Facebook page now set up

Well, I finally did it and set up a Facebook page. I will likely be using it as the primary mode of communication going forward. So if I don't update the blog for some time you will know what is going on. You can find me by searching for my email at timothy@timothymark.com.

Of course we will still be doing the monthly newsletters. But for the behind the scenes stuff, check out the Facebook page. Thanks!

Alright, have a great day!

Tim

Link for the message from Altoona, PA

Here is the link for the message I mentioned in the post about First Church in Altoona, PA. We now have the file uploaded to the site. The message is titled "What if we were honest" and is listed on the free messages page on the site. The link is here:

http://timothymark.com/messages.html

Have a great day!

Update from Vermont and North Carolina

I am home from a full and exciting week of ministry in Vermont and North Carolina. I just arrived home this afternoon after a safe flight back from Raleigh/Durham, NC.

I started the trip on Wednesday of last week flying to Burlington, Vermont for the Websterville Baptist Christian High School Retreat where I was speaking on Thursday and Friday. The kids were awesome. And the fall colors were great! It was a privilege to be there. A lot of the kids and adults responded to the work of the Holy Spirit and it was a blast to watch.

Then on Friday afternoon I flew down to Durham, NC where my Aunt lives. I stayed with her Friday and enjoyed the time there. On Saturday I drove on over to Creston, NC where I was preaching Sunday morning at the Riverview Baptist Church. Sunday night I did a full concert there and then Monday headed back to Durham. I spent Monday evening at my Aunt's home and then flew back to TN today.

I am looking forward to a Men's Retreat this weekend in Northern Michigan with my friends from Clarksville Bible Church. Hopefully we'll get some paint ballin' in like we did last year.

It has been so exciting to see the opportunities God is bringing along to share my passion for the church. I am so blessed. What is most interesting is how the schedule is filling up with revival meetings and conferences. The Spring schedule for 2010 is packed and I hardly have any concerts. So it is exciting to see how God continues to move the ministry more into a speaking/preaching role. What a privilege to serve God in this way.

Alright, have a great day!

Follow up from Altoona PA

I had a great weekend of ministry last weekend in Altoona, PA. I had the privilege of speaking in three services in the morning at First Church. My friend Brad Windlan is one of the associate pastors there. I was greatly encouraged by the response after each of the services. When I get a copy of the message from that morning I will post a link to it.

I am off this weekend and am getting caught up on some stuff around the house. Tonight I am looking forward to spending the evening with friends in Spring Hill, TN.

Wednesday I will be flying up to Vermont for the Websterville Baptist Christian School Retreat Thursday and Friday. Then Friday afternoon I'll fly to Raleigh, North Carolina for services in Creston Saturday and Sunday. I'm planning to spend a day with family in Raleigh on Monday and then fly back to Tennessee Tuesday. I'll catch my breath for a day or two and then head on up to Michigan for a mens retreat there.

So all in all, this is a very busy time for me. October is going to be exciting as well. And then in November I am back in Montreal for the exciting Missions Globales conference. What a privilege.

I'll keep you posted from the road. Have a great day!

HOME!!!!!!!

I am finally home after being on the road since June 24. I arrived home last night about 7:00 PM. It feels so good to be back. There is a ton of stuff around the house that will need to be addressed in the coming days but I am just grateful to be home.

I have the best friends here in Tennessee who have taken care of my place while I have been gone. My neighbor has been looking after the inside of my home and took the time to dust the house and clean the bathrooms on Monday before I got back. She had the windows open to air out the house and had even put some fresh water in the fridge for me. That is so kind. My other neighbor mowed my yard whenever it needed it. I owe both of these folks a lot of favors!

I'm looking forward to getting together with some guys from my Sunday School class tonight. When I am in town, we meet on Wednesday nights for Bible study and accountability. It is something I look forward to.

So I am fired up to be home. I am off this weekend and will be able to be in my home church for a change. Yeah!

Alright, have a great day!

Finally some time to rest

I arrived back in NY from Montreal last night about 11:30 PM and can finally take some time off this week. What a great summer of ministry. I will be in Maine this weekend for several events and then will head back to Tennessee around September 1.

I went to the Word of Life Family Campground this morning to clean out my office there. The Conference center work finished up last Friday. Everyone is gone. It was so weird to be on the grounds without anyone around. Truly the soul of the ministry there leaves when all the folks leave for home. It was a reminder that ministry is all about people. It is not about the buildings or the facilities.

I am planning to get a lot of rest this week. Yeah!

Alright, have a great day!

Finishing up New England and Montreal Ministry

Well, I am at the end of the ministry in New England and Montreal. Of course I will be back in Montreal this fall. I finished the work at the Word of Life conference center in Schroon Lake, NY yesterday. Tonight I will be in Vermont to present the gospel at a Legacy Five concert. So I would appreciate your prayers for that. Tomorrow I head up to Montreal for the weekend there again. On Saturday I will be jet boating with some friends of mine and then having a meeting later that day with them to work through some ministry stuff with them. Then on Sunday I have two more church ministry events. Next week I am planning to take some time off to rest before heading to Maine for two more events there. I will finally be driving back to Tennessee August 31 with an arrival in TN planned for September 1. Yeah!

I would certainly value your prayers for all of this. It makes a difference!

It has been a great summer. It has certainly been a pressure cooker to fit all of this stuff in. What is cool is that I can see where God has been doing a great work in my life through all of this. It has been crazy busy and the stress load was much higher than I expected. I feel like I have been in the refiner's fire and the dross has come to the surface. I recharge when I am alone and there has been almost no time for that. There is nothing like total exhaustion to show your worst side! But the great thing is that when the Lord does that, you can also see how he is purifying and removing that dross from your life. I am so grateful for this. I can see where this summer has been a great benefit to me and I am certainly better for it. Through out all of it I have tried to maintain my regular time in the word and prayer. That time with God is what has made all the difference. I have had some great long talks with God about all of it and I am so grateful for that relationship in my life. I can't imagine how folks make it without Christ.

Alright, have a great day!

Middle of week five in Upstate NY

It has been a very busy summer here in the Adirondacks in upstate NY. The ministry at Word of Life is going well. It has finally warmed up a bit and feels more like summer. It was cold and rainy for the first few weeks.

I was in Michigan over the weekend for two events there. It was a privilege to preach at Bear Lake Christian Church in Kalkaska Sunday morning and then do a concert for the folks at Rollins Christian Fellowship in Manton. And a bonus for me was getting to spend time with my friends Dave and Diane Munson who live in Rockford. They picked me up at the Grand Rapids Airport on Saturday and loaned me a car for the weekend. I got to spend some time with them Saturday and then again on Sunday evening.

This coming weekend I am back to Montreal for 3 more events there. It has been a privilege to minister in so many churches in Montreal this summer. I have also enjoyed the fireworks on Saturday night. Montreal host an international fireworks competition every weekend all summer long. A different country sponsors each weekend. One night we watched from the pier and then one weekend my friends and I watched from one of the bridges crossing the St. Lawrence Seaway. It was a blast.

Hope you are having a great summer!

First Two Weeks Finished in Upstate NY

Wow, the first two weeks of ministry here in upstate NY are already finished. It has been a blurr. I am excited about the opportunity to be involved with Word of Life in Schroon Lake for the 8 weeks of their summer ministry program. It has kept me very busy, especially with keeping up the normal weekend ministry schedule as well. I am in Broadabin, NY tonight for a concert and then will head up to Montreal early in the morning tomorrow (Sunday) for two ministry events there. Then I'll drive back to Word of Life late Sunday evening to be ready to go Monday morning here.

The best part of the Ministry here at Word of Life is the great people you get to meet and hang out with. I am ministering at the Family Campground. So I am looking forward to many, many evenings hanging out with folks at the campfire.

I also enjoy getting to hear the the various conference speakers each week. Wendell Calder and Hayes Wicker were the speakers this past week and it was awesome.

I'll try to post some pictures as the summer progresses. Have a great day!

On the road a ton this week

I am in the Orlando airport waiting for a connection to take me back to TN. This is going to be a packed week of road travel so I would appreciate your prayers along the way. I arrive home this evening, will do some laundry and repack to leave again in the morning. Tomorrow I begin a two day drive to Schroon Lake, NY where I will be based for the summer. I have rehearsals scheduled for Thursday there and then will drive to Michigan on Friday. I have a family reunion on Saturday and then a ministry event in Indiana on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon I drive back to Schroon Lake to be ready to go Monday morning. Are you tired yet? I am just thinking about it. But I am looking forward to the week ahead. I download loads of messages off the internet and then listen to them when I am driving. So by the end of the week I will likely have listened to dozens of great messaged. I will be fired up!

A friend fowarded an interesting video the other day on the idea of what if Starbucks marketed themselves the way a church does. It is funny to watch. But it made me sad when I realized the truth of what it was saying. The link for the video is here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7_dZTrjw9I

Have a great day!

Update from the Shack

I am on the road in Northern Michigan near the end of two weeks of ministry. Last week I ministered at a Pastors Conference for IBM - Independent Bible Mission. The conference was hosted by Ao-wa-kiya, one of my favorite places to be. This was a group of Pastors who are planting churches. I love being able to minister to the Ministers and it was a great privilege to be there. As a side note, this camp facility is a great resource for Pastors in this region and I highly encourage you to check it out if you need a place to host an event or retreat.

On Friday, after that conference ended, I drove on up to Ludington to see some friends I had not seen in 8 years. It was a blast to spend the night with them. In the morning we went on a long walk down to the Ludington Lighthouse and back. It was a privilege to get to spend time with them again.

On Sunday I had the privilege of ministering at Aetna Community Church near White Cloud. This is one of my favorite places to be. The folks there are so kind. I alway look forward to being back. And these folks can cook!

Which brings us to the Shack. This week I am at a Pastor's Retreat, which is different from a Pastor's Conference. The idea of a Pastor's Retreat is to provide a place for a Pastor and his wife to disconnect from the pressures of ministry and reconnect with their spouse and with God. So there is no agenda, just lots of hanging out and sleeping. It is hosting by Shepherds Care, Inc. and this year it is held at the Shack in Jugville, Michigan. In the category of "poor me, suffering for Jesus, AGAIN!", the Shack is an amazing bed and breakfast. I am providing worship music for a share time we have each evening. But I am also gladly taking full advantage of the time to rest. I need it as much as any Minister out there. The road schedule is so busy right now. So I am putting off office work until the end of the week and sleeping my way through the day.

I am enjoying it a ton.

Hope you are doing well. Have a great day!

Latest updates

Wow, it has been a long time since I updated the blog. It has been crazy busy and updating the blog gets pushed down the list of things to take care of. I am excited about all that God is doing. Some times the trick is just holding on for the ride.

I am looking forward to the summer season when I will be based in upstate New York at the Word of Life conference center and family campground. I was there last week for administrative meetings and it was exciting to see all that is going on in preparation for the opening week the end of June.

I was also in Montreal that weekend for the first of many ministry weekends. My friend Viv in Montreal has set up all the meetings with local churches over the summer. It will be a blast to be there almost every weekend. I met the folks at Temple Baptist in the morning and will be back this summer for a full concert. Then in the afternoon I met with the youth group from South Shore Chinese Alliance. They are a great group. Then the pastor took us out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant. It was fantastic! I really love trying new foods and this was as authentic as it gets. There were no English menus anywhere. And the menus did not have any pictures either. Pastor ordered for all of us. There were 14 of us around a large round table. They brought all the food out and sat it on a large lazy susan in the middle of the table. Everyone started with a bowl of rice. Then you simply added to it from all the options on the lazy susan. The most interesting thing I ate was the Duck Kidneys. They were good. They were cooked in a hot sauce and sliced thinly. You picked out a piece and added it to your hot soup. The soup warmed it up. It reminded me of the texture of a chicken gizard. So anyway, I really loved the meal and am looking forward to being back for a couple more events there at South Shore Chinese Alliance this summer.

I am in Michigan at this time for a couple weeks of Pastor's retreats. I am in the midst of a very, very busy season. I will only be home about 5 days between now and September so if you think of me, say a prayer. I appreciate it.

Have a great day!

Just playing around

Last night some friends and I went on a sunset cruise and had a great time. Several Pastor friends are in town for a few days of rest and refocusing. So we all piled into the boat and left the dock shortly before sundown and headed to Stump Pass. After a fantastic sunset over the Gulf, we headed back to home. My friend's, Brent and Lori Black, whom I've stayed with for the past few weeks, learned a trick with the boat to bring the dolphins in. They position the boat motor to make the boat plow through the water. For some reason, when you plow the boat this way, the dolphin come to play in the wake. One of the Pastor's, Allen, snapped this photo of one of the dolphin playing in the wake. Awesome!



Have a great day!

Tim

Easter in Florida

It was a privilege to be in Southwest Florida for Easter this year. Thought you might like a picture of the beach near where I am staying. The crosses were set up for a sunrise service. This picture was taken at sunset since I am on the Gulf Coast. I have one more event here tomorrow and then will need to make my way back to Tennessee to fly out next week to New Brunswick.



Have a great day!

Summiting the Swiss Helm Mountains

Today my friend Jeff Schaa and I summited the Swiss Helm Mountains near Elfrida, AZ where they live. I am flying home tomorrow and Jeff asked me what I wanted to do today. I had heard about a time when he and his sons had summited the Swiss Helm mountain and it sounded intriguing to me. I found out later that after Jeff had done it he said he would never do it again! But off we were around 9:30 this morning.



Here we are at the car drop point, about 1.5 miles from the base of the mountain. The peak is in the background.

It was a brutal hike. It took a total of 6 hours and 15 minutes car to car, for a total of 5.33 miles. There is no trail so you have to make your own way to the top. The incline is a beast with slopes as high as 55%. We hacked our way through dense undergrowth at the bottom of the mountain. The top of the mountain is relatively clear but the slope is so steep and it is difficult to get your footing on the loose rock. And the whole time you are keeping a keen eye out for snakes and cacti. I slipped many times but thankfully I never fell on a cactus. The last stretch to the summit was almost straight up a rock pile. At that point I had to keep from looking back to keep from freaking out. It you have a fear of heights this climb is not for you!

The Summit is at 6974 ft. So between the thin air and slopes my heart was pounding. On the way up we had to stop often to catch our breath. By the time we reached the summit it was a bit after noon so we stopped, rested, and enjoyed lunch with a view. Here is Jeff resting and enjoying the view.



You can see in this picture how high up we were. Here is a picture of the same mountain but viewed from the house in the valley below. We hiked to the peak in the middle right of the picture.



All in all it was a fantastic day and a memory that will stay with me for a long time.

Have a great day!

Final day in Sells, AZ

I am winding down this portion of the trip. It has been great to be in Sells on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Today we had lunch at one of the fast food places. Check it out below.



That's right! There are no fast food joints on the Reservation unless you count the roadside stands. But wow the food is great! I had a steak burro. It was huge and loaded with mesquite grilled meat, refried beans, chopped cabbage, and a sauce. I love finding the best local food and this did not disappoint.

Then in the afternoon I attended Sherrie Dodson's O'odham (pronounced Otham) language class at the Community College. The class had given me permission to set in provided I would participate. I figured they would leave me alone for the most part. But oh no! I was treated the same as any other student. For the first 10 minutes the teacher spoke only in O'odham and I was expected to answer (in O'odham) when spoken to. I can't remember when I have concentrated so hard. The rest of the class has been studying since January. When I realized the teacher was not going to skip over me I was deeply concerned. (Read panicked!) I was praying for a gift of tongues. I held my own with a little help from Sherrie, and even the instructor said I did a good job. But that was crazy! Here is the class: (Sherrie Dodson is fourth from the right)



It has been a privilege to be here and I will look forward to being able to come back some day. I'm hoping it will work out to be able to do a ministry event to support the local churches at some point.

Update from Arizona

I am in Arizona for a couple weekends of ministry here in Elfrida. While in the area I drove over to the Tohono O'Oddham Nation (http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/)Indian Reservation southwest of Tucson. I am spending a few days with a Missionary friend of mine, Sherrie Dodson, and Tom and Joanne Kamper who are short term Missionaries from Traverse City, Michigan. It has been a blessing to hang out and fellowship. I am enjoying seeing the work here and serving in small ways the folks here.



Above: Tom and Joanne Kamper.



Above: This is the compound I am staying at on the Reservation. I am staying in the camper seen on the left side of the picture.

It is a privilege to be here and to see the work that is going on here. Hopefully in the future I will be able to come back and help with a ministry event. We will see!

Update on the "Sofa Express"

Okay, for the followers of the newsletter, I was finally able to get a good used sofa for the living room last night. Now the house feels like a home again. And I don't have to access Craigslist from the floor anymore! My friend Bob helped me move the sofa in his truck.

I officially tested it out moments ago and it passed the nap test with flying colors! Wahoo!

If you don't currently receive the monthly newsletter you can sign up for free at www.timothymark.com.

Have a great day!

Update from Edmonton, Alberta

I had a great time in Edmonton for the Mission Fest Alberta conference. It was such a privilege to be there. It was a very busy time but very exciting.

My friend Jeff Schaa flew in from Elfrida, AZ to help me man the product table. This was a large conference held in the Shaw Conference Center in downtown Edmonton. We had a simple product table set up in the exhibit hall area where we gave away copies of the book and CD. All totaled we gave away 800 copies of the CD. We also gave away almost 600 copies of the book, which was all we had with us. What a privilege! The folks there were very generous and donated a lot to help with the duplication of the CDs and the books.

I also enjoyed meeting the guys in High Valley, a Christian Country group that was doing music at the conference. They are from Alberta but are currently in Nashville working on a new CD. We met at the airport in Nashville and had the same flight to Edmonton through Toronto. You can check out their music at http://www.hvministry.com/?p=home. I really enjoyed meeting them and hope we will be able to hang out at my place from time to time. I most enjoyed their heart for ministry.



Left to Right: Bryan, Curtis, & Brad Rempel (High Valley)

I had the great privilege of getting to speak at this conference. On Friday evening I got to preach to about 1200 teens. I talked about the fact that it matters who you follow. There were many, many responses during the invitation.

I also had the privilege of speaking during the closing general session. The theme of the conference was "While There's Still Time" and I talked about the fact that when we are not living out what we say we believe, others pay a price for it. I challenged them to personally love and connect with God and to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit so that they would then be able to love, connect and transform their world for Christ.

One of my favorite times of the whole weekend was preaching at Calvary Community Church in Edmonton. The second service was my personal favorite. I was exhausted by this time and had to rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit. But wow, what a service. It was a privilege! I will be posting a copy of that service on our web site shortly.

I arrived home safely on the following Monday, wore out but excited to have had the privilege of being involved with this Mission Fest. God has been so kind.

Pics from Palm Island

Okay, here are a few pics from the time on the beach at Palm Island, Florida. I was there last month for ministry in that area and took some time to head down to the beach. I wrote about this in the February issue of the newsletter which I believe will be sent tomorrow. Thought you might like to see a few pics.



Clockwise from top left: a Lion Paw, Junonia, and some sort of Cowry. All are about 3 inches. And all three of these are pretty rare to find on that beach.



The Junonia!!



All the great solitude on the beach. I love it!

Long time gone!

Sorry about taking so long to update things. It has been crazy on this
end. I am grateful for the way God has blessed the ministry over the
years. In the past couple of years I have been gone more than I am home.
I average being home about 10 days a month. Last fall I began to pray
for wisdom on how to manage things better. I was wore out! I felt that
God was clearly at work and that I needed to adjust the way I was
operating the ministry to fit with what He is doing.

I've had an administrative assistant, Jackie, for a few years now. She
works out of her home in Arizona of all places. With the internet and
cell phones, it is not difficult to communicate. She has been a great
help to me. But I don't think I have utilized her help the way I should.
So I have been evaluating everything I am currently doing (or not
getting done!) and asking myself the question "Can Jackie do this for
me?" I am encouraged by the progress I am making in this area and Jackie
is quick to step up to the plate to take care of whatever I give to her.
It has already been a great help.

I will be delegating more of the web ministry to a contract worker so we
can move forward with online donations, etc. Also, I will be bringing on
staff someone local to help with a few task like banking, copying
checks, etc., that need to be taken care of when I am gone. Overall, the
plan is to delegate everything that someone else can do to focus my
energies on the few things that only I can do - like songwriting,
writing, producing a new CD, message preparations, keeping in touch with
Pastors, etc. All in all I am very encouraged.

In the mean time with all of this going on, I have been very busy taking
care of all the things that need to happen for the many Canadian events
I will be doing this year, which begin next month with the Mission Fest
in Edmonton, Alberta. We are now having CDs duplicated in Canada and
stored in Canada for all the Canadian events. That also meant that all
of the artwork for the CD had to be redone to reflect the duplicating in
Canada. We've also developed a system for handling the currency exchange
for donations from Canada and are creating a receipt specifically for
Canadian donations. It is like setting up a foreign office. Crazy! But
so exciting to see what God is doing.

And there is so much more. All that to explain why I have not taken time
to update the blog. I'll try to do better in the future.

Have a great day!