Pastor Riva Tims used the launch party for her new book, When it All Comes Together, to remind attendees of God’s faithfulness. Tims, ex-wife of the late Reverend Zachery Tims, knows what it’s like when life spirals out of control. Zachery’s fall from grace, including infidelity, divorce, drug problems and finally an early death, was highly publicized in Christian circles.
But Tims likened earthly troubles to a puzzle. At first, when a puzzle is opened, all the pieces just look like a chaotic mess. But over time, each piece proves vital to the finished product. The disparate pieces click together to form a beautiful whole.
“Looking at [the puzzle], it seems as if you can never bring order to it,” Tims said. “God says He can bring order to your chaos. What is chaos to you, God can still see order there. So what we have to do, when our life looks a mess, is we have to keep the picture that He’s showed us in our mind, in our vision. … God can work it for your good, because if God said it, then He will bring it to pass.”
Though Tims acknowledged her past troubles, the tone of her message was celebratory. She highlighted her spiritual victories and God’s providence throughout her life.
“I can stand here tonight and I can say that God has put my life together,” Tims said. “He’s still doing things. He’s still allowing me to go through different things because there are always seasons in life. But I can truly say when people look at me, they say, ‘There must be a God.’ He truly takes the foolish things and confounds the wise.”
The audience stood and raucously applauded several times throughout the evening. Steve Strang, founder of Charisma Media, called the event “a night to celebrate” in his remarks.
“I just want to say personally how proud and how honored I am to be able to be [your] publisher,” Strang told Tims. “This is [your] latest book, and we are just so thankful for what God has done in your life, what He’s doing in your life. I’ve known you since about the time you came to Orlando. We’ve known you a long time, through lots of stuff, and we knew there was a story there. … I just want you to know that we’re going to help get out the word, because this is a word that the body of Christ needs.”
“When God shows up with His favor, then that’s evidence that He’s with you,” Tims said. “Many times you can try to make it happen in your own strength, work it out in your own intellect or intelligence or even your own talent, and that’s never going to last. … When you allow God to do it, His favor shows up, and that’s how I knew God was blessing us.”
Ultimately, Tims’ message was simple but profound: “Don’t focus on your mess. Focus on the God that can bring order to it.”
The launch party was hosted at Tims’ Majestic Life Church in Orlando, Florida, and included roughly 100 guests. Another 3,200 viewers watched via livestream.
Marcos Perez, Charisma House’s publisher and executive vice president, said hosting the event at Majestic Life Church showcased Tims’ strong bonds with her church.
“It’s always great to see the local church community that supports the pastor,” Perez said. “It always gives you a different dynamic and a different sense of the story of where the book comes from. So we’re just happy to be here celebrating with this great family here,” he added. “It’s just an amazing thing to see her testimony in real life and to see how it’s impacted people here locally and people that are close to her life who know that she’s the real deal and she’s living an authentic representation of what’s in that book.”
To read Tims’ full inspirational story, you can purchase When It All Comes Together through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbook.com.
