Posted in Formation, Hope on May 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »
When was the last time you stopped and gazed at the wonder of a rose?
When did you last watch a sunset and feel inspired by the magnificence of God?
Jim Dennison made some good points today regarding how great our God truly is. You can link to his post here.
We get so busy with our “ant hill lives” that we forget to look up and realize that there is a much bigger world out there and God is in control of it all!
Take a minute today and look for God around you.
Posted in Formation, Hope on May 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Here it is Monday and I am reflecting on my journey last week and looking forward to where the path will lead this week. Yesterday, we had a great morning in worship. We celebrated with the graduating seniors in our church, we heard the story of one of our senior adults and we praised our ascended savior.
We talked about the fact that Jesus died, but was not held in the grave. He spent forty days with his disciples, giving them last minute instructions before breaking all bounds with this natural world and physically ascending into the clouds and out of sight.
For us today, we don’t understand how this was possible. But really, neither did the disciples on that day. Acts 1 tells us that they just stood there in amazement – I am guessing with their mouths open. Two angels finally had to show up and tell them to move it along.
There are elements of our theology that may not make sense in this world but it does not make them any less true or real.
The point I take from this story in Acts is that Jesus proves, yet one more time, that he is not bound by this world. He can come and go as he chooses. That is the God we serve. We simply must have faith and believe.
I ran across a poem by Alexander Pope entitled, An Essay On Man, in my reading this morning that may help us in this area. Here is an excerpt:
To him no high, no low, no great, no small—
He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all….
All nature is but art, unknown to thee:
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see:
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good.
We have to remember that we rarely see the whole picture. What we are living is but a flash of the greater picture – a thread in a magnificent tapestry.
Trust and believe today and live into the life God has for you!
Posted in Community, Hope, Missions on May 15, 2012| 1 Comment »
I am always reminded when I have the opportunity to participate in a mission trip, that God is already at work long before we show up. I remember when I did my first trip like this fifteen years ago or so. I went with the attitude that I had something to give and the people I would see may not know it yet but they needed what I had to offer. In many respects, that is not a total fallacy.
I had hope and love that I could offer through my relationship with Jesus that everyone needs. But the reality was, and is still today, God is at work whether I show up or not. God did not call us to go and be the salvation to a group of less fortunate people. But we are instructed to go and share our story. Go and share God’s love. Go and offer hope.
You see, when we go and offer our time to minister to others, we are not the salvation they need. We are simply the messengers of the one who is that salvation and that hope.
God is at work all around us – we just have to see it and plug in.
Be a blessing today.
Posted in Formation, Hope on May 9, 2012| 1 Comment »
Part of my reading today was in the classic, My Utmost For His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. Today’s reading deals with the idea of having our focus on God as opposed to the world or ourselves. Where we put that focus affects everything.
Chambers says that once we lose sight of God, we begin to do things in our own power and by our own initiative. For me this is a constant battle. I believe that God has gifted me with certain strengths and passions and expects me to get off my laurels and use those things for the growth of the kingdom. But if I am not careful, it becomes about achievement – about me. Chambers reminds us that the danger becomes reaching the point of not expecting God to show up at all.
He asks two questions that will stay with me through this day and hopefully throughout each day, and I pray with you as well. He asks, “Is our attitude today an attitude that flows from our vision of God? Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done before?”
Is that your expectation for this day?
I pray it is so!
Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on May 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »
How long has it been since you stopped and just thought about how much God loves you? We get so busy and I guess we know deep down inside that God loves us. But the pressures of the fast-paced rat race that is your life causes the realization that you are loved to slowly fade. It begins with moving from a deep understanding of God’s unconditional love for you to a good feeling that God might just actually care about you. From there it creeps into a general acknowledgement that God loves everyone.
Before long, the pressures of life weigh us down to the point that self-pity permeates all that we are and we forget that God truly loves us. We take on the attitude of, “If God really loved me, I wouldn’t be going through . . .” And so we no longer feel God’s love not because it is no longer there but because we have allowed our focus to shift.
Take some time today to remember that God loves you. Regardless of what you may be experiencing in the moment you are reading this – God loves you – you are valuable and worthy. God loves you enough to know and care about you personally – to the point that Jesus came to show you just how deep and lasting God’s love is for you.
God loves you – you are truly blessed!
Posted in Community, Hope on May 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, I asked for input from those under 60. I asked them for some thoughts on how older generations have impacted them. I asked for their input to help inform my sermon this week on leaving a legacy. Sunday is senior adult Sunday and we plan on structuring the service to recognize our senior generations.
So today, it is the over 60 crowd that I ask for input.
If you could instill one or two nuggets of truth in the younger generations, what would they be?
Give it some thought and leave me a comment here or email me at bhill33@me.com.
The reality is that in many ways, we are experiencing a leadership void and we need to focus on pouring into the younger generations.
So how would you do that?
I look forward to reading your wisdom!
Be blessed today!
Posted in Community, Hope on May 2, 2012| 3 Comments »
This coming Sunday will be Senior Adult day at our church. We will have a different structure to the service and everything will be pointed toward recognizing our older generations.
I will be preaching on the importance of leaving a legacy. I plan on addressing both the senior crowd and the younger crowd.
If you are over 60, I’ll be asking for your input tomorrow but for today, if you are younger than 60 years old, I need your help. If you are like me, there are many, many people who have played an integral part in your life. Take some time today to think about those folks.
As you think about the generations ahead of you, who has made an impact on your life and how have they been able to affect you in such strong ways?
Just leave your comment here or email me at bhill33@me.com.
I look forward to reading your comments – they just might show up on Sunday.
Be blessed today!
Posted in Formation, Hope on May 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Some things are just obsolete these days. I still have some vinyl albums but no way to play them. They sit on a shelf next to some old 8 track tapes.
When is the last time you had an encyclopedia salesperson ring your doorbell? Some of you may not even realize that families used to make huge investments by purchasing their very own set of encyclopedias and it was usually due to a slick salesperson who called on them at home. But in March of this year, the Encyclopedia Britannica announced that they would no longer be offering their product in printed form – bringing to an end a history of 15 editions of their volumes of information.
So now, if you own a set of encyclopedias, you may be wondering what to do with them – other than dust them occasionally. I really don’t have an answer for you. Anything you need to know is accessible through the internet and will be much more current than a book that was printed five years ago.
So yes, somethings do become obsolete. But I am thankful that one thing still remains just as relevant and fresh as the day it was penned. Yes, the Bible has undergone translations and those translations have had revisions, but the story and truth within has remained the same.
In a world where little is guaranteed, thank you God that your truth never changes!
Posted in Community, Formation, Hope on April 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »
In some of my reading this morning I ran across this quote by Thomas Merton, “the reality which is expressible in language is found, face to face without medium, in silence.” I guess this hit home with me due to the fact that part of my responsibility as a pastor is to communicate God’s message through language. It is an interesting juxtaposition to think that being able to communicate through words must begin with silence.
It is very true. Years ago, I heard a long-time pastor say, “If I haven’t spent time alone with God during the week, on Sunday, I have nothing to say.”
It is the same idea. In order to communicate God’s truth through language, I must first spend time before God in prayer and studying the word.
This truth applies to communicating God’s message in other ways as well. Our biggest megaphone is the way we live. Our actions communicate more effectively than words ever can. So are you spending quality time before God that in turn fuels the way you live?
Take a few minutes today to sit before God and listen to what you hear.
Be a blessing today!
Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on April 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I was introduced to a new artist last week and I have listened to his latest album no less than 8 times since Thursday. His sound is unique and his lyrics will make you stop what you are doing and just listen (which makes driving and listening a bit sketchy). Josh Garrels is his name and he hails from Oregon.
On his latest album, Love and War and the Sea Between, he has a song titled Beyond the Blue. As I drove to work this morning, this song was playing. The chorus of the song says, “let go of all we cannot hold on to for the hope beyond the blue.” The last time he sings the chorus he changes it just a bit and instead of singing “the hope beyond the blue,” he says “the hope I have in you.”
As I drove, I asked myself, “what should I let go of that I really can’t hold on to anyway?” It is a great question. So often we find ourselves stressing over things we can’t even control. The whole time, God is standing by saying, “I am here offering liberation – real life – if you will just relax and let go of things you can’t even control.”
So today, I ask you the question, “What do you need to turn loose of that you can’t hold on to?”
Let go of it today and rest in the arms of hope!
Be blessed today!
Clay in the Hands 