My Article from our weekly email

It was such a blessing to our church to host Dr. Danny Akin last week. The Lord Jesus spoke to us through him, and so many of you have commented on the blessing he was to you personally. If you missed this past Sunday, you can access the message online at our website (www.hbcfamily.org) under the media tab, or you can access on the church FaceBook page. I encourage you to share it with your family and friends. While you’re there, look through the other messages, use this tool to be a constant blessing to you, your family, and friends. Share all the good things the Lord has done, is doing, and the hope you have for the future.

I am looking forward to 2014. I believe it’s going to be a great year for you, and it’s going to be a great year for our church. I want to encourage you to make it the best year you have ever had. There are several keys to this being true for you in 2014. 

First, make Christ Jesus the center of your life. Spend time with Him every day: read His love letter to you, treasure it, learn it, and meditate on it. I will be reading through the Bible again in 2014, and I will be using the Holman Christian Standard this year. Join me. I will be using the One Year Bible reading plan. You can find it at www.oneyearbibleonline.com. 

The second thing you can do is get plugged in with one of our fantastic Life Groups. They meet at 9:50 every Sunday morning. You need this time each week; it’s a time of fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and community. God made us relational beings, and you can’t get that by just and only attending a worship service. The third thing to do is to engage in a ministry, at least one ministry. Many of you are engaged in multiple ministries and I say THANK YOU. We couldn’t do what we do the way we do it without you. But many of you are rarely engaged. Christianity is not spectator driven. God has a place for you inside the body of Christ and that place is a place of serving others. If you aren’t sure where your place is then we are implementing a ministry to help you find your PLACE, and that is what it is called PLACE. Sue Drake is spearheading this ministry. Get plugged in, and enjoy the fun, experience the peace, of living with a purpose greater than yourself. 

Another great way to engage is via your Life Group and REACH. Each Life Group should be getting ready to implement this structure so assist in ministry within and outside the LG. Every group member is part of the team and serves once per month. It’s not hard work; it’s loving on people in practical ways, sharing the love of Jesus. I believe if you do these things 2014 will be the best year you’ve ever had. You will be blessed, your family will be blessed, Highland will be blessed, and the community we live in will be blessed. 

In Jesus name, I love you and thank God for you. Merry Christmas!

Dr. Akin's message

It was a great joy and honor to host Dr. Danny Akin at Highland this past Sunday. It's refreshing to see someone live out what they preach, and to see someone who is real. He was such a blessing to my family, and to see him interact with Morgan and Mya was special. He talked with them and loved on them like they were his own grandkids. Thank you Dr. Akin, your kindness toward my children was a great gift to Melissa and I. Thank you for your candor and encouragement to us during our conversation over lunch.

Seeing what I saw in Dr. Akin makes it more necessary and easy to not just listen to him but to hear him. I wish everyone at Highland could have witnessed what my family did. But his message needs to be heard none-the-less. Just a quick recap, and a reminder that the video of his message will be posted on the church website very soon. You can access it via the media tab on the homepage at www.hbcfamily.org. 

The title of the message was "The Lion, The Lamb, and The World." His text was Revelation 5. Jesus is the only one worthy to open the scroll that is sealed with the seven seals. He is everything God demanded for redeeming the most prized, loved, and lost creation, mankind. He is the God-Man, perfect, and willing to pay the debt he didn't owe because we owed a debt we couldn't pay.

1. Jesus is the Lord of History. v. 1-5

2. Jesus is the Lord of Victory. v. 6-7

3. Jesus is the Lord of Glory. v. 8-14

Revive Magazine The Four-Question Challenge - Life Action Ministries

Revive Magazine The Four-Question Challenge - Life Action Ministries
I would highly recommend reading this magazine from Life Action Ministries. It has some probing and convicting thoughts about revival for the American church today. You can also visit their website at www.lifeaction.org and subscribe to the monthly magazine, or you can go online and read it on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Enjoy, be moved, take action. As G. Campbell Morgan said, "We cannot organize revival, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from heaven."

Monday Mind Dump

I had a great talk with Morgan and Mya this morning on the way to school. I was asking each of them about their Life Group lesson from yesterday and they were telling me the story they learned and how it applies to their life. Morgan's class learned about Peter walking on the water. She talked about the ministry Jesus and the disciples had been doing prior to, she talked about the storm the disciples found themselves in, she talked about Jesus walking on the water, and she talked about Peter's experience walking on the water. I asked her where Peter's eyes were when he was walking on the water she said they were on Jesus. I asked her where his eyes were when he sank; she said they were on the water.

Where are your eyes focused? Where are my eyes focused? We will sink in a skinny minute if our eyes are on the stormy water of our lives, but if we will keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will walk where he walks: ON TOP OF THE STORMY WATER!

I couldn't help but think of the message yesterday from Acts 7. Stephen walked on top of the stormy water. He did NOT sink! It may have appeared that way to those gathered around throwing the stones or watching them be thrown. But from Jesus' perspective Stephen was walking on top of the stormy waters. His eyes were fixed on Jesus in that moment because Stephen had chosen to fix his eyes on Jesus and live for Him no matter where and no matter the cost. Stephen declared in his dying, "They are worth dying for if I was worth dying for." It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Jesus is better!