Quote: #22

"Abraham was asking God for just one child - just one - and God asked Abraham to count the stars." - Shiferaw, President of Compassion International, East Africa.

Black Friday

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory." John 1: 17

Today we begin our celebration of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ by collectively spending tons of cash and going millions and millions of additional dollars in debt. Today alone we in the United States we will spend enough money on Gameboys, Legos and Barbi dolls to provide THE ENTIRE WORLD with sanitary and safe drinking water. In long Island we broke down some doors and trampled a Wal-Mart employee to death, in our pursuit to get the deals before our neighbor gets them. Lord forgive us and heal us...it is a black Friday indeed.

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child." Luke 2

"...yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

Until all our Christmases are Light,
PB

Say Thanks

I stole this from a pastor in North Carolina:

In honor of Thanksgiving week, I’m issuing a challenge.

1. Pick someone in your life (the first person who comes to mind is probably the correct choice) who has blessed you-whether they know it or not.

2. Send a letter or email telling them thanks.

3. Be specific in what you thank them for. Specificity is more meaningful than profundity. You don’t have to write outstanding prose. But if you chronicle in detail some ways they’ve blessed your life, they’ll savor every word.

4. If possible, do it before the sun goes down tonight.

Your words of gratitude may turn someone’s entire week-month-year around. You’d be surprised.

There’s got to be more to Thanksgiving than putting on 3 ½ pounds. Go be thankful today.

Blessings,PB

Quotes: #19, #20 & #21

“…you have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin.” - Francis Chan

“We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide.” - Francis Chan

“Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” - Francis Chan

A Worthy Prayer From An Old Book

O Majesty unspeakable, my soul desires to behold You. I cry to You from the dust.

Yet when I inquire after You Your name it is secret. You are hidden in the light which no man can approach unto. What You are cannot be thought or uttered, for Your glory is ineffable.

Still, prophet and psalmist, apostle and saint have encouraged me to believe that I may in some measure know You. Therefore, I pray, whatever of Yourself You have been pleased to disclose, help me to search out as treasure more precious than rubies or the merchandise of fine gold: for with You shall I live when the stars of the twilight are no more and the heavens have vanished away and only You remain. Amen

- A. W. Tozer

Left To Ourselves

While rereading a book I read over twenty years ago I came across the following statement:

"Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms. We want to get Him were we can use Him, or at least know where He is when we need Him. We want a God we can in some measure control."

This statement can't be more true. But why? Why do we "...IMMEDIATELY...reduce God to manageable terms?" I am coming to believe that we do this for the simple reason that we want a relationship with God that is absent the fear of God. But it doesn't work that way. Psalm 111:10 states that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Where there is no "fear of the Lord," there is no relationship with the Lord.

These days the church seems to be getting this wrong; completely wrong. Take a popular christian t-shirt slogan, for example: "No God, Know Fear...Know God, No Fear." Even though I understand the though behind the saying, it still cannot be more wrong. If you have to make a formula out of this fear concept (which is probably an unwise thing to attempt) you would need to write like this: "No God, No Fear...Know God, Know Fear." Remember that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." A relationship with the Lord is founded upon a right-placed fear of the Lord, which not to be read, terror of the Lord. A fear that is wrongly-placed is an illusion...a jumping at shadows. Jesus Himself said, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!." Luke 12: 4 & 5 But then He immediately tells us that the even the hairs on our heads are numbered and calls us to, "Fear not, you are of...value." So I that it's fair to say that to Know God is to Know Fear...rightly-placed fear, that is.

It also seems that without a right-placed fear of the Lord, it is difficult to be used by the Lord. Many of the people who were used by the Lord in the Bible seem to have have had healthy a fear of Him:

• Moses removed his shoes in the presence of God.
• Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me! For I am lost."
• Peter declared, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
• And when confronted by Christ, Paul fell blind off of his transportation.

What we fear controls us. When we fear financial ruin, that fear can gain hold of our decision making processes and lead down roads that lack integrity. When we fear relational conflict we can compromise our personal convictions in an attempt to keep the waters smooth. When we fear change we surrender control of our potential future to the comfort of a known present.

All fear paralyzes...even the fear of the Lord. And to be paralyzed is to in some way be handicapped. Still the fear of the Lord is a healthy thing and I believe that we should do whatever it takes to more fully develop a healthy fear of the Lord. Embracing the healthy and paralyzing handicaps that accompany it.

But what is handicapped by our right-placed fear of the Lord?

• Our ability to sin without conviction is handicapped by the fear of the Lord.
  
• Our capacity to hate our neighbor is handicapped by the fear of the Lord.
  
• Our tendency to judge the world harshly and ourselves graciously is handicapped by the fear of the Lord.
  
• Our demand for more is handicapped by the fear of the Lord.
  
• Our propensity to shade the truth is handicapped by the fear of the Lord. Etc., etc., etc.

Indeed the fear of the Lord is a healthy, even a needful thing for those of us who claim to be followers of the Lord God Almighty.

So, may the Lord forgive us for reducing who He is in our lives,. May He forgive us of our attempts to manage who He really is. And may He create in us a genuine and right-placed FEAR OF THE LORD. Then at least we will have - the beginnings of wisdom.

Blessings,
PB

The Sunday Shout-Out: November 9th, Edition

Today we would like to shout-out someone who has made a few things happen around Hilltop lately. A few weeks ago we held our annual business meeting and just prior to the meeting we ate some food together and there can be little doubt that the pre-meeting eating had something to do with the 7pm sharp quorum that we were able to pull together. Today we had the after church not-so-pot-luck-dinner, Williamsburg style. What a great idea that was...good grief that was some good grub. But these things would not have happened or at least they would not have happened with as much thought and skill as they did without the leadership of Lois Rush and those who brainstormed and organized with her. Did you notice the little pumpkins/gourdes and other stuff centerpeices? That's what I'm talking about when I say thought and skill. So Lois, today we shout you out, thanks for making these things happen.

Blessings,
PB

Are You Kidding Me?

Baltimore Ravens...two weeks...78 Points...are these really our guys?

Blessings,
PB

If You Sponsor

I know the sound is bad but if you sponsor a Compassion child or if you are considering sponsoring one; you have to watch this as many times as it takes to get the full picture. The girls name is Mariolvis and she is answering a few questions.



Blessings,
PB

The Ravens

When was the last time the Ravens outscored the entire league? Could these really be the last days?

Blessings,
PB

Attitudinal Cues

Whether the election turned our way or not last night I believe that it is important that we turn to the word of God for our attitudinal cues. There will be no end to opinions expressed today, from party leaders to union leaders, from the winners to the losers, from NPR to Clear Channel, from Democrats to Republicans...today will be filled with gloating and sulking, with joy and sadness, with victory taking and excuse making, and with pride and with anger. So where does a believer turn to find appropriate attitudinal cues? The word of God that 's where, and there are plenty of passages that would inform our attitudes today as well as every other day. Here is just a few of them:

Romans 13:1 & 7 "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no other authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God...Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."

1 Timothy 2:1 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,"

Still "proud to be an American!"

Blessings,
PB

Quote: #18

"More important than how we vote on November 4th, is how we live on November 3rd and November 5th. We vote everyday with our lives. We vote with our feet, our hands, our lips and our wallets. Ultimate change does not happen one day every four years." - Shane Claiborne

Election Day Prayer

Lord:

• We thank you for our right to vote.
• We thank you for the right that our neighbor has to vote - even if his/her cast ballot will be much different than ours.
  
• We pray that today's voting will proceed with integrity.
• We pray that polling locations will be marked with peace.
• We pray that voters will find a deep reserve of patience and graciousness as they wait in line to cast their vote.
• We pray that Christ followers will each cast their vote with hope and trust.
• We pray for wisdom so that we do not magnify the weakness; real and perceived; of the candidates that we don't vote for.
• We pray for wisdom so that we do not exaggerate the strengths; real and perceived; of the candidate of our choice.
• We pray that we will have the grace to trust You more than our nation, our political system or our preference.
• We pray that there will be sufficient support for those needing assistance at every polling location across this country.
• May we not feel proud in victory...You are victor!
  
• May we not feel despair in defeat...You are not defeated!
  
• May love prevail across our nation this day!

Blessings,
PB

The Sunday Shout-Out: November 2nd, Edition

How do you show appreciation to someone who would rather not receive it. After all you can't shout-out the person, who did the thing for that person in need. Today's shout-out is directed towards a person who has worked tirelessly to make sure that as an organization...Hilltop Assembly faithfully stewards the financial resources that God supplies us with. Though she would probably rather that we keep it quite...today we shout Nancy Long out anyway. It would be a sin not to express our thanks for all that she does around here...and though we won't mention it all, she does far more than just help with the finances.

Blessings,
PB