"Tempting as it is to dismiss the malleability of sexual orientation, resist the urge"

by Tom Goodman

This was first posted on May 26, 2012. I’m re-posting it to correspond with our May 31 sermon and panel discussion.

William Saletan of Slate is a must-read columnist for me. He's center-left, which means we would not agree on a number of topics if we were sitting together at a coffee shop. But I could see us actually sitting at a coffee shop. In a recent column, "Fifty Shades of Gay," Saletan cautions his fellow pro-gay advocates against insisting on what kind of thinking must be right for everyone with same-sex attractions:

Homosexuality is fundamentally personal, not political. Like heterosexuality, it varies from person to person, and it can evolve over a lifetime. Experience and research suggest it’s extremely unlikely that you can change your sexual orientation, and you’re better off accepting who you are. But what’s true for you may not be true for someone closer to the margins of homosexuality. Tempting as it is to...dismiss the malleability of sexual orientation, resist that urge. Morally and therapeutically, it’s better to treat people as individuals....An unusual subset of highly motivated people can find ways to alter their sexual self-understanding and possibly their behavior. Those people have no grounds to say conversion therapy will work for the rest of us. And we have no grounds to say it can’t work for them.

He's written about this before. It seems a perfectly tolerant position, though stated more center-left than I would state it. In fact, other than the "accepting who you are" sentiment, his view is compatible with the Christian message.

The "accepting who you are" sentiment won't do: I don't want to "accept" those parts of me that are incompatible with Christ's expectation of me. But aside from that, Saletan's on to something with his defense of those "highly motivated people" who have found ways to "alter their sexual self-understanding and possibly their behavior."

That's a good description of discipleship for Christians who have same-sex attractions. The call of Christ to those with such an orientation is not to first expunge the attraction and only then surrender to Christ's saving Lordship. Rather, the call of Christ to those experiencing same-sex attraction is like the call He extends to every other believer: We receive his mercy and then accept the task of conforming our mind and actions to his values. We are indeed--all Christians--"highly motivated to alter our self-understanding and behavior," to use Saletan's words, in whatever ways our self-understanding or behavior is out of line with Christ's expectations.

Such a process isn't easy or overnight, but neither is it dangerous or unreasonable.

This week's newsletter from Karen

Over the weekend I read an article that contained the word mindsight. I wrote the following for a lifespan development class after reading the article. 

The term mindsight was attributed to D.J. Siegel and defined as “a capacity of the mind to intentionally focus attention, monitor thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, and to ultimately direct the flow of energy and information within the triangle of well-being — mind, brain, and relationships.” With this in mind, it would appear on the surface that individuals have a choice in how to react to certain situations that affect their neural health [health of the nervous system]. 

Does scripture in any way provide insight into this concept? Having a logical, scientific mindset, I am always searching for ways scripture (which by faith I believe is the inerrant Word of God) lines up with science. I did a quick search on the word mind in the Bible and found plenty of instances of its use. I was drawn to a passage in Romans which reads, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”  (Romans 8:5-8, NIV) In this passage is the word governed. Defined as “to hold in check or to control”, the passage indicates that we can hold in check or control our minds.

Using this approach, as the authors stated, is exciting to think about in the future of Christian counseling. Being able to say to a [child/parent/family member] “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8) and having my faith in the ability of God to work in their minds substantiated with the science of how it all actually works, would be very rewarding indeed.

This week's newsletter from Steve

Do you have a college-aged student in your house? If so, have they heard about the new things that we have been offering for their age group at Hillcrest? 

We have a regular weekly Bible Study that meets at our house called “The Gathering” that is just for college-aged students. What qualifies as “college-aged”? Well, we have set the parameters at roughly 18 to 23 years of age. They do not have to be a student, but should be in this age range. We also have a Bible Study each Sunday Morning that meets on the 2nd floor of the Education building during the Common Ground hour. Join us this week for some of our college-level activities! 

Speaking of graduates, Sunday, June 7th is our Graduate Recognition Sunday! If you have a high school graduate, please send me a digital photo, plus any plans they have for the next year via email.  You might also include any prayer requests that you have regarding your student. We will be making prayer cards to give out to the church for each graduate on June 7th. If you have a college graduate, please let us know about that, as well. We will not call them up on stage, but will recognize them during the service that day. If you have any questions, please let me know! Have a great week!

This week's newsletter from Gene

Some of you are wondering, did we get water in the auditorium again? The answer is “yes.” It’s about the same as the last big rain we had. I’m not sure what else can be done to the drain system to prevent it, so I’ve come up with another solution. I’ve purchased some fans to dry out the carpets rather than trying to beat everyone else to the few that are available from the rental places. Surely having them on site will be a deterrent!!  

Hillcrest has a long history of mission involvement and missionary support, primarily through the IMB, International Mission Board, which is the international mission arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. A substantial portion of our undesignated giving each month goes to the SBC for their work, and the Lottie Moon Christmas offering, which we participate in each year, goes directly to these approximately 5,000 missionaries around the world.

 

We also support these missionaries in other ways. We recently had a group of 16 who went to Malawi to provide a camp/retreat for all these missionaries in southern Africa. We periodically have “Missions Munches” which are lunches after our service so we can hear first-hand about their work when one of them is in the Austin area on furlough.

We currently are providing one of these mission families the use of one of our vans for a couple of weeks while they are in this area. They have been in North Africa for 8 years. They have a family of 6 children, so they needed a larger vehicle to carry them around. Thank you Hillcrest for your faithful giving so we can be involved in these mission opportunities.

No Place for Closets

by Tom Goodman

Attracted to same-sex intimacy and yet attracted to the call of Christ. Maybe this is the struggle for someone important to you. Maybe this is the struggle for you.

It was a dilemma Rosaria Champagne Butterfield knew well. In 1999, she was in a committed lesbian relationship and held a tenured English professorship at Syracuse University specializing in Queer Theory, a postmodern form of gay and lesbian studies. I loved reading The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, the story of how she began to consider Christ and then committed to him. What particularly struck me was how she allowed herself the support of a family of faith in this process. Because of this, she found the space to evaluate the claims of Christ and then the strength to make the changes necessary to follow him.

Sadly, that is not the case for everyone. She wrote:

Shortly after becoming a Christian, I counseled a woman who was in a closeted lesbian relationship and a member of a Bible-believing church. No one in her church knew. Therefore, no one in her church was praying for her. Therefore, she sought and received no counsel. No confession. No repentance. No healing. No joy in Christ. Just isolation. And shame. And pretense.

She added, “I think that churches would be places of greater intimacy and growth in Christ if people stopped lying about what we need, what we fear, where we fail, and how we sin.”

Is Hillcrest this kind of place? A place where it’s safe to open the closet? This Sunday, my message at the 10am hour will be about what you can expect at our church if you or someone important to you opened up about same-sex attraction. I’ll talk about who we want to be--who we’re trying to be--for our community. Then, at the 11am small-group hour, I will lead a panel discussion in the Multipurpose Center with some believers who know what it means to follow Christ while dealing with same-sex attractions.

“If it weren’t for other people, I don’t think I’d make it,” Wesley Hill wrote. “For me to live faithfully before God as a sexually-abstinent homosexual Christian must be to trust that God in Christ can meet me in my loneliness not simply with God’s own love but with God’s love mediated through the human faces and arms of my fellow believers.”

Let’s trust each other with our struggles--and let’s be worthy of that trust.

__________________________________________

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This week's newsletter from Karen

Galatians 5:13 reads, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (NIV).

According to BibleGateway.com, the word flesh used here is translated from the Greek word sarx.  When used in this context, flesh (sarx) is referring to the sinful state of humans.  So, why exactly does Paul warn us about freedom leading to sinful indulgence?  Paul was saying to the Galatians they were free from the confines of the law.  Earlier verses indicate that some were still adhering to the practice of circumcision as a means to faith in Christ which Paul pointed out was false.

Paul was saying that with freedom [from the law] comes personal responsibility.  He must have known that once people realized they did not have to conform to every letter of the law the tendency would be to behave in complete contrast to the law (described in Galatians 5:19-21).  True freedom (being led by the Spirit) has evidence – fruit – which he describes in Galatians 5:22-23 which reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (NIV).

From verse 13, he gives us a simple way to keep from turning to a sinful state – serve one another humbly in love.

Take some time this week and plan how your family can – together – serve others in and around your neighborhood.  Is there someone who needs help with yard work?  Is there a park that needs trash removed?  Could you take a wagon around and collect items from your neighbors to help with the Spring Food Drive?  You could even ask another neighboring family to help and then invite them to have a hot dog cookout in your backyard once the task is complete.  The possibilities are endless.

This week's newsletter from Steve

Amy and I would like to thank those of you who have showered us with prayer, phone calls, cards, and food over the past week since Amy’s surgery. Your encouragement means so much! If you do not know, Amy had a torn ligament in her hip, and had to undergo surgery to have it fixed last week. She is recovering well, and in good spirits.  We would appreciate your continued prayer, as she still has 3 more weeks on crutches.

Just another reminder that time is running out to get signed up for Youth Camp at the early bird rate of $260.  After next Wednesday, May 27, the price goes up to $290. If you need more info, please call me in the office, or send me an email.

Parents of 6th graders, you too have the option of sending your student with the youth to camp! I have one signed up already, but there is space for a few more! Again, please let me know if you have any questions! Have a great week! 

Reminder: Graduate Recognition Sunday is June 7. If you have a graduating senior (high school or college) please send a digital photo, graduation info, and plans/prayer requests for the following year to Steve by Wednesday, May 27.

This week's newsletter from Gene

The rain is very beneficial, but because of it, we had to cancel our Alternate Shot Golf Tournament this past Saturday. It didn’t rain Saturday, but because of the rain nearly every day last week, the course was very muddy. Our goal with this event is to have golfers with some skills, and those who don’t necessarily have great golf skills, out together in teams to have a lot of fun using somewhat “unconventional” golf rules to have an enjoyable time. However, “mud golf” didn’t seem to fit this model. We will schedule another one after the monsoon season passes.

Sonshine Singers, be sure and put our next concert on your calendars. We’ll be at Woodlawn Baptist church for lunch and a concert Thursday, June 11th. We’ll leave our church at 11:00am and return about 1:30pm.

Some of you saw a posting this past week from my youngest daughter, Tiffany and her husband Jason, who live in Houston. They showed a picture of their feet with a pair of little girl’s shoes between theirs with the caption “Due October 9th.” Lynn and I are excited about our kids and another grandbaby!! She will be grandbaby number 3 and named Faith.

This week's newsletter from Karen

Tell your kids that you are going to reward them for good behavior for a time period (three days or five days).  You want them to understand that there will be a reward for obedience and good behavior.

Make up small pieces of paper that say "Caught ya" or "Way to Go." Tell your kids that you are very happy when they do what they are supposed to do, with a good attitude, and right away. Tell them you will be looking all week and will try to catch them doing good. When you do, give them one of the certificates. Let them trade these in at the end of the week for small prizes or a party or a campout in the living room.

At the end of the week as your child is enjoying their reward, read Colossians 3:23-24:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Explain to your children they should do everything to please God. Make sure they understand we cannot earn our way into heaven with our actions, but once we are believers our actions should reflect God’s image and one day God will reward our actions and it will be much better than anything we can imagine!

* inspired by Splink, May 31, 2009.

This week's newsletter from Steve

Are your students signed up for Youth Camp (July 20–24) yet? I know that July seems like an eternity away, but it will be here before we know it! We are looking forward to an amazing week together at Pineywoods. Camp Pastor Ryan Fontenot will be bringing the Bible Study each day, and the Dave Hassell Band will be leading worship, with some comedy by Bob Smiley. Add to that the amazing recreation time, church group time, and small groups, and you have an unforgettable week to look forward to! 

This is a GREAT way for students to introduce their friends to Jesus. Why not bring a friend along who does not go to church? A week surrounded by new friends, Bible Study, and a focus on Christ… could change your friend’s life! 

Sign up soon, as our limited number of camper slots are shrinking. Cost is $260 if signed up, $50 deposit made, and registration forms are turned in by Wednesday, May 27th. After that date, the cost goes up to $290. I will be emailing these forms this week, so look for them in your email. Please let me know if you have any questions!

This week's newsletter from Gene

Isn’t the rain good? Who would have thought that rain could get a little “old?” We still need it and can use it, so don’t change your prayer for rain; however, it would be nice to have it 30-50 miles to the northwest so it fills up our lakes. The rain we had this past week gave us 4 ½ inches in a very short time. This is never good for Hillcrest.  Our courtyard has only two outlets, one on each side. The one closest to the office side of the building comes around and join the one on the preschool side  underneath the big tree. Since it is “downstream” of the office side, the preschool side has more problems with overflows. The pipe tends to be rather full by the time it gets to the preschool side and the preschool side deals with the leaves from the tree. Consequently, this much rain tends to flood a part of our building. 

This last big rain was no exception. We got water in the very front part of the auditorium by the orchestra area and it extended down the hallway well into the choir room. This has happened often enough that we pretty well have  a routine to handle it, and we seem to be fine. We try to stay on top of making sure the drains are clear, but sometimes a very heavy downfall in a short period of time overcomes the capability of our drain system. There doesn’t seem to be a really good answer to completely eliminate this problem, but we have made good progress, and now it only happens occasionally rather than often.

ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

 

Introducing Texmoji.
Does your state have an emoji keyboard?
I didn’t think so.

 

It’s the Starbucks barista name generator

 

Science's Love Affair with The Lord of the Rings, from taxonomic commemoration to the topics of journal article.

 

“You can't save her. Only Jesus can. He'll help you too. Ask him.” Interesting lifeline thrown out to Don Draper in last Sunday’s Mad Men. Remember that when it all ends sadly in a couple of weeks.

 

“Should Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?” This was an important debate on NPR’s “Intelligence Squared.” 

 

Related: Here’s another excellent debate on Intelligence Squared, featuring Kirsten Powers sharing her conversion story: “Do Liberals Stifle Intellectual Diversity On The College Campus?”

 

“We will soon find out just how tolerant those who preached tolerance for same-sex marriage will turn out to be, now that they are ascendant in the culture. Meanwhile, even as we were repeatedly told that warnings about threats to religious liberty were overblown, the truth came out before the Supreme Court yesterday. Take the Solicitor General at his word. ‘It’s going to be an issue.’” Albert Mohler

 

Frederica Mathewes-Green: “I’ve resisted joining up with the ‘defend marriage’ movement for a long time, and you might wonder why I’d change my mind now….I’m joining the fray because it looks like the battle is lost. That means it’s time to stand together. It’s not hard to predict what happens next: winners silence their opponents, and losers are hounded, misrepresented, and punished for their views. Well, what did we expect….? Christ suffered ‘outside the gate,’ as an outcast, beyond the city wall. Why should we be any different? As the Scripture says, ‘Let us go forth to him outside the camp, and bear the abuse he endured’ (Hebrews 13:13). It’s time. Let’s go.”

When Children Turn into Cats

by Tom Goodman

“I just realized,” Adair Lara once wrote, “that while children are dogs, teenagers are cats.” I liked her analogy:

It’s easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.

Then, around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you king. Instead of dogging your footsteps, it disappears. You won’t see it again until it gets hungry--then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you’re serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.

Realize that all dog owners go through this, and few find it easy. My glance used to travel from my cat Mike looking regal and aloof on the fence to a foolish German shepherd on the sidewalk across the street, jumping for joy simply because he was getting to go outside. Now I miss the little boy who insisted I watch Full House with him, and who has now sealed him into a bedroom with a stereo and TV. The little girl who wrote me notes and is now peeling rubber in the driveway.

The only consolation is that if you do it right, let them go, be cool as a cat yourself, one day they will walk into the kitchen and give you a big kiss and say, you've been on your feet all day, let me get those dishes for you--and you'll realize they’re dogs again.

Some of you moms can identify, huh?

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and it gives us a chance to honor moms and remember moms. It’s also a good day to review the important work of being a parent. In the sermon, we’re going to look at Proverbs 4:20-27 to discover some “Wise Words from Winning Parents.” It’s a useful review for dads as well as moms. Join us at 10am.

__________________________________________

Subscribe to “Winning Ways” and
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This week's newsletter from Karen

Last week one of our Kindergarteners crossed the line of faith and became a member of God’s forever family. How do I know? He told me. No, let me take that back, he didn’t tell me, we blasted me with the news. And not only me, but anyone who would listen to what he had to say.

As he was talking to me I was reminded of Luke 18:15-17:
“People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’”

When was the last time you were so excited about your faith that you were “blasting” those around you with your excitement?

When was the last time you were so excited about your faith that you told anyone and everyone who would listen without worrying about their reaction?

We all have great stories of faith worth sharing. So why don’t we share them?

Think about your greatest story of faith and picture how a child would tell it to someone. If you’re like me, you’ve pictured an instance of innocence. No fancy words, no pre-written statement, no filters. Just faith.

My prayer this week is that we’ll begin to ask God to help us remove the barriers/filters/fears/worries we face when sharing His love with others.

This week's newsletter from Steve

Are you dismayed by what has been going on in the world in the past few weeks? Are you hurting due to personal loss, or maybe dealing with feelings of sadness and loneliness? I have personally spoken with many in the past few days about very intense situations that they are dealing with. It can be very easy to feel isolated and alone during these times in our lives. These verses, along with the rest of Psalms 34, are an amazing reminder that we are not alone. In fact, it is in our most isolated and lonely moments that the nearness of Jesus can be felt. Take a look at this scripture:

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalms 34:17-18 (NIV)

It may seem difficult to do, but we must look to God during these intense times of struggle. We are reminded of this in 1 Peter 5:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

I pray that we rely on one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, but I pray even more so that we will fully rely on the power and direction of God in our lives. Have a great week!

This week's newsletter from Gene

We want to maximize our facilities for our own ministries, and for other groups that have missions compatible to ours here at Hillcrest, in addition to trying to be a good neighbor. We don’t rent out space for individuals or businesses, but try to accommodate other requests we receive.

This past weekend was a very busy time, particularly for our MPC. Friday, Casner had a special event for Grandparents; Friday evening, the Anderson Tennis team held a banquet; Saturday, the Deacons hosted the widow/widower banquet; and Sunday, we had the Missions Munch. These activities were in addition to a pretty full schedule, even on the weekends, outside our own usage on Sundays. We have a good custodial staff that stays on top of all this, and I am very thankful for all their hard work.

For the past number of years, we have tried to accommodate church member requests for personal use of some of our tables and chairs. However, with all the use our facility is receiving, this loaner program must come to an end. Please find other ways to provide tables and chairs for any special events you may have.

We recently completed an inventory and are missing some of our 8 foot tables and blue folding chairs. Please check your garages and storage areas to see if you might have some that haven’t yet been returned.