This week's newsletter from Karen

And we’re off… 

On behalf of the Malawi Mission Team, I want to thank all of you who have supported us with prayer, finances, supplies, and encouragement.

On Sunday we took on the huge task of packing up the supplies we’ll be taking with us for the week we are serving the Zambezi Missionary Cluster. I watched this team work together, and was overwhelmed by their excitement, determination, dedication, enthusiasm, and love.

As I watched them working, this passage of Scripture came to my mind:

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:32-35, NIV)

Travelling, being away from family, being out of your comfort zone, time zone changes, no access to your normal comforts of home, dependence on technology, foreign language barriers, culture differences – these are just a few things that will challenge our team the next 10 days.

 
Please be in prayer with me that our team will continue to be “one in heart and mind” as we serve.

This week's newsletter from Steve

Thank you so much for your prayers as the Youth Ministry travelled to New Mexico last week! We had a wonderful time of discipleship and fellowship, and had a safe trip with no mechanical difficulties! Thank you for lifting us to the Father! 

I would like to ask you for prayer in another matter. Amy and I have a great friend in ministry named Jon Randles.  Some of you may remember his name, as he has spoken at Disciple Now Weekend for us, and has preached at Hillcrest several times over the past four years. He was Amy’s pastor growing up, and has been an amazing friend and mentor to us during our years in ministry. 

Last year, Jon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He has endured rounds of chemo, and at one point a few weeks ago, was even thought to be cancer free. Sadly, the last round of scans showed that the cancer had returned, and had done so in force. Jon has been given a less than encouraging diagnosis of a few months, but is relying on the Lord to keep him going, and for healing.  

In the past few weeks, Jon has been invited to be the chaplain in both the Texas lawmaking chambers, and in the United States Congress. He still preaches at the church he now pastors in Lubbock every week, and is determined to keep up with ministry as long as he is physically able. 

Will you join us in praying for Jon and Kelly and their family as they continue to walk this road? I know they would appreciate it!

This week's newsletter from Gene

Our planned work day was rained out last Saturday, so we are going to try again this Saturday, March 28th. We have 20 yards of pea gravel to move from the outside door by the Coke machine to the playground, so we need able bodies, wheelbarrows and shovels. With enough guys, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. We’ll start at 8:30am. Come join us!! 

Seniors, we leave for Highland Lakes at 9:00 am Thursday, and will be back about 3:30-4:00pm. 

For the past 25+ years, Hillcrest has been a part of starting ethnic churches by letting them use our building. Over that time frame, we have provided space for Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Ethiopian churches, as well as for Messianic Jews.  These are just the groups I can recall. Our goal has been to help them get established and grow to the point of becoming self-sustaining with their own building. I know of at least three of these congregations who are still meeting and doing a good ministry for their particular group.

 
This past Sunday, we began a new ministry to just such a group, the Japanese Church of Austin. It is unique in that it is led by a Korean pastor and his wife, Byoung and Grace Lee, but they have a Japanese congregation. This shows what the Lord can do in people’s lives, since for many Koreans and Japanese, there are still hard feelings and separation based on WWII. They have been meeting in the ABA office, and Sunday was their first day at Hillcrest. There were about 35-40 in attendance. They are reaching many families who are bilingual, so Byoung preaches in Japanese, and they immediately translate into English using headsets to allow the non-Japanese spouses to also understand the service. They will be using the Praise Hill room and Fellowship Center from 1-5:00 pm each Sunday afternoon. They will be baptizing two new converts on Easter Sunday.

Get Anchored!

by Tom Goodman

We all operate out of a set of assumptions about the way the world is. Assumptions such as:

“If I do good things, then good things will happen to me.”

“The only person you can count on is yourself.”

“Life is a dressing room for eternity.”

“God likes me.”

“God hates me.”

We make our decisions and respond to circumstances out of the suppositions we hold. And maybe it’s time you examined the beliefs that drive you.

That’s where the Anchor Course can help.

The Anchor Course is an 8-week course designed for seekers who want to discover the Christian faith and for believers who want to develop in their faith. The study is ideal if...

…you’re a spiritual seeker who wants to learn more about the life and teaching of Jesus, but you don’t know where to start; or

…you’ve become curious about the Christian convictions of your friends; or

…you’re married to a believer, and you want to learn more about your partner’s Christian faith; or

…you’re a parent who’s wondered how to explain Christianity to your kids; or

…you’re a believer who wants a better grasp of the main points of your faith.

The Anchor Course is a place to build friendships and faith around a weekly discussion.

Want to learn more before signing up for the course? Then come to our “Get Anchored” Dinner the Wednesday after Easter, April 8. It’s from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Adult Wing. By coming to the dinner, you’re under no obligation to sign up for the full study. But if you decide to register, you’ll receive a copy of my book, The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. We’ll then meet the next eight Wednesdays for dinner and discussion. Preschool care is provided, and we have children’s and youth programs while you’re with me. To learn more, go online to Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse.

There is no cost for the “Get Anchored” Dinner, but an RSVP is strongly recommended. Contact my assistant, Lisa (345-3771 or lisa@hillcrestaustin.org).

Spread the word about this Wednesday night opportunity! It’s easy to invite someone. Just forward this e-mail to them!

uTurn Others

by Tom Goodman

When uTurn, uTurn others.

Some might ask, “Are uTurns really our job or God’s?” My answer is “yes.”

“I am sending you to open their eyes,” the risen Christ said to Paul (Acts 26:17-18). Opening the eyes of the spiritually blind is God’s work (2 Corinthians 4:6), but Jesus sent Paul to open their eyes.

“I have become all things to all people,” Paul wrote, “that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). He knew that God does the saving (Jeremiah 24:7), and yet Paul said he did whatever it took to “save” people.

“Whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering,” James wrote, “will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). Isn’t God the one who brings people back to himself (Jeremiah 31:18; Isaiah 57:18)? Yes, and yet the Bible calls us to bring people back from sin and death.

“He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,” the angel said of John the Baptist” (Luke 1:16-17). Again, though God works to turn hearts to himself (2 Thessalonians 3:5), John was commissioned to turn hearts to God.

“You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God,” Peter wrote, adding, “and this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23-25). So, the same Bible that says the Spirit of God causes new birth, blowing where he wills (John 3:8), also says that the new birth comes from someone preaching the gospel.

So, we are to “open their eyes,” “save some,” “bring back” sinners from their wandering, “turn many” to the Lord, and see people born again through announcing the good news to them. God employs us in his work of changing lives.

This week in our Sunday morning series, uTurn, we’ll see that those who’ve met Jesus want to introduce him to others. Let’s dig deeper into this truth Sunday at 10!

(This article was prompted by a post by John Piper, found here: http://ow.ly/Ko3XA)

Get Anchored! If you’re exploring Christianity, or if you want to better explain it to others, The Anchor Course can help. The “Get Anchored” Dinner will introduce you to this 8-week study through a book I’ve written called The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. Learn more about the course at Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse.

ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

The 33 Funniest Signs on 'The Simpsons'

Sermon Illustration Alert: "If you’re trying to curb your skydiving habit, don’t look at God—he’s giving you the thumbs-up." The article has its moments of shallow snark (Dumbo and his feather: Really?). But the findings are no surprise to believers.

 

‘Calvin and Hobbes’: America’s Most Profound Comic Strip

 

The Dissolve: “Star Wars isn’t an attempt to escape from Vietnam, but an attempt to recontextualize it, with the United States slotted into the role of the Empire, and the Rebellion standing in for the NVA and the Viet Cong. By the time the film reached screens, this source of inspiration was so deep in the mix—buried beneath everything from Joseph Campbell to Bruno Bettelheim to The Wizard Of Oz—that it hardly counted as subtext anymore.” 

 

I’ve had informal and formal talks about Christianity and Buddhism with my friend David Zuniga, a Buddhist priest. His disbelief in reincarnation is rare among the world’s Buddhists. The Dalai Lama certainly believes in it—and he rattled the Chinese government by suggesting he may not reincarnate upon his death. The NYT: “Party functionaries were incensed by the exiled Dalai Lama’s recent speculation that he might end his spiritual lineage and not reincarnate. That would confound the Chinese government’s plans to engineer a succession that would produce a putative 15th Dalai Lama who accepts China’s presence and policies in Tibet”

 

So, what happens when a whole town learns sign language to make a hearing-impaired resident feel more welcome:

This week's newsletter from Karen

During my Bible reading a while back I read one of my favorite stories in the Bible: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the Fiery Furnace.

To me this is one of the greatest testimonies of faith in all of Scripture.
I love the passage Daniel 3:16-18 which reads, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’” 

They address the king with respect, but tell him they won’t be defending their position. They are about to be put to death; why not put up some defense? They were confident in life of who exactly was in charge. They were secure in death of who they were to follow. This confidence and security gave them the courage to fix a line they weren’t willing to cross – “we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold.” 

In this story, they were put into the fire and God did save them. 

Do we have enough confidence to keep us from feeling like we always need to defend our positions? Is our security enough to allow us to fix lines we won’t cross? Do we know that we will be sustained even if we are put into the “fire?” 

My prayer this week is that God will begin to develop in me this same kind of faith that produces confidence and security in Him.

This week's newsletter from Steve

We covet your prayers for our youth ministry, as we take a group of students and adults to the mountains of New Mexico for our Disciple Now Retreat next week. Please pray that each of us will hear the voice of the Lord clearly as we seek Him while we are away. Pray for unity in our group, new friendships, and a whole lot of fun while we are there! Also, we would ask that you pray for safe travels, and that our trip is free of any vehicle issues. We are looking forward to an amazing week together! 

Parents/Students that are registered to go on this trip, you need to be at the church by 6:30 AM this Sunday, as we will be leaving at 7:00 AM. We will meet near the offices, where the buses are parked. Student/Adult medical forms for the camp need to be turned in by Wednesday. Students cannot go on the trip without these forms.

We have some special guests staying at Hillcrest this week! The youth group from FBC Frisco, TX is staying here through Thursday, as they are here in Austin on a mission trip. They will be joining us for Rock Solid this Wednesday night, and their youth pastor, Chris Hurt, will be bringing the message! Please pray for them as they minister this week!

This week's newsletter from Gene

What an outstanding job our kids did last Sunday night in the presentation of “Splash Kingdom!!” You probably noticed that many in this group were pretty young, first and second graders, but they really stepped up and performed. 

This is the end of our Kids’ Music Theater and Preschool Praise Club for this year.  There are several complications to the schedule that made it difficult to continue to the end of the school year, but they will be back next fall. Thank you, parents and grandparents, for making the effort to get your kids here for all the rehearsals. 

There is a tendency for us to think of our choirs at Hillcrest as being just for those who are good singers. Being a good singer certainly doesn’t hurt, but choirs give us the opportunity to minister in so many ways. Music has a way of “sticking with us.” There are regular reports of people with Alzheimer’s who can sing very clearly the songs from their past. We are careful to sing songs that are important because of the scripture they contain or the Biblical truths they express. I was visiting with one of our senior adults before the performance Sunday night, and she was telling me how her grandkids, now 41 and 37, can still sing songs they learned in children’s choirs at Hillcrest. The grandson, she said, still can’t “carry a tune in a bucket,” but he remembers the songs and the words. Lynn and I have seen that with our own girls who, now in their mid 30s, can still sing many of the songs from their growing up in children’s choirs here at Hillcrest. 

Parents, as you consider what to do next fall, don’t fail to consider what you are providing your children that will give them Biblical truths they can pull from to live their lives for years to come. Children’s choirs provide an excellent staff and curriculum to accomplish that. Join us next fall!!

Don’t Fly Solo

by Tom Goodman

“When a friend committed suicide, I realized I could become too cynical, too lost, and too alone.”

That’s what Carmen Renee Berry admitted in her book, The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church. She wrote, “I needed a church, a community of believers. Something happens there that simply doesn’t when you are alone in prayer or on the Internet. As much as I hate to admit it, my faith is enhanced and enlarged when in relationship to other less-than-perfect human beings.”

Spiritual growth isn’t flying solo. And sometimes even when we finally commit to attending a church, we still think of spiritual growth like this. Some people attend a Sunday morning church service like they attend a college lecture or a seminar. They attend to get some pointers for spiritual growth.

But we gather with other believers not just to get information that will help us grow spiritually. No, gathering with other believers is precisely how we grow spiritually. The insights you gain from others, the accountability you get from sharing your own views and having them challenged, the refining process that always comes when imperfect people have to interact with each other, the strength you get from sharing your prayer requests and knowing people are praying for you—it is within the hard work of doing life together that we actually grow spiritually.

Saul knew this. His conversion to Christ included a conversion to a new way of looking at Christ’s followers. It wasn’t easy for him, but he knew he needed fellowship with other believers. Let’s dig deeper into this truth this Sunday, the second week in our 3-week study of Paul’s famous conversion story.

You don’t pick a church like you pick a restaurant. You pick a church like a thirsty man picks a water well in the desert! You get involved because you know it’s what you need to continue in your commitment to Christ.

“40 Days of Life” Prayer and Fasting Vigil - On March 17 Hillcrest will unite with churches across Central Texas as part of a 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting and a constant peaceful prayer vigil in front of Austin Planned Parenthood. Please stop at the “40 Days for Life” table in the MPC after our Sunday service to find out how you can get involved or contact Jim Steed at jimsteed1@aol.com.

“We are God's love here on earth for the world to see”

 

“It's happening,” Amy Koch wrote, “It's happening one child at a time.” She posted the following story on Facebook and gave us permission to put it on our “Between Sundays” blog:

Talking to Miles at bedtime, he told me about how today a classmate of his said that he doesn't believe in God. And then he followed it up by stating that he hates Christians and Jews. I asked him how he felt about that, and this is what he said:

"Some people got really offended and argued with him. They said things that weren't nice, but I didn't see what that would help. Obviously nobody he loves teaches him about God or Jesus or takes him to church. So while they argued, I just wrote down "Ask God to open L----'s heart" so I would remember to pray for him. I remembered we're supposed to love our enemies, and that seemed like the best way to do that. "

After talking to him a bit longer and praying together, I said goodnight and came downstairs to sign Miles' reading log. And there it was, just like he said: "Ask God to open L----'s heart" written in his agenda.

I am so grateful for a church that teaches the truth of God's word and also teaches that we should love *everybody* because we are God's love here on earth for the world to see. It's happening. It's happening one child at a time. I cannot express how blessed I was by that conversation tonight.

ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

In the “Complaint Restraint” project” people try going a month without complaining. Here’s how.

 

Perfect harmony: how singing in a choir can make us more ‘moral’

 

“The ever-expanding list of initials used to refer to sexual identities [has reached] new heights of absurdity or sensitivity, depending on one’s perspective. We are now apparently up to fifteen letters: LGBTTQQFAGPBDSM.” Trueman.

 

The Atlantic’s “What ISIS Really Wants” is an important article already widely-referenced, so don’t miss it. ISIS, says the author, is like “the realization of a dystopian alternate reality in which David Koresh or Jim Jones survived to wield absolute power over not just a few hundred people, but some 8 million….In conversation, they insist that they will not—cannot—waver from governing precepts that were embedded in Islam by the Prophet Muhammad and his earliest followers.” It’s true—and a relief—that many mainstream Muslim organizations reject ISIS as “un-Islamic,” but Princeton scholar Bernard Haykel, “the leading expert on the group’s theology,” told the author that these organizations are merely part of an “interfaith-Christian-nonsense tradition” (ouch) and have “a cotton-candy view of their own religion” that neglects “what their religion has historically and legally required.” The author reaches Haykel’s same conclusion, saying of the ISIS supporters he’s interviewed: “To call them un-Islamic appears, to me, to invite them into an argument that they would win.”

 

In this post, Roger Olson laments the unwillingness of “moderate” Baptists to regulate the theological orthodoxy of those who affiliate with them. Would “inability” be a better word than “unwillingness,” though? No doubt, there are many “moderate” Baptists I count as co-laborers in Christ. But surely a movement that began with the solitary demand for “soul liberty” should not be surprised to find themselves unable to police their own ranks.

This week's newsletter from Karen

Sunday night marked the end of the 2015 Season of our UPWARD basketball league. I would like to take the opportunity to say, “THANK YOU,” to the following folks. This league does not happen without each and every one of them.

Denise Hall, Victor Livingston, Steve Williams, Marc Lowe, John Alvis, Will Smith, Zach Givens, Andrew Thurston, Ann Graham, Don Young, Rick Dahl, Gayla Raulie, Neil Raulie, David Friedrichs, Sandy Harpin, Matt Harpin, Cheryl Tye, Isis Valencia, Jami Dismukes, and Lisa McClure.

  

How blessed Hillcrest Baptist Church and I are to serve and lead with this group of individuals. Join me this week in thanking them and praying for them as they bring the love of Jesus to the kids of Hillcrest Baptist and the surrounding community.

This week's newsletter from Steve

This Wednesday, March 4, is the last chance for students to register for our Disciple Now Retreat at the Lone Tree Ranch in Capitan, NM. Dates are March 15–19, 2015, and the cost is $250 per person. We have a good crew of students and adults going this year, and we are very excited to see what God will do in our midst during this retreat! Please call me with any questions! Also, there are some scholarships available, should money be an issue.

On another note, I read this scripture last night, and I want to share it with you. I know that many among us are in the midst of uncertainty, doubt, and fear. God reminded me with these verses that even in crisis, He is with us.  I pray that you will cling to His words this week!

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” -- Job 23:10-12 (NIV)

This week's newsletter from Gene

There are several events for seniors coming up in the next few months that I want to make sure are on your calendars.

Thursday, March 12th, we continue our quest to find the best Bar-B-Q in this area of Texas. We completed our tests of Lockhart last fall. The decision there was that Chisolm Valley had the best combination of price and quality. We have now made one trip to Meyers Bar-B-Q in Elgin. March 12th we go to Southside Market in Elgin. If you’d like to join this quest, we leave the church at noon and typically get back around 2:30-3:00pm. Come join us, even if you’re not a senior. IDs are not checked. Just don’t come if you are grumpy and want to stay that way.

Thursday, March 26th, Day of Celebration at Highland Lakes, 9:00am–4:00pm, Cost is $20.00 per person. The program includes singer Jeff Gore. Jeff’s wife, Donna Simmons, grew up in Hillcrest. They will also have chalk artist Cory Devivo. This will be a good, easy, inexpensive and fun day together.

Tuesday, April 7th, Blue Bonnet trip.  9:00am–4:00pm

May by the Bay retreat at Palacios, May 4-6. Cost is $172.50 double occupancy, $133.50 for 3 or 4 per room. $50.00 deposit due by April 1st, full payment due by April 26th. Please let me know if you need financial help as we don’t want finances to keep you from attending this retreat. We’ll leave at 10:00 Monday and return about noon on Thursday.

Please invite your friends to any of these events, as they are also more than welcome to attend.

uTurn: A Look at a Converted Life

by Tom Goodman

One word we use to describe the salvation experience is “conversion.” While driving, when you realize you’re travelling in the wrong direction, you make a uTurn. Christian conversion is when you make a uTurn in your regard for Jesus.

So, what does a converted life look like? A perfect place to look for an answer to that question is in the life of the Apostle Paul. In Acts 9, we find how God took a persecutor of Christians and made him a passionate Christian. Now, there are elements of Paul’s conversion that are unrepeatable. Paul saw the risen Christ in a blinding flash of light and heard his audible voice. No one should expect that in their own conversion. But Paul’s uTurn does serve as an example for us. In 1 Timothy 1:16, Paul wrote—

I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

God’s design in converting Paul was, in part, to give you hope for yourself and for the people you want to see converted. God had you in view when he saved Paul. That is an awesome thought!

So, if Paul’s conversion was meant as an example to us, what can we learn from Paul’s conversion? We discover from Paul’s uTurn that it involved a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, a desire to grow with others who’ve encountered Christ, and a passion to communicate Christ’s claims to others.

This Sunday we’ll begin a series called uTurn: A Look at A Converted Life. We’ll camp out in Acts 9 for three weeks and learn from the example of Paul’s conversion. We’ll see that Christ’s work in us involves

a uTurn in relation to Jesus,

a uTurn in relation to the church, and

a uTurn in relation to the world.

You’ll need extra motivation to show up the next three Sundays. This Sunday, we “spring forward” into Daylight Savings Time, and then the next two Sundays bookend Spring Break. It’ll be harder to persuade your body to jump out of bed and get to church. But you’ll want to join us for this fascinating study of the most famous conversion story of all time. Don’t miss it! We start the series this Sunday at 10am!