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Living Resurrected

Posted in Church, Community, Formation, Hope on April 11, 2012| 1 Comment »

Easter has come and gone.  Or has it?  The Christian calendar now actually moves into the season of Easter.  For the next 50 days (leading up to Pentecost), we will be in the Easter season.

I must confess, I was not raised to pay an overwhelming amount of attention to the Christian calendar so when I talk as if I know of which I speak – I really am just learning – part of my journey.  At any rate, I don’t suppose I have ever really given much thought to the idea of a season of Easter.  But as I have thought about the importance of Easter – the day – I have begun to realize that there is so much more going on here than just a single day.

Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the miraculous resurrection.  Part of that celebration is the realization of what it means for you and for me.  As believers, we live in and through this resurrection.  We no longer have to fear death and be, as Hebrews 2 says, slaves to that fear.  We begin to understand that Easter is not a day but a way of living.

This Sunday, we will start a new sermon series entitled Living Resurrected.  I ask that you pray for our 1st B family as God teaches us what it means to live resurrected lives.

I am also asking  for your input (which just might make it into the sermon).  What does the idea – living resurrected – mean to you.  Comment here are leave me a message on Facebook, Twitter or email.

Be blessed today.

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Go Make a Difference

Posted in Church, Community, Hope, Missions on March 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

If you read the headlines today, you will see things like “nuclear armament,” “solar storm,” and “severe drought.”  It would be easy to pick up a paper or surf the web this morning and become very overwhelmed with all the problems we face.

Personally you have a lot on your plate – activities with the family, more work than you can do, church activities, civic duties and somewhere in there finding time to take care of yourself.

Then add to that all the need you see around you.  It would be possible to spend every waking minute caring for others who are struggling if that is what we chose to do.  We sit in the midst of one of the worst recessions of our lifetime.  People’s lives have been destroyed as a result.  And people are running scared.

It is easy to become overwhelmed with life.

The typical response when we feel overwhelmed is to retreat.  We desire to get away from the pain.  We resolve that things are just too bad – too hard – there is nothing that can be done.  And so that is what we do – nothing.  We allow ourselves to be pushed into indifference.

But today, I want to remind us that God is still on the throne and still in control.

Today, you might not be able to change the world but you can impact your little corner.  It is a choice.  It is a commitment.  It is what it means to be salt and light.

Go be make a difference today.

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Where Do You Put Your Faith?

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on February 7, 2012| 2 Comments »

Last week I started the post on Tuesday as Tuesday Faith Check (you can link to that post here).  In keeping with that idea, I have a question for you:  Where do you put your faith?

Here is what I mean by that question.  Often times, with good intentions, we begin to put our faith in the system and not in the person.  And this is not a new problem.  Case in point, my scripture reading this morning was from the Gospel of Mark.  As this story unfolds, Jesus has a run-in with a group of Pharisees and scribes who have a real problem with the disciples not washing their hands before a meal.  You can read the story here.

Now, on the surface, we might say that the Pharisees made a good point.  It is a good idea to wash your hands before you eat.  It’s just a sanitary thing to do.  But when you dig down to what was really going on in the story, the words the Pharisees were using were religious terms.  They were complaining that the disciples were eating with “defiled” hands and not paying attention to the “traditions” of the elders.

What was meant, many, many years before as a good thing – a common sense thing – washing your hands before a meal, had become a ritual.

There was an entire book written to interpret the Bible.  This book, the Midrash, was an attempt to explain the law and develop practical systems for keeping the law.

Again, not a bad idea to have some practical steps for keeping the law.  But what was meant as an aid, became the new “law.”  In the story from Mark, Jesus explained to the Pharisees that they had forgotten the law and had become focused on the tradition.  Over time, their faith had been moved from what God intended to what man had created.

So back to our question for today, Where do you put your faith?  Is it in Jesus and his teaching?  Or do you put your faith in the traditions we have created?  Is following Jesus about a set of rules?  Or is it about a relationship?

Now that you are thinking about this, I need your help.  I am planning on developing this thought into a sermon.  I would love some feedback from you that might just make it into the sermon.

Take a few minutes and respond to this question:

What are some ways today that we in the church have taken our focus off of what God intends and put our faith in the traditions we have created?

You can reply here or send me an email at bhill33@me.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Be blessed today!

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A Month of Giving Thanks

Posted in Church, Community, Hope on November 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

We are quickly approaching the holidays.  In fact, last night as I left the church to head home, I noticed a Christmas tree standing in the window of a house down the street from the church.  We are exactly one week past Halloween and already a Christmas tree!

I love Christmas as much as the next person, but let us not jump past Thanksgiving!  And not just because of all the great food and time with family.  This is one holiday during the year that we are encouraged to stop and count our blessings.  But is one day enough for us to do this issue justice?  I don’t think it is.  I think we need to make having gratitude more of a lifestyle.

To start us off, I have called our church into a month of giving thanks.  Yesterday, we talked about stopping and counting our blessings.  I asked the question, “What three things would you miss the most if they were taken away tomorrow?”

I ask you the same question today.  I encourage you to take some time today to think about that question.  Let it resonate in your mind and heart.  Once you have an answer to the question, spend a few minutes thanking and praising God for these blessings!

Be blessed today!

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Open and Accepting

Posted in Church, Community, Grace on October 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, we had a great day at church.  The energy was high and our people were engaged.  We had a young guy in our service who came to lead worship so that the church could see if this was a worship leader they would like to call to be a permanent member of our staff.  He did a great job of leading our people to worship and everyone responded.  Overall, it was a wonderful Sunday morning.

But one of the best parts of the morning for me was not the service, but what happened afterwards.  You see, in our church, if someone comes to be a part of our family, we have a meet and greet time after the service concludes where just about every person in the service lines up to come by and shake hands and hug necks of the folks who have come to be a part of what God is doing in our church.

Yesterday was no exception.  The line went half way around the auditorium and it took about 30 minutes to get everyone through the line.  As I stood there watching our people file past this young couple, I was struck by the acceptance and openness our people offered.  It was a picture of what I believe God created us to be as the church.

I am proud of our church for striving to be open and accepting of others!

Where do you go to take refuge and be accepted for who you are?  If you don’t have a place – – our doors are always open!

Be blessed!

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Take a Break from Pressing Forward

Posted in Church, Community, Family, Formation on September 29, 2011| 1 Comment »

Most of the time, my mind and heart are focused on pushing forward – never being satisfied with the way things are and where I stand in my relationship with God, in my family life and in my work.  I approach my leadership with the church in the same way – we cannot sit and stagnate, we must constantly being looking forward and pressing on toward the goal for which Jesus has called us.

But every once in a while it hits me.  I serve a loving and compassionate God who occasionally tells me, “Why don’t you just sit a minute and rest in me.”  Unfortunately, it takes discipline for me to do that but when I do, it is amazing!

I also need to remember that God has given me a wonderful, caring, supportive and totally hot wife whom I love with all my heart and who loves me.  And beyond that, God has  blessed us with three amazing young men for sons.  While I am not the husband and father that God wants me to be all the time, I am trying.  So maybe for today, I need to stop trying so hard and just for a moment simply be present and offer thanks for a great family.

And as it relates to my work – my calling, I serve the God of the universe who has placed me in what might just be the best congregation in America.  Our people are loving, supportive, welcoming, outward focused and committed to pray for me as their shepherd.  What more could a pastor want?  I had one of these loving and supportive members approach me last week after the service and say, “You are exactly the person our church needs as our pastor.”  As I gave her a hug, it dawned on me and I told her, “This is exactly the church that God knew I needed too!”

Today, I am taking a break from thinking exclusively about how things should be (just for a minute) and thanking God for how the important things are in my life.  The result?  I am truly blessed!

How about you?  Has God blessed you?

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The Power of a Team

Posted in Church, Community on September 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Last night we had our first Wednesday Evening Meal here at the church.  The church has offered one in the past but over the last couple of years had discontinued it.  I have to admit, I was not sure how it would go.  When we stopped the meal, we continued feeding children in our gym on Wednesday nights and feeding our students in our youth area.  The problem with that set up (other than the obvious duplication of work) was that everything was segregated.  It just did not seem like a picture of the church to me.  So we pulled it all together and last night was our pilot run.

I am not blind to the fact that we had some minor bumps to work out, but I have to tell you, it went really well!  And the most amazing thing was that I didn’t have to feel like I needed to stand over the process.  There was a team of people who worked together to make it happen and it was awesome!  Thanks folks for your work and your attitude in being willing to give this a try.  It would not have happened without you!

Another example from last night came from our student ministry.  Right now we do not have  a paid minister in charge of our student ministry.  I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago with the adults who are working in this area of our church and we did some planning and thinking about how to organize things.  Last night, we had a lot of students here but I knew that things were taken care of because of our ministry team!  As a pastor, I cannot tell you how much of a burden that lifts from my shoulders to know that our students are being ministered to and taught by a dedicated team of men and women.  The results of last night – – we had a young lady make a decision to follow Jesus and entrust her life to him.

So I just wanted to take a few words here to brag on our teams!  You guys ROCK!

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Extinction of Faith

Posted in Church, Community, Formation, Hope on September 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This morning, my reading and prayer time focused on the book of Jude.  The primary purpose for this one chapter book or letter was the concern for keeping the faith.

As I read the verses, I became challenged – which often happens when we read scripture.

In verse 3, the author says this:

I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.

Contend for the faith.  I had to ask myself, “do I ever find myself in a position that I must contend for my faith?”  I had to admit that I don’t feel I have to do that very often.  So that made me wonder, “why not?”

Part of the answer for that is I don’t run in circles very often that go against my faith.  Or do I?

Could it be that we have made our faith so comfortable that we fail to see what meaningful faith looks like any more?  Just wondering.

The other factor in this verse is the statement that this faith has been entrusted to God’s holy people.  I am not sure I qualify as a “holy person,” but as I think about it, the church is God’s primary source of holy people.  So how are we doing?  Are we keeping the faith?

Here is the stark reality – and it is no different today than it was in the day in which this letter was written by Jude – our faith is always one generation away from extinction!  Is the faith with which we have been entrusted being kept?  Are we passing on the faith God entrusted to us?

Think about it today!

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I Wonder What God Will Say?

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on September 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This coming Sunday is the National Come Back to Church Day.  We have decided to make that a matter of focus here in our congregation.  We have mailed out cards and put the word out.  We have communicated to our community that if they have a church home, they should attend there but if not, they are welcome here.

As I have thought about the approaching day, I have thought a lot about why we should make gathering together a part of our lives.  Scripture reminds us that we should not stop meeting together, but rather we should gather and encourage one another to continue living for Jesus – “to spur one another on to good works” as the apostle Paul says.

The reality is that we were created for community – to be together.  Look at the growth in popularity of the trendy coffee shops.  I admit, there is something attractive and hip about hanging out with friends while sipping on a coffee in a setting where conversation is open and acceptance is not forced.

That used to be the church.  What has happened in our culture?

I think in part, the church has lost it’s appeal due to the fact that the focus was taken off of relationships and put on religion.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe the Bible with all my heart.  And beyond that, I choose to associate with the Baptist denomination because I feel the belief system more closely fits my thinking about theology than any other system.

But I have to wonder . . . when we get to heaven, will God look at me and say, “Just think of how many more lives you could have impacted if you had been a little less concerned about religion and more focused on loving people in my name.”

I wonder . . .

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Simplicity of Worship

Posted in Church, Community, Formation on September 12, 2011| 2 Comments »

After listening to my daily podcast devotional on my drive this morning, I switched over to a little David Crowder.  On their album, Illuminate, there is a song titled Only You.  As I listened to the words of that song, I was reminded of the simplicity of worship.

It occurred to me that we have done it again!  We have done a great job of taking something really simple and making it very complicated and even a point of contention in many churches.

The chorus of the song is this:

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord.

That’s it.  Pretty simple.  On Sunday morning, we have become so concerned about the sound we are looking for or if it sparks some memory of worshipful moments in our past that we have forgotten that the goal of worship is not about us.  It is about bowing down to the one true God.

I wonder if we were to get back to the basics of worship if that would take care of a lot of our problems in most of our churches today.

Just wondering!

 

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