Archive for June, 2010

As I a walked into the house tonight,  these words popped into my mind:  “Yesterday, today, and forever”.  So, I got on youtube.com to see if there was a song by this name.  And, sure enough, there was.  I had never heard this song before, but I like it, and hope you do, too. 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  

I have trouble every week thinking of what I should write, and every week I sit down in front of the computer in holy fear that I am telling you something about someone that I don’t truly or fully understand the depth of. I have trouble even wanting to write something for fear, that if I tell you the wrong thing or lead you down a wrong path, then I will have to answer for it.  And, then, let alone, just the fact that if I am wrong, anyone who reads it will have a wrong feeling or idea about God. I have always thought that preaching would be the most fearful job in the whole world. I am not a preacher, but telling a congregation of 50 or 5,000 people every week something that should bring them closer to seeing God is just a frightening thing to me.

Every day people ask me how do I know that what I believe is true when so many preachers  You can’t have a deep relationship or know anything about someone just by listening to someone talk about Him once or twice a week. If you want to know His heart, then listen to what He says.  Read it.  This is how you develop truth and this is how you get the ablility to describe God to an unbeliever.

Most Christians’ witnessing goes like this, “Hey, why don’t you come to church with me on Sunday?” I have learned one thing from this approach. People have been to church, especially in the “Bible Belt” where I live.  They don’t want church.  They want to know if Jesus is really what they need, and if you really know Him. Do you have what they need and church isn’t it.  This is an okay start and better than nothing at all, but where in the Bible do you see Paul asking people to go to the temple with Him as a way for them to know Jesus?  No, Paul was so filled with the Word of God and the knowledge of who God is that Paul’s  preaching or witnessing was just like it was coming straight from the Bible itself.  He knew God.

People need to know why they need Jesus and know what you are really saved from.  You find all this in the Word. One, two, or three services a week won’t get you ready for this. So, take fear in what you tell people about God because it may affect their view of Jesus, God, and Christians for their whole life. Get in the Word of God and find out what the gospel really is and what God is really like. Some of it may be boring to you, but ask God to give you a love for it and revelation of His heart and words. This is the way to Him, and this is the way to learn how to witness and live.

When I was in a youth group in Somerset, KY, I was exposed to some contemporary Christian music like Michael W. Smith, DC Talk, Amy Grant, etc. I know that I just told my age!!  After that, I was away from church for a while, and then I ended up in a very traditional church. I didn’t get to hear much contemporary music there. No, we were only about hymns. One day, someone gave me a Casting Crowns CD. I was already searching for some things, not finding what I needed within my current church and questioning a lot of things. I was so tired of being who they thought I was, who they wanted me to be, and yet they really didn’t know me at all. If they knew me, they wouldn’t have accepted me. The worst part about that is knowing they weren’t perfect either and just wondering why we all had to play this little game. Then, I began to listen to this CD. It spoke to me! It seemed that band understood how I felt at the moment. Songs like “Here I Go Again”, “The Voice of Truth”, “If We Are The Body”, “Stained Glass Masquerade”, and “Does Anybody Hear Her” seemed to expose everything that was going on in my heart at that time. I think that for the longest time, “Does Anybody Hear Her” was my favorite song. I found out yesterday that they will be in Bowling Green, KY in September. Finally, I think I will go and hear them in person. While I have bands that I like more now, songs that speak more to me today, I will always have a sentimental attachment to Casting  Crowns for using music to meet me where I was at that moment. Without a church willing to do so, having long left a youth group, and not even having a mentor to speak into my life, someone passed along a CD and the  ministry of music taught me that there might be more out there. I would say that was the first step to my finding Higher Praise Church (now 3trees Church).  So, today, here is my old favorite song:

Your successes shouldn’t define you.  Your failures are not who you are.  You are more!

(a portion of the lyrics, “You Are More” by Tenth Avenue North)

There’s a girl in the corner
With tear stains on her eyes
From the places she’s wandered
And the shame she can’t hide

She says, “How did I get here?
I’m not who I once was.
And I’m crippled by the fear
That I’ve fallen too far to love”

But don’t you know who you are,
What’s been done for you?
Yeah don’t you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you’ve made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You’ve been remade.

According to this article, 7th graders just discovered something on Mars that NASA did not know existed yet. That’s right, 7th graders! Was it because they were more intelligent than NASA scientists? No. It was because they looked where no one else had looked yet. This is just one example of a young person doing something great. The Bible is full of such examples. Miriam, David, and Jeremiah are a few such people. Jesus Himself began His work as a young boy on this Earth.

Don’t ever discount your abilities simply because of your age. I know that adults often do just that and it is easy to believe them. However, I believe your generation has a distinct ability to see things my generation can not. You seem to know to look where we never have. Have faith in yourself and believe that God can use you at any age!

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

I’m really not a sports fan, but I do have some interest in UK basketball.  While scanning the Lexington Herald-Leader (online), I noticed this article about John Wall.  So, I clicked on the following link and read this inspirational story:  http://www.kentucky.com/2010/06/23/1319381/john-wall-idolizes-father-he-never.html              

A few years ago, America didn’t know who John Wall even was.  Now, he’s  projected to be a #1 NBA draft pick.  He has a $25 million endorsement agreement with Reebok.  And, he even has his own “dance”.  From a rags to riches story, this is one of them.  But, what I liked most about the story, was at one point in John’s young life, he made a decision that he would have to make some changes.  Fortunately, there were some men—some mentors—in his life that helped him to succeed.      

There may be those reading this blog that have a similar background.  You have been raised by a single parent.  Your father may have been in prison.  Life was hard; school was rough.  You developed a “no care” attitude.  Anger seemed to be the emotion you wanted to express most often.  But, someone came into your life that made a difference.  Someone believed in you. Someone showed you a better way to live.  And, today, you have a story.  Oh, you may not have all the fame and money that John has encountered, but life is good.  You’re living a blessed life. 

If that special someone who made a difference in your life is still around, take the time today to thank them.  Thank them for taking the time to help you, to mentor you.  Thank them for believing in you when no one else would.  But, most of all, thank God that He directed their steps into your life.  Thank Him for blessing you!

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16 NIV

We had small groups last Thursday evening, and I would have to say they were “small” small groups. In other words, we didn’t have many in attendance. In spite of that, I thought the girls’ small group went well, and I enjoyed talking with everyone. I do find that young people, as a whole, are reluctant to share in front of others at times. And, I have even heard some say they don’t know if they will like small groups because they don’t like to talk in front of a group. Keep in mind, that the groups will always be small in nature; we just may have more groups. This will allow for the conversations to be more intimate, and it won’t feel as much like talking to a crowd.

I believe that there is not one person at Hillside that isn’t meant to be there. No one is there by accident. God has placed each of you there together for a purpose. I also believe one of those purposes—to bring healing into your lives—will be facilitated through small groups. Once small groups are held on a regular basis and each group is established, I also believe God will ordain who ends up where.

Each chosen leader has different things to share that will speak to different members of Hillside. God will know who is going to respond to which leader best and who will connect best as group members. This is something your Hillside leaders have been praying about and will continue to pray about so that we can make sure God has blessed every detail of what we are trying to accomplish in small groups.

Yesterday, I was listening to the song “Where the Healing Begins” by Tenth Avenue North. I likened that song to the goals of a small group. It is in those rooms, where “light meets dark” and where we pray, each of you can begin a journey to heal the broken places.

Today, I found the video that explains the meaning behind the song, “Where the Healing Begins”, and my spirit leapt! After hearing him describe what he was trying to accomplish with the song, I thought “somebody gets it!” This is exactly what we hope to accomplish in the lives of Hillside members through small groups! Furthermore, a reference to the above verse showed me that what we are doing is Biblical and has been blessed by God for centuries! God actually wants us to confess to one another, and the Bible states that is how you find healing!

If you find yourself even a little bit nervous about small groups, or if you just want to understand the purpose more, I encourage you to listen to this video by Tenth Avenue North that I think explains our goals exactly:

I would like to invite members of Hillside to help out with the church mission in Casey County. It’s never too early to start serving!

As you know, Casey County is one of the areas of the Lake Cumberland Region that 3trees Church feels led to minister to. This small county has had a difficult year with the tornadoes and the recent flooding. We have been in prayer for quite a while as to how God would have us serve these residents in response to all the recent events. In doing so, many closed doors led to an unexpected invitation that we feel very blessed to receive.

3trees Church will be joining with the Casey County Board of Education for their Back To School Bash on July 29th from 3-5 PM CST at the Ag Center in Liberty.

I realize this is a work day for many, but with the possibility of 600-800 kids in attendance we could not pass up the chance to take this opportunity to not only minister to them but also to connect with the Casey County School System.

We will have a section of the building along side the school system activities. We will be in charge of concessions and plan to serve a meal of hot dogs and snacks.

Additionally, we will be giving away free clothing, school supplies, face painting, balloons, cotton candy, and free haircuts are a hope. We are waiting for final approval from the school system on the haircuts, so please pray that this will go through. I know a haircut is a great need for children going back to school.

If you would like to donate items or if you can volunteer to help that day, please contact myself (Jackie Blankenship), Margaret Sheffield, or Mary Jane Boyd.

Finding a Need and Meeting It,

Jackie Blankenship

3trees Church

It was the typical Sunday afternoon, about two hours until Sunday evening service. I was sitting in the office, doing some homework, while Adam Cravens was going through his typical pre-service routine of blasting music through the sound system, watching music videos on the projector. All of a sudden, I hear this girl reading a passage of scripture out of 1 Corinthians 13, speaking about love. 1 John 4:8 says, “God is Love.” While reading this passage, she replaces the word “Love,” with “God.” As she begins to read, I was sitting there and my heart began to melt, thinking about the precious love of Jesus.  It all made perfect sense because God is Love, so check out this video.

Death row inmates are given a choice as to what their last meal will be prior to their execution.  A lot of times, these meals will become public knowledge, unless the prisoner requests for it not to be made known.  For example, Timothy McVeigh chose two pints of mint chocolate-chip ice cream.  Or, Robert Alton Harris chose a 21-piece bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, two large Domino’s pizzas (no anchovies), ice cream, a bag of jelly beans,  and a six-pack of Pepsi.  Some prisons will choose to honor the requests, while other prisons will serve them the closest things they have available for that day.  Either way, it will be their final meal. 

I don’t ever plan on being on death row, and hopefully neither will you, but we all will have our last meal here on earth before we face eternity.  If you knew it would be your last meal, what would you select?  Would it be steak or filet mignon?  Or, would it be a cheeseburger and fries?  I have thought about some of my favorite foods, and I would probably choose lobster tail, O’Charley’s yeast rolls, cheesecake w/cherry topping, and an ice-cold Mountain Dew. 

The Biblical Last Supper is quite well-known, and can be seen portrayed in paintings and theatrical performances.  Jesus had his last meal (or supper) with those that He loved and was close to—the 12 disciples, including the one who would betray Him, Judas Iscariot.  Even though Jesus knew what was getting ready to happen—His crucifixion the next day—He chose to have this time of fellowship.  Jesus chose to have bread and wine, which would become representative of His body and blood, respectively, and which we now know as communion.  We can only imagine what it must have been like for Jesus, to eat and drink on that final night, as He partook of the Last Supper.