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Inspired By a 2nd Grader

October 8, 2013 by jbrianhill

Last week I was inspired.  We can often see how God’s hand has moved in the past if we slow down and look.  But it is far more difficult to see God moving in the here and now.  There are just too many distractions.  We are focused on making it through the day in one piece.  We are striving to live in a manner worthy of the name Christian.  And so we get wrapped up in doing good and we fail to see God working all around us.

So when we actually see God at work right before our eyes, it takes our breath away – or at least that is my experience.

Last week, I received an email from a young lady telling me that her 2nd grade daughter had been moved to come up with a way to help those less fortunate than herself.  She decided that she could make bracelets and sell them for $2 and give the money to help provide food for those who might otherwise not have enough to eat.  For the past few months, she has been making bracelets and selling them.  She now had enough money that she wanted to get my opinion on how best to put that money to work to help with the hunger relief ministry in our church.

This little 2nd grader wanted to give the money to help with our Snack Pack ministry – a ministry that provides a bag of healthy snacks to kids who need it in our school system.  The bags are secretly placed in the child’s backpack each Friday so that he or she will have something to eat over the weekend.

I suggested to the young mom that this money could go to buy special treats that would be out of the ordinary for what typically goes into the bags – something special provided by her daughter.  She loved the idea.

So when she picked up her daughter from school, they came straight to the church.  I was standing in the hall when the front door flew open and this saintly little blonde 2nd grader marched in and right up to me.  She thrust her hand straight out holding a roll of cash – smiling from ear to ear.  Her mother explained that she had told her daughter she could hold some money back to buy herself a little something as a reward for a job well done (a suggestion that made sense to me).  But the little girl decided that the kids receiving the bags needed it more than she did – so she gave it all – $55.00.

As I took the money from her hand and looked at the smile on her face I thought to myself, “If only others could ‘get it’ like she does!”  I was inspired to do more – to love more fully – to give more earnestly – to offer myself more sacrificially.  And it was the heart of a 2nd grader that moved me.

God calls each of us to do what we can to be true to our faith and live in a manner worthy of our calling.

What will you do today to live for Jesus?

Posted in Hope, Missions, Motivational | Leave a Comment »

Jesus On the Highway

September 30, 2013 by jbrianhill

On Saturday, my youngest son had a cross-country meet in Amarillo.  The last time he ran in Amarillo, my wife and I were not able to make it because of the distance and other commitments we had that day.  So this time, we made sure to be there to cheer him on.

As we were making the trip up I-27, we were almost to Amarillo – approaching Happy – when my wife asked, “Is this the town that has Jesus on the highway?”  As I thought about it, I could remember, sometime in the past, seeing a much larger than life crucifix enclosed in a glass building along the interstate – so I knew what she was talking about.

We quickly realized that Jesus was not in Happy, nor Canyon.  We made it on to the meet, watched Bryson do an amazing job with the 5K and then we ran some errands and had lunch before heading back home.  As we pulled back onto I-27 to head south, the conversation turned back to wondering where we would see Jesus.

As we approached each little town we would both begin looking to the side of the freeway to try and catch a glimpse of Jesus as we passed by.  Finally we came to Abernathy, and there he was.  Standing there on the access road to the interstate was a 30′ tall glass building and inside, at least a 20′ crucifix.  If you have never seen this display, next time you are on I-27 going through Abernathy, look to the west.  It is very impressive.

Since Saturday, I have been thinking about our pilgrimage.  I have thought about our conversation as we looked for Jesus.  And it made me think, how many people in the world are looking for Jesus – not a crucifix on the side of the highway – but actually looking for Jesus.  They come to our churches looking for Jesus.  I can just hear the conversation in the car as they drive up to the church on Sunday morning, “Do you think we will see Jesus in there?”

I can also imagine people watching me and asking the question, “Will he show me Jesus if I watch?”

The truth is, everyone in the world is looking for Jesus.  They may not know it but everyone is looking for him.  They are looking for something more.  Something or someone who can bring fulfillment.  Something that will bring relief from the pressures of work and family.  Something that will bring security and peace in a world that offers neither.  Everyone is looking for something or someone.

As believers, we know exactly what they need; or rather, who they need.  The answer is always Jesus.

So will they see Jesus when they come through the doors of your church?  Maybe the better question – will they see Jesus when they encounter you today?

I wonder where I will see Jesus today?

Posted in Church, Formation, Motivational | Leave a Comment »

The Listening Life

September 26, 2013 by jbrianhill

Does God speak to you?  When is the last time you got a message from God?

Odd questions?  Maybe.  But I am not talking about an audible voice from the heavens (although I am not denying that possibility).  I am talking about getting a sense that God is guiding you.  That sensation that God is telling you something.

It might come through a message you hear at church.  Or perhaps through your time in reading scripture.  It might be a recurring thought that just keeps coming to your mind.

Whatever form it takes, God does still speak.  In fact, I believe God speaks more often than we know.

The issue is not in whether or not God speaks, the real issue is whether or not we are listening.

Listening

Thomas Merton said, “My life is a listening, His is a speaking.  My salvation is to hear and respond.  For this, my life must be silent.”

My life is a listening.  Powerful words.  I wish I could say that.  I wish I could tell you that my life is lived always listening for God to speak – passionately seeking God in all things everyday.  Yes, I try, but I cannot tell you that “my life is a listening.”

How about you.  How well do you listen?

 

Slow down and listen today.  God is speaking.  Will you hear?

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

Live By Faith and Don’t Shrink Back

September 24, 2013 by jbrianhill

What are you facing today that seems overwhelming?

Maybe it’s a new job.  Or maybe a new co-worker that just doesn’t see things the way you do.  Or maybe you are facing struggles at home.  Some may be facing physical difficulties – that news you didn’t ever want to get from the doctor.

Whatever you are facing today, stand strong with God’s strength.  Hebrews 10:35-38 says this:

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”

“But my righteous one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”

The righteous will live by faith.  That is a powerful statement.  And then the author follows it up with a visual image that has become very meaningful to me.  He says God will not be pleased “in the one who shrinks back.”

When you face those things that make you want to run and hide, don’t shrink back but instead, go head on into the midst of it with the confidence of knowing God is with you.  Live by faith.  Faith in the one who has your back.  Confidence in the one that has been this way before.  Trust in the one that is still on the throne.

Live by faith and don’t shrink back.  God is with you.

Be blessed today.

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

I Saw Jesus In a Restaurant Downtown

September 18, 2013 by jbrianhill

Monday night, I saw Jesus and it was amazing and humbling all at the same time.  No, I didn’t have some mystical experience.  I physically saw the hands and feet of Jesus.

I saw his hands carrying a bowl of stew to man who walked in with a confused look on his face as he was told to find a place to sit and we would serve him.  I saw Jesus’ arms as they hugged a senior adult lady before she left the restaurant.  I saw Jesus in the smiles of the nearly 20 volunteers from our 1st B family who gave of their time to serve a free meal to those in our community who could use something to eat.

But more than anywhere else, I saw Jesus in the hearts of the two ladies who opened their restaurant and cooked the food at their own expense in order to provide a free meal to those who needed it.

Yes, Monday night I saw Jesus and my life may never be the same!

Be a blessing to someone else today!

Posted in Church, Community, Hope | Leave a Comment »

Listen To God And Bring Them Along

September 17, 2013 by jbrianhill

Last Wednesday, during my prayer and reading time, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the pressures of the day.  It was early in the morning before anyone in the house was up, but already I was feeling like there was no way to get it all done.  There were meetings to lead and planning to be done.  The church is in the midst of searching for a music minister and so trying to discern God’s direction has been heavy on my mind and heart for weeks.  All these things were running through my mind.

I began to pray and take my focus off my day and put it on God.  As I did, God began to calm me down.  I opened my Bible and began to read but as I read and prayed, my mind began to race back toward my list of things to do that day.  I continued to try and focus on God and what God would say to me and the most amazing thing happened.  God spoke.

No, not in an audible voice but it was clearly God.  God impressed me with this thought and these words, “Listen to me and bring them along.”

As a pastor, I needed to be reminded of that simple process.  My calling is to listen to God and then bring people along the path God has chosen for us.  Am I the only one God speaks to in our church?  Absolutely not.  But I am in the position that people look to me for leadership.  So it was helpful to remember that my primary task is to listen to God and then lead people in God’s direction.

Many of you are leaders in your churches.  You have people who look to you to take the lead.  Stop today and listen to God.  Remember that God has a plan for you and those you lead.  Your task is to simply listen to God and then bring them along.

Be blessed today.

Posted in Church, Hope, Leadership | Leave a Comment »

Join the Highway Crew

September 11, 2013 by jbrianhill

The area of the state in which I live has been seen as a desert for a number of years.  But lately, God has blessed us with some much needed rain and the crops are looking healthy.  So I don’t hear the term “desert” as much these days.

Image

This morning I was moved to Isaiah 40 in my reading.  As I read these verses, I thought about the calling God has given me.  And beyond me, the calling God has given the church.  Verses 3-5 say this

A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

 “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Make a smooth highway in the desert for our God.  I may not be in a literal desert, but I see the evidence of a spiritual desert all around me.  Spiritually, the people of this area are parched.  Nothing grows but weeds and thorns and grass spurs.

In the midst of this desert, God has called me – and you – to make a smooth highway.  A wide path for God to be glorified.  All of our efforts each day should be to make a way for God to move in the lives of the people we touch.  We are called to turn the heads of the people we meet toward God.  We can’t make anyone believe.  And we can’t force God to move in someone’s life.  But that is not what God has called us to do.

God has called us to make a way – a highway – to those in the desert.  God will do the rest.  Isaiah tells us that when we are faithful to our calling, then God’s glory will be revealed and everyone will see it at the same time.

Be faithful today.  Join the highway crew.  There is a lot of work to be done and the days are getting shorter.

Be a blessing today!

Posted in Church, Community, Hope | Leave a Comment »

Time For a Quick God Break

September 10, 2013 by jbrianhill

What do you do when not only every block on your month at a glance calendar has something in it but your day’s schedule has something posted in every time slot?

What you do is stop and pray.  Take a God break. There is nothing more important than our time with God and there is nothing you will do today that will not be benefited by your time spent with God.

When we slow down, even just for a few minutes and seek God, we receive clarity and focus.  What is really important comes into focus and we begin to realize that all the peripheral things are just that.

Sit back in your chair – – go ahead – – do it now.

Reflect on God’s goodness in your life.

Take a minute to offer thanks.

Now, back to it.

Be blessed today.

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

The Importance of the Pour

September 4, 2013 by jbrianhill

As I turned on my computer this morning and began opening all the applications I keep running throughout the day, I opened BibleGateway in one of my browser windows.  There I saw the verse of the day – 2 Timothy 1:13-14.  There Paul reminded Timothy to hold fast to the teaching he had given him.  Paul instructed Timothy to “guard the deposit entrusted” to him.  The image I see is that of a security guard tasked with carrying money bags to an armored vehicle for transport.

There are many things I could say about this passage.  But the one that sticks out to me today is not so much the deposit or the instruction to guard that deposit but rather the depositor.  Paul had shared his life with Timothy.  Timothy traveled with Paul, watched Paul, learned from Paul.  Paul had poured into Timothy’s life.  And now he instructed Timothy to guard what he had learned – to make use of it.

This leads me to ask two questions.

1.  Who can you look to in your own life who has poured into you?  Somewhere along the way, someone has taken an interest.  Someone has gone out of their way to invest in you.  You would not be where you are today without them.  Take time today to thank them.

2.  Who are you pouring into?  Maybe you have someone that you are investing in and if so, I applaud you – keep it up.  But if there is no one you are helping, find someone today.  You have much to offer.  God has brought you through the challenges you have faced in your life so that you can turn around and help someone else through similar circumstances.

We are in this together.  God created us for community.  And living in community means investing in one another.

Be a blessing today!

Posted in Community, Hope, Leadership | Leave a Comment »

Just Temporary Circumstances

September 3, 2013 by jbrianhill

When the world crashes in, where do you turn?  When you get that call that you dreaded, who will be there for you?  When you aren’t sure how you will make it through the day, where do you find the strength to keep going?

All of us have seasons in life in which we face what we think are impossible struggles.  Maybe it’s just a bad day or maybe its more than that.  Regardless, difficulties are a part of life.  They come our way and there is nothing we can do to control them.

So where do you turn?

Let me suggest that there is hope in difficult situations.  There is hope in the face of impossible odds or impassible obstacles.  Jesus came to give us that hope.  What he offers us is life – real life – eternal life.  He offers us life beyond our struggles and life in spite of our obstacles.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reminds us that what we see with our eyes is only temporary.  Our hope comes in remembering that we don’t put our trust in what we can see but rather in what we can’t.  All our troubles are just temporary.  What God has in store for us is so much bigger and better than anything we can see or even imagine.

So regardless of the struggles you are facing in this moment – take heart – have hope.  God is at work all around you and what is in store for you is so much better than these temporary circumstances!

Be blessed today!

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

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