Hillwood Baptist Church
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
2010 - The Year of Discipleship
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Pastor's Blog Archive

March 6, 2010 (6:57 p.m.)

 
Well tomorrow is the day of worship!    I trust that you are planning on making your way to God's House for a wonderful day of Bible study and worship.    The Bible teaches us that as we see the Day of the Lord approaching we should get together even more.    Please pray for those who will be bringing  God's Word to you over the next several weeks. As for me pray for the healing of my heart, literally.   I believe we serve a God for whom nothing is impossible and nothing is too hard.    Though my doctors can not come up with a complete answer to my problem I am confident that the great physician knows and that He makes house calls.  I am asking God not to just make me better, but to bring healing!    I would ask you to join with me in this prayer.
 
I hope that you have a great day at church.    I continue to miss you greatly.
 
Bro.  Charles

March 5, 2010 (6:17 p.m.)

 
I read an interesting devotion out of Dr. Steve Gaines book entitled "Morning Manna" that I wanted to share portions of it with you.
 
"David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."               I Samuel 17:32
 
Most everyone is familiar with the story of David and Goliath, but Dr. Gaines pointed out some interesting characteristics in the lives of those who are willing to do battle with their own personal giants.     Here's what he had to say:
 
"Life is filled with challenges.   We might call them "giants."   David killed Goliath, showing us how to slay our giants.
 
  • Do not fear the giant.    We must never give in to fear.   Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7)
  • Volunteer for the fight.   Standing over nine feet tall, Goliath was quite intimidating.   Even Saul trembled in his presence.   But David volunteered to fight him!
  • Use your own talents.   Saul tried to force David to dress in his armor, but David refused.   David chose stones, a sling, and a staff which he had used as a shepherd.   In the same way we must use our own gifts and talents to fight our giant, not the gifts of others.
  • Fight for God's glory.   David fought for God's glory, not his own.   Even so, our battles must bring honor to Him, not ourselves.
  • Run to the Battle.   When everyone ran away from Goliath, David ran toward him.   They said, 'He's too big to hit!'   David said, 'He's too big to miss!'    We must confront our giant head on and not run away.
Regardless of what you face today, God desires to make you victorious.   Do not be intimidated by your giant.    Run to the battle and engage your giant.    One stone empowered by the Lord is an awesome weapon!"
 

March 3, 2010 (5:41 p.m.)

 
As I was doing my daily Bible reading for today I read from Psalm 46 some wonderful words of hope and encouragement.
 
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.    Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.  Amen."
 
God is truly a very present help in our times of trouble.    Because of that we do not have to be afraid, "though".   I think God is giving us the opportunity to personalize that verse a little for ourselves.   You might put some of the following things:  Though I am sick I will not be afraid.    Though I have financial problems I will not be afraid.   Though my marriage is not what it should be I will not be afraid.   Though things are tough at work I will not be afraid.  Whatever your "though" might be the truth remains  God is our REFUGE and He is our STRENGTH and without a doubt He is a very present HELP in times of trouble!
 
Bro. Charles
 
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.  Amen."
 
God is truly a very present help in our times of trouble.    Because of that we do not have to be afraid, "though".   I think God is giving us the opportunity to personalize that verse a little for ourselves.   You might put some of the following things:  Though I am sick I will not be afraid.    Though I have financial problems I will not be afraid.   Though my marriage is not what it should be I will not be afraid.   Though things are tough at work I will not be afraid.  Whatever your "though" might be the truth remains  God is our REFUGE and He is our STRENGTH and without a doubt He is a very present HELP in times of trouble!
 
Bro. Charles
 

 

February 12, 2010 (8:25 p.m.)

 
It has been a tragic afternoon here in the city of Huntsville.   Three people were killed and three injured in a shooting that took place on the UA Huntsville campus around 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.   Early in the day a fourteen year old boy who was killed last week was buried.  He had his life taken from him through a shooting as well.   What in the world is going on?   This is a question you have more than likely asked yourself.    The only answer that I have is that we live in a fallen world that is governed by the prince of the air, Satan.    It is his plan to seek to kill and destroy as many people as he possibly can.   News like this is always very disturbing to say the least, but not unexpected as we draw ever closer to the end of this age.
 
Please pray for everyone involved in this tragedy.   Pray for the families of those who face life without loved ones.   Pray for those who have been injured.   Pray for the UA Huntsville family as they seek to work through this unthinkable event.
 
Bro. Charles
 

February 8, 2010 (11:04 a.m.)

 
After church last night I was able to watch the Super Bowl.   I don't know if you know it or not but I am a huge Saints fan.   I have been a Saints fan since 1973 when we moved to New Orleans to go to seminary.   I was there when the Super Dome was built.   I have struggled along with all the Saints fan through the years as the Saints could never seem to get over the hump.   But last night all the frustration ended as the Saints won the Super Bowl!
 
The Bible teaches us to not grow weary in well doing.   Sometimes when we don't see things happening the way we would like to see them happen we have a tendency to let up.    God's Word says that good things come to those who wait.    Hang in there during those times of frustration.   Don't give up, God is still on His throne!    The old song says, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!"
 
Have a great day,
Bro. Charles
 

February 3, 2010 (4:54 p.m.)

 
I hope you have had a good day!   As I was getting my walking in today I got to thinking about how important my exercise is for my heart.   Even though we all know we should get ourselves into better shape it is a difficult thing to do at times.   Even though I know that I need to watch what I eat because of my heart condition I still have a desire to eat the wrong things.    I know that that never happens to you, but it does to me.
 
Last night in Men's Fraternity we talked about the heart problem that all of us have.    We were born with a spiritual heart problem.    We know that some of the things we do are wrong even before we do them, yet we still do them.   Even though we love the Lord and want to be at our best for Him we still have a tendency to do the wrong things.   The scripture teaches us to "guard our hearts" to "work out our salvation".    This is something each of us needs to do daily.
 
Bro. Charles
 

January 29, 2010 (12:30 p.m.)

 
Well they have just recently closed the schools in our area due to the wintry conditions we are faced with.   The next few days could be interesting.    The unexpected events of life are often the most challenging.   Plans can change very quickly.   Parents have had to make arrangements to pick their children up at schools and daycares.   Flexibility is one of the keys to making it through this life in good shape.   How flexible are you when presented with sudden change?
 
This Sunday morning we will gather at Hillwood to observe the Lord's Supper.   It is my prayer that this service will be a priority in your life.   It is always a special time when we are invited to gather around the Lord's Table.   I hope to see you Sunday.
 
Bro. Charles
 

January 22, 2010

 
I hope you had a good day today.    All the staff has been busy preparing for this coming Lord's Day.    I trust that you are eagerly awaiting this Sunday and will seek to bring someone with you.   This Sunday morning we will be continuing our study of discipleship.   We are going to be looking at what I believe Jesus gives us as the true test of discipleship.   Sunday evening we will be starting a new series out of the book of Ruth.   It centers around the theme of grace.
 
This Sunday morning we will be voting to adopt the 2010 Budget.   Our Budget Team has worked very hard to put this budget together.   I want to thank each member of the team for their hard work.
 
See you Sunday,
Bro. Charles
 
 
 

January 19, 2010

 

 

"The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous." (Proverbs 3:33-35)   Tuesday's are fast becoming one of my favorite days of the week due to Men's Fraternity.   Although we are only going to be having our second meeting tonight I am still excited about the potential that this ministry has.   Please pray that God will grow this ministry and bless those who come each week.   May the Lord bless you today!

Bro. Charles      

 
 

 January 18, 2010

 

 As I sit and think back over yesterday I feel that we had a blessed day.    Bro. Jeff does such a great job with children's baptism's always challenging each of us to do our part to help the children grow up loving the Lord as they should.     Wasn't it great to see so many children dedicated to the Lord this past Sunday!   I have to admit it was a thrill being able to dedicate one of my own grandchildren to the Lord, that just made the day even more special.    I hope that you come back to this site often as I will be posting information from time to time that I hope will inspire you and encourage you each day.


Bro. Charles