A Church of Influence:

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20


God has been rocking my world lately. I have been praying that God rock our world at HHBC as well. There are a lot of ways that God speaks to us: through the scriptures, through pastors and sermons we hear, through what other people say and sometimes do, through a still small voice or pull on our heart and sometimes he speaks in a loud thunderous voice that echoes inside our bones. God has used all of these to start sharing his vision for our church with me. Now it is ringing loud and clear it is echoing in my bones, we are to be a church of influence in this community. We are going to bear fruit. We are going to drastically change the community around us because we are going to be open to God’s work in our lives.

Sunday, I shared these statements regarding where I think we are going in 2009. I want to post them here incase you missed them:

• I want to share with you today a little of what I have been praying for this church and where I see us Going. I have been praying that we will remain open to God’s work in our lives. And we will continue to see him move in us and drastically change our circumstances so that we may be a church of influence in the community. When I close my eyes and think of where we are going. I see a church whose people are unified, praying, and full of God’s spirit. I see a church that is so dependant on God that nothing can stop it or stand against it. I see a church with a message so clear that lives are permanently changed and God moves working in our lives. I see a church so compassionate that people are drawn from impossible situations into a loving and friendly circle of hope, where answers are found in the word of God and acceptance is given in the hearts of all. I see Happy Hill Baptist Church as a Church of Influence in this community.
• Happy Hill will be a “Church of Influence” in this community, a church that bears fruit. We will bear fruit through Evangelism. We will bear fruit through Example. We will bear fruit through Engaging the community where they are.
• I know that we can become a church of influence because GOD CAN! Nothing is impossible with God.
• Happy Hill will be a “Church of Influence” that bears great fruit in 2009.
  

I hope that you are as excited about what God is doing in our church as I am. There is no better thing than to be used by God. Get ready for it. 2009 is going to be great.

Open to God's work.

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:35-38

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:20-21, 24-25

We had a great time Sunday at the Christmas Fellowship. For those of you who weren’t there you really missed out. What a fun time! We had more desert than we could possibly eat and a wonderful ornament exchange. I haven’t ever seen that much stealing in a church. (Part of the game is that you can take gifts that have already been opened.) It was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun.

It is obvious that God is working at Happy Hill, if you have been here for very long I know that you feel the energy that has surrounded the church and our fellowships in the past 2-3 months. God moves in many ways in the church. Our fellowships are stronger and more fun, because more people are involved in programming, helping, and leadership. We have more people involved because God is moving and changing people’s lives around us. God is moving and changing people’s lives because we are opening ourselves up to his will and are keeping Christ the center of our church instead of our own self interests.

Mary, had to be confused and scared when the angel Gabriel gave her the news of Jesus. I can’t imagine the questions that she and Joseph must have had. But aren’t you thankful that they were both open to God’s work in their lives. Despite the fear, uncertainty, change, or un-comfort Mary and Joseph let God work in their lives. They let God Drastically change their circumstances, and the world has benefited from it.

As Charlie reminded us with his testimony Sunday night; God will always move his kingdom forward. It is far better to be where he is working than left in the aftermath, or on the outside avoiding God’s work in your life.

My prayer for our church is that we will remain open to God’s work in our lives. And we will continue to see him move in us and drastically change our circumstances so that we may be a church of influence in the community. I pray that we will be a church whose people are unified, praying, and full of God’s spirit. I pray that we will be a church so compassionate that people are drawn from impossible situations into a loving and friendly circle of hope, where answers are found in the word of God and acceptance is given in the hearts of all. I pray God work in us!

This Christmas you have a great opportunity to be a witness to your family and friends. Just ask them if you can share what Christmas means to you. You will find that when you make yourself available to be used by God he will never let you down. He will always do something great in you, or through you.

Happy Hill Church Picnic

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:9-13

We had a great turn out at our fall church picnic. Great food and perfect weather, made for a wonderful worship atmosphere outside on the grounds.

I always appreciate when the church displays some of what it truly means to be a part of the family of God. I am proud to say that at Happy Hill we are “devoted to one another in brotherly love.”

I also want to encourage each of you to focus on “keeping your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” We have started a new Sunday morning sermon series, Intimate, which focuses on how you can keep your faith fresh and how you can develop an intimate relationship with God.

God is doing great things at Happy Hill, keep in step with what God is doing by keeping close to him. We are seeing God change lives each week and there is no better place to be than where God is moving. Don’t miss out.

We finished the James sermon series during the church picnic. Last night if you missed it we started our new Sunday evening bible study series on the book of Jonah. One of my favorite Old Testament books and one of the most gripping stories ever told. You will not want to miss this one. Join us next Sunday Evening @ 6:00.

Thank you, to Jessica who provided us with the video slide show of our picnic.

Fishing With Charley

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! …

…When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor…

…O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 (excerpt)

Charley and I had an incredible time fishing this last week. Men if you are not excited about our men’s fishing trip then you should be. We will have a great time for sure.

I am continually amazed by God’s handiwork. I think, that is why I like to be outside so much. Looking at the heavens and earth and all that his hand has created causes me to stand in awe of his power and might.

What am I? Who are we to experience the Love of Jesus Christ? It is unfathomable that the creator of the universe would care about man and our tormented lives. But he does. He cares enough about us to send his son to earth and the cross for us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

God also cares about our daily lives and how we treat one another. Are you living like you know God’s love for you? Are you living like you know everything you have comes from God? Are you allowing God to have control over your life? Let the creator of the heavens and the earth, and everything in them guide your life and your actions.

Charley and I were able to experience a beautiful lake, sunset, fishing trip, and catch some incredible fish, all because of the creator’s love for mankind. “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Fellowship

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17


The other day at Men’s Ambassadors for Christ, we had a great time of fellowship and encouragement. If you missed it, you missed a great time.

One of the purposes of the church is fellowship. It is vital to the Christian life, to share in our experiences with others who are followers of Christ; we share in joys and sorrows, we share in hurts and pains, as well as in growth and gains. That is part of what being the family of God is all about. It is important because is you want to walk closely with God then you have to spend time around people who will encourage you to do so.

When a chef wants to sharpen his knife he rubs it against a sharpening steel, which is made of the same material as the knife. If we want to sharpen our lives we have rub against people who are directing their lives in the same direction we want to go.

You should always be careful that you don’t rub yourself too much against people heading in the wrong direction or you will become dull instead of sharp. However the knife that never cuts meat or engages in an activity that will dull it, is useless. A good knife is one that can hold an edge while working but also retunes often to the steel for sharpening.

We have several events that are coming up in the next few months that will provide opportunities for you to rub up against fellow followers of Christ, have a great time, and remain sharp.

Church Picnic: October, 26 5:00
Men’s Fishing Trip: November 7-8 contact David Falkenberg
Granbury Live: November 15, contact Patsy Hilburn
Thanksgiving Dinner: November 23, 5:00pm followed by 5th Sunday Sing.
Hanging of the Greens: November 30, 5:00pm
White Elephant Ornament Exchange: December 14, 5:00pm
Candle Light Service: December 21, 6:00pm

In His Courts

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere…” Psalms 84:10

God has blessed me so much in the preparation for our upcoming sermon series, Fireproof Your Marriage. One of the ways that God is blessing me is through the book The Love Dare. It is a book written by the makers of the movie Fireproof. The Love Dare is a 40 day challenge to strengthen your marriage and teach you God’s kind of love.

As you know I am married to the greatest woman in the world. She is a blessing in my life in every way. We have always had an incredible bond and strength in our marriage. Yet even as much as you hate to admit it, it is really easy to get caught up in the stress of life and business of working, school, or raising kids, and forget to do those little things that tell your spouse you love them.

During the past week I have added The Love Dare to my daily devotional and have taken each challenge very seriously. Through that, God has really blessed me spiritually, blessed my feelings for Layney, and in the words of Emeril Lagasse, “Kicked it up a notch, BAM.”

It is incredible to be in the courts of God where he is working actively in your life. Just like marriage it is very easy for us to get caught up in the stresses of life and forget the little things that really bring us close to God.

God is moving in this community and in our church. It is time to “Kick it up a notch” in your relationship with God. Are you reading scripture and praying daily? If not it is time to start. If so, are your just going through the motions? It is time to start taking God seriously and knowing for a fact that he is moving in your life.

I challenge you to freshen your relationship with God much like you could a marriage. Tell him the great things he has done for you and what his great qualities are. Study him and get to know him. Spend time with him in prayer. Most of all ask him to move in you, ask him to make a change in your life, and know that he will.

Better is one day in his courts, where we can allow him to work and move in our lives. There is no better place to be. Are you in God’s Courts?

Healthy Grief

His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"
He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 2 Samuel 12:21-23

I am an observer by nature, especially of people, their behavior, development, or their responses in certain situations. I just love to observe people being people. Some of you know that Mom passed September 1, 2008 after a 2 year battle with cancer. I come from a family that has a very healthy view of grief and loss. Well, at least most of us do. During the weeks following her death I observed many people who responded to grief in many different ways. These observations have inspired me to take a brief look at what healthy grief should look like.

There is a time for grieving, a time to cry, and a time for sadness. However, in our culture we often protect ourselves from grief in a way that we don’t understand the way it actually works. I remember the first funeral that I attended as an adolescent who was old enough to observe and analyze what was happening around me. I remember sitting at the table at the reception meal after the funeral service and wondering how could people be laughing. Everyone was sharing stories of our friend and the funny things he had done.

Some how for some reason I just didn’t think that should be ok. “Did they not care about him?” Of course they cared about him. They cared very much. But we have so many emotions and in healthy grief they will come and go in waves. When you are facing grief in your life remember to allow yourself to feel your emotions honestly. It is possible to really love someone you lose and still laugh when you remember them. It is possible to really love someone you lose and still carry on with your life after they are gone.

When grieving you should also be aware of when it is time to get up and get moving again. Sometimes when you experience a great loss the best thing to do for healing is to keep busy. Anyone who spends their time dwelling on sorrow and loss will wind up depressed. It is far better to honor the memory of your loved one by continuing to live a full and rich life, and continuing to make a difference in your world.

Take a moment to read the story of David and his child with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. It is found in 2 Samuel Chapter 12. We see in this man a healthy view of grief.

King David’s son was struck sick and David grieved him greatly, David would not eat, he mourned and pleaded with God to spare the child however when the child died he got up took a bath and went to eat.

When we face suffering and especially loss we have to remember that God is in control of our lives. We are to take comfort in the knowledge of God and find his strength to carry on. Are you facing grief at this time? Is it time for you to “get up and eat?”

I will go to him but he will not return to me.

I heard a compelling description of heaven recently. It depicted our loved ones and people who had been influential in our lives greeting us and welcoming us home. I am comforted by the thought that we have not lost the ones we love. We are just taking a short leave of absence from their presence. The long life we live here on earth is less than a drop in the bucket to the time we will have in eternity.

King David was not ashamed to express his emotions, he knew when it was time to get back to his responsibilities, and he knew that God was in control of his life and his eternity. He had a healthy view of grief.

Be a Seed Spreader

“He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters sead on the ground. Night and day, weather he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.’” Mark 4:26-27

Once long ago or even recently someone said something to you or showed you the love of Christ by example and changed your life. They planted a seed in you that has grown into an interest, desire for more, or a Christian life.

Many times as Christians we get overwhelmed by the task of evangelism or reaching out with the love of Christ. We forget the scriptural mandate on our lives to go making disciples. We get overwhelmed because we expect to see success instead; we often never know if our words, actions, and prayers have made a difference.

It is inherently human to want to see success we are invigorated by it, supercharged by the proof of progress. I love to paint; fences, walls, it doesn’t matter because painting goes fast and shows progress.

But too often when it comes to evangelism and fulfilling the great commission we forget that the success is up to God. We are merely ‘Seed Spreaders’. Jesus parable reminds us that we can never stop reaching out, never stop touching lives, never stop looking for opportunities to spread the seed of the Gospel. It is up to God to determine if the seed will grow he simply wants us to keep casting it.

Have you been a ‘Seed Spreader’ this week? How can you keep focused on reaching out with the love of Christ?

God help us always be aware of the opportunities that you give us to minister to others and spread the seed of the gospel in someone’s life.

A Broken Spirit is God’s Fertile Field

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

God has blessed me with an incredible wife, she listens to God, she is wise, she cares for people and for my family, and she has an amazing understanding of Scripture. Yesterday as she was giving the children’s sermon I was struck by her illustration of a box of crayons, I was intrigued especially by the broken crayon.

How often do people come into our church that are broken and in need of God’s spiritual healing?

Brokenness can come in different forms. Some times we are broken down by the world that we live in and the problems that we face in daily life. Other times we are broken down by our spiritual state, the things we have refused to hand over to God, and God uses our brokenness as a sharp snap back to his loving Grace.

In either case God can use our brokenness to grow an abundant spiritual blessing in our lives. It is when we are destitute, and in our most desperate state that we finally learn to hand everything over to God and allow him to have his way with our lives. In that condition we are a fertile field for God’s work and blessing. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. God’s power works best in our weakness, and brokenness.

Are you in need of brokenness? If you are stuck in a rut in life or stuck in a rut spiritually, you need to experience brokenness. Pray for brokenness. Pray that God will help you find a place where you have no choice but to put all of your trust in him.

Are you broken? If you are currently at the end of your rope and don’t know which way is up then you have to just let go and allow God to have his way with you. It is time to rely on his power for healing. Pray for God to show you his power and lift you out of your despair.

Have you been broken recently? If you know the wonder of being lifted lovingly out of your brokenness by God’s power, then you have a responsibility to share your experience. Reach out to the broken around you and help them find God’s powerful hand reaching down to lift them up. Pray for God to use you and keep you strong on the mountain top that comes from being lifted out of brokenness.

Slow Fade: Watch out for the little things.

Originally Posted: July 29, 2008

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4

I was working in my office today and listening to an album by Casting Crowns, a Christian group with great talent and a powerful message.

One of their songs is called Slow Fade. The words of the chorus are.

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

I was reminded of a verse that we covered recently in our study of the book of James on Sunday Nights James 1:4. As Christians we want to be mature, ‘not lacking anything.’ Because the little things we may lack can hurt us more than we know.

Many of us are doing great as a whole. But there are parts of our lives that we constantly struggle with, remnants of our old life before Jesus Christ that we have just left incomplete. But, if we want spiritual maturity, if we want to fulfill the true purpose that God has for us, then we must hand over all aspects of our lives.

It is a slow fade from black and white to grey. When we allow sin, or even a lazy attitude spiritually, to have control over small pieces of our lives, even the secret parts, then we run the risk of fading slowly away from God. Eventually we wind up a crumbled broken mess. Are you slipping away from God in some small and secret way? Is that affecting the way that you live, your relationships with others, or you ability to stand for Christ in your life?

We should allow God to have control over all aspects of our lives. Not only does our relationship with God need to be right, but the expression of that relationship in our lives needs to be right. Ultimately God will let nothing escape, everything is under his scrutiny. He will continue working with you until you have given every part of your life over to him.

It takes endurance to continue working on your life until you are ‘mature and complete.’ Let us not ignore the small and secret parts of our lives; that can, if left unattended, cause us to crumble.

“Be careful little eyes what you see…”

Check out Casting Crowns Music Video “Slow Fade” here.

Check back often to see more blogs.

Summer: IT'S VACATION TIME,

Originally Posted July 24, 2008

Summer: IT'S VACATION TIME,

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:15a, 17.

It’s summer and vacation time. Summer is in full swing and as we are approaching the mid-point for summer vacation, many people are taking their last opportunity to get away. It is great to get away from life for a while. Whether you are taking a long vacation, just getting away for the weekend, or even going to see a great movie, it’s one of the best things you can do to recharge your batteries and keep yourself at your best.

This year remember that even though vacation gives you the chance to take a break from much of life it is not a time to take a break from Jesus. Scripture reminds us that no matter what we are doing ‘whether in word or deed’ we are to do it in the ‘name of the Lord.’ As a Christian you are an example for Christ to everyone who looks at you, it is important to show them an accurate picture wherever you are.

Make your vacation a time to grow closer to God by spending time with God each day, recognizing the majesty of his creation, and being thankful for the blessings he has given you.

Incredible news, The Building fund has been paid off,

Origianlly posted July 10, 2008

Incredible news, The Building fund has been paid off,

It is Great to see the way that God is moving in our church!!! A couple of years ago under the leadership of Pastor Jim Scott this church set out meet the needs of a growing church by building a new fellowship hall. By working together and faithfully trusting in God the fellowship hall and improvements on the original building became a reality. It is with great pleasure that I have the opportunity to tell you that your faithfulness and your united efforts have brought Happy Hill Baptist Church to another great milestone. We have paid the loan on the building in full. With our debt behind us we look forward to see what great things God has in store for this church and I trust that he has big plans for Happy Hill. I commend each of you for your faith in God and the roll that you played in proving that when we work together there is nothing God can’t do. We will be having a note burning ceremony as soon as the paper work comes in. Keep your eyes open for the date.