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Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

God Is Worthy

Posted in Community, Formation, Hope, Uncategorized on September 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

When is the last time you considered God?  Maybe that is an odd question or at least an odd way to ask.  This week we will start a new series entitled Created to Worship.  Worship is reverence offered out of extreme respect.  The etymology of the word worship shows us that it comes from the old English word, worthship and carries the meaning of acknowledging worth.

When we take time to reflect, as I mentioned yesterday (you can see that post here), and we truly reflect on God and who he is, we are moved to offer extreme respect and reverence.  When we come face to face with the reality of who God is we are moved to recognize God’s worthiness.heart-and-cross-2

This Sunday we will begin this series with thoughts on God.  But you don’t have to wait until Sunday to think about God.  Start today – start now.

Take time to reflect on God’s majesty.  Spend time considering God’s mystery.  Focus on God’s compassion and grace.

Acknowledge God’s worth today by offering yourself as a living sacrifice out of extravagant respect!

 

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Come And See

Posted in Church, Community, Grace, Hope, Uncategorized on August 17, 2016| Leave a Comment »

I started a new sermon series this past Sunday that will continue for two more weeks.  The series title is Living Out Loud.  I pray that this series will inspire each of us to really live out our faith.  This confidence that we have – or profess to have – in Jesus as our eternal savior should make a difference in the way we live our lives.

People should be able to see that we are serious about following Jesus in the decisions we make and the way we relate to others.  This past Sunday the sermon title was Faith Unleashed.  The faith we profess is not for our benefit – not for our own security.  This faith is given to us so that we can share it with others.  Ephesians 2:8-10 reminds us that our salvation is a free gift of God’s grace; it is nothing we deserve or earn.  But itleading also says that we were created for good works in the same passage.  This faith we have should be turned loose on the world.

As I have been preparing for this coming Sunday, I have been focusing on Jesus’ calling of some of his disciples recorded in John 1:43-46.  In this passage, we find Jesus saying, “Follow me.”  Then we see Phillip going to Nathanael in excitement and telling him that the one Moses talked about has come.  Nathanael was a little skeptical.  But in three short words Phillip persuaded him – “Come and see.”  

Our striving for faith lived out begins with following Jesus and should have one primary focus – to illustrate him to others.  These three words should become a part of our everyday vocabulary – COME AND SEE.

Show others Jesus today!

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Present and Awake

Posted in Church, Community, Formation, Grace, Uncategorized on August 10, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Sunday GatheringGod is with us each and every day.  Jesus’ promise is dependable – he will never leave us nor forsake us.  But so often, we live our lives unaware.  We pass through our days marking time but oblivious to God’s presence and interaction in our lives.

But every once in a while, we get a glimpse.  In a moment of clarity, we come face to face with the creator and we find ourselves overwhelmed with God’s grace and grandeur.

For me, this past Sunday morning was that way (and I was not alone in that experience).  Every Sunday is special.  The gathering of God’s people to worship and just enjoy being together is always a blessing.  But Sunday was different for many.  God’s spirit was moving in the hearts of our family and it was obvious.

As I headed to lunch, I prayed, thanking God for reaching into my life and for moving in the hearts of so many.  As I prayed and reflected on the morning, I asked – “Why can’t church be like that every week?”  I have continued to reflect on that question.  What I keep coming back to is sensitivity.  We don’t manipulate God, so it is not anything we can do to duplicate the experience.

But if we truly believe that Jesus never leaves us.  And if we accept the reality that where two or three are gathered together to honor God, God is in their midst, then we must acknowledge that God is always present when we gather.  If that is the case, then the issue is not God’s presence but rather our awareness.  We need to remember today that God is always present and at work, we just need to wake up and be more sensitive to what he is doing.

I pray that God’s presence will be just as visible this coming Sunday in our church.

But why wait until Sunday?

God, wake us to your presence and love this day – in this moment!

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Baptism At the Beach With Family

Posted in Community, Formation, Grace, Uncategorized on August 3, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Sunday was an amazing day in the life of our church.  We started the day with worship – thinking about the privilege of prayer.  We also celebrated with four different families as decisions were made to plug into what God is doing here in our midst and become members of our church.

Screen Shot 2016-08-03 at 9.33.33 AMThen we gathered out on the island in the afternoon to celebrate baptism.  We celebrated with 16 people who had made commitments to follow Jesus and were baptized in the surf on that evening.  It was a glorious time of testimony.  Many of our church family gathered to celebrate and of course, the regular beach goers were there too.

As I have reflected on the day, I have been reminded of the importance of sharing our faith openly.  Our world has become more hostile toward those who live their faith openly, but if our faith is real, it should show in the way we live.  That is hard to do when we try and go it alone.

But when we do it in community – together as family – we can lean on one another as we live out loud.

Seek only God’s approval, lean on other believers and live out loud today!

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Press On!

Posted in Community, Formation, Grace, Hope, Uncategorized on July 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

I have mentioned the Town and Country Restaurant before.  This morning I arrived early to my breakfast gathering with some of the deacons in our church.  I meet with our deacons of the week each Thursday morning at the T & C just to share a meal and a little bit of life with them.  This morning as I read a little scripture and reflected, my eyes wandered around the restaurant.  

I was close enough to an older gentlemen to overhear a phone conversation he was having.  I intentionally did not eavesdrop but it was easy to determine that someone he is close to had made an emergency trip to the hospital last night.

When he got off the phone, I witnessed his waitress stop by the table and based on her facial expression, I could tell he was relaying the story to her.  In just a few moments, I watched the hostess come and sit with the man for several minutes.Sharing Coffee

As I observed all this, last night’s Bible study content from Mark 3 began to make its way through my mind.  Jesus called the twelve with specific intentions.  The point we talked about last night is that God calls each of us for specific reasons – some to minister in business, some to lead companies in a Godly manner, some to serve the sick in the name of Jesus, some to minister in churches – but all are called.

I watched that truth lived out right in front of me.  The early shift hostess of the restaurant did not have to make her way to the older gentleman’s table.  But she did.  She sat with compassion and listened to his story.  Patrons entered the door and seated themselves because she was not there to seat them.  But what she was doing was more important.  God used her to offer comfort to someone she hardly knew.

The verse of the day today on Biblegateway.com is Philippians 3:14. But if you back up and include the two verses just before, it says this:

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We may not have it all figured out – we may not have “arrived,” but we must press on to what God called us to.  I love the picture that Paul creates for us when he said, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

If you have allowed Jesus to take hold of you, you need to understand, he has done so for a reason.  Define that reason and press on to take hold of it!

That is what the hostess did this morning.  We can too!

Be a blessing today.

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A Different Look at Praise

Posted in Church, Community, Formation, Grace, Motivational, Uncategorized on July 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Worship BWWe talk a lot about praising God.  In any given church around the world on the weekends, you most likely will encounter an effort to praise God.

Praise, by definition, is the act of expressing admiration or thanks to someone.  When we think about God and all that he has done, we are moved to express our thanks and admiration.

But as I have been pondering this most important element of worship, I have wrestled with this question:  Is praise just an intellectual assent or does it require action?

Psalm 148 calls all beings (even inanimate objects – mountains and hills) to praise the name of the Lord.   How can a mountain praise God?  How can a bird or snow or the moon praise God?

Granted,  the Psalms are given in poetic form, but I think there is more going on in this Psalm than poetic license.  What we learn here is that praise has as much to do with being God’s best version of ourselves for his glory as it does with giving verbal acknowledgement or intellectual tipping of the hat to his grandeur.

God created us with gifts, passions and talents with the sole purpose of living out those gifts, passions and talents in a way that honors God and points those around us to him.

Maybe praise has a lot to do with living in such a way that God can cross his arms and say with a smile, “Yeah, that’s my kid.”

Just something to ponder today.

Be blessed.

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Being the Church at the Ball Field

Posted in Church, Community, Hope, Missions, Uncategorized on July 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Our mission team made it home for the Dominican Republic safely last week and then we spent the rest of the week recovering and catching up on all the things that went undone while we were gone.  It was a wonderful trip and as I process the experience in the coming days, I will share more with you about what God did and is doing.

But one thought has stayed with me as I have reintegrated back into my schedule and that is the importance of the church being the church outside the walls of our buildings.  I saw a group of people who left the comforts of air conditioning and television and went to minister in another country.  I saw the impact of the church truly being the church and I saw the difference it has made in the lives of those serving as well.

Moving forward, we must continue to look for ways to BE the church to a world who needs to see believers living out their faith.  This coming Sunday afternoon our church is having “First Baptist Day at the Hooks.”  The Hooks is a double A ball club here in Corpus Christi (that is doing very well this season by the way).  Our church is going to have a presence at the game this coming Sunday afternoon.  Those among us that are musically gifted will be singing the national anthem to begin the game.

HooksAnd our Recreation Minister has orchestrated an invitation for me to throw out the first pitch.  Do you know how long it has been since I threw a baseball – let alone 60 plus feet in front of thousands of people.  To answer the first half of that question – a very long time.  To answer the second half of that question – NEVER.

So – OK – I may be a bit nervous, but here is the point, this will be just one simple way for the church to be visible in the world.  We will be supporting our local team, enjoying wonderful fellowship and showing all those present that our church family loves being together and loves Jesus.  Being the church in the community does not always have to involve back breaking service (although that is often a key component) – it also takes the form of the church being real and showing love and community.

Now where did I put my ball glove – I think I need to practice!

Be a blessing today!

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Almost Home

Posted in Community, Formation, Missions, Uncategorized on July 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

It is hard to believe that we are headed back home today after almost seven days in the Republica Dominicana. I apologize that I have not posted daily as I had hoped. Between the internet being down most of the time and our busy schedule, I have not been able to keep up.

We had an amazing week! Our team pulled together and pushed each other beyond what any one individual thought they could do. We built ten desks and two book cases for teachers in one of the schools we have worked with in the past and then delivered them. We had three ladies from our team offer teacher training to teachers in a school in Villa Alta Gracia. We had ladies from our team help with the sewing ministry here at Iglesia Bautista Quisqueyana (IBQ), making costumes for a huge city wide production the church put on this past week. We did VBS and sports camps with kids in two different areas. We had a part in a pastor and wife conference and a three of our ladies helped almost daily with meals for our team – pitching in with the local cooks.

And Sunday was a beautiful experience. We had the opportunity to worship in the morning with IBQ and then with a church in La Romana on Sunday night. Chris, our Student Pastor, and leader of this trip spoke at IBQ on Sunday night at the youth service and I had the blessing of preaching Sunday morning at IBQ and then Sunday night at La Romana. There is something special about worshipping with brothers and sisters of another country. We have been guests in their country and they have welcomed us in. I was reminded as we worshipped together that when our focus is on praising God, our differences fade away and what we have in common takes center stage – one God, one faith, one body (Ephesians 4).

Bryson, one of our team members (and my son) said, “I am ready to go home, but I don’t want to leave.” I think that sums up the feelings of each of our team members!

God is at work in the Dominican and we are blessed to have even a minute part in it.

Please pray for IBQ, our Dominican brothers and sisters and for safe travel for our team as we travel home today.

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Journey To the Dominican

Posted in Church, Community, Formation, Missions, Uncategorized on July 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Front of mission shirtAnd we are off!  20 people from our church are on the way to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  We will be working with churches and schools in and around that city serving in a multitude of ways from construction to Vacation Bible Schools and sports camps to sewing projects and school teacher training.

It is an awesome group made up of folks ranging in age from 17 to . . . well, more experienced than me.  It was pointed out this morning that the millennials made it through security fine – it was the seniors that were the trouble makers.  It is going to be a fun and exciting journey.  One of the things I really love about trips like this is the way God grows relationships between those on the trip through the week.  I am excited to see how God is going to work through us AND among us over the coming seven days.

Once in country, I should have internet service in the mornings and so I plan on trying to journal some of our experiences here.  So be sure to check back each day to fBack of Missions shirtollow along.  You can also follow us on Twitter (@jbrianhill) and on Instagram – watch for the hashtag #fbc2dominican to stay up to date.
One request I have is to ask for prayer for safe travels and for God to grow our group in compassion, flexibility and service.

Stay tuned!

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Value the Children

Posted in Church, Community, Family, Formation, Uncategorized on July 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »

KidsWe wrap up Vacation Bible School today.  It has been a wonderful week full of activity, laughter and showing the love of Christ to children.  I am so blessed to be part of a family of believers that values the spiritual progression of kids!

The best testimony I heard this week was overheard.  I was entering our recreation center and a mom was leading her young son out of the building toward the parking lot and I overheard her say to her son – “I’m glad you’ve had so much fun you don’t want to leave, but we have to go.”

A child should want to be in church.  Somehow, we have focused so much of our attention on making sure the adults are getting what they need that we often forget that the experience of church and the need for community is just as real for kids.

Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  (Luke 18:16)

Jesus sees value in a child.

So should we.

Be a blessing today!

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