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Are You Troubled Today?

April 8, 2010 by jbrianhill

I looked back in the posts and unless I missed something, the last time I mentioned the book of Romans was a little less than a month ago (March 11).  As I said there, I had been camped in the 12th chapter for a month.  Well, now it has been almost two months and I am still in Romans 12.  It is an amazing book and chapter 12 is an amazing chapter!  I still hold it to be the Christian Manifesto.

Today, I have been challenged deep within my being by verse 12 of chapter 12.  The verse is short but comprehensive.  It says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  That’s it – that’s the whole verse.  But what power in those words.

Paul tells us that our hope should bring us joy.  When we find ourselves in troublesome situations, we need only remember the bigger picture – that the God of the universe is in control – and that gives us hope.  As long as we have that hope, we can have joy, even in times of difficulty.

He goes on to say that we should be patient in the midst of affliction.  Paul gives it to us straight – there will be trouble.  Just because I made a commitment to be a follower of Jesus did not mean that I would no longer have to deal with pain, heartache and difficulty.  Paul does not want us to be naive about the fact that we will encounter hardships.  But he tells us to be patient – remembering the hope joyfully.

And then he gives us the answer as to how we do this – to be “faithful in prayer.”  It is in and through prayer that our relationship with the Father is grown and deepened.  It is in and through this relationship that trust develops and as we trust, our hope begins to grow and with that hope – joy.

If you find yourself in difficulty today, pray and as you pray, remember that the God who created you is listening – God is in control and has a plan.

You can take comfort and hope in that fact!

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

Clay In The Hands – Year One

April 7, 2010 by jbrianhill

Today marks one year since I began this ministry of sharing my thoughts here.  It is hard to believe that it has already been that long.  Today I thought I would share some things I have experienced along the way.

1)   As I knew from the beginning, it is impossible to have anything meaningful to say if my spiritual life grows stagnant.  In fact, that was one of the motivations for starting this blog – to keep my spiritual discipline in check.  I hope that at least a few posts this past year were meaningful and inspiring, but regardless, I can honestly say that my spiritual rule of life has been more consistent.  I thank you for the incentive.

2)   One of the unexpected results of the last year has been the widespread reader base that has already emerged.  I have people all over the U.S. who find my ramblings from time to time and that has been an humbling experience for me.  The comments and emails have been enlightening and encouraging as you have shared what God is doing in your lives.  My prayer is that God will continue to use this ministry to touch even more folks – we are all on this path together!

3)  The overwhelming experience of the last year has been the encouragement I have received from you.  I began this ministry in an effort to minister to people in need of encouragement and inspiration – and I pray that has been the case.  But, as with any effort we offer up to God, the blessing has been mine.  I truly appreciate and am humbled by you, the readers.  Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts with me!

This has been a full year.  God has done some amazing things in people’s lives this year.  I pray as we move forward together into the next year of posts, that God will use this ministry to touch lives and that together we will grow in our understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Thanks for reading!  Tell a friend!

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The Story We Live

April 6, 2010 by jbrianhill

I sat in a lecture last night and listened to an esteemed preacher discuss, rather prolifically, the importance of narrative and the way it shapes our character.  In preaching circles, “narrative” is a buzz word.  The idea is that each of us process information by understanding facts in the setting of a story.  When we read Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount that peace makers are blessed, in our minds we see someone making peace in a heated situation – a story emerges in our minds as we seek to understand the concept of a peace maker.  In other words, we process ideas in the form of stories.

But a deeper activity is happening as we seek to process information – we are doing so in light of our own story.  The experiences of our lives shape us and also shape the way we view information coming at us.

I realize this is a little more abstract than I normally get (maybe its being back on a college campus that brings it out of me) but here is what it all boils down to for you and me today.  God has made you who you are for a reason – through experiences, people who have impacted you and through the grace you have been shown.  There is only one you and God has a plan for you that only you can carry out.

Count it all joy then that God has created you complete with beauty and warts, quirks and strengths, burdens and joys to make a difference in this life.  The merit in your story is not in what you can attain or obtain but in the contribution you can make in the lives of others.  That is God’s plan – God’s meta-narrative.  Your story is a part of a larger story and your part can only be written and told by you!

Write a new chapter today as you impact others with hope and joy!

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

He Is Risen

April 5, 2010 by jbrianhill

He is risen indeed!  That was the cry yesterday.  The last 40 plus days have been leading up to yesterday – Easter Sunday.  We spent last week remembering the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us – the rejection, the beating and the death.  But the most important part of the Easter event is not the actions leading up to the day.  The most important reality of Easter is that Jesus didn’t stay dead.  He defeated death and rose again.

So often, we tend to leave Jesus in the grave.  We remember his sacrifice and we examine ourselves in light of that sacrifice, but we often leave with a sense of humble gratitude and that’s it.  Honestly, that is a part of what God wants us to experience.  But if we stop there, we miss the point.

Jesus is alive and well today.  Does that reality make a difference in the way you go about your day?  Or does your life reflect the assumption that Jesus is still in the grave?

He is risen!  May we live like we believe that today!

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

Rejected Love

April 2, 2010 by jbrianhill

I have had plenty of rejection in my life, but three experiences rise to the surface for me.  One of those was a denial to enter the PhD program in seminary.  I committed my life to serving God professionally in high school and because of my love for students I planned on becoming a student minister.   But as I worked through my undergraduate studies in college, I began to have a deep passion for scripture and the history that goes with God’s word.  So I began to believe that God had plans for me to teach New Testament studies at the college level.  In order to prepare myself for that ministry, I had to earn a PhD.  So I completed the degrees necessary to enter that program, my undergraduate and a masters degree (I even through in an extra masters degree for good measure).  I took the tests, wrote the papers and did all the things required to be accepted into the PhD program – and then I waited.  Finally, the letter came in the mail – DENIED!

I was devastated.  I had spent the last eight years of my life fulfilling the requirements for acceptance and then, without explanation – rejected.  It was painful.  I felt completely alone.  But worse than all of that, I felt God’s back had been turned on me.  Obviously, that was not the case, but that is how I felt.  The road that I had been on for so long ended in a dead end and there were no detour – it was over.

I am sure you have experienced rejection in your life too.  It is a part of the package – if we are going to live, it means risk and anytime there is risk, there is the possibility of rejection.  Maybe for you it was a failed relationship. Or maybe it was a job promotion you felt you should have gotten but didn’t.  Or maybe an award you felt you deserved but didn’t get.  Whatever the situation, we all experience rejection.

While I am not trying to make everyone feel depressed today, I do want you to think about the pain of rejection.  Because that is what Jesus felt.  Some of the very people who were praising him five days ago were shouting “Crucify” today.  The disciples he had spent the last three years pouring his life into were no where to be found – in fact, Peter  openly denied he even knew Jesus.  But on top of all that rejection, on the cross, Jesus asked the question of God, “Why have you forsaken me?”

We must never downplay the physical pain of the cross event for Jesus.  It was the most brutal form of corporal punishment of that day.  But just as painful was the emotional rejection Jesus felt hanging there completely alone.  But the wonderful thing about Easter, the fact that makes this Good Friday, is that Jesus endured all of that willingly out of his love for the world – for you and for me.

That is what remember today – on this day!

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

An Act of Service

April 1, 2010 by jbrianhill

Today is Maundy Thursday – a big day in the last week of Jesus’ life here on Earth.  Thursday was the day when Jesus gave one of his last lessons on sacrifice and service.  The setting was a small but adequate room.  The furnishings were most likely very basic – a table or two – but everything Jesus needed to help his disciples experience service in a powerful way.

His lesson came in an unexpected way – Jesus had a knack for taking everyday life and turning it on it’s ear to teach a lesson.  The custom, upon entering a home, was to take off one’s sandals.  Most of the roads of the day were not paved and so feet got dirty in simply walking down the street.  So, as a matter of courtesy and simple hygiene, it  was customary to wash one’s feet before proceeding into the house.  It was also an act of hospitality for the host to provide a servant to do the washing.  By this time in history, the washing of feet had become the work of servants.

That night, Jesus did the unthinkable.  He went disciple to disciple and washed their feet.  You may recall that Peter had a problem with this.  He refused to let Jesus wash his feet until Jesus told him he must wash his feet or Peter would have no part in Jesus’ life – at that point, Peter offered for Jesus to wash his entire body.  The point I am making here is that, based on Peter’s reaction, this act that Jesus was doing was culturally beneath him and the disciples knew it.

Here was the King of all kings, the chosen Messiah – the very Son of God – washing their feet.  How could that be?

Jesus showed the disciples by action what he had been saying for three years – if one is to impact the lives of others for the Kingdom of God, then he or she must become the servant of all.  One leads by serving.

Jesus’ sacrifice and service did not stop there that night and that will be the subject for tomorrow.  But think about this today – who is God calling you to serve in the next 30 minutes – not 3 weeks from now, but right now?

Posted in Formation, Leadership | Leave a Comment »

You’re Welcome

March 31, 2010 by jbrianhill

I remember when the slogan became popular.  I was young but even then it made an impression of home and prompted thoughts of friendliness and being welcomed.

Tom Bodett had no affiliation with the motel chain, but was a voice that helped launch the chain into the forefront of the market.  But the ad-libbed slogan is what people remember (at least if you are my age or older).  Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Yep, you guessed it – “We’ll leave the light on for you!”

A very simple statement that communicates a world of images and has stuck with the chain for over 20 years.  I had not heard a radio ad for Motel 6 in years for some reason, but just this week I heard the familiar voice recite the familiar slogan on the radio.

All this got me to thinking about hospitality and providing a welcoming environment to others.  Leaving the light on sends the message of “We are ready for you and we want you here.”

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the church.  Is your church welcoming of others?  Do the individuals in your community know that they are welcome in your church?  Do you go out of the way to “leave the light on?”

But the focus on my mind today is a little more personal – a little closer to home.  How welcoming are you?  We talk a lot about showing people God’s love and grace and many of us do that regularly – but on our terms and our time frame.  What about the inconvenient drop-in to your office or to your home?  When you are in the big middle of a huge project, how inviting are you to someone who needs to talk?

God’s call on us as followers of the Way is to show love and grace as a way of lifestyle, not as a project we do on “Outreach Night” at the church.

My prayer for each of us today is that we will be welcoming and inviting to those who need us.

I have done this before, but I want to make the invitation to you again.  If you need to talk or just simply want prayer for a need you may have, my email is to the right – please feel free to contact me.

“I’ll leave the light on for you!”

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

Hosannah or Crucify

March 30, 2010 by jbrianhill

Easter week is finally here.  It was a dark week in Jesus’ life.  It was a week filled with extremes.  Jesus entered Jerusalem at the beginning of this week to the sights and sounds of the homecoming of a victorious king.  People crowded the streets as he passed by to shout praises and to see the king.  A few days later, some of the same people stood in a courtyard shouting, “Crucify him!”

Now before we sit back in our seats and think, “How could those people do that?” ask yourself this question, “How are we any different?”  We come on Sunday and praise God and seek inspiration from God’s word, but on Monday, how often is it “business as usual?”  When God asks us to sacrifice in some area of our lives or simply live each day loving as Jesus loved but we refuse, we are saying, “Crucify him!”

Easter is a time for remembering Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice but also a time for difficult self-examination.  Are you ever guilty of shouting “Hosannah” on Sunday and “Crucify” during the week?

Posted in Formation, Motivational | Leave a Comment »

We Have a Winner!

March 29, 2010 by jbrianhill

Today is the day!  And we have a winner!  For those of you do not know what I am talking about, last week we had a little drawing.  Last week I reviewed Francis Chan’s new book and study video, Forgotten God.  To make it interesting I promised to give a copy of the book to one lucky winner.  It was a lot of fun.

And so today, congratulations are in order for Barbara Pinner.  I will be emailing you today Barbara to make arrangements to get the book to you.

For those of you who did not “win” this time, I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book the next time you are in a bookstore.  All of us could stand to be reminded of the power of the Holy Spirit that is ours if we are followers of the Way.

A word of warning about the book (you might want to check out my posts last week if you haven’t already), do not pick it up and read it if you are not willing to be challenged.

I pray each of you have a truly blessed week this week.

Posted in Community, Motivational | Leave a Comment »

The Church and the Forgotten God

March 26, 2010 by jbrianhill

Today we are looking at the book and video, Forgotten God, as it pertains to the work of the Holy Spirit and the church.  What we discussed yesterday regarding the work of the Spirit in the individual lives of believers is also true of the church.  When individual followers of the Way are truly committed and submitted to following the leadership of the Spirit in their lives, the church will reflect this as well.

As individuals, and corporately as the church, our purpose is to help others know Jesus and to come alive in him.  Is your church doing that on a daily basis?  Is your church doing supernatural things?  Francis makes the statement in the book, “I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit.”  Can you make that statement?  Can you explain the importance of your church to your community apart from the work of the Holy Spirit?

In the video (Session 3: Theology of the Holy Spirit 101) Francis uses a great illustration of a football team.  He describes a team running onto the field at the beginning of a game – the crowd goes wild and the team responds accordingly with excitement.  They huddle up on the field, call the play and then as they break, each player runs to the sideline and takes a seat on the bench.  After 30 seconds or so, the team runs back onto the field, huddles up and repeats the previous scenario.  After that happens a couple of times, the fans lose interest or worse, begin to see the game as pointless!  The connection is that this is often how the church acts or at least looks to the community.

We meet on Sunday and listen to an inspiring talk, and often we even leave with a challenge – a game plan for the week.  But then when we walk through the doors of the church, we head for the sidelines.  We have no intention of getting in the game and risk getting dirty or even hurt.  The community looks at us and thinks, “Pointless.”  Folks – that is sin!

The church is to be about building up the body – helping people find a deeper relationship with Jesus and then encouraging those same followers to go out and make a difference.  However, our churches have, in most cases, become a place of learning and institutionalization.  In the process, the church has become a place that deadens passion instead of encouraging it.

Does your church foster passion in you or does it seek conformity from you?  How is your church a reflection of you?

This study, Forgotten God, is not for the complacent and the satisfied.  This study will challenge you and get in your business.  So if you are not willing to be moved out of your comfort zone then I would recommend you stay away.  But if you want more of God, this is a great place to start!

(If you are interested in winning the book see details here)

Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational | 2 Comments »

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