Something You Can't Fake

"Now if you're feelin' kinda low 'bout the dues you've been paying  Future's coming much too slow
And you wanna run but somehow you just keep on stayin'.  Can't decide on which way to go
I understand about indecision but I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition.  All I want is to have my peace of mind.
Now you're climbin' to the top of the company ladder, hope it doesn't take too long
Can't you see there'll come a day when it won't matter . Come a day when you'll be gone
I understand about indecision but I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition.  All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Now everybody's got advice they just keep on givin' .  Doesn't mean too much to me
Lot's of people out to make-believe they're livin' .  Can't decide who they should be.
I understand about indecision but I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition.  All I want is to have my peace of mind."

 

These old school words were written by Donal Scholz and performed by the group Boston on their first album released in August of 1976.  The album climbed to #3 on the charts and is the second highest selling debut album all time.  Over 20 million copies of this album have been sold.  Boston's music was something new and took my generation by storm. However, this one song has always been my favorite.  It reminds me of what most people are looking for in their lives.

There are some things in life that just can't be faked:  Peace of mind is one of those.  Peace of mind comes, not from our circumstances, but from our faith.  If peace of mind is based on circumstances, then it comes and goes.  It ebbs and flows like the tides of the ocean.  Peace of mind is also fleeting if the object of our faith is not trustworthy.  If the object of our faith is ourselves, then peace of mind only comes when we are "successful".  If a god shaped in our own image is the object of our faith, then we will struggle to face the truth of life.  I have seen many people who claim to be followers of Christ, but are following a man-shaped God in their lives.  They have sin in their lives and rather than repent, they seek to justify their sin so they can continue to do that which they want to do.  They work so hard to convince others that what they are doing is fine and normal, but they are really only trying to convince themselves.  In the words of Hamlet, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  I know how that looks because I do the same thing.  So we profess to be at peace and that our choice is "all good", but deep inside we are burdened.  We struggle to come to grips with the honest admission that God's way really is best and right.  We can fake peace of mind for a little while, but eventually it boils out in other places.  We rant about those bad drivers, or those bigots or those inconsiderate co-workers, when we are really just releasing the pressure from our own sin and pain.

Jesus told us in John 14:25-27, " All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

 

Notice, peace of mind is really a gift from Jesus through the Holy Spirit. As we honestly follow Jesus, He will give us peace.  The world can't give it to us.  We can't try to reshape what God said to fit our sinful lifestyle and think we will have peace.  We have to come clean, admit to God He is right and then enjoy the cleansing He brings.  The peace of mind He gives far surpasses any peace we can find in a bottle, friend, lover, joint or TV program.  The peace He gives is lasting.  He loves out honesty and that honesty can change our lives, once we stop trying to justify our sin.  Taking that step to admit we are wrong is the hardest step of all.  It means we will have to make some changes.  It means we will need to have the Body of Christ draw along side us as we attempt to go in God's direction.  It means we will have admit to others who are a part of that choice that we have been wrong and won't go there again.  It is painful, but that pain will bring healing.

Why am I writing about peace of mind in today's Sip?  Well, in the past nine days, Hillcrest has been in contact with over 220 people who are not churched.  We have contacted even more as we stopped by their homes to invite them to the Hillcrest Community Fair and Vacation Bible School.  We have had the opportunity to intersect with people who are searching for peace of mind.  The peace that can only be received as a gift from Jesus.  This peace is what our world is hungry for and searching to find.  If we, as followers of Christ, have this peace, those apart from Christ will be drawn to Him.  We can't fake peace of mind.  Either we have it or we don't.  If you don't have peace of mind which comes from Christ, would you spend time in honest confession and repentance.  I find that most of the time, I already know what is keeping me from Christ.  I just need to own up to it and take responsibility.  If you have that peace, look for opportunities to share the source of your peace.  

Things haven't changed much since 1976.  Just like Boston sang, all people want is to have their peace of mind.  Share the peace of Christ with a restless and hurting world!

A Great Opportunity

On Friday, July 19th, Hillcrest Baptist Church will host the Hillcrest Community Fair starting at 6:00 in the evening.  Here are some statistics about the Fair:

-This is the 8th time we have hosted the Fair

-Around 1,400 flyers were distributed, inviting people to the Fair

-150 letters were sent to prospects, inviting them to the Fair

-1 road sign that has been up since June 28th, inviting people driving by the church to the Fair

-Over 45 merchants have donated items to the Fair

-The first 75 families are guaranteed a prize and goodie bag

-McDonald's has donated over 280 coupons for those goodie bags

-Chick Fil A donated over 300 coupons for free food for those goodie bags

-JT Bishop's Bargain Barn donated coupons for each of those goodie bags

-Each goodie bag will contain a New Testament, tract, VBS invitation and church information

-It will take over 50 volunteers to make the Fair a success

-Hilltop Community Church is allowing us to use 1 jumper and 1 giant obstacle course

-Wayne Sanford will cook over 300 pieces of chicken

-We ordered 45 new Hillcrest T-shirts for the Hillcrest family

-It took 1 and 1/2 hours to distribute flyers to 900 homes on the hill

-Last year, we had over 80 families attend the Fair

-Those 80 families brought a total of 200 guests to the Fair

-20 of the children attending Vacation Bible School the following week came to the Fair

The Fair is the best opportunity we have all year to connect with our community.  Our goal is to introduce our community to Jesus and to Hillcrest Baptist Church.  It all begins with those who help park the cars and moves to those at the registration table.  Once they are at the Fair, how we treat our guests will tell them more about Jesus than our words will.  We need to treat the guests just like we would treat guests in our home.  From the way we speak to them, welcome them, smile at them to how we treat each other and our area of service, we can make a positive impact for Christ.  God is giving us this opportunity to open the foors of the church up to our community.  

How can we prepare for this?  Invite!!  People will only come if they are invited, so make sure you invite them.  Get prayed up!  There will be spiritual battles in each of our homes, jobs and relationships.  Satan will try to distract us in a variety of ways during this next week.  Pray for God to move in our midst and draw people to the Fair.  Pray that God will speak to our guests during our halftime presentation when we share the Gospel.  Pray that we will have a large amount of children sign up for VBS.   Pray that Diego Munoz will be able to connect with Spanish-speaking people at the registration table.  Pray that everyone will be safe.  Pray that the goodie bags will come into homes and people will be drawn to read the NewTestaments, tracts and information about the church.  Pray for energy and enthusiasm.  You can also prepare by showing up to work.  There is always a need for workers, so come at 5:15 and get involved.

Make A Move

Several weeks ago we had a new senior begin to attend our services.  The story of Janet is quite remarkable.  Janet has been living in Florida but decided to move to California, even though she would leave all of her close friends and her church.  The reason:  Her sister (who lives in this area) is the executor of her estate/power of attorney.  With her advancing age and some health concerns, she didn't want her sister to try to do the caring for her from across the country.  So she pulled up stakes, found found senior housing here and move across the country even though the only person she knows in this area is her sister.  When she arrived, she went on-line to google a Southern Baptist Church in the area, which is how she ended up at Hillcrest on that Sunday.  The love she felt in the Women of Faith Sunday School class brought her back each Sunday and she is beginning to make a home her.  Now for the most remarkable aspect of her journey:  She is 83 years old.  When I found out her age and the life-changing decision she made, a was impressed by her courage and honored that God would bring this wonderful woman into our lives.  Moving across the country is difficult enough, but is compounded by moving to a strange place with no friends.  However, adding in her age to this equation is remarkable because I plan to be set in my ways when I reach that age.  Not only that, but think about the fact that she has embraced technology enough to learn to google, find directions and make purchases.  I don't know if I want to try many new technologies when I am in my 80's.  Yesterday, our church distributed flyers to around 900 homes on the hill on which our church sits.  We had to do some serious walking to get to many of the homes.  Before church, Janet pulled me aside to tell me that she didn't think she was going to be able to go with us to distribute flyers.  I was amazed that she would even consider such a task, but this woman is quite remarkable.  She has embraced this change in her life in such a wonderful and healthy way.  She has made a move with such a positive attitude. 

In the Bible, we see people who come to crossroads in their lives and how they handle those crossroads.  Some don't do very well, like the rich, young ruler or Demas or Festus when he hears Paul's testimony.  Then there are others who embrace that crossroad and make a move.  Examples of this could be Matthew when he follows Jesus, Zaccheus when he is confronted by Jesus, the Samaritan woman at the well when she encounters Jesus or Saul on the road to Damascus.

 

Perhaps the greatest example of these two choices when called upon to make a move is the cross.  As Jesus hangs on the cross, the two criminals dying with Him are confronted by the Messiah.  One is selfish and still focused on getting his own way, even in death.  He denigrates and rails on Jesus rather than turning to the Messiah for sweet relief in the life to come.  The other in humility recognizes who Jesus is and turns to Jesus for salvation.  Both experience the same Jesus.  Both have the same opportunity to make a move.  But only one makes the right move and one day, we will meet him in Heaven (If we have made the same move he made).

 

Are you willing to make a move?  You probably aren't being led across the country, but probably just next door.  Maybe to a stranger in the store.  Maybe towards a family member who you try to avoid.  Maybe to a place of service in your church or community.  Too many of us get complacent and comfortable right where we are.  We want to meet God on our terms, not His terms.  So we twist who God is to meet our life setting.  That way, we won't need to repent, change or move.  We can keep God in a comfortable place rather than being pushed and stretched or having to repent or change our life setting.  If we don't make the move, we miss the blessings God has in store for us.  We also miss the opportunity to be a testimony to others.  Just think about the impact Janet has on our congregation when we become afraid to risk or change.  Are you willing to make a move?  It's definitely not easy and others will not understand and may not support, but if God is leading, don't hesitate to make that move!!

Traffic Jam

This morning (Monday, July 1rst) the employees of BART went on strike.  BART is responsible for the subway lines that over 370,000 people ride daily.  To those of you who don't live in this area, it's a news story that makes you appreciate your traffic situation.  To those of us who live here, it really is Carmageddon!  If I go look at the freeway from the church perched high above I-80, I can see what appears to be a slow moving parking lot.  My sister-in-law and her family are supposed to be at the airport this morning to fly to Hawaii for a vacation.  I wonder if they will actually make it on time.  I just grabbed a peak at the traffic and even the carpool lane is barely moving.  I don't really know the details of the strike, I just know that there are some pretty upset commuters.  I'm glad that I live close to the church and can use back roads to get here rather than getting on the freeway.  I do know that talks broke off this morning, so we might be in for a long strike.

I know what some of you are already thinking, "That's what you get for living in California, the land of fruits and nuts."  No doubt, this place can be a little whacked out.  However, what I first thought of was Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  Jesus reminds us that living for Him is like going in the East on I-80 this morning.  But not traveling on the other side of the freeway, but going East on the West bound side, going against the flow.  All of the traffic is headed in one direction and you are one of the few going the opposite way.  Everyone will get mad at you for choosing to drive this way.  They will push, cajole and threaten to make sure you turn around and head in their direction.

Our culture is headed towards immorality and the pace continues to pick up.  The Supreme Court did a masterful job this past week of confirming America's careen towards immorality.  As a culture, we have affirmed more and more perversions and sin until there really is no way to shock us anymore.  We have made divorce as easy and common as buying soda from Wal-Mart.  We have killed over 55 million children since 1973 through abortion.  We have given cohabitation the same merit level as marriage, even making it more economical.  The list could continue, but you get the point.  The culture in America is in a headlong rush to immorality and destruction.

Enter the follower of Christ, who chooses to live in a way which honors God.  These folks are in a huge minority today.  Being a Biblical follower of Christ who chooses to live a righteous life now makes one a rebel...an outcast...a trouble maker and someone who is hated and mocked.  I remember being a young follower of Christ in the Bible Belt during the 70's. I prayed that God would allow me the chance to live in a place where following Jesus would mean being different from the majority and allow me to be a rebel.  I didn't know God would answer my prayer so quickly and I would never have to leave the country of my birth.  But the time is now.  So buckle up and be prepared for a bumpy ride.  Our culture today is a traffic jam headed towards, sin, immorality, destruction and death.  You are called to be radical and go against the flow.  So enjoy the opportunities you have today to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a light in a dark world which may actually hate the light, but secretly crave that light.  Follow the words and life of Jesus.

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests,  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

Ephesians 6:18

An Example of a prayer answered:

"A few years ago my son started doing drugs. I knew it but he was 18 and I was so upset because I knew the only way he would quit was if he wanted to. I turned it over to God and started praying for him and asked everyone I knew to pray for him. Within a few weeks he was arrested which I wasn't sure was answered prayers at the time but it scared him so bad that he vowed to never touch another drug and hasn't. He has finished College, gotten married and has a good job and a beautiful new baby."

Nancy P.

Another example of a prayer answered:

" My mother's and mine were answered at the same time but it took me a while to understand that. She was dying. I prayed she would live. She prayed God would let her die so that she wouldn't be in pain any longer. God answered her prayer and took her. And months later when I was sitting outside watching the morning sun rise in the sky I realized He answered mine as well. He did let her live. She is living forever with Him, without pain, in Heaven. Praise be to God."

Anne S.

Another example of a prayer answered:

Go to this link and read this story from Baptist Press before reading any farther.  Make sure you have a kleenex handy!

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=3320 

Those are just a few examples of what happens when we pray.  God always answers our prayers, though not always the way we expect them to be answered.  Some answers are miraculous and some are mundane.  But each one flows from a loving Heavenly Father to His trusting (Well, not so trusting) children.

This week, we have eight folks with connection to Hillcrest Baptist Church who will be on mission trips.  They need your prayers each day.  prayer will make a difference in their lives and what happens during this week.  Most have never been on a mission trip before and are a little unsure of what to expect.  They need your support through prayer.  We often tell people, "I have your back".  Prayer is the way we have fellow saints' backs when they are on mission.  Here is the list so you can pray in the Spirit for them:

Mitch Abbott - Homeless ministry in San Francisco
Jaime Banks - Homeless ministry in San Francisco
Tony Birrittier - Homeless ministry in San Francisco
Jessica Estepp -  Homeless ministry in San Francisco
Jacob Malaga -  Homeless ministry in San Francisco
Kailah Thomas -  Homeless ministry in San Francisco
Grace Stiles - Mexico
Sarah Stiles - Mexico

Come to Hillcrest on Sunday morning, June 30th to hear the answers to your prayers as they share what happened on this mission trip.  Remember to stick around for our chili & hot bog luncheon to hear plans for our very own outreach event, the Hillcrest Community Fair.

Milestones

This past week, Thaddeus and I drove to Southern California to celebrate our nephew's graduation from high school.  It is a six hour drive on a very boring stretch of highway on I-5.  There really isn't much to see, so we were glad our rental car had XM Satellite radio.  We listened to baseball all the way down and back.  About the only thing to do on this drive is to gauge when you will need to stop to fill up with gas, eat or use the bathroom.  In our case, we only made one stop and completed all those necessary steps.  We had our handy AAA trip-tik, which I have been using since we first went to SoCal back in 2001.  A Trip-Tik is like a map, but smaller with flip pages and listings of places to stop.  Over the years, I have written down the mile markers of our favorite places to stop, so we can better judge time and distance.  Our one stop was at Kettleman City on the way down and I was able to tell Thaddeus an hour before we stopped the precise time we would stop.  Knowing the mile markers and seeing the road signs always helps us make the trip easier.

Our life journey is also filled with milestones - Important points in our lives.   This coming Sunday, we will celebrate two of those milestones as we celebrate Tony Birrittier's graduation from high school and Jewel Emerson receiving her Associates degree.  These are markers in their lives to remind them that they have accomplished a feat which will prepare them for the next part of their journey.  Our lives are filled with memorable milestones - Graduations, our wedding, the birth of our children, beginning a new job, retiring from our job,seeing our kids graduate.  There is an ebb and flow to these milestones which remind us that our time on earth may be nearing an end.  We graduate from high school and before we know it, our children are graduating from high school.  Then we retire from our work and before we know it, the people we love begin to die.  Life seems to pass in the blink of an eye.  We look back at pictures from our younger days and wonder where the time went.  We see our grandchildren and think that it was only yesterday when our children were that age.  This is God's reminder that we were not made for this earth but for eternity.

I have found that there are other milestones which can mark our life journey in more profound ways:  The day we gave our life to Jesus, the day we were baptized, the first Sunday School class we every taught, the first mission trip we ever went on, the first time we ever witnessed, the first time we ever led someone to Christ and other events.  However, most of our milestones of faith are not so noticeable.  We may teach the same Sunday School class for many years and there is never any "milestone" event.  However, the lives we invested in have grown in faith and are touching others.  Reflect on all of the little events which have made you the man/woman of faith you are now.  Think about the people God has brought into you life who have draw you closer to your Savior.  Many of those were just for a season, but the impact they had is still felt in your life to this day.

Many of the milestones in our lives come in the form of pain and tragedy.  They are marked by deep heart ache caused by divorce, death, illness, injury or loss.  When we are in the midst of those milestones, they are gut wrenching and the pain is almost unbearable.  We wonder if God has abandoned us or if He even cares at all.  There are times when we cry out to Him and times when we yell at Him.  There are times when we seek His comfort and times when we vent our anger in His direction.  Some of these milestones are self-inflicted by the bad choices we have made and some come about for no apparent reason at all.  Many people want to forget these milestones or look at them as dark periods which they would rather have not had happen.  Yet, it is in these milestone events when God's presence can be the more real, powerful and comforting.  We sit in a jail cell and cry out to God - He hears our confession, sends his comfort and gives us the strength to never fall back into that temptation again.  So what once became the dumbest decision we ever made, now become a turning point from which we will be stronger in our faith and more connected to others.  We sit by a graveside and weep at the tragic loss of someone close to us.  We feel alone and deserted.  God doesn't wait for us to cry out, but sends His presence to comfort us like a blanket on a chilly evening.  He sends people at just the right time when we are the most lonely and depressed.  He sends opportunities to give to others which keeps us from becoming too self-consumed.  These milestones may be the most painful, but they are the ones we are more likely to share.  I believe that God never wastes a pain, but allows us to comfort others as He has comforted us.

Are you involved in your church so you can share your milestones and join in the milestones of others?  Not do you attend, but are you involved?  Do you participate regularly or is attendance your only goal?  Do others in the church know the painful milestones to they can share with you?  Do you listen to the milestones of others?  We have to be proactive if our milestones are going to make a difference in anyone's life.  We have to make the effort to get involved and build friendships.  I'm looking forward to celebrating these milestones on Sunday because I get to walk through one more part of the journey with some friends.  Why don't you join us on Sunday to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of those around you?

Are you Twisted?

Last week an article in Forbes Magazine said that health insurance premiums will increase by 64% to 146%  for those who live in California due to Obamacare, which begins fully in January of next year (http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/05/30/rate-shock-in-california-obamacare-to-increase-individual-insurance-premiums-by-64-146/).  Many of you reading this may be laughing to yourselves because you don't live in California, the land of fruits and nuts.  But when I saw the headline, I had to read the article with a little more interest.  The author compares different rates and draws conclusions from those comparisons.  While Peter Lee, the director of the California insurance exchange, compares other rates and comes up with the relatively good news that the insurance premiums in California will go up, just not up as dramatically as some wild predictions.  The bottom line for me:  My premium will be going.  Now it's just a matter of how much.  

 

Here we see the classic example of trying to make figures say whatever we want them to say.  This happens when we have a preset agenda or refuse to take into account the entire picture, focusing on a very narrow view.  Both this write and the exchange director have an agenda in what they say, so they naturally will only utilize those figures which best suit their purpose.  Politicians do this all the time.  Sportscasters do this all the time.  News reporters do this all the time.  Husbands and wives do this all the time.  Kids who are in trouble do this all the time.  We want to "spin" the facts so we minimize the immediate damage.

The one place where this "spin" is the most destructive is in our view of the Bible.  There are too many Christians and cults in America which like to spin the Bible to meet their particular agenda.  The Watchtower has simply changed their "Bible" so that John 1:1 reads, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was a god" rather than "..and the Word was God".  This way, their Scripture can reinforce their theology of denying the Trinity rather than changing their theology to fit the Bible.  Mormons will quote James 1:5 and then tell you that Joseph Smith did this which help him begin the Latter Day Saints church.  I have heard Christians quote I Peter 2:24 to say a Christian should never have any illness and if you have any illness it is because you lack faith.  I've heard Christians say, "The Bible says, 'God helps those who help themselves'", which is not from the Bible at all but from Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richards' Almanac.  I have read Christians who try to legitimize sin by going into deep Biblical exegesis and taking Scripture out of context to fit their argument.  In early American history, the Bible was used to promote the slave trade.  These are just a few of the ways that God's Word has been misused and abused.

My purpose in this blog is to remind you to to do what Paul told Timothy to do:  "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  Each day, as you spend time in God's Word, make sure you handle the Bible correctly.  If you stumble upon a verse that seems revolutionary and you have never heard anyone have that idea before, you may want to read more of the Bible.  Make sure you are taking in the whole of Scripture or we are easily led astray, even by a genuine desire to serve the Lord.  It would be easy to read about the rich, young ruler and then feel like you must sell everything, give it to the poor and go on a Jesus journey through the highways and byways.  Each Sunday, I try to remind you that is you take the Bible out of context, you can make it say anything you want.  Time after time, I run into articles written by people who do not have a full reading of the Bible or who are tweaking the Bible to make their point seem more authoritative.  With the Internet and blogging, this type of Bible-twisting is at an epidemic level.  Please, be honest with Scripture.  Don't approach it with a pre-set idea to prove your point, but have your heart and mind open to what God wants to say in the totality of His Word.  Correctly handle the Word of Truth.  Allow it to sink in every day so that the Bible truly can be a lamp unto your feet and light unto your path.

May God bless you as you study His Word each day, prepare to be utilized by Him and then radically live out your faith.