The Sunday Shout-Out: August 31st, Edition.

Today we shout-out Greg Hudgins...for reasons too numerous to delineate here. Suffice to say that when it comes servanthood he is "The Real Thing," and we are never more like Jesus than when we serve. After all Jesus stated that he did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Greg...we shout you out!

Blessings,
PB

Lessons from Guapinol

Guapinol (pronounced gua as in guava, pea as in yucky little round green things, and knoll as in grassy and Dallas) is a very small shrimping village on the southwest coast of Honduras…to me it represents both the dramatic need and the great hope of much of Honduras.

I’ve learned a lot over the last six years of traveling to Honduras and I thought that I would pass some of the lessons on to you. Here we go:

• Dollars don’t equal joy…
• The poor are less owned by what they have than are the wealthy…
• Don’t pack your clothes until it is too late to have church…
• Pastor Oscar (head of the Concillio) is a man of God…
• Sister Reyna can cook…
• Functional sound systems have nothing to do with God honoring worship, still it is very nice to have one…
• I can sweat…
• People are people…
• I’m not the only one who can sweat…
• You grow most when you are outside of your comfort zone…OK, so I stole that one from Nathan Barnes…
• Old cars never die – they just get shipped down to Honduras…
• God will use anyone who is available and who will be faithful…
• I should have paid attention in 6th and 9th grade Spanish…
• Bano (spelled B - A - N with a ~ over it - O) is an important Spanish word to know…
• God gives traveling mercies…
• Our prosperity and comfort sometimes prevents us from fully comprehending the work of God in the body of Christ (more on this in a future post if I can remember to do it)…
• When they say “Don’t drink the water,” they MEAN IT…
• Our support of the Concillio truly is a good and a noble thing…
  

Blessings,
PB

International Speaker!

Here is a look at our very own international speaker Nathan Barnes. You can't tell but these are live pictures of him growing while he is out (way out) of his comfort zone.

Blessings,
PB

Quote: #11

"We must never soften the clear teachings of the law of God. The Christian faith is not a methodology to help wild, disobedient swingers do whatever they want and still feel good about themselves." - Steve Brown

"Awesome" and "Small Group" = The Same Thing.

I just had a quick conversation with Kyle that went exactly like this:

• Kyle: "We have small group tonight don't we?"
• Me: "Yes."
• Kyle: "We are going aren't we?"
• Me: "Yes."
• Kyle: "Awesome."

I hope that the though of your small group elicits similar thoughts and emotions, after all God has created us to "live our lives together." That is to live our lives in relationship with other Christ followers. The summer schedule is often murder for church continuity and that includes small groups. So now that summer is over...or almost over...we still have the issue of Labor Day. Let me encourage you to make every effort to make it to your groups next gathering and don't let anything keep you from it. After all not only is there a blessing there for you but you might be bringing someone's blessing along with you, that's just the way it works; you bless those who bless you you. That's why it is both a privilege and a joy to be a part of the body of Christ. Getting to go to small group truly is; in the worlds of my son; "awesome." Because it is there that I can find a group of people who love me and my family AND who are rooting for me as I pursue God.

Blessings,
PB

The Sunday Shout-Out: August 24th, Edition.

Hey Mike...YES YOU...MIKE DAVIS...today we shout you out! We want you to know that we are fully aware that you have been doing some stuff around Hilltop the last few months (and before that as well.) We would like to make it clear that we have seen you re-building the sound booth, making props for K.i.D.s. church (including stuff for VBS), we know about you constructing an Ethiopian style hut for the 4H fair and the Child Survival Project. Oh, yeah and there was that time that you were seen up on the roof of our facility securing gutters that had separated themselves from the roof. Your service is noticed and appreciated. You just aren't going to get away with things like that without being noticed. Mike...we thank God for you.

Blessings,
PB

We Are Back

Nathan and I are back from Honduras...
We had an enjoyable and I believe fruitful trip...
I'll be hitting the blog again sometime soon...
Thanks for praying for us!!!

Blessings,
PB

These Guys are Good

Ping Pong is an Olympic sport you know.



Blessings,
PB

Prayer Request

Nathan Barns and I are going to Honduras next week, Monday to Friday. It is always a blessing for me to be with the pastors there and to witness how Hilltop is helping to empower them as they lift high the light of Christ in Honduras. It is especially fun to do so with someone who has not been there yet, so this trip with Nathan should be a blast. Please pray for us: that we will be a blessing and that we will have God's favor as well as His anointing as we minister to the pastors there.

Blessings,
PB

From The Shlog

Here it is straight from the Shlog:

08.12.08 A Little Goes A Long Way

I don’t play music or speak outside anymore. Especially not at anything called a festival. This is because the only reason I tour anymore is to release kids from poverty, to ask the audience to sponsor a child through Compassion International. And, truth is, folks have a hard time paying attention to one guy with a guitar strumming and talking in the Summer heat...especially when there’s no shade...and there usually isn’t...and there’s funnel cake in the air. If I can only play for Compassion’s kids ten times a month (we limit my schedule to that) then I choose to do the gigs held in ideal listening environments: air-conditioned churches and colleges mostly, sans sun and funnel cakes.

So, you understand, don’t you, why I said “no” to Joan when she asked me to come play and speak at her church’s festival at three in the afternoon in the middle of a dirt field at an “ag center” without shade trees?...(READ MORE)

Blessings,
PB

Kingdom Come

Shaun sang a wonderful song Saturday afternoon...this is the only place that I have been able to find it...enjoy.

Blessings,
PB

Facebook

I'm up on Facebook now...not sure I'm going stay on top of it...not sure if I care...but then again maybe I will. Anyway I'm up on it. So if you want to, go ahead and add me as a friend. I can be found under the following alias................Brian Smith.

Blessings,
PB

The Sunday Shout-Out: It Couldn't Be Done, Edition!

I'm pretty sure that what happened yesterday with the "Child Survival Project '08," didn't happen. I think it must have been a dream. The reason why I think it didn't happen is because it simply couldn't be done.

And here's why:

• We didn't have enough time to pull it off...the planning for this started in March.
• We didn't know what we were doing.
• We didn't know anybody who knew how to put together an outdoor festival.
• We are in Carroll County Maryland...do you know of anyone who holds a Christian music festival in Carroll (the Middle of nowhere, Maryland) County? Neither do we.
• We didn't have adequate financial resources.
• We didn't know someone who knew someone who could help us pull one of these things off.
  
• We know that if any of our efforts started trending towards success that Murphy's law would be close by, to guide us back onto the road to failure...Murphy doesn't go on vacations does he?
  
• It was the first day of Olympic coverage and semi-local-boy Michael Phelps was on TV.
• Did I mention the time thing?
  
• We thought that it might be nice to have a nationally known Christian musician...
• ...We had no cash for one...
• ...They don't come for just traveling money do they?
• We are not aware of any lanky, sarcastic, humble and sincere guys that might come out here for no cash are we?
• Oh, well this whole concert thing won't ever work anyway.
• And if I remember right...I think that this is why we ditched the whole "Child Survival Project '08" anyway.
  

So you see...yesterday didn't happen, after all how could it have? Still I have to admit that it was a very pleasant dream and if I remember it right, the dream included a large group of very hard working volunteers and a couple of pastors who couldn't be any prouder than they were. Like I said...it was a very pleasant dream. Who knows maybe with enough time and a few bucks in the bank; we might just be able to do something a little like the dream I had last night; sometime in the next two or three years.

So for those of you who were there working your hearts out in my dream...WE SHOUT YOU OUT!

Blessings,
PB

Hilltop On Shaun Groves Blog This Tuesday.

Well it looks like Shaun Groves is going to tell our story on his blog Tuesday...I don't think that you want to miss it.

Go here and read the first and last paragraph of todays blog to see what I'm talking about.

Blessings,
PB

The Carroll County Times.

There are two Child Survival Project '098 related articles in today's Carroll County Times here are the links:

Compassion International aims to fight poverty

Group changed Ugandan's life

Blessings,
PB

Check This Out

Check this out! It was posted on Compassion's web site Monday.

Blessings,
PB

Quote: #10

"The very first of the Ten Commandments is to "have no other gods before me." So, according to the Bible, the primary way to define sin is not just the doing of bad things, but the making of good things into ultimate things." - Timothy Keller

The Sunday Shout-Out: August 3rd, Edition.

This is what has recently been said about Lisa Reuschlein: "Anytime something needs to be done with food, the call goes to Lisa. This includes: the Christmas Tea, the Compassion Sunday - International Buffet, snacks for VBS, and concessions for the Child Survival Project '08, you name it, if it has to do with food Lisa is either in charge or in the mix." I (PB) even think she had a hand in the food that happened this past weekend at the men's fellowship-outing-gathering-retreat-thing (if I'm wrong in this assertion please let me know and I'll retract the previous line.) But we shout her out for much, much more than simply her grand ability to serve up the calories. Because, when it comes to servant hood Lisa has the goods. She is always open, frequently joyful and exceptionally easy to work with, Lisa seems to thrive in service situations. While working with others appears to brings out the best in her - you just can't say that about everyone. A preacher once said, "You are never more like Jesus that when you serve." Lisa...we see Jesus in you! This shout is for you.

Blessings,
PB