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Open and Accepting

October 10, 2011 by jbrianhill

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!

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

Steve Jobs and Making Your Mark

October 6, 2011 by jbrianhill

A genius passed yesterday. It is no secret that I am an Apple fiend. You can find just about anything put out by Apple in my home. Today, I am writing this on my iPad 2. So today is a sad day. Steve Jobs, creator and innovator of Apple, passed away yesterday after several years of battling cancer. There are eulogies all over the internet this morning. But this is one you need to read.

Jim Dennison offers up a daily devotion and I make it a habit to read it each day. But today I wanted share it with you. You can link to it here.

Have a blessed day today – and think about how you can make your life count today.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Hope, Leadership | Leave a Comment »

Trusting God in Trying Times

October 5, 2011 by jbrianhill

We all go through trying times.  In our region of the country, we are in the midst of a drought unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime.  There is talk of water rationing for the farmers and prices on all things escalating in the very near future.  In fact, we have already begun to see higher prices at the grocery store and other places.  I was in a meeting last week in which a speaker told the group that we could expect the cost of electricity in our homes to double as of January 1st, due to the fact that the EPA has passed a law that will prohibit the company from generating electricity by burning coal.

In our own community, the local government struggles daily to make ends meet.  There are a couple of big ticket items that are a constant drain on the budget and there is just no money to do some things that the city needs to do.  Things here in our small west Texas town look pretty bleak!

It would be easy to curl up in the fetal position and give up.  Things don’t look good.  In fact, if one continues to focus on these negative realities, hope can be lost.

But I ran across this passage this morning in Habakkuk.  Chapter 3 verses 17-19 say this:

17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, 
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

When faced with trying times, we need to remember the source of our strength and the joy.  If our focus is on our situation, we will always face the possibility that we will lose hope and joy because trying times come to all of us.  But if our focus is on God, we will have contact with the source of all joy and hope.

Be blessed today!

Posted in Hope | Leave a Comment »

Stop and Take It All In

October 4, 2011 by jbrianhill

Sometimes we need to stop and thank God for the beauty of creation.  This morning I got to the office a little early, so I did the unusual (which is not that unusual for me).  I took my coffee and climbed up on the roof of the church to see the sun come up.

A little extreme?  Maybe.  But I have found it inspiring not only to see God’s creation from that vantage point but also to see the community to which God has called me from that vantage point as well.

I wanted to share this sight with you from this morning.  God is good!  Stop today and take in what God has created and pause to give thanks!

Be blessed today!

 

 

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

When God Seems Distant

October 3, 2011 by jbrianhill

Have you ever felt God was distant – that your prayers seem to get no farther than the ceiling?  Maybe you feel that way today.

Here are some things to remember at such times:

  1. It is not uncommon to feel this way
  2. God is not distant – God may be silent but never distant
  3. Typically when we feel God is distant it is because we have moved – not God.  We have taken our focus off of our relationship with God and turned it to something or someone else

We must never forget that God promised to be with us always – Deuteronomy 31:6 says,   Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The thing we must always keep at the forefront of our minds is that God is always with us and God is completely trustworthy.  Jesus, on the cross felt abandoned.  God could not look on what was going on and for a moment, Jesus felt completely alone.  But he endured that loneliness because he understood the ultimate goal.

The result?  An empty tomb!

God can be trusted and God never leaves us.  Regardless of God’s silence, hold on to this promise today!

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

Take a Break from Pressing Forward

September 29, 2011 by jbrianhill

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?

Posted in Church, Community, Family, Formation | 1 Comment »

Souled Out

September 28, 2011 by jbrianhill

This morning, my Bible reading was out of Luke.  Jesus was talking to some of his followers and asked them to follow him.  One listener replied by saying he would but he needed to go take care of some family business first.  Another said he needed to go and say good-bye to his family first.  Both of these replies seem reasonable on the surface.  But Jesus used this moment to make a point.

He told them that a person who puts his hand to the plow but then turns back is not fit to serve in God’s Kingdom.  While this seems a bit harsh, don’t miss the point that Jesus was making – and makes for us today.  We cannot commit half-heartedly to follow Jesus.  We are either all in or we are not worth much.  As I thought about this passage, it reminded me of an older Lecrae song titled, Souled Out.  The hook in the song says this:

We Souled Out 
Seeking God’s face till we fold out 
you want it, we got it 
we ain’t tryin’ to hold out 
break me, shake me, mold me 
I would rather die like Christ 
than live unholy 

What Jesus expects from us is our undivided passion, our undying commitment, our loyalty – in two words – our life.

Are you all in?  Are you souled out today?

 

 

Posted in Formation | Leave a Comment »

One Day Well Spent

September 27, 2011 by jbrianhill

I took a few minutes yesterday to do a little heavy reading.  Most of you know me well enough to know that if I am going to do “heavy” reading, I have to do it in small doses.  One of the books I am working through is by a classic author, Thomas á Kempis, entitled The Imitation of Christ.  The few pages I read dealt with the importance of making our time here on earth count for something.  Here is what he said,

What avails it to live long, when we amend ourselves so little!  Alas, length of days does not always amend us, but often rather increases our fault!  Oh, that we had well spent but one day in this world!  Many there are who count the years of their life in religion; and yet slender oftentimes is the fruit of amendment.

The way I interpret this little passage is that we often approach life as if we have many more opportunities to make a difference – many more days to live for Jesus – many more years to serve God.  So the result is that we tend to put off until tomorrow those things that oftentimes would make a huge impact in someone else’s life today.

á Kempis reminds us that not one of us is guaranteed a tomorrow.  By waiting until tomorrow, we often add to our own demise.

If you knew that you only had 3 days to live, what would today look like?  What would you do today if you knew you would not be here on Friday?  Who would you call?  Who would you help?

The challenge for today is simple – live as if today was your last chance to make a difference!

“Oh, that we had well spent but one day in this world!”

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

How Thirsty Are You?

September 26, 2011 by jbrianhill

We are in the midst of some remodeling projects at the house.  Yesterday, that involved a trip into the attic for me.  Now I don’t know if you climb around in your attic very often, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind before setting off for an adventure into the dark, dusty cramped spaces of the area above your ceilings.

The first thing is that it is . . . dark, dusty and cramped.

The second thing to remember is that you will need to add a minimum of 20 degrees to the outside temperature and that will be the climate inside your attic.

Yesterday – 91 degrees outside.  So, you guessed it, my attic was like a dry sauna.  Luckily, I did not have to spend a lot of time up there.  But I was there long enough to get a bit parched.

When I got back to the cool and clammy 91 degree garage, I was thirsty!

I went straight to the kitchen and found something to give my thirst the relief it was seeking.

I was reminded of a passage in the Psalms.  Psalm 42:1-2 says this:

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, 
   so my soul pants for you, my God. 
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 
   When can I go and meet with God? 

I had to ask myself, “Do I long for God on a daily basis with the same desire as I had longed for something to drink while in the attic?”  The reality is that we cannot live very long without water.  But the truth be told, we can last even less time without God.

So here is my prayer for myself today and feel free to make it yours as well.

Lord Jesus, I love you and desire to be near you.  Help me to desire you more!

Be blessed today!

Posted in Formation, Hope | Leave a Comment »

The Power of a Team

September 22, 2011 by jbrianhill

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!

Posted in Church, Community | Leave a Comment »

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