DARK GLASSES

Jump In!

We're starting a new teaching series tomorrow.  "Jump In! Life Skills for Living Dangerously" is based on, inspired by, and informed by this book written by Mark Batterson.  It should be fun.

Baptist 2.0

What do you think of when you hear the word Baptist?  The first thing that pops into your mind may not be positive.  Someone said that whatever your answer, it is probably preceded by the word "don't."  As in they... "don't dance" or "don't drink" or "don't smoke."  I hate being defined by what we are against.  Someone else said Baptist means "hellfire and damnation."  Someone else said "tradition" which I think can be positive or negative.

So what's with Baptist 2.0?  Because so many ideas about Baptist are negative... and because many of us feel like we need to make excuses for attending a baptist church... Baptist 2.0 is our way of trying to redefine or contemporize what it means to be baptist.  There is no single description that fits all baptists.  I won't even try to define all the other baptists in the world.  But let me take a shot at describing HBC -- Baptist 2.0

We are contemporary and casual.  We don't care how you dress when you come onto our campus.  Just come on in.  Our music is upbeat.  No hymnbooks, pianos, or organs.  Instead, it's guitars, drums, keyboard, vocalists, and whatever else we might figure out a way to use.  The music is a little bit loud.  People may "walk the aisle" at any point in the service to pray.  We clap and raise our hands.  We hug.  We have a coffee bar in the lobby and you can take your drink with you on into the "big room" for worship. We value people and try to connect with each other through small groups.  We prioritize kids and students.  We don't sweat the small stuff, but we stand strong on the Bible.

Wow!  I could go on and on.  Maybe someone could help me out here.  I think it's an idea worth exploring.

New Blogging Network

http://evenyou.blogspot.com http://www.djchuang.com/ http://www.flowerdust.net http://www.lapalabra.ws/blogs http://www.mattandnancy.org http://theviewfromosprey.blogspot.com/ http://2timothy22.blogspot.com http://nathandiehl.com http://www.thislamp.com http://davethepastor.vox.com/ http://missionalchallenge.blogspot.com http://blog.aspiringindie.com http://www.xanga.com/samwisegmge http://www.growthstarts.org http://www.jonathaneverette.blogspot.com http://tonystewardblog.com http://www.imageforth.com http://discipletim.blogspot.com/ http://littlepastor.blogspot.com http://www.churchrelevance.com http://thegatheringplacehome.blogspot.com http://www.anotherstorm.com http://www.xanga.com/revshortridge http://www.gupdate.blogger.com http://www.curtbradford.typepad.com/ http://lizardsmommy.blogspot.com http://www.brianeberly.com http://www.mattsingley.com http://www.discoverychurchjason.blogspot.com http://tommyham/typepad.com http://www.unfoldingneurons.com http://johnsmulo.com http://gotgrace2.blogspot.com http://blog.myspace.com/ricolsen http://microexplosion.com http://lenscleanse.blogspot.com http://www.evtales.com http://nanolog.blogspot.com http://friesville.net/blog http://jeffreycrawford.blogspot.com http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com http://edbuford.blogs.com http://paulmayers.blogs.com http://gomotion.blogspot.com http://www.paulpeterson.wordpress.com http://www.johannesrueschel.de/ http://www.robertpooley.org http://revnorman.blogspot.com/ http://elblogdecristianosh.blogspot.com http://www.cowboycountrychurch.com http://www.despuesdeldomingo.com http://www.fbcsulphur.org http://www.pastorjohnccc.blogspot.com http://michaeldeutsch.blogspot.com http://www.markbatterson.com http://themerge.blogspot.com http://chuckwarnockblog.wordpress.com http://www.kevinpurcell.org http://www.glenwoods.blogspot.com http://marshilltop.blogspot.com/ http://reformedchicksblabbing.blogspot.com/ http://www.xanga.com http://www.adoracionyartes.blogspot.com http://www.jenniclayville.com http://churchtechmatters.com http://www.pastorsview.blogspot.com http://www.marriagevictory.com http://www.blindbeggar.org http://faithfulweb.wordpress.com http://www.360.yahoo.com/genblessings http://www.kimzweygardt.com http://straightfrompastor.blogspot.com http://www.simplyhsp.multiply.com http://www.myspace.com/blogpastor_charlie http://becoming.voxtropolis.com http://tonymorganlive.com http://bucketsfromgoldie.blogspot.com http://www.timschmoyer.com http://veldugo01.blogspot.com http://blog.myspace.com/servingtheking http://jeffsmithspeaks.blogspot.com/ http://bittersweetblue.blogspot.com http://checkyourcompass.blogspot.com/ http://www.post-methodist.blogspot.com/ http://www.sequimur.com/banditsnomore http://www.macmike.typepad.com http://www.revitalizeyourchurch.blogspot.com http://julieclawson.blogspot.com http://themerge.blogspot.com http://www.newlifebrisbane.blogspot.com http://www.danieldecker.net http://www.preacherjoe.blog http://ngpfocus.wordpress.com http://www.determinacionhoy.net http://missiodeiscandia.wordpress.com/ http://chriswhitehead.blogspot.com/ http://www.ifjesushadawebsite.net/ http://becoming.voxtropolis.com http://churchonomics.com/ http://marcpitman.com/ http://www.ridgethoughts.blogspot.com/ http://bridgecommunity-mike.blogspot.com/ http://www.simplyjosh.com http://www.johnnylaird.blogspot.com/ http://verge.lifepointblog.com http://www.completinggodsmission.com http://www.anchorite.org/blog http://mountain-top-musings.blogspot.com/ http://mattandmeganmckee.blogspot.com http://www.prayershake.blogspot.com http://grantlharrison.com http://blog.myspace.com/ricolsen http://www.pursuingholiness.com http://patamo.blogspot.com http://hkbaptistchurch.blogspot.com/ http://markkelly.wordpress.com http://rickwarren.typepad.com http://countercultureblog.com

HOW TO SPEND YOUR MONEY

Notes from 2/4/07...

1. Avoid foolish debt.  Proverbs 22:7
2. Simplify your lifestyle.  Proverbs 23:4-5; Proverbs 30:8-9
3. Live below your means.  Proverbs 21:20; Proverbs 21:17; Hebrews 13:5
4. Beware envy and rivalry.  Ecclesiastes 4:4
5. Get out of debt... as quickly as possible.  Psalm 37:21; Romans 13:7; Psalm 37:21

HOW TO BUILD WEALTH

Here is the outline from 1/28/06...

Transfer Ownership. 

• Psalm 24:1

Establish a tithe.

• Malachi 3:8-11

Work hard.

• Proverbs 10:4
• Ecclesiastes 9:10

Avoid "get-rich-quick" schemes.

• Proverbs 13:11
• Proverbs 12:11

Make a plan.

• Proverbs 21:5
• Proverbs 16:3

Save all you can.

• Proverbs 21:20

Seek (and listen to) wise counsel.

• Proverbs 12:15
• Proverbs 15:22

Check your motives.

• To honor God.

            Proverbs 3:9

• To provide for your family.

                1 Timothy 5:8

• To help others.

                Hebrews 13:16; 2 Cor. 9:8; Deuteronomy 15:8; Psalm 37:26; Exodus 22:25

Check the link below for audio podcast to be posted this week.

PODCAST

I finally have a podcast episode up. Last Sunday's sermon:  "Vision Cast 2007."

You can click here to listen online or download to iTunes.

iChurch

We began a new series last Sunday... "iChurch."  Kevin is sharing the teaching on this one.

The series is inspired by a recent edition of Leadership Journal (Summer '06).  Perhaps the dominant worldview in our nation right now is consumerism.  We have so much to choose from.  In fact, we're overwhelmed by choices.

Consumerism and choices put me in charge of my world.  I can pick and choose what I like and what I want...and I can try to make the world conform to me and mine.  Skye Jethani (in the above-mentioned journal) says that "Christianity becomes just one more brand we consume."

We cannot escape the consumerism of our culture.  We will continue to be faced with so many stress-inducing choices.  So this series is about making good choices...the right choices. We will try to understand that just because I can choose what I like, that might not always be the best choice.  We'll examine why we make some of the choices we make.  And we'll discover how the Bible can inform our choices.

NEW SERMON SERIES

  I began a new sermon series last week.  It's based on the life of Joseph and will be an expository study through Genesis 37 and following.  Last week's sermon was:  "Whey Your Dream Takes A Detour."  Coming weeks will be:

• August 13:  "When Blended Families Don't Blend"
• August 20:  "When Doing The Right Thing Costs You"
• August 27:  "When Your Friends Let You Down"

Joseph started life as a pampered person in a privileged family.  But things began to turn...badly and quickly.  His mother died.  He was kidnapped and sold into slavery.  He had to start life over in a new place/culture at the opposite end of the socio-economic ladder from where he had been.  But he settled in, worked hard, and made a new life for himself.  And just when he had achieved some measure of success, it was all taken away and he had to start over again.    And he succeeded again.  Then, just when he thought he'd been able to put his past and his dysfunctional family behind him...it all showed up again on his doorstep.

I think it will be an interesting journey through the life of this man.  I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.

WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS..."

THIS WEEK AT HBC

We're celebrating some milestones at HBC this week.  We had one of our highest attendance days ever last Sunday...and in the middle of summer.  Kevin and I have spent time this week talking on the telephone with guests who are visiting our church.  It's so fun hearing them tell us about their experience as our guest.  We continue to hear what a warm and welcoming environment that you, the people of HBC, have created for people to walk into on Sunday morning.  Thank you for your hard work and your generous, open hearts.

And, in case you missed it in the worship folder last week, our giving so far this year now exceeds our budget needs.  That's huge.  We've been playing catchup for a long time.  Again, thanks to the members of HBC for their generous, faithful and consistent giving. 

I know that you continue to pray with me about the vision for the future of our church.  Seeing all the people in our building last Sunday and feeling the excitement ...reminded me of the opportunity and the potential and the hugeness of the task before us.  God is bringing so many people right to our doorstep.  This is the time for us, as a church, to decide we will step up to face this with faith.

Our ministry teams continue to investigate potential projects.  We're getting feedback from you.  Our teams are putting together detailed plans to bring to the church.  Following this season of prayer, our next task will be to determine which projects to take on and how to make them happen.

It's an exciting time.  As we pray, I can sense God's Spirit stirring our hearts...together...as one.  My hope and belief is that this season of prayer will propel us forward in unity.  And that we will be ""like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose" (Philippians 2:2).

We still have much to discuss.  But it's getting fun.

BIG EVENT

July 17-21
6:00 - 9:00 pm
(Finished K-6th grade)

Cost $20 per child.

HUTTO SPORTZ CAMP

Kids choose from one of three exciting actvities:

• Cheerleading
• Soccer
• Basketball

Kevin will be leading  the large-group teach times each night.  His creative communication skills and high-energy style will energize camp participants.

The week is guaranteed to be an action-packed, fun, and exciting week.