toy?......toy?

Well, I've waited as long as I could to share this. And a phone call today jogged my memory, so I will stop what I'm doing and post this as best as I can remember. My last blog mentioned the G.R.O.W. event this past Sunday night, and how amazing it was in many ways. I told you about some of the stories that I heard, and the answered prayers. But, I want to share a moment that I witnessed the full effect of "Overflow".

I had just left the worship center, where several of us had been praying for the names that were written on the two boards at the end of each of our services. You remember......the names of people that came to mind during Jon's message that we all felt led to invite to church; invest time with them: and to influence them by the way we live our lives as an example of Christ.... those names. Anyway, I am coming from the worship center and headed to the fellowship area as a group of people are returning from the homeless shelter after delivering coats, and I see my sister-in-law, Sheila. She comes in with this group, but she doesn't have the same expression on her face as the others. I've seen the looks of, "Wow, this was amazing", and "I am so pumped", but she was sad. And when someone would ask her about the time at the shelter, she would be moved to tears. The more that others would try to comfort her, the more her emotions took over. I sat in a chair in the foyer and watched all this "overflow" happening, and I was moved to tears.

Sheila had seen the response of the people at the shelter when they received their coats, and she helped carry in some of the extra coats to place in the clothes closet. That's where she heard "toy?" This came from a small boy standing by his daddy. As more and more coats were being carried in, he would continue to ask for a toy. Sheila could not stop thinking about this little boy and his family there at the shelter. She wanted to do something right then. She felt the need to show this little boy, and the rest of his siblings, the love of Jesus through a toy; a small gift; "overflow". And after she returned to the church, her and Barry made a bee-line to Walmart to pick up dolls and Hot Wheel cars for these children.......and went back to the shelter to deliver the gifts to the family.

I talked with Sheila today. It still brings tears to her eyes,,,,,,,,,and mine. I hope we all can hear what that little boy was saying. I pray that we all can respond in love to people we meet for the first time. I pray that we all can grasp the opportunity to share Jesus. And, if we would just listen closely.......we would hear what is really being said.

toy?........toy?

love?.......love?

Jesus........Jesus

overflow

I heard a very good analogy last night about how God's love and His Spirit should overflow in our lives. Kay M. was leading a devotional before our G.R.O.W. event began, and she was using the illustration of a water fountain to explain the idea of overflow. The water that flows out of the top of the fountain is God's love and Spirit, and as it pours out on us (the first tier) it begins to fill us to overflowing. Then that flows out from us to our family, the church (second tier); then out to the community (third tier); then out to the world (fourth tier). She did a good job of explaining this, and it was encouraging to hear how we need to allow this overflow to take place in our lives so that people will see our good works, and glorify our Father in heaven.

Yes, it was an encouraging devotional........and it soon became an amazing reality. If you were at G.R.O.W. last night, you know what I mean. What we had just heard about.....we saw before our very eyes as the people of HRCC went to deliver 150 coats to Rowan Helping Ministries, and personally handed each person a coat, a Bible, and prayed with them as they were waiting in line for a meal. We saw the expressions of the nurses at RRMC that were recipients of "overflowing" baskets of "Thank you for all you do". We listened as the prayers we had offered earlier in the evening became answers that were being shared by individuals that had experienced, first hand, "overflow". 135 letters were hand written to people we have yet to meet because what we are experiencing at HRCC needs be to shared with everyone. We can not keep this to ourselves; we must overflow.

Last night we heard about "overflow", we saw "overflow", and we witnessed what God can do in the lives of His people. And hidden in the chorus of a song not yet released...

help me overflow, overflow
make my life a living worship
send me to the world
unashamed of You

deafening silence

Snow has a way of causing us to just stop. It doesn't have to be a blizzard that covers everything in sight with a thick blanket of clean, white powder. It can be just a dusting that covers part of the driveway and the yard; but the blades of grass still show, and some of the gravel is still visible. No matter which snowfall you receive.....people just seem to stop what they are doing and watch it snow. I know I do. My favorite part of snow is the silence. It's like God uses the snow to insulate the world around us. I enjoy standing outside in the snow as it falls and listening to the deafening silence. There is no distracting sound. I don't even hear the birds, but I see them in the trees. All I can hear is myself breathing. Its a cold air that enters with each breath, and it seems to waken the memory banks. The memories of all the snowfalls that I experienced growing up...... no school for days at a time........ sledding for hours........ bowls and bowls of snow cream....... snowball fights....... trying to ride a bike down a snow covered hill (do not try). And, with each memory of all the playing I did in the snow.....I remember just stopping long enough to listen to the silence. No matter what I was doing, the silence would always get my attention.

I know that the "winter storm" that passed through the other day wasn't a major snowfall for the record books, but as I walked outside........there was the silence. Not much snow, but a lot of silence. And in the silence ........I listen. God had used this snowfall, like all the ones before, to make me stop.......and listen. I didn't need to rush anywhere, or see to this or that, or answer any questions, or even ask any questions. I just needed to stop and listen. With all the busyness that can take over our lives and cause us to rush here and there, isn't it amazing that God can use a little dusting of snow to remind us that He is in control. A snowfall is His way of getting our attention at just the right time so we will stop what we are doing..... take a deep breath of clean, cold air..... and listen for the silence so that He can speak to us. All the distracting sounds are gone. Its just you and God.

Listen.....

just a beggar

I've just finished reading a book by Greg Laurie entitled, "Lost Boy". I have been a listener of Greg on the radio for many years, and I have seen some of his crusades online. I first heard about him when I attended a Youth Crusade in Charlotte a few years ago. I actually went to hear a band that was playing for the event.....All Together Separate. I found out that they were the Praise Band for Greg's church in California, and I wanted to hear them play. After hearing them, I wanted to know more about a preacher that had a band like this playing in the church.

I like to hear Greg talk. He is a great communicator.......holds your attention from the very beginning. So, I wanted to read this book. It tells all about his life; all the struggles and mistakes. And, it tells about the change that comes about when he accepts Jesus as his Savior. Greg is an evangelist. He has been called to share the gospel with everyone because, as he says in the book... "everyone needs Jesus". Where have I heard that before? There are a lot of catch phrases in this book that caused me to remember things in my past, and phrases that stir the imagination. Toward the end of the book, I read a phrase that now I hear over and over in my head. It echoes what I feel is the heart of HRCC; why we do what we do. Greg says..."I am just a beggar trying to tell other beggars where the food is."

There are people in this world (community) that are lost and hungry. They struggle everyday trying to make sense of what all is going on around them. These people choose, one day, to attend a church.....any church to find answers....food. They are hungry for purpose, hope, and love. And I have seen these same people come into HRCC and they are fed by others that were once just as hungry as they are. God has given His Son for us (beggars), and by receiving His gift (food) we now have purpose, hope, and love. I believe that we just need to remember that we all were once beggars and we now know where the food is when we come across another beggar. Get it?

Good.

Where'd it go?

I just realized that 2008 is "out of here"!! It seemed like only yesterday I was getting ready to see what was ahead for 2008, and now it's 2009. Where'd it go?......Did this seem like a quick year? I thought so; until I looked back at all that happened in '08.....and this was an amazing year......an amazing year.

Kannapolis Campus.....Brian Duncan (Campus Pastor) joins HRCC staff, full-time; Ron Loflin joins HRCC staff as full-time Pastor of Denton Campus; baptisms at all 3 campuses; outreach at Thresher's Reunion, North Cabarrus Park, and Dan Nicholas Park; hosted Rowan Baptist Associational Meeting; "Fireproof" sellout at Tinsel Town; "I Hate High Rock Church" billboard; 90 day God's Guarantee Card; Nikita Koloff at Denton Anniversary; "Econo-Me"; a virtual tour of new Worship Center; "God Of This City"; there's a house on the stage.... with a picket fence; "www.whateverittakes.us"; "Reel2Real". The more I sit here and think, the more things I remember that happened in '08. I'm afraid that if I mention everything that comes to mind in this blog, you may not take the time to travel back through your memories and recall all the things that you saw this year.

Right here, at the beginning of 2009, I encourage us all to look back and see how God moved at HRCC this past year; how God used you, the church, to be His hands and feet to the community; how you stepped when God spoke. When we look back, we see how He "never let go" of us; and as we look ahead.....we are reminded that "greater things are still to be done here".