From an article originally posted February 24, 3013…
This past Thursday we loaded up our gang and headed to the World Arena to the Worship Roadshow. We had learned that Jason’s college roommate was opening for the concert. Friends of ours had reserved a box. We enjoyed food, good music, and great fellowship. The kids were safe to play, enjoy, and be introduced to all kinds of music.
The biggest treat for me was reconnecting with Jason’s roommate Tim Timmons. It was one of those amazing moments where you see God so obviously at work. Tim has been in his battle against cancer for 12 years. He’s been changed, humbled, deepened, stripped, blessed, grown in Jesus. We sat in the loud concert and screamed at one another what Jesus is doing in the midst of our suffering.
We talked through how God has spoken the words over and over to our hearts, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” How that has shaped our moments, changed our hearts, and freed us from performing for the approval of man.
Tim confessed how he was so gifted at the “80 minutes every Sunday morning.” How he was stunned at the other 10,000 minutes in a week he lived in his own strength. How he left his comfortable job to pursue life with Jesus. Once he did that, doors opened for him with his music. When he began to look honestly at his moments, he longed to see Jesus in a real way. His perspective humbled me, challenged me, and deeply encouraged my heart.
Jason walked with Tim as he returned to his responsibilities with the concert. When he came back Jason wept. He wept for Tim and he wept for himself. This refining comes at a high cost. Tim was able to verbalize that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him. That it brought him face to face with Jesus in a real way. We told Tim we weren’t there yet, but we could see, perhaps one day, we would be. He has had 12 years of refining; we still have a lot of growing up to do.
Dearest Tim and Hillary,
Thank you for walking this hard road and trusting Jesus. Thank you for the struggle, the honesty, and the humility to walk honestly through your suffering. Thank you for sharing your passion, your joy, your hurt with us. What a gift it was to reconnect with you.
We love you!
Kara and Jason
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
What will you give your 10,000 minutes to this week?
