All posts by Paul Tillman

book review, family

Being Dad Part 1: The Early Years

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Being Dad coverOn Fathers Day 2014 I gave each of the dads in my church a copy of David Drury’s book Being Dad. If you have not yet received you copy, please see me. I will not give this book to your wife or children to pass along to you, as this is a gift from me to you. Although I’ve read the book already, I’m reading it again, along with any of you that have begun reading (I saw one dad reading right after church). There will be no spoilers of the book here, but I will post my reflections on the three major sections of the book: The Early Years, The Growth Years, and The Peer Years, with the hope that these posts will further encourage you to not only read the book, but to also become the best dad you can be.

bike trailerWhen I ride my bike, I can’t coast all the time, and, honestly, I do like to pedal, as it makes me stronger and gets me to my destination faster. But sometimes it’s nice, or even necessary, to coast. When I’m pulling my daughter in the bike trailer, I might switch to an easier gear, but rarely get to coast. That’s being dad, intentional work. Continue reading Being Dad Part 1: The Early Years →

sacraments

The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 6: Anointing of the Sick

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Anointing of the sick is not counted as a sacrament of the gospel, meaning not ordained by Jesus. However the command and instructions are given by James the brother of Jesus in James 5:14-15.

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

oilProtestants should not confuse anointing of the sick with the last rites. The last rites are not a sacrament, but rather the three sacraments of anointing the sick, confession/reconciliation, and the Lord’s Table all given to a person near death. Continue reading The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 6: Anointing of the Sick →

family, prayer

Petitions, Prayers, and Personal Refrigerators

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Just before Palm Sunday, I took a 1.7 cubic feet refrigerator from my basement, where we keep it for guests, over to the church. As the church planned to offer communion every day from Palm Sunday through Easter, on a drop in bases most days, I thought having a small refrigerator up on stage to hold the elements would be handy.

IMAG0354 smallMy daughter often  comes over to the church with me when I practice music; she enjoys dancing while I play and sing, and she noticed the refrigerator on the stage. “What’s that?” she asked. I told her it was a refrigerator, to which she she replied, “I wish I had my own refrigerator.” I thought she made a bit of an absurd wish. What does a three-year-old need with their own refrigerator? I let her know that was not something she needed. Yet like the widow of Luke 18:1-8, she persisted. Continue reading Petitions, Prayers, and Personal Refrigerators →

community

Building Communities

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Mission Santa Cruz
Mission Santa Cruz

When in California, my wife and I visited all the Spanish Missions along the El Camino Real. Some are still functioning churches, while others are only museums. The architecture of all the missions show their similar purposes: worship of God, refuge and provision for people, and a beacon to the traveler. People used to live, work, and worship, as well as visit, these missions. I wonder if churches can still do that today. Continue reading Building Communities →

blogging

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming

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pathfinderWhile I haven’t been blogging here much lately, I have been blogging. Readers probably noted that the majority of my posts over the last seven months have sent readers over to the Oakdale Wesleyan Church website. At that site, I had been posting the mission report from last Fall’s trip to Uganda. Seven months, sixteen posts, and many pictures and videos later, The Pathfinder Report is completed. Please head over and check it all out. Since that work is done (the writing, not the work in Uganda), I will now return to regular posting on spiritual formation on this site . . . sort of.

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Readers have probably also noticed that the blog name has changed from In God’s Way to Imitatio Dei (Imitation of God), which I believe reflects more the intent of this blog, and would have been the name I first chose, had I thought of it. I have the goal of migrating all content over to imitatiodei.org (which already mirrors the blog home page) by the end of the year, and I am open to ideas about how best to use imitatiodei.org, which I have purchased as well.

I’m looking forward to continuing to grow with you all, individually and corporately, into a true reflection of God’s image.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:11 NIV)

photo credit: lets.book via photopin cc