This week's newsletter from Karen

1 Peter 3:13-17
“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

Isaiah 8:12-13
“Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.”

These passages remind me…

• The world will be in chaos and turmoil and in fear of the unknown.
• I should not take on the fears of the world as my own.
• The world will want to make me suffer for not conforming to its standards.
• I should keep Jesus as the main thing in my life.
• I should do God’s will no matter the cost knowing the cost is worth the prize.
• I should stand ready to counter the world’s message of doubt with God’s message of hope.

This week's newsletter from Steve

This coming Sunday is our Youth First Sunday Fellowship! It is time for Bowling Night! Students can meet us at Highland Lanes Bowling Center (8909 Burnet Rd., just off 183) at 5:30! If there are some of you that need a ride from the church, we will leave the church with a van at 5:20 PM.

Students need to bring $10 to cover their bowling, and if they want to eat dinner at the bowling alley, they will need $5-7 for that. We always have a great time when we go bowling together, so we’re expecting a GREAT night this Sunday! Parents are welcome to participate, as well! We should be done and back to the church by 7:30 PM. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Also, please continue to pray for our IMB missionaries that are serving overseas. We have heard from many of them over the past week, and I can tell you that they are all experiencing a lot of stress over the new changes with the IMB. One family has even decided to “retire,” even though they are not sure they want to leave. Pray for guidance and leadership for them as they all make decisions about their future. Also, please pray for what’s ahead for those that decide to retire. All will need jobs, places to live, vehicles, etc. They will be starting over when they return to the States. Thank you for your continued prayer for each of these families.

This week's newsletter from Gene

Good advice from a Facebook post from HPU graduate Sarah Harrell. She is a single friend of one of my pastor friends’ daughter. Regardless of age and life circumstances, it is Biblically sound advice

What if you stop looking forward, wishing for a time when your life might be different? What if you embrace THIS moment. These blessings. This circumstance. Stop waiting for "the next thing." Instead, be thankful for all the Lord has provided. Here is the opportunity offered: Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints. Wait quietly. Wait trustingly. He holds every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in His hands. Thank Him for what the future holds, for He is already there. Psalm 16:5 says, "Lord, You have assigned my portion and my cup." Shouldn't we gladly respond, "I'll take it, Lord! I'll trust You for everything?”

Hopefully when you are reading this, Lynn and I will be back in Austin after her second round of chemotherapy, and should be able to be home for about 3 weeks.

The God-Forsaken God

by Tom Goodman

God-forsaken.

These days, we just use that term to express our displeasure at our setting. “What a God-forsaken place!” we’ll say about a region without water or greenery. Or a city on the skids. Or even just a town that doesn’t interest us anymore.

We tend to use the term to describe a place, but not a life.

And yet, on the cross Jesus lifted up the cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

He had been forsaken by the religious leadership, forsaken by his own followers, forsaken by the political leadership that had the duty to protect him, forsaken by the crowds he served—but nothing, nothing, was like the abandonment of his Father.

It was a quote from Psalm 22, and Psalm 22 is stunning in many ways. The old poet described Christ’s crucifixion a thousand years before it happened:

 “They pierce my hands and my feet” (verse 16)

“They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment” (verse 18)

“My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” (verse 15)

“All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him’” (verses 7-8).

But it is the very first line of the poem that Jesus lifts up from the cross. How did it come to this? At the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry, at his baptism, the Bible says the heavens opened, the sun shone out, and the Father said to Jesus, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).  Now at the end of his earthly life, the heavens close, the sun hides, and Jesus says to the Father, “Why have you forsaken me?”

Indeed: Why?

Join us this Sunday at 10am as we reverently consider the question raised in Psalm 22 and echoed from the cross. It’s the last week in Sacred Blues, our study through selected psalms. 

__________________________________________

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Why You Should Prayerwalk with Us

by Tom Goodman

On Saturday October 3, from 8-10 a.m., we’ll treat you to breakfast tacos and give you an assigned area to prayer-walk.

Prayer-what?

“Prayerwalking” is the simple act of walking through a neighborhood and silently praying for the residents. It’s a low-profile event, since the goal is to be on the scene without making one. There’s no knocking on doors, and we don’t pray aloud “standing on the street corners to be seen by others” (Matthew 6:5). Prayerwalking is a simple stroll through the neighborhood—but with profound purpose. As we walk, we silently speak to the Lord of Hosts:

“Awaken the residents of this apartment complex to their need of you.”

“Bless the people on this street.”

“Help city leaders and school leaders make good decisions for this neighborhood.”

“Make our church your instrument to reach this very block.”

“What is my role in making sure this house hears your gospel?”

We can prayerwalk solo, but it’s more fun by twos or threes. So, on October 3, we’ll encourage you to go out in (very small) groups to fulfill your assignments. We’ll give you maps marked with a mile of residential streets. If you can’t do a mile, walk what you can. If you can walk more than a mile, take more map assignments.

Why actually get out with these map assignments and walk? Couldn’t we just sit at the church building and pray over these maps? Any praying is better than no praying, of course. But in my own prayerwalking I’ve found something interesting takes place. I start noticing things about the neighborhood that I would never notice from a map. And since I’m walking past only one or two houses in the time it would take me to pray for several miles of roads on a map, I have more time to think about what I should pray for. I’m more likely to sense Christ’s heart for the neighborhood when I actually walk through it than when I just pray over it on a map.

My goal is to cover 25 miles of neighborhood streets on October 3. That will require about 30 people in two-person teams taking on 1-to-2 mile assignments. So, tell us you’re coming by registering at www.Hillcrest.Church/PrayerWalk. If you need childcare for kinder and under, note your child care needs when you register.

First-Sunday Fellowship. Bring a covered dish to the Multipurpose Center at 5:30pm on Sunday, October 4. There will be no HILL classes that night. Join us for food and fellowship and hear from Dr. Jim Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

This week's newsletter from Karen

Remember when you were a child and completed a dot-to-dot picture?
Remember wondering what the picture would be when you finished?
Remember a few times when you reached the last dot, looked at the picture, knew the picture wasn’t quite right and then realized that you had skipped a dot or gotten some dots out of order?

I think of my life as a dot-to-dot picture. I’m moving through time not knowing exactly what the final “picture” will look like. Although I can’t see the entire picture of my life, God knows the “picture” that will be created as I follow the path He has laid out before me. When I am overwhelmed and cannot seem to see where each step will take me, I only have one thing to rely on: faith.

Hebrews 11:1 and 3 read like this: Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God’s command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.

Unfortunately, as parents, we don’t have the luxury of completely moving through our life’s picture before our children begin theirs. However, it is important to teach them to follow God’s path for their life by taking their own steps of faith. The only way to teach this is to have already done it ourselves. My prayer is that we all learn to follow God through faith to create the awesome picture He has already set for our lives.

This week's newsletter from Steve

Attention Youth Parents! This Sunday, September 27th, is the deadline to turn in your hour request sheet for Craft Show 2015. We had a parent meeting on the 13th where we outlined the requirements to work for Craft Show, and handed out all of the sign up materials. I also emailed the information and forms to all of the youth and parents last Monday. If you have misplaced that form, or need another copy, please let me know. I would be happy to send it to you!

Not familiar with Craft Show? Well, Craft Show is our annual youth fund-raiser. We turn the adult education wing, MPC, and children’s wing into one giant craft/shopping fair. We open this to the public, and we draw huge crowds every year. We also make and sell all kinds of food to the shoppers. All of the profits from this venture go into a youth account, and by working hours, our students are able to earn money for trips and activities throughout the next year! God has blessed us with this event. Come be a part of it with us!

This week's newsletter from Gene

We received a letter from the International Mission Board, (IMB) of Southern Baptists, congratulating and thanking us for our generous participation in the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. 100% of this offering, typically taken during the Christmas season, goes to support our missionaries around the world. Currently there are approximately 4,700 missionaries and their 4,000 children serving in various countries. This offering is named for Lottie Moon, who served faithfully in China.

Hillcrest gave at the level called “Tengchow Challenge.” This level represents churches that gave between $50.00 and $74.99 per capita based on Sunday morning attendance. The 1,875 churches that met the “Tengchow Challenge” represent 4 percent of the 50,000 churches that comprise the Southern Baptist Convention.

Why a “Tengchow Challenge?” Tengchow is the village in China where Lottie Moon set up her residence and began her missionary service to bring the gospel to the Chinese people.

Hillcrest gave a total of $20,991.25, or an average of $59.80 per person. Great job Hillcrest!!!

Sundry Dinner

by Tom Goodman

Sundries for your noontime reading (most every) Thursday


What Your Pastor’s Jeans Say About Their Theology:12 types of jeans and their important spiritual implications.


"Austin should prepare for an almost 19 percent increase in population, rising from an estimated 1.9 million in 2014 to 2.3 million in 2020." Austin CultureMap


Wired provides a quick lesson to get you culturally literate. Interesting stuff.


Sermon Illustration Alert: ""I started questioning where value lies in an object. . . . It does not matter what it's made from; what matters is what you do to own it and make it precious, the time you spend exploring its transformative qualities, and enable a dialogue with it through a trial-and-error process. Preciousness lies in the process, not in the material." From the Fast Company article, "This Jewelry Is Trash, Literally—It's Jewelry Made From Trash."


"I was struck anew by a powerful reality of houses of worship: They remain that rare place in American society where people of different ages sit together in common cause. Yes, people gather at a sports arena or concert, but that is to watch, not to participate. Besides, the baby in the stroller and the 93-year-old are not usually found at the same concert. In a world where community is increasingly difficult, and atomization is becoming the norm, Prayer is a moment of togetherness." Rabbi David Wolpe for Time


"Our society is quickly becoming comfortable with the notion of death on demand rather than life in all its complexity....As Christians we cannot expect our nation’s laws to fully align with our beliefs. But in the church, we have many teachings that oppose the 'right to die' rationale." Take time to read "Assisted Suicide and Real Death with Dignity" in CT.

This week's newsletter from Michael

What a great time we had in choir Sunday last night! Every chair was filled! We had to grab chairs from the choir loft to accommodate everyone. We have previewed some of the music for our Christmas program on December 13. Mark your calendars for that morning at 10:00am! It’s not too late to come and join the choir if you'd like to participate with us. If you're looking to get involved at Hillcrest, or just to get to know some of your brothers and sisters in Christ… then this is the place to be. You will meet many different folks from all walks of life… and I do mean “ALL WALKS OF LIFE!”

Our Student Worship Choir has started back as well. Parents, if you have teens, get them here Sundays at 4:44pm! It really is a fun time!

I am on a mission for A/V (Media) volunteers!! Do you know someone who you think would be a great asset in this area of ministry? Please let me know. We have a lot of exciting things happening in this ministry with new technology, etc., and are in need of some great people! If you are interested please contact me by email at michael@hillcrest.church.

God is doing great things and HE needs you to be a part of the action!

This week's newsletter from Karen

More and more I’m noticing that kids have a lack of contentment. There is a constant need to be like others or to have what others have. Our 24-hour, media-driven, consumer culture is a large part of the reason kids (and adults) today have this constant need to have better things or better circumstances.

Contentment is defined as the “state of being satisfied.” In His Word, God talks about being content. Here are a couple of examples:

Hebrews 13:5 reads, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Philippians 4:11-13 reads, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Why be content? First, if we are not content with our possessions or circumstances, we are distracted from how God might be using these for His purposes. Second, we cease to be thankful to God for all the good things that He has provided.

Take one day this week and play this game. Every time someone (parents included) starts to complain, find a way they can be thankful to God instead. For example, if someone complains about a food they have to eat, they should thank God that they have food to eat. Teach your children to be content on how and what God is providing in their lives. Learning this lesson early will help them always see God at work in downs and ups this life will bring.

This week's newsletter from Steve

I spoke to you a couple of weeks ago about changes being made within the International Mission Board. Within the next few weeks and months, the IMB will be looking for 600–800 people to voluntarily retire or come home for good. While that may not sound like a huge number, the plan is to reduce the number of personnel on the field by nearly 20%. Of the approximately 4800 IMB personnel, this will affect many families, as the goal is about 4000.

Why bring this up again? I want to ask you to pray. As you can probably imagine, this will be a very hard decision for many of these families. Many of these that are praying about coming home are long-term, career missionaries. Some have children that would have to move back to the States, and many are uncertain about what could possibly be next after serving overseas. It is a big decision that many are faced with, and I have heard from several friends that are praying about what to do.

I ask that you pray with our missionaries, as they pray through these decisions. Pray for their families. Pray for a new job and a new place to live if they do decide to come home. Pray that the ministry that they have been doing around the world will continue. Pray for the leadership of the IMB, as they forge ahead with all of these changes. Change needed to happen in order to keep the IMB financially in shape. However, change of this magnitude is always tough.

Lastly, I ask that you would pray about giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering in December. Every dime of that goes directly to work on the mission field. I read a report from one of the missionaries in Europe recently. He said that if every Southern Baptist were to give $45… yes, just $45 to the Lottie Moon offering, the budget shortfall would be more than taken care of. Will you ask the Lord about how you should give this year?

The Anxiety Antidote

by Tom Goodman

Don’t underestimate the damage that worry can do to faith and life. Even tiny flies can bring down the king of beasts, and worry can do the same to you.

Tiny flies known as “stomoxys” will bite a lion and then keep biting its wounds, inflicting nagging, relentless pain. Over time, the lion dies of trauma. A few years ago, at least six lions in Tanzania’s world-famous wildlife park were killed by swarms of these flies.

Our worries can do the same to us. Left unchecked, our anxieties will buzz around us like a swarm of blood-sucking flies, pestering us and distressing us until we collapse.

Maybe we’re revealing more than we intend when we sigh and say, “I’m worried sick!”

As the late Corrie Ten Boom once noted, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” That’s why Jesus said, “Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:34, Msg).

Of course, warnings against worry create an interesting phenomenon: We start worrying about worrying!

That means we need more than a reprimand: We need a cure! Psalm 3 reveals the anxiety antidote. The third psalm of the Bible is also the third psalm of our series, Sacred Blues. In his book, Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung wrote: “We walk into the future in God-glorifying confidence, not because the future is known to us but because it is known to God.  And that’s all we need to know.” If you haven’t reached that state of worry-free living, see you this Sunday at 10!

It’s Not Too Late to Join the Anchor Course. Each Wednesday starting September 16, I’m leading an 8-week book study called the Anchor Course. It’s designed for those who are trying to make up their mind about Christianity, and also for those who want to explain the faith to others. To sign up, contact Lisa at 512-345-3771 or lisa@hillcrest.church. Learn more at www.Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse. 

Special Women’s Event: Our WINGS ministry is hosting “Love, Sweat, and Tears” this Saturday with special speaker Julie Lyles Carr. Find out more and register at www.Hillcrest.Church/WINGS.

Prayer Walk. On Saturday October 3, from 8-10am, we’ll treat you to breakfast tacos and give you an assigned area to pray over. Don’t miss it! Sign up at www.Hillcrest.Church/PrayerWalk.

ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

The pain of Dad Jokes is real for these kids:

Dad Joke Survivors
Posted by Nickelodeon on Thursday, September 3, 2015

You’re Hanging Your Toilet Paper Wrong, And Here’s The Patent To Prove It


Obamas Decide To Stay In White House Until Daughters Finish High School. I don't think it works that way.


See how dramatically Austin's skyline has transformed since 2007. Cool visuals.


How marginalization can empower Christians on mission. How InterVarsity handled mistreatment on California campuses can show us how to stay on mission.

This week's newsletter from Karen

I read the following today and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Hope it blesses you.

All we can do is try to rise beyond the question, “Why did it happen?” and begin to ask the question, “What do I do now that it has happened?” – Harold S. Kushner

There is so much we do not understand and may never know. If we can accept that God has a larger plan and that the larger plan is for good and love, we can trust that while we are on this planet – even when everything feels hopeless – we are part of this plan. We can benefit by God’s strength with every breath we take, even when we can’t feel it. We can do the best we can.

Today I pray for the knowledge of God’s will for me and then to follow His Spirit as He guides me.

This week's newsletter from Steve

I hope that you had a wonderful Labor Day with your family and friends! Now that the summer is winding down, can we put in an order for some cooler weather? I sure hope it comes soon!

This Sunday, September 13th, immediately following the Sunday School/Bible Study hour (about 12:15 PM), we will be having a Parent Meeting in the Summit (3rd Floor) for about 30 minutes. It will be a short meeting, so there will be no need for ordering in any lunch this time. The purpose of this meeting will be to give you all the information for our annual Youth Fund-Raiser that is coming up. Yes, that’s right… Craft Show is almost here, and our team is already hard at work putting it all together.

Not sure what Craft Show is? Well, during the last Friday and Saturday of October each year, we turn the adult classroom hallway, the MPC, and the 1st floor of the education building into a huge crafts fair that is open to the public. We also make and serve enchiladas, cake, soup, and much more during this weekend. Our students and parents spend time working shifts during the Craft Show, and the days leading up to Craft Show. At the end, we take the total profit and divide it by the total number of hours worked. This allows us a “per hour” rate that we use to calculate how much a student can earn towards camps, retreats, etc. for 2016.

Want to find out more? Come to the meeting on Sunday! We would love to discuss it with you! See you there!

This week's newsletter from Gene

It's been years since I had classes about our bodies and blood system. This treatment we are going through with Lynn has reminded me once again of the intricacies our bodies. It brings to light even more the foolishness of people who, in order to avoid a God they must deal with, come up with the nonsense that we have evolved from some single cell organism.

One of my favorite stories is of two scientists who tell God they have been able to do as He did and create humans from dirt. He says "show me." They excitedly begin to pull dirt together, at which time He tells them "no, no... use your own dirt."

Thanks for praying.

When You Question God's Plan

by Tom Goodman

We wonder why bad things happen to good people, but we also wonder why good things happen to bad people.

Asaph did. He was the court musician for King David, and some of his compositions are in the book of Psalms. One of them, Psalm 73, is his cry of bitterness that bad people seem to be doing just fine while faithful people suffer.

He wrote the poem looking back from a position of renewed faith, but he admits—

My feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.

To him, the life of faith was an upward climb to the heights. But bitter suspicion of God was like a stumble that would have sent him tumbling to his death.

When the upward path of faith got unsteady, what secured him? He wrote—

When I tried to understand all this,    it troubled me deeply    till I entered the sanctuary of God.

In other words, he went to a place where he could reflect on God’s character and promises. It was from that perspective that he reassessed the unfairness of life.

We question God’s plan sometimes. The problem isn’t just that bad things happen to us. No, what’s galling is when bad things happen to the obedient while good things happen to the disobedient. This Sunday, we’ll look closely at Psalm 73 to see how to keep up the climb of faith in those times. It’s the second week of our series, Sacred Blues. We’re looking at selected psalms where the faithful poet reached up to God out of the midst of hardship. See you at 10!

The “Get Anchored” Dinner is this Wednesday! On September 9, 6:30pm, join me for an introduction to the Anchor Course. The Anchor Course is designed for those who are trying to make up their mind about Christianity, and also for those who want to explain the faith to others. The “Get Anchored” Dinner will introduce you to the 8-week study that begins September 16, 6:30pm. An RSVP to the September 9 “Get Anchored” Dinner is strongly encouraged. Contact Lisa at 512-345-3771 or lisa@hillcrest.church. Learn more at www.Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse.

The Hillcrest Institute begins this week! Find a course and register at www.Hillcrest.Church/HILL.

Prayer Walk. On Saturday October 3, from 8-10am, we’ll treat you to breakfast tacos and give you an assigned area to pray over. Don’t miss it!

__________________________________________ 

 Subscribe to “Winning Ways” 

 and it will arrive in your inbox each Wednesday 

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ICYMI Thursday

by Tom Goodman

David Oyelowo: The blockbuster actor is storming Hollywood with unflinching faith and a fresh vision for Christianity in film.


"I think I must have been the world’s most astonished atheist.” On Joy Davidman, C.S. Lewis's late-in-life wife. 


This may be the best short summary of Southern Baptist beliefs and practices I've seen.


"The bobbleheads on his bookshelves include theologian C. H. Spurgeon, former president Thomas Jefferson, evangelist Billy Graham, and musician Hank Williams. Together they symbolize Moore’s vision of mixing theology, religious liberty, evangelism, and culture to guide SBC public policy." Here's a nice profile piece on Russell Moore. I'm glad he's the public face of our denomination.


Sermon Illustration Alert: "I’m not sure that as a species as a whole we are any better than we were 100 or even 10,000 years ago." Good essay expressing doubt to the question "Can We Improve?"


"You are either for women’s well-being and empowerment, or you are pro-life. This is a false dichotomy—one that women in particular need to dismantle." The Power of Pro-Life Women

This week's newsletter from Karen

I read this today and thought I would pass it on. Kids today are growing up in a very different world—a world very different from their parents’ world, and especially different from their grandparents’ world. One thing that has not changed over the years is the news of Jesus Christ. One thing that MUST change is the methodology of bringing that good news into their lives.

20 Interesting Facts About Today’s Kids That You Need To Know
Look into the lives of today’s kids and you’ll see interesting facts that are a reflection of their native culture.

1. Hybrid automobiles have always been mass produced.
2. They have never licked a postage stamp.
3. Email is “formal” communication, while texts and tweets are “casual” communication.
4. They have grown up treating Wi-Fi as an entitlement.
5. The announcement of someone being the “first woman” to hold a position has only impressed their parents.
6. Cell phones have become so ubiquitous in class that teachers don’t know which students are using them to take notes and which ones are planning a party.
7. Their parents have gone from encouraging them to use the Internet to begging them to get off it.
8. If you say “around the turn of the century,” they may well ask you, “which one?”
9. They have avidly joined Harry Potter as they built their reading skills through all seven volumes.
10. The therapeutic use of marijuana has always been legal in a growing number of American states.
11. The eyes of Texas have never looked upon The Houston Oilers.
12. Teachers have always had to insist that term papers employ sources in addition to those found online.
13. Playhouse Disney was a place where they could play growing up.
14. Surgeons have always used “super glue” in the operating room.
15. The Lion King has always been on Broadway.
16. First Responders have always been heroes.
17. CNN has always been available en Español.
18. TV has always been in such high definition that they could see the pores of actors and the grimaces of quarterbacks.
19. Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith have always been Men in Black, not their next-door neighbors.
20. Amoco gas stations have steadily vanished from the American highway.

Retrieved from:
http://www.relevantchildrensministry.com/2015/08/20-interesting-facts-about-todays-kids.html#sthash.3Crx9cdG.dpuf

This week's newsletter from Steve

Have you prayed for a missionary today? I know, that sounds like a cliché, but seriously… have you thought about our missionaries this week? Even if you do not know one by name, God knows their name. Right now, there are about 4,800 Southern Baptist missionaries spread across the globe doing all kinds of ministry, such as aid work, pastoral training, church planting, working to stop sexual slavery and human trafficking, humanitarian work, and much more. From the brothel-laden streets of Bangkok, to the remote villages of Africa, there are people just like you and me that are working to share Christ with the nations.

Recently, the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention announced that due to a serious decrease in church giving over the past 10 years, cuts were going to need to be made immediately to continue forward. Over the next few months, the IMB will be asking 400-600 of our seasoned veteran missionaries to strongly consider taking an early retirement from the field in order to help make this happen. I have been in contact with many of these personnel throughout the world, and they are concerned. They are not concerned just for their jobs. They are concerned about what the future holds for how we continue to do missions. Friends, it is the churches in America who need to step up and realize that without our help and funding, the IMB cannot function correctly.

Please pray for our missionaries. Pray for strength and guidance for them and their leadership as these changes unfold. Pray for their children, as you know that uncertainty is often hardest on children. Most of all, pray that the name of Jesus will continue to be proclaimed to the world! Maybe God is using this situation to awaken His church here at home! Pray about how we can be a part of the solution!

This week's newsletter from Gene and Michael

It was really good to be in services this last Sunday. The amount of support we continue to receive as we go through this difficult time is almost overwhelming. Thank you so much for your prayers; please continue.

Some of you expressed that you were not aware of the Caringbridge site that allows you to keep up with the current information about Lynn. If you go to this website you will see regular updates regarding her health.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/lynnchappell

From Associate Music Minister
Michael Slaughter

Thank you so much Hillcrest Worship Ministry! You guys rocked the house last night! Many guests came up to tell me you were an encouragement to them! Most of the churches who were with us last night do not have what we have, but they still love and worship the same God that we do and do a wonderful job at leading! Each day I thank the Lord for allowing me to work with awesome musicians and singers each week! Once again thank you for sacrificing your Sunday evening to pull off a wonderful worship service!

NO REHEARSAL SEPTEMBER 6TH

BELLS OF JOY—Starts Sept 9th, 7:15 p.m.

STUDENT WORSHIP CHOIR—Starts Sept. 13th, 4:45 p.m.

“I Knew My Daddy Would Save Me”

by Tom Goodman

Elizabeth Woodman knows how important it is to trust your father in a crisis.  One April afternoon, 39-year-old Edward Woodman was steering his houseboat toward the north end of California's Lake Oroville.  His 11-year-old son, David, was at his side.  He did not see it when his 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, fell over the bow.

The girl tumbled helplessly between the aluminum pontoons of the houseboat, straight toward the churning outboard motor at the stern.  Hitting the propeller, the blades tore into her right arm and then jammed in the tangled mass of her pink sweater.  While she tried to free herself, Elizabeth remembered what her father had told her so many times:  “The only thing that can hurt you in the water is panic.”  Calmly, she tried to untangle her sweater from the prop while she reminded herself over and over:  “My daddy will save me.”

Edward heard the thud under the boat and he felt the engine stop.  Puzzled, he walked to the stern and looked over the railing.  Seeing Elizabeth’s pink sweater, the father jumped into the dark water and found his daughter.  She stared back at him with no fear or panic—just patient trust.  He knew her calmness would give him a chance to free her.

The father surfaced and descended four, five, and six times to breathe life-giving air into her mouth as he yanked and cut at the pink threads holding his daughter under.  Finally, he got her free and to the surface.  In moments they were at full throttle toward the nearest marina and to a hospital where her arm was mended.

The next day, a reporter asked the little girl if she had been afraid during the rescue.  “Oh, I knew my daddy would save me,” Elizabeth said, and then looked at her father, adding, “And he did.”

How can we have this kind of trust in our heavenly Father? This Sunday we’ll find out in a study of Psalm 27. It’s the first in a new series through selected Psalms. We’re calling the series Sacred Blues, because all the psalms we’ll study are about reaching out to God from the midst of hardship and crisis.

Billy Graham wrote, “If we can trust God for our eternal salvation, can’t we also trust him for our lives right now?” The old evangelist was right. Join us at 10 this Sunday to learn how to do this. 

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