The Rescue Boat Miracle

It was tough to find a place to park at his house. There was a red van, a green van, a small white car, and a large black motorcycle in the way. With some maneuvering, I finally squeezed into a spot on the street.

Pastor Tim was waiting for me in his garage office. His grandfather was a “soldier” in the Salvation Army. His father-in-law was a pastor. And Tim has been a Seventh-day Adventist pastor for 42 years, the last ones here in Tillamook, on Oregon’s coast. He is someone whose love for God is transparent.

His “office” is a small space carved out of the garage. There’s a desk, a computer, a bright light, two soft chairs, and enough memories to fill an antique store. Grandpa’s red-and-black Salvation Army cap, a bright-yellow firefighter’s helmet, and a black motorcycle helmet sit together on a shelf.

“What’s with the vans?” I ask.

“People have given them to me, and I’m working on giving them to whoever needs them most.”

Pastor Tim is a magnet for nice things people want to give away. Such as vans. He arranged to give the red one to a family with several children who could not afford transportation. The green one went to a woman who was living in a tiny car that had quit running.

“The gifts always come at just the time someone really needs them,” Pastor Tim laughs. “Like the boat.”

“The boat?” I glance outside, wondering how I had missed it.

God’s Timing

“I got a call one day from a friend who was serving as the executor of the estate for Geri, a woman who was in a hospital in Vancouver,” Pastor Tim said. “She told me that Geri was actively dying and wanted to give away some of her money as quickly as possible. She didn’t trust churches, but she appreciated what our Tillamook church had been doing for the community. Then she asked if I knew of any worthwhile needs Geri might want to support.

“I told her, ‘Well, last night at our fire department training we discussed the need for a new rescue boat. We need one that can get there faster and be more stable than the pontoon boat we have now. But there’s no budget for a new boat. Maybe she’d like to help us with that.’ ”

Pastor Tim has served 13 years on the fire department in his home of Netarts, Oregon, and he understands the need. Even though he has helped save numerous swimmers, fishers, surfers, and tide pool waders over the years, the old boat is inadequate. It throws up lots of spray, but it’s tired and sometimes can’t arrive in time.

Pastor Tim continued, “After a pause, my friend on the phone asked, ‘How much would a new boat cost?’

“ ‘We’ll need to raise about $100,000 to cover it,’ I answered, almost embarrassed by the huge need.

“My friend said she would share that with Geri and get back to me. A few minutes later my phone rang again.

“ ‘Pastor Tim, Geri likes the idea of helping with the boat. We’ll have a check for $100,000 delivered to you tomorrow.’

“Geri, the woman who sent us the check, died the next day,” Pastor Tim said quietly. “I don’t understand it, but God times His gifts really well!”

The fire chief called a celebration meeting, where he reminded the team that they couldn’t order the new boat until they had a safe boathouse for it. The boathouse, they calculated, would require another $100,000.

Miracles happen because God likes to give good gifts—at just the right time!

Impossible, they all thought. Then Phillip, a 21-year-old firefighter, spoke up.

Phillip had been one of Pastor Tim’s students when he taught the Rescue Bible Curriculum at Tillamook Adventist School. They had become friends, and when Phillip was going through some tough times, the fire team agreed to give him a spot as a resident firefighter.

“I need to tell you a story,” Phillip said.

“My mom is a professional caregiver who is taking care of a very wealthy man. A few days ago he mentioned that he wanted to use some of his money to help meet someone’s big need. The man seemed to really like me, and he especially liked what I said about the new boat that was coming for the fire department.

“He asked if it was all paid for, and I told him we still needed money to build a better boathouse for it. He immediately said he’d like to help. I told him that about $100,000 should cover the cost of it.

 “So right then and there, he wrote a check for $100,000 so we can get the boathouse built!”

Everyone in the room cheered, especially when they learned that the donor wanted to give the money in young Phillip’s honor.

The God of Miracles

The boat is in a container on a ship coming from Norway, and work on the boathouse is coming along. Miracles happen because God likes to give good gifts—at just the right time!

As he told me the stories, Pastor Tim’s eyes twinkled, and he started laughing.

“It’s hard to believe that God is still working every day with an old biker, firefighter, pastor like me. Let me tell you something very special I’ve learned about Him. It’s in 1 Corinthians 2:9, a text most of us memorized as kids: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ ”

When Pastor Tim reads this verse to a congregation, he always stands still, waits a few seconds, looks around at everyone, and then asks, “How many of you agree with this text?”

Of course, all hands go up.

Then he tells them, “But now, look at the very next verse, 1 Corinthians 2:10: ‘But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.’

“If you have not given your heart fully to Jesus Christ, then you’re one of those who are described in verse 9. You can’t see, can’t hear, and can’t know,” Pastor Tim tells his congregation. “But if you give yourself fully to Him, you can understand! Because you know Him, He reveals Himself to you, and that changes everything!”

Spend some time with Pastor Tim, and you’ll agree. The God of miracles is actively involved in our lives, helping us see, hear, and experience who He really is. He’s the one who comes through at just the perfect time, the one who loves having us as His partners in changing the world.