Clay in the Hands

In the Wake of Threat and Terror

November 6, 2017 by jbrianhill

As a believer in America, what is going through your mind this morning? What can we do to ease the suffering of those directly affected by the shooting yesterday? How do we move forward toward celebrating a new Sunday this week without the horrific tragedy of yesterday at the forefront of our minds? Will we gather free of fear and able to focus on heart-felt worship? Or will we be tentative and distracted?

Yesterday was the first of two consecutive Sundays set aside as International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. We live in an era in which Christians are persecuted. There are countries around the world that do not allow open worship of Jesus. And even in our own country, the church is being painted as an institution of hate instead of the gathering of believers who love.

Jesus prophesied and said that if we follow him, we will be hated by the world. This is nothing new. But when something like the shooting in Sutherland Springs happens so close to home, this prophesy takes on powerful significance.

So what do we do? How do we move forward?

First, we pray. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Sutherland Springs. We ask for God to bring healing – both physical and emotional as well as spiritual. We ask God to find us faithful as the larger church in being strength and encouragement for those who were directly impacted by this act of cowardice.

Second, we trust. Not one of us knows what tomorrow will bring and because of that fact, we must approach the day in one of two ways. We either hide in hopes of finding protection, or we trust God to walk with us through whatever this day may bring. I choose to trust.

No matter the evil we face in this world, God is bigger!

Never forget that fact!

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Always Reforming?

November 1, 2017 by jbrianhill

Yesterday marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses being nailed to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. As we have reflected on the changes brought about by that act, we have recognized the debt we owe to those early reformers. Our focus on grace alone through faith alone comes directly from this movement. Wittenburg door

But I have wrestled with something for the past several weeks leading up to this momentous day.

Are we still in need of reform?

It is said that the generation of leaders after Martin Luther held that every generation is in need of reform. I believe that is true. The Gospel message does not change. The fact that all people are sinners in need of saving does not change. The truth that salvation comes only by God’s radical free gift of grace does not change. The reality that this grace must be received by each individual through a heartfelt trust and faith does not change.

But what does change is how we live with these truths and how the church seeks to carry out her calling into God’s mission in light of these truths in an ever-changing culture. We walk a line between being in the world but set apart from it.

I believe we are guilty of gross negligence if we acknowledge the courage and boldness of Martin Luther and other reformers but do not take a serious look at where we may need reform today. What are the areas we have conformed more to the world than been transformed to God’s kingdom and rule? Are there areas of life and ministry where we have lost sight of what matters most?

Holy God, show us your ways!

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Caught Between

October 24, 2017 by jbrianhill

On August 25th, the lives of all Texans were drastically effected by a devastating storm. Hurricane Harvey produced more rainfall in Texas than the United States had seen in one storm in recorded history. Of course the damage caused by the rainfall was not all the damage produced by Harvey. It was a Category 4 hurricane at land fall. The initial destruction was due to 130 mile per hour winds and storm surges reaching 8 to 9 feet (or higher in some areas).

While most were not directly impacted, this storm affected all Texans. Life changed for everyone for at least a week or two. Hearts were drawn to those who were directly impacted. Generosity was plentiful. Donations of needed items as well as time and labor were offered from all over the state. Honestly, there was a sense of renewed hope in the kindness of humanity – actually making one proud to be a Texan.

Now here we sit – two months removed from Harvey’s winds. Two months ago, many of us were scrambling to make preparations – boarding windows, purchasing supplies, trying to find gas stations that still had gas. But today many are still trying to find hope and desire to move forward.

For the bulk of the state, life for most folks is back to normal. Even here in Corpus Christi, most people have rejoined the daily mayhem that is “normal” life. But so many other people here in the Coastal Bend are trying to decipher what normal will be moving forward.

The experts are telling us we are looking at a 2 to 3 year period of rebuilding before we can expect a new normal (others are saying it will take much longer). So what do the people do who are caught in the middle what once was and what is not yet? Where do they find hope?

sunrise-over-lake-and-mountains-13826409293Gf I am reminded of David’s inspiring words in Psalm 121 – “my help comes from the Lord.” When things look darkest, we can know that there is help – there is hope. We need to remember that this world is temporary. We are not citizens of this world but rather simply passing through.

So what do we do in this in-between time – this time between what once was and what is not yet?

We lift our eyes to the Father and trust.

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The Rest We Need

October 16, 2017 by jbrianhill

There is a direct link between trust and rest. When I finally decide to lay down on top of my bed at night, I am trusting the structure to hold me. I would not be able to completely relax if, with every turn and movement through the night (which are often and many) I were afraid the bed frame would collapse and I would end up on the floor.

In order to truly rest, we must trust.

Last week in our Bible study time we worked through one of the sermons Peter delivered in Jerusalem in the beginning days of the Christian church. In the third chapter of the book of Acts, we find Peter and John standing in the outer courts of the temple, calling people to repent and turn to God.

Peter offers two very powerful motivations to repentance. The first is that when we repent of our sins and turn to God, our sins are wiped out – blotted out – discarded – covered over! All the poor choices and mistakes, all the willful disobedience – all of it – forgiven.

But the second motivation Peter offers for repentance is that by confessing our sins, repenting and trusting God, we will receive “times of refreshing” from the Lord. The ASV translation clarifies that this “refreshing” comes from “the presence of the Lord.”

I don’t know about you but refreshment and renewal that comes from being in the very presence of God sounds pretty good to me!

What are you trusting God with today? Do you need a little rest and refreshment?

Whatever you are carrying today, God is big enough to handle it! Simply trust and experience his refreshment!

Be blessed with rest today.

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Tend the Fire

October 3, 2017 by jbrianhill

In all my years of sharing my thoughts and my heart here in this way, I have never gone as long between posts. I began this ministry and personal pilgrimage in 2009 with a personal commitment to write at least three times per week – recording in this format a little piece of myself each time. There have been dry spells in my pilgrimage over the past eight years but never have I stepped away from this discipline for this long.

On August 25th, my life and daily routine was altered. When hurricane Harvey hit land on that evening, I did not realize the way it would affect the days to follow. Please understand that my family and I, our church family and most of Corpus Christi were hardly affected physically by the storm. But those just over the bridge were greatly impacted. So I am not referring to any real damage that I have had to deal with personally but rather in how we have chosen to respond to the devastation our brothers and sisters to our north have been living through (and will continue to do so). In the coming posts I will attempt to unpack the experience of the last month.

But for today, I feel compelled to share what God reminded me of this morning. My reading this morning came from 2 Timothy 1. In the beginning lines of Paul’s letter to his protege, he challenged Timothy with this: “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.”

fanning-flames

The reminder coming from God this morning was this – as believers we have received God’s spirit and his calling on our lives but we are tasked with fanning what we have received into flame. It is so easy to let the fire go out.

I am not suggesting that we can lose the Spirit or the calling but we can lose the passion and the intensity of living out this calling with our entire existence. Life happens – storms come our way that move us off course and before we realize it, the flame has died down. It is our responsibility to tend the flame.

Today – tend the fire, fan the flame and live into the calling God has placed on your life!

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It’s a New Week

August 21, 2017 by jbrianhill

What will this week hold for you? Will you step up to opportunities to make the Father famous or will you shrink back into routine?

I have to admit, routine is comfortable. In fact, as I look back at my life, I hate to say that far too many of my weeks have followed more closely to routine than to making God known.

But not this week.

Not TODAY!

I have the opportunity to shine for the Father this week as I journey along The Way.

So do you . . . Starting-Line

The starting gun has fired and the week has begun. Are you still standing at the starting line? Move forward into the world that needs hope and light. Shine with God’s brilliance this week so that others will see him.

You can do this!

Father find me faithful in making you known to each and every person I meet this week. May they see you in me! Amen!

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God Pursues

August 2, 2017 by jbrianhill

As I continue to prepare for the upcoming series on spiritual practices, Practice Makes Perfect, I keep running across instances that remind me of God’s constant provision but my oblivion to that provision because of distraction – and possibly even my own disobedience.

Yesterday, I ran across a passage in Isaiah pointing to how God is always seeking a relationship with us. Here is what is recorded in Isaiah 65:1-2:

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
    I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
    I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
²All day long I have held out my hands
    to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
    pursuing their own imaginations—

God's Hands Outstretched The reminder I take from this passage is that God pursues us. He stands “all day long” with hands outstretched waiting for us to notice. But so often we are lost in our own pursuits. We are distracted by our own imaginations. I even fear that humanity has a tendency to take God-given talents and use them to create a false sense of independence.

Today, may we not walk in ways that are not good. May we not pursue our own imaginations to the dismissal of God’s reach toward us.

Today, may we make time and space in our lives to hear God saying, “Here am I, here am I.”

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Creating Space

July 31, 2017 by jbrianhill

How are you making space for God today? It is so easy to fill our days with important things and somehow leave out the most important. Making sure we make time to spend with God should take the highest priority but unfortunately, the sacred often gets pushed back by the mundane. It is not so much a lack of priorities but rather a lack of perspective.

We become overwhelmed with the sheer volume of the mundane and step into the circular race that ends where it starts. We give in to the pressure to perform and we know that God will understand if we wait until later to spend time with him. So we justify in our minds the idolatry of productivity. Before we know it, we have gone days or weeks without spending quality time with the creator.

But there is a very interesting truth that we often overlook. The truth is this – we cannot be the best version of ourselves (that means even in the area of productivity) when our focus is on anything other than the Father.

But this focus takes intentionality on our part. Focus does not just happen. We must work at it – – constantly. We must create space in our schedules and in our lives to allow God to work. God provides the progression toward being more like Jesus but we must do our part.

I am excited that this Sunday we will begin a new series – Practice Makes Perfect. If you are in the Corpus Christi area, I encourage you to make this series a part of your August plan. We will be working through some habits that can make a real difference in your walk.

Create space today!

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No More

July 27, 2017 by jbrianhill

What holds you back? What weighs you down? Our past decisions have ways of wrapping their bony fingers around our ankles and dragging us back into a prison of guilt and regret. Just when we think we are “through” something, here come the thoughts that have a tendency to leave us feeling worthless.

This morning, a couple of verses jumped off the page as I read. Romans 8:1-2 say:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Paul reminds us that now, today, in this moment there is no condemnation if your trust has been placed in Jesus as the author and perfecter of your faith. No condemnation! Let that sink in. When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, the Spirit breaks the chain of slavery to sin. He frees us from the guilt of past decisions!

broken-chains No more fear!

No more guilt!

No more regret!

NO MORE!

This day, in this moment, remember – – as a child of God you are free. You are a new creation. The old has passed and the new has come!

Live into that freedom today!

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An Evening At Camp

July 18, 2017 by jbrianhill

I had the opportunity to make a short drive out to Camp Zephyr yesterday to hang out with the children from our church that are in the midst of children’s camp this week. They were all having a great time and making it through the heat just fine (I’m not sure I can say the same for our adult sponsors).

Worship at Zephyr I got in on a game of Gaga Ball and got to eat camp food and go to worship with the group before heading back last night. The games were fun and the speaker was great but what impacted me the most was getting to watch our kids worship. So often, I fear kids do not feel part of what happens in corporate worship on Sunday mornings. I was moved to hear kids singing with open hearts.

It was a truly beautiful sound!

I left challenged to make sure we are more intentional in the way we plan worship services. I went to camp to be with the kids for an evening so that maybe they would see how much I care about them and that I am just as much their pastor as any adult in the family. I left reminded that we need to make sure they feel our church is their church.

What will we do to be used by God to form the next generation?

Posted in Formation, Hope | 1 Comment »

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