps you can relate. The issue is if we never slow down, we will miss what God has intended for us to notice along the way.

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Did you notice Jesus was never in a hurry? He seemed to always have time to stop and have a conversation or to touch someone in need. While others were busy trying to fill His agenda, Jesus went off by Himself to pray (Mark 1:35–37). He understood the value of eliminating hurry from His life.

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True Prayer

December 11, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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Photo Credit: rachel sian via Compfight cc

William Barclay said that “True prayer is asking God what He wants.” Too often our prayers are driven by our own perceived needs and selfish desires instead of focusing on what God wants to do in us and through our situation. We are focused on the here and now, but God’s eyes are also on the next and the not yet. He is capable of foreseeing every possible twist and turn our lives might take, and is always making a way for us to use the gifts He has entrusted to us in a way that furthers His Kingdom and glorifies His character. While Jesus longs for our happiness, He knows the quickest route there is to steer us toward holiness.

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The Life You’ve Always Wanted

June 20, 2013 by Tim Sherfy

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Mornings have become my favorite times. For a lifelong night owl, this has been quite the transformation over the past several years. Ever since I moved to Indiana, I have fallen in love with the early part of the day. The temperature is mild and the humidity level is comfortable in the hours before the sun comes up fully. The sounds of birds and insects provide an amazing symphonic backdrop to the exquisite colors bursting forth on the new day. It is peaceful, quiet, and calm. The stillness of the morning engenders stillness in my heart. I am awed by the beauty that surrounds me and bask in the exquisiteness of God’s creation.