Divine Appointments

I had a great adventure getting to the event in Norwich, NY last Friday. I woke at 3:00 AM to leave for the airport by 3:30 AM. I said a quick prayer “Lord, today help me to be aware of divine appointments.” I don’t normally pray that but would soon learn that God had an interesting day planned for me.

The first strange event happened just as I was about to enter I-65 south of Nashville. A police car blew past me with lights flashing just as I was about to merge onto the highway. I was hoping the highway was not shut down for a wreck. About a mile later, there was the police car with lights flashing, completely blocking the highway. There was one car in front of me and he went around the police car onto the shoulder of the road. I followed. That was when I saw that a car had been driving the wrong direction on the highway and was now stopped in front of the police car. Crazy! If I had been there a minute earlier I may have found myself face to face with that guy.

Then in the airport in Nashville, my flight was delayed several hours due to the snowstorm in Chicago where my flight was connecting. As I waited in line to board the plane I met Paul, a 16 year old kid from Maryville, TN who was also flying to Albany. He was traveling alone and was concerned about the flight delays and cancellations. The bells went off in my head as I realized this was a divine appointment. I told him that if he would stick with me, I would help him get to Albany. And we were off.

When we arrived in Chicago, the airport was a snowy mess. Our plane sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes and we watched our connecting flight depart without us to Albany. Finally able to unload, we managed to get signed up for a stand-by flight to Baltimore which would then connect to Albany.

At this point we picked up the third member of our ragamuffin band, David. David is a college student at Kentucky Wesleyan University and is an award winning football player there. He recently had surgery to repair a damaged knee and was traveling alone, leg extended as he sat in a wheelchair. He was also from the Nashville flight and was trying to get to Albany. So we added him to our group and waited for the flight to Baltimore.

We finally got to Baltimore only to find the snow storm had followed us east. We were now stranded in Baltimore trying to get a stand-by flight to Albany. For hours we waited and were finally dismayed to hear that all flights to Albany had been cancelled. We were now stranded in Baltimore.

At this point it is beginning to feel like we are caught in a Christmas movie, some sort of combination of Band of Brothers meets Nester the Long Eared Donkey and the misfits trying to get to Bethlehem!

There were no flight options going out on Saturday and the flights going on Sunday would not get me to Albany in time for the event. So the only option I had was to get a hotel, then get a one-way rental car and drive to Albany 6 hours on Saturday. So we got Paul and David’s parents on the phone, got permission for them to stay in the hotel, and the three of us crashed at the hotel around 11:00 PM. We were exhausted to say the least. I said a prayer for each of the guys and then made my way to the lobby to book the rental car.

Saturday we drove the 6 hour drive to Albany, paid a total of $30 in tolls along the way, and finally arrived at the Albany airport around 2:00 in the afternoon. Our luggage was waiting. We got a great group shot and then said our good-byes after exchanging phone numbers and addresses.

Here is Paul, David, and myself.

It was a privilege to be used by God in each of their lives, simply expressing the love of God to them, that God was taking care of them along the way. I reminded them repeatedly that it was not me taking care of them, that it was God who was using me to meet their needs. It was really cool.

Then I drove to Norwich and crashed at the hotel. The weather was still bad. We had a good service in the morning and then I headed back to the airport for my flight home.

Another storm moved into Albany and it looked like I might get stranded again. Thankfully I was able to get my flight out to Charlotte to connect to Nashville. Unfortunately, the Nashville leg of the flight was cancelled due to a mechanical issue. So the airline put me up in a hotel and I got the first flight out in the morning. I finally arrived home on Monday around 11:00 AM.

What a crazy weekend. But it was exciting to see how God had planned for me to help those two guys get to Albany. I was able to share the love of God by simply living out what I claim to believe. It was really interesting to see God at work throughout the trip. You never know how God is going to use you when you say “Lord, help me to be aware of divine appointments today.”

Go for it! Have a great day!

Over the Edge Book now available online

I am excited to let you know the new book is now available online at our
website http://www.timothymark.com. You can now download the e-book
version for free, print and mail in an order form, or purchase a book
online through our secure server with PayPal.

I hope the book will be a great encouragement to folks and a tool to
communicate what it means to be a real-deal, follower of Jesus Christ.
Go for it!

Have a great day!

Books delivered today!

I am grateful to have the first printing of the books in house today. They were delivered by a semi truck on my little residential street. I was not expecting that. But I am grateful to have this part of the process behind me. It will be a few days before I have the updates to the website uploaded to begin the ordering process so bear with me on that account. This is obviously a very busy time of year and frankly, adding the launch of the book into the mix has been a bit of a trick. One of the exciting things is the way the ministry is growing. I am finding it very challenging to keep up with things and still take time to rest. I am encouraged by all that I see God doing and know that he is going to direct each step of the way.

I talk often about letting God be in control. The other day a friend of mine said to me "Oh, so you are not in the drivers seat but instead in the trunk of the car."

"No," I replied, "I am hanging off the back bumper just trying to hold on for the ride." That pretty much describes how it feels trying to keep up with God.

Have a great day!

Oh Canada!

It has been really exciting in the offices here lately just watching
what God is doing. One of the most interesting developments is the clear
move of God for ministry into Canada in 2009. Prior to this time, I have
only been into Canada for ministry a handful of times in 20 years of
ministry. Well, this coming year we will likely have 25% of our ministry
events in Canada as far west as Edmonton, Alberta and as far east as
Montreal, Quebec. Who would have thought! And ministries in Vancouver
and Toronto as well have expressed interest as well. The most
interesting aspect of all of this is that I have not made one phone call
asking a church if we could come. It has all been word of mouth.

Last summer I met a lady named Viv while I was ministering at Word of
Life conference center in Schroon Lake, NY. Viv is the director of
Mission Globales in Montreal. (http://www.missionsglobales.org) She
invited me to speak at their conference in November, 2009. That began a
flood of interest through her network in Quebec and across Canada. Then
I was invited to speak at Mission Fest Alberta in February, 2009.
(http://www.mfest.ab.ca/) Both ministries have been influential in
scheduling ministry events in local churches in their regions. As a
result, at this time I already have 14 events on the calendar in Canada
and expect many more to follow before we are finished with the year. I
will have the privilege of speaking through translators for ministry in
French, Haitian, and Chinese churches along with ministry in English
speaking churches as well. What a privilege to be part of what God is
doing in Canada.

I've said for years that I believe God has called me to the church in
America to call the church to be the church he intended her to be. My
friends in Canada told me that God must have meant "North America"
because the church in Canada needs the message as well. They may be right!

I will keep you updated as we move forward.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Update on Book project

We are expecting copies of the new book Over the Edge: Personal Stories
of Adventure and Faith in house in a few days. We are planning to begin
filling orders the beginning of January. We are working behind the
scenes to set up a way for you to order online through our website and
should have that up and running soon. There will also be a form on the
site that you can print out and mail in if that is easier for you. We
will have them available at all the live events going forward as well.

Otherwise it has been a busy month. I am juggling a lot of
responsibilities but it is going well. I am excited about all that God
is doing. The schedule for 2009 is filling in and it looks like it will
be another exciting year of ministry.

Have a great day!

Tim

Update on Indiana trip

I'm back from the ministry event at First Baptist Church, Warsaw, IN. I
had a great time with friends there. It snowed a few inches on Sunday
morning. It is moments like that that I quietly ask the Lord if I could
please move back to Florida! Or even just schedule ministry events in
Florida all winter long. I am not a cold weather person. But the concert
Sunday morning went very well and there was a good response during the
invitation. I am grateful for that.

I drove home to Tennessee Sunday afternoon. It was really heavy traffic.
It was raining or snowing most of the way making the roads slick.
Apparently everyone was returning home from their Thanksgiving weekends
and the traffic congestion was the worst I have ever seen. I was
grateful there were no accidents as it would have completely shut down
the highway. There was a long stretch of about 150 miles where it was
bumper to bumper, stop and go. So it took longer than usual to get home,
but I did get home. And safely. So I am grateful for that.

I will be working on the website in the next few days to get the e-book
version of the new book uploaded. Lots to do.

Have a great day!

Book sent to printer

I am excited to let you know that the new book Over the Edge: Personal Stories of Adventure and Faith has finally been sent to the printer. I am announcing it here on the blog first. If there are no glitches, we should have copies in house by the middle of December. As you can imagine, I am very excited about this. It has been a very long journey to get this book printed. The big challenge for me was finding time to finish the edits and do the layout of the cover and text.

For those that may not be in the loop, this book is a collection of stories from my travels on five continents. But it is more than just a book of stories. Each chapter teaches a Biblical truth to live by. I call it a devotional on steroids with a shot of testosterone thrown into the mix. I believe it will be a good tool for the ministry in my mission to see folks live their lives as real-deal followers of Jesus Christ.

We are working on the website to add the ability to order and also donate online. It should come online sometime in December. In the mean time, you can advance order the book by writing to us at:

Timothy Mark
ATTN: Over the Edge
PO Box 2003
Columbia, TN 38402

The book will also be available as an e-book via download through the website at http://www.timothymark.com. And just like the CDs, the download will be free and the hard copy will be available for a donation.

Alright, have a great day!

Radio Interview for Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I had the great privilege of being on the morning show on AM 930 The Light (http://www.am930thelight.com) in Edmonton, Alberta this morning. And I don't know when I have enjoyed myself more. Brother Bob was the DJ that handled the interview, calling me in my office for the 7:00 AM Daybreak Live show. Bob is a former pastor and we have the same heart for the church. It was as if we had known each other for years. I've done a few radio interviews in the past on other stations, but none I have enjoyed as much as this one. Between the news and weather, we were on air for an hour an a half of sweet fellowship and prayer.

I will be in Edmonton in February for the Missions Fest (http://www.mfest.ab.ca/) and am greatly looking forward to it. The folks at Missions Fest set up the interview and I am grateful for their help. I've already received emails from folks in Edmonton that I met at a Solocon event in Nashville last year saying they are looking forward to the Missions Fest event.

I don't know when I have seen the Holy Spirit so actively at work. And that gets me fired up!

Have a great day!

Home Time!

I am finally off the road for a couple of weeks. I am really grateful to
be home for a while. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed for a change.

I had a great time with friends in Marllette, MI at the Grace Bible
Church. These folks have been long term supporters of the ministry and I
was grateful to be able to minister there again. I drove on home to
Tennessee Sunday afternoon and arrived home around 11:00 Central Time.

Since I arrived home, I've gotten sick from some sort of sinus flu. I
had been fighting it for the past 10 days and when I finally slowed down
to rest it came on full force. So that has slowed me down a bit. But I
am grateful to be home and working in the office again. Lots to do.

Have a great day!

Update on Wayne Watson Concert

We had a great time at the Wayne Watson Concert last night. It was a
benefit concert for Beginnings Care for Life, a pregnancy center in
Coldwater, MI. There was a good turn out and the folks gave generously
for the center. I mainly led worship and emceed the event. It was a
privilege to be there. Wayne was excellent, very down to earth and easy
to relate to. I appreciated that.

A funny thing happened after I finished my section of the event. I
wanted to make sure the piano was cleared off and ready for Wayne. So as
I finished my remarks and began to introduce him, I gathered up the
sheet music I had been using for the worship time from the top of the
piano. There were some other papers there that seemed to have been left
from the folks that did the offertory. So I gathered it all up,
introduced Wayne, and then walked off the platform. While Wayne was
singing his opening song, I wandered to the back room where my luggage
was stored and filed away the sheet music I had gathered off the piano.
In that stack of papers I found the other pages that I had picked up and
opened them up to see what they were. That was when I discovered I had
taken Wayne's set list from the piano, basically his game plan for the
concert. It was two pages with a list of songs in the order he was going
to perform them. I knew I had to get it back on the platform somehow,
but how? Thankfully, he was very laid back in his presentation between
the songs. At one point after his second song, he paused to take a
drink. I walked up on the platform with the papers in hand and said to
him off mic "You are going to need this." He looked at the papers and
then said into the mic "We have song request!". It was total class. He
realized I had accidentally taken the set list but didn't embarrass me
from the platform. He played it off like someone has sent a request
through me to the stage. I thought that was pretty cool the way he
handled it. He then set the list down and continued with the concert. It
was a great evening.

I am driving today to Marlette, Michigan for the event there tomorrow. I
will be ministering at Grace Bible Church in the morning and then
driving home to Tennessee in the afternoon and evening. If you think of
it, pray for alert driving and safety on the roads.

Have a great day!

Coast to Coast

I'm going coast to coast this month. Having finished the ministry in
Louisiana and Texas, I'm heading to Michigan today for the benefit
concert tomorrow night with Wayne Watson. I am praying that we will be
able to raise a lot of money for the Beginnings Care for Life center in
Coldwater, MI. Then Sunday I am looking forward to being with friends at
the Grace Bible Church in Marlette, MI.

It has been an incredible season of ministry. The schedule has been
packed and I am grateful for all I see God doing. At the same time, I am
looking forward to a few weeks off after this weekend. There is a lot
happening behind the scenes and I will have a full plate in the office.
But it will be nice to be able to sleep in my own bed for a while.

Be watching the blog in the coming weeks for some exciting announcements
regarding developments in the ministry. It is a very exciting time.

Have a great day!

Prayer Request for a Friend

I received a call early this morning that a friend of mine is on his
deathbed after a long bout with cancer. His name is Ollie. I would
appreciate it if you would pray for him. I have had the privilege of
presenting the gospel to him when he has come to the ministry events,
but I do not know where he stands with God. So please pray that in these
final days he would be reconciled with Christ.

I will be on the road most of the day today. I am leaving Houston and
heading to Little Rock. I will drive from Little Rock to Tennessee
tomorrow. I leave again Thursday for Michigan and a couple of events
there. After that trip I will have some time off and am looking forward
to that.

Have a great day!

Final Day in Crowell, TX

It has been a great week with the revival meetings here in Crowell. I am
so grateful for all I have seen God doing this week. The Holy Spirit has
been clearly moving. Please be praying for the final meeting tonight.

I had a blast yesterday afternoon mountain biking with the Pastor at the
Copper Breaks State Park. We found a great trail through the wilderness.
You know I love an adrenaline fix. The trail was fantastic. I will be
pursuing this sport when I return home as we have some great trails near
my home in Tennessee.

Have a great day!

Revival meetings in Crowell

I am fired up about the meetings here in Crowell, TX. Most importantly,
these folks have been praying for the meetings for the past four weeks
and it is making a difference. We had a prayer meeting Saturday night
and 13 folks showed up to pray for the revival. We prayed in small
groups for 1 hour and 45 minutes and it was sweet. I was so encouraged.
And you can tell the difference in the meetings. I am so grateful.
Sunday's services went very well. I preached in Margaret and Crowell in
the morning and then in a combined service in Crowell in the evening.
Many, many folks responded to the invitation to commit or recommit their
lives to the Lord. I will be here through Wednesday.

So join with us and pray that God will do a great work of revival in his
people here in Crowell, Texas. Thanks! Have a great day!

New Orleans Ministry Update

It was a privilege to be with the folks from Lakeview Shepherds Ministry
on Thursday. The folks there were so kind to me and I enjoyed the
opportunity to minister. It was humbling to meet folks who had been
directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. I hope to be able to come back
at some point and see how the area continues to recover.

No Cover? No Way

I had a great evening in the French Quarter. I enjoyed the historical
aspect of the place. I've always been interested in old architecture and
other cultures. The French Quarter reminded me of the small towns I
visited in Europe years ago while backpacking across the continent.

But the French Quarter is different. I have to say I was struck by the
carnality of it all. On the way to dinner at the Gumbo Shop on St.
Peters I walked down Bourbon Street. What a crazy place. Earlier in the
day I had chatted with a Police officer about the district and he gave
me a quick overview of the place. "There will be a lot of folks
drinking. That's what people do here" he said. Well, Bourbon Street was
full of folks doing just that. It was not a street I would recommend
taking small children through. In fact, I wouldn't recommend taking
anyone through it. Bourbon Street reminded me of the scene in Its A
Wonderful Life when he walks through Pottersville as it would have been
had he never had been born. Neon lights shouted out offering everything
from Adult bookstores, bars, and strip clubs. It was sad. At one point,
one of the hustlers outside a strip club shouted across the street to me
"No cover!" to which I replied "No way..."

It is a reminder to me that without a real relationship with Jesus
Christ, you have nothing. I was struck by the emptiness in the faces of
the folks I saw there on Bourbon Street. And I was filled with
gratefulness for all God has done in my life, to fill me with his love
and his presence, to change me, to bring me into a real relationship
with him, so that it becomes easy to say "No cover, no way." But hear me
here, I see that same emptiness in the faces of folks sitting in the
pews of the churches I minister in every weekend. You can be religious
without a real relationship with God. Going to church can become just
another attempt to cover up the emptiness in your heart. God intended
for so much more. He offers life. He offers a life that is full, that
meets you with his presence in the midst of your situation.

So today, remember that it is all about a real relationship with God.
There is nothing this world offers that can substitute for that. Go for it!

In the Big Easy

I'm in New Orleans for the concert and speaking event tomorrow. Really
excited about being in town. I got a great four star hotel in the middle
of the French Quarter for $45 on Priceline. I arrived in town early
afternoon and spent a few hours just walking around the French Quarter
and scoping out dinner options. I'm really looking forward to the events
tomorrow and am praying that it will be a blessing to the folks here. I
will be leaving around 2:00 and driving to Dallas. I will be on the road
till about midnight. So if you think about it, you can pray for alert
driving along the way. I downloaded a bunch of messages from my favorite
Preachers before I left. I will be listening to a bunch of them on the road.

Then it is on to Crowell, TX for the Revival meetings there. I am
expecting great things as the folks there have been praying for these
meetings for several weeks now.

Have a great day!

Plowing ahead...

These last few weeks have been a blur. I feel sometimes like I am
bouncing from one event to the next with little time to prepare in
between. Still, I am grateful for all that I see God doing. And in
moments like this when I feel wore out, those are the times I seem to
see the Holy Spirit move most clearly. I am grateful for His kindness to
me in so many ways. I am really looking forward to this next week as I
will be heading to New Orleans on Wednesday for an event there on
Thursday. I will likely spend the night there and then head to Dallas,
TX to spend an evening with an Aunt. It will be fun to catch up. Then it
is on to Crowell, TX for the revival meetings there. I will be there
from Sunday through Wednesday. Then I am finally taking some time off. I
will head to Houston where I will spend a few days with a good friend
and board member of the ministry. I am really looking forward to
spending Halloween with him and his family. The kids should be a hoot!
Then on the return trip home, I will spend the night with another great
friend from my years in Florida at his home in Little Rock, AR. I will
finally return home November 3 and will head back out for ministry in
Michigan on the 6th.

One of the things that has been keeping me busy behind the scenes is the
final layout work on the book project. Lord willing we will get the book
to print this month and should have copies back in November. We'll see.
Often there are unexpected delays along the way. Lord willing...

Have a great day!

Family of Friends Retreat in Maryland

Hi to everyone from the Family of Friends retreat at the Skycroft
Conference Center in Maryland last weekend. It was a blast. Most
importantly, I felt that the Holy Spirit was weaving it all together. It
was a privilege to lead worship and to hear Dr. Gary Ball speak. Thanks
to the Steering Committee for all their work leading up to the retreat.

I am home now and trying to catch up on all the office stuff before
heading out for a concert in New Orleans, LA and revival meetings in
Crowell, TX next week. I am a bit wore out from the pace of ministry
over the past couple of months and am planning to take a couple extra
days off this weekend to rest. Yes!!!

Have a great day!

Pics of Miracle Camp BMA (Ao-Wa-Kiya)

Okay, here are a few pics from the trip down memory lane the other day. The cottage is where we used to sleep. The swing is still on the lake front. And the house pic is the stone house where we had to say our memory verses on the front porch.

You CAN go back

The other day I was driving to the Men's Retreat in Northern Michigan,
where I was scheduled to speak. It had been a long day on the road. As I
rounded the last curve before turning down the drive toward Camp
Ao-Wa-Kiya, I saw the lake on my right and the small black and white
sign that read "Stoney Lake". That name echoed through my mind and I
wondered why it seemed familiar. Then I remembered that it is the name
of the Lake where I went to camp as a child, to the Bible Memory
Association Camp. What great memories from those years as a child.

I arrived at Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya and made my way into the main lodge. A
woman greeted me and began to show me around. I asked her if she knew
where on the lake the BMA Camp was. She replied "You're standing on it."
It was surreal. As I began to look around, I noticed a few of the old
cabins and building that I remembered from 30 years ago. There was the
old stone house where you had to go to quote your memory verses to be
allowed in camp. The shoreline looked familiar. The old chapel where I
had done business with God was still there but had been converted into
more lodging space when a new chapel was built.

What was so weird was to think back at the decisions I made then. I
remember specifically a night when the invitation song was "Is your all
on the altar of sacrifice laid". And I hope that same chorus still
rings true in my heart today.

It was interesting to consider how the path has led these past 30 years
to bring me back to a spiritual marker point in my life.

Yes, you can go back again...

Oh the joy...

It has been interesting around here the past couple of days. My laptop
power jack broke and left me with no way to access all the files I use
on a daily basis. That was Friday. Since I was out of town at the Men's
Retreat in Michigan, I figured I would deal with it Monday when I got
home. So for the past two days all I have done is try to find a way to
access all those files and get some sort of office up and running again.
I will spare you all the gory details. But I am grateful that after 23
hours (yes, in just 2 days) I am finally able to access the records I
needed. I am grateful for the way God provided wisdom along the way.

Now I am getting ready for the Singles conference in Maryland this
weekend. I'm really looking forward to leading worship for this group.
I've been going through the music and planning the different sessions.
It will be a privilege to be involved with the Family of Friends
Regional event.

Thanks to all who email and say they are praying for me. I really
appreciate it.

Have a great day!

Awesome Men's Retreat

I have just returned from the Men's Retreat at Ao-wa-kiya Camp (http://www.ao-wa-kiya.org/about-us.htm) in Shelby, MI. It was a great time. We had some awesome worship and I was able to share about living a life of faith. I really enjoyed being able to do the Zip line a bunch of times and then paint-ball wars until it got dark. All in all it was a really refreshing time.

I am home, it is 12:39 AM and I am still a bit wired from driving back to Tennessee all afternoon and evening. I arrived home safely at 11:15 PM. I will hit the ground running in the morning finishing up the final preparations for the Singles Conference in Maryland this weekend. More to follow.

Have a great day!

Taking a Day to Rest

Today is my day off this week. I will head out tomorrow at 5:00 AM for a
Men's Retreat I am speaking at in Northern Michigan. I am really looking
forward to these meetings as the topic is Living by Faith. Plus, I've
been involved with this church for many years so it is like going home
in some regards.

The challenge I have today is to rest. Like most folks, I tend to go a
hundred miles an hour through the week. If I am not careful I can forget
to take time off to rest. I think the principle of a Sabbath rest is
important. Some say that it is the most violated command of the 10
commandments. But actually, the idea of a Sabbath rest was instituted at
Creation long before the Law was given. So I try to take one day a week
and do nothing. And while it drives me crazy, I know it is best!

Have a great day!

Dragged Kicking and Screaming into the 21st Century

Okay, I have finally broken down and started a blog. I make no promises to update this baby every day as my schedule gets crazy fast. But from time to time I will share what God is doing in my life and hopefully encourage you to be the real-deal, follower of Jesus Christ. Go for it!