Posts by Pastor Jim Howard

At the impressionable age of 12, I was standing in Woodside Cemetery in Middletown, Ohio questioning God. My heart was broken. Rocky Glenn, my 16-month old brother, had died and all I could do was ask why! Why? Several weeks before Ken, my older brother, had begun to participate in a church sponsored basketball league. The prerequisite to play was that you would attend the church services. When the funeral director asked my father who he would like to officiate…

Pastor Louis Johnson was the founding pastor of Tucson Baptist Temple in July 1958. He served the church for fifty years as senior pastor. I had the privilege of serving with him for thirty years. One of his statements, that he shared often, that is seared into my memory was, “There are no quitting places in life.” He would then quote the following poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier: When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road…

It was a dark and foreboding day some 2,000 years ago. Mary was on her way to tend to the body of a dear friend who had experienced a horrific death. Her mind was raw with emotions from such vivid memories. Her life had been dramatically changed upon her encounter with Him. She had been freed from demonic possession and was living an unbelievable life. In fact, she had devoted her life to helping Him and serving Him in any…

I believe most of us are thankful that the year 2020 is behind us and that 2021 stretches before us. This past year was filled with varying degrees of disappointment, disillusionment, defeat, and despair. As we face the uncertainty of a new year, how can we move forward in a positive and hopeful way? Philippians 3:13 has been a verse that has been helpful to me. It says, “Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing…

Prayer is an important topic that is covered in the Bible. In fact, the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them how to heal someone or how to do a miracle, or even how to preach. The only request that the disciples had of Christ was they asked Him to teach them how to pray. We have the wonderful rendition of the Lord’s prayer that is shared throughout Scripture as He taught them about prayer. Have you ever wondered why…

Ronald Mehl wrote a book called, God Works the Night Shift. The title of this book captures my interest and gives me great hope! Have you ever been awakened from a deep sleep at 3:00 AM due to a troubling thought? It may be a reoccurring worry that is relentless and continues to steal your joy and contentment. I certainly have been there as I have navigated life here upon this earth for many years. The book of Psalms has…

Many churches and Christians across our country have been dramatically affected in the last several months. I was reminded of this verse, Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.” The background on this verse is that the author, David, was on the run…