I recently heard that one of our new church families had a Christmas party and unbelievably someone went around and swiped the baby Jesus figurines from their nativity displays. While the world obviously has more pressing concerns and problems than a few missing pieces of porcelain, this event does point out the larger general cultural trend of removing Christ from Christmas. From rabid commercialization to Christian apathy to hyper political correctness, the star of Christmas is slowly fading to the background of this increasingly secular and pluralistic society.
The problem with the trend is that the answer to our country’s woes is directly tied to the prominence of Jesus Christ in our nation and individual lives. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” is a promise that cannot be claimed when that Lord is now rejected. We prove we’ve removed Jesus from the throne of our land and hearts when we prosecute people for dog fighting (and I am certainly a dog lover and despise this deplorable crime) and fight for the right to terminate human life (and even make the taxpayer pay for it). Someone recently told me about the horror of forced abortion in China for population control. I remarked that what’s worse is doing this by choice in the land of the free and the home of the brave!
I encourage you to keep the Lord Jesus Christ at the front and center of everything you are and everything you do this Christmas season and throughout the coming year. Christians in this great land need to rediscover their moral compass, their courage, and their voice once again. Speak up and stand up and let’s put Jesus back in his rightful place for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of our future as a nation.
There’s something on you this Christmas…it’s the blessing!







I recently ran across one of the best books on leadership I’ve seen in a while –
We’ve been sharing the good news at Hope Harbor Church for several weeks now that God has not given us, his people, a spirit of fear. Certainly the circumstances all around us could tempt us to yield to the fear but in doing so we know that fear hooks us up to the enemy like faith hooks us up to God. When we get attached to the enemy we can expect destruction and devastation to follow. When we get attached to God through faith we can expect the favor of God and this is a great time for an outpouring of favor in all of our lives.









The world Jesus came into was not all that different from our own. People are people and they haven’t changed much in two thousand years. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Israel was occupied by a foreign power, there was political intrigue and upheaval, the people faced economic hardship, there was a national identity crisis, cultural confusion, and serious and overt religious suppression.
We’ve been told by other dog owners that dogs will begin to ingest things like grass when they either have an upset stomach or if they are missing something vital from their diet. I can certify that PeePoo is well-fed and well-kept but she still enjoys strange and adventurous additions to her diet.

I enjoy getting down on the floor and messing with the family pets. I’ve tormented Tim’s dog Bambi (aka Bam, Granbam, Hazobam, Bamalam, Bamster, you get the picture) for years trying to grab his feet while he tries furiously to withdraw the paw. He’s amazingly agile (even with diminished eyesight, although Kelli thinks he’s just a big faker – he seems to be aware of things he wants to be aware of – kind of like the listening skills and habits of teenagers).
With the Lord moving at every site of Hope Harbor Church in unique ways (Trigg County and the drama Last Chance, Henry County with its new building project, and McCracken County now meeting at the Country Inn in Paducah) it’s also exciting to see the fresh, bold things happening right in Murray. The auditorium upgrade is nearly complete (see photo) and being made ready for services and for television broadcast. 
“Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone” (Colossians 4:5, NLT).
Last Saturday marked a milestone in the ministry of Hope Harbor Church as we began broadcasting the thirty minute Hope Harbor Show on WPSD Local 6, the NBC affiliate. We are thankful to God for the opportunity to present the uncompromised Word of God to the market served by WPSD (around 900,000 people). The broadcast is airing on Saturdays at noon following the Saturday morning cartoons (yea, I know). You can also view the broadcasts by going to our website
Hope Harbor Church Trigg County in Cadiz, Kentucky hosted the life-changing drama, Last Chance the first weekend in March. Around 50 individuals raised their hand to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. We are praising God for the impact of this ministry on the Trigg County community and on the volunteers who gave of their time and resources to make this powerful event a reality. Trigg County will never be the same.
I’m excited to announce the launch of our 24 hour a day internet radio station, Hope Harbor Radio. Hosted, programmed, and produced by Tim Heinz, Hope Harbor Radio features the best in praise music, contemporary Christian music, inspirational devotions, interviews, and faith filled teaching. Your heart will be encouraged and your capacity to believe God will increase every time you listen. Hope Harbor Radio is available 24 hours a day no matter where you are in the world. How awesome is that?
I’m still rejoicing over all the amazing testimonies from the service last night at Hope Harbor. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We need to hear the word of God taught and preached but we also need to pause to reflect about how God has shown up and shown out to manifest what has been preached. When Jesus identified himself in Luke 4 as the anointed one mentioned by Isaiah, he emphasized that the anointing is for the purposes of (1) preaching about what God wants to do, and (2) demonstrating what has been preached.
In anticipation of moving North to establish our first Hope Harbor site in the State of Illinois (we wont hold the recent governor woes against them), we have begun broadcasting the Hope Harbor Show on WSIL TV channel 3 in Carbondale, Marion, and Harrisburg. Residents in Western Kentucky can also view the broadcast on that station. Our current broadcast time is 6:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings and has the potential of reaching several hundred thousand homes with the uncompromised Word of God. What an opportunity to reach the unreached and tell the untold that God is good and has goodness stored up for them (Psalm 31:19).
Just yesterday, it seems, this same kid was watching Barney and Winnie the Pooh videos and picking up dirt clods while he was suppose to be paying attention in the outfield of a tee-ball game. Tim was only two when we came to Murray to pastor. I’m at a loss for words trying to describe the feeling that all parents feel when they realize that years have just disappeared in front of their eyes. One day you wake up and your kid has turned 16 and has a driver’s permit (that’s why he’s smiling).
Livingston, Illinois is typical of the thousands of small towns that dot the Midwest. When your neighbor says he’s going to the store he means just that – he’s going to
Acts 2:42 reminds us that the early Church was devoted to the teachings of the Apostles. Literally they could not get enough of the Word. The word “devoted” in the New Testament can be translated “addicted” meaning that they were addicted to the teachings of the Word of God. So many people today are addicted to the world (and the things of the world) and allergic to God. We should be addicted to the things of God and allergic to the world. With that it mind, I hope you enjoy this email I received from Teressa Poole Hill:
The Lord is literally pouring out revelation on 
My family and I attended the West Coast Believer’s Convention recently in Long Beach, California. There’s nothing like sitting under the uncompromised Word of God from morning to night for an entire week. There is never a time that I do not receive life-changing revelation as I sit diligently listening to the Word and the voice of God speaking that Word to my heart. Once you receive the awesome revelation of the goodness of God and the reality of the blessing, you can’t help but want everyone to know about the possibilities through Jesus Christ.
People often ask me how they can know for sure that they have heard from God. It is really an important question because the Lord has established a path for his people and on that path they will discover their destiny and tap into every blessing he has ordained for them. I remember hearing Lester Sumrall say once that if a believer gets off the path of God it is very difficult to get back on course. The best course of action, obviously, is to not allow the “hiss of the serpent” (as Thomas a Kempis described it) to pull us away from God’s best in this life – and make no mistake about it – God’s best is his path for your life.
I want to encourage you to join us each Wednesday evening for School of the Spirit (SOS) featuring a simple dinner at 6:00 p.m. and a tremendous slate of classes for the entire family starting at 7:00 p.m. In addition to our nursery, kids, and youth classes, we are offering seven powerful adult electives this quarter including The Expanding Church, Men of Victory, Women of Destiny, Adventures in Faith, Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, Anchor of Hope (for new folks attending HHC two years of less), and the Growth Course.