December 31

Good morning, Beautiful Church Family!

I've read today's Scripture reading over and over. There's so many things that caught my attention. I love the verse in Malachi 3:2 & 3 that describe God being like a refiner's fire or launder's soap - purifying & cleansing us until we sparkle and His reflection shines in us. Verse 6 declares that He is the Lord and does not change. Surely, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And because He does not change we are NOT consumed in our sinfulness. In verses 10-12, God tells us to try Him by bringing our tithes and offerings into His house and see Him open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings so much that we couldn't contain them. All very, very great Scriptures.

Then I read Revelation 22:1-21. Specifically, verses 12-17 jumped out at me. Did you read it too? Christ is returning and His reward is with Him, to give to every one according to his work. He's the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. God spans eternity. He always was and always will be even though we are but a breath, a wisp of air in the great scheme of things in this life. God declares that we who DO His commandments are blessed and will have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. How amazing that God loves us so much that He lets us work for Him, that He lets us serve Him, that He sets perimeters for our lives and gives us boundaries through His commandments and makes our lives matter!

"And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." Do you realize the grand opportunity we have right now before us in Hillcrest Church? We have the living water. We are the bride! It's our job, our ministry, our time to call out to the nations of people within Dallas and say, "Come and thirst no more!" Every day people around us are thirsting. They are trying eduction, money, possessions, drugs, alcohol, sex & relationships to feed that thirst, and ultimately some even take their lives because they are so hopeless and find their existance meaningless. It's time for us to step up and call them forth to come and know that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He's the Living Water, the River of Life.

Will you join me more than ever praying for our move downtown as a church body, the Bride? Will you pray for all the divine connections that must take place to plant our church downtown? Will you pray for the eyes of the people's hearts to be opened to see the amazing love of Jesus and to see their filthiness and the need for His righteosness? Will you pray for deaf ears to be opened and clouded minds to be cleared and hard hearts to be softened and dumb mouths to be opened and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord?! Will you join me in finding your voice to speak out and call forth the people who are waiting to hear? Will you serve whole-heartedly to touch the people's lives? to impact generations to the glory of God? You will surely reap eternal rewards when He returns.

I know 2011 was tough for many and great for others. So many tragedies around the world...and yet so many victories. But it's time to press on even more and to run the race even better...whatever that means to each one of us personally. We have a destiny to seize in 2012 as a church body and as individuals! May God bless each one of us to step up and take hold of His calling and purpose for our lives at such a time as this and to run the race He's set before us well.

See you at church Sunday! (If you aren't doing anything for New Year's come to our home to celebrate w/our Life Group and bring some yummy food! We're supplying the games.) :)

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

December 24

Merry Christmas, Hillcrest Family!

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

I don't know about you, but Christmas Eve at my house is anything but quiet and still. My kids are loud and boisterous. My family laughs as we play games and enjoy one another's company. There's no waiting up for Santa nor going to sleep quickly in hopes that he would soon be here. My kids know the truth and have always known the truth that Christmas means celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, born as a babe in a manger one lowly night.

Maybe its joyful and noisy at your home like mine or maybe it's quiet as a mouse as you celebrate the birth of our Savior alone. Or maybe there's no celebration at all because it's been an especially tough year and your heart is full of sadness and perhaps anger instead of joy and gladness.

Growing up, my home wasn't always full of laughter and joy and neither is it always like that now. Like many of us, David knew tough times. And while he knew tough times, David knew that God was bigger than his circumstances...even those he brought on himself. David cried out to God. David knew God and knew that God is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" and his only hope.

In Psalm 143 in one of today's Scripture passages, David cried, "Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed." How many of us, how many people around us, are overwhelmed right now this very moment and distressed in our hearts?! But David knew the Answer. He knew the Solution to the aching of his heart. In verse 6 he declared, "I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land." Church Family, are we thirsty for the God Who created us, who created our hearts and knows where we are? Like a cool, refreshing tall glass of ice water on an insanely hot Texas day, do we thirst for more of God?


I especially love Psalm 143 verses 8 through first part of 11, where David - thirsty for God - petitioned, "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; in You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O Lord, for Your name's sake!" Whether times are good or bad, rich or poor, ugly or beautiful, may this be our prayer. May we hear God's lovingkindness and trust and hope in Him. May we know the way in which we should walk, and may we know His will. God is good. God is loving and kind. May we know Him better than ever before and walk with Him closer than ever before and may our spirit be revived in Him!

Peace and Merry Christmas!
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

December 17

Good morning, Hillcrest Family.

God is so incredibly good! His plans for our future as a church and as a church body are so incredibly good. May He be glorified continuously in our midst as a church body and in our homes and families and all aspects of our lives.

There's so much good reading in today's Scripture portion. I love Revelations. I want to concentrate on Psalms 136, however. The passage starts off in verse one, "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." The passage declares, "give thanks to the God of gods and to the Lord of lords!" Then Psalm 136 lays out the things God does to which we say, "Thank You."

God is great. God is huge. There's a song that I love to sing with the kids, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty; there's nothing my God cannot do for you." We see His greatness throughout Psalms 136. Yes, God loves when we see Him in His glory and greatness. He loves it when we praise Him. And yet, there's something more to this passage. "For His mercy endures forever" echos through the passage over and over and over. Obviously it's a pretty important statement. So what does it mean?

The word "for" that begins this statement is a function word used to indicate purpose or an intended goal. "Mercy" is compassion or forebearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power. Another definition states that mercy is a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion or the compassionate treatment of those in distress. "Endures" means to undergo without giving in as in hardship or to regard with tolerance and acceptance, to remain firm under suffering without yielding. As I read the words of Psalm 136, I realize God's greatness in light of my humility and smallness. I see my need for Him. Man is born sinful. We sin, and our sin pains the holy God who created us. And yet, over and over and over, He moves on our behalf compassionately to draw us to Him. He doesn't write us off as losers or hopeless. Instead He reminds us that He remembered us in our lowly state and that He rescued us from our enemies.

For His mercy endures forever. Can you hear His love? God isn't just puffing up His chest declaring that He's great and man is worthless. He's crying out, "I love YOU...and I forgive YOU...and I did these things for YOU!" How can we not but look to Him and give thanks? Thanks for His mercy. Thanks for His perseverance. Thanks for His love. Thanks for His greatness. If only we truly understood just how deeply God loves us and those around us, how could we not help but live in a state of thankfulness and gratitude and love no matter what the circumstance, putting away unforgiveness and bitterness and selfishness.

Today, I bless you in the name of Jesus to comprehend along w/the saints the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge and to be filled with the fullness of God. I bless you to know and understand that for YOU His mercy endures forever in Jesus' name, amen and amen.

Have a wonderful day! See you at church tomorrow.

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

December 13

Psalm 132


The early part of this chapter describes David’s fierce love for God’s presence.
He determined in his heart that he wouldn’t retreat, relent or rest until he had secured a sanctuary in which his God may dwell.
David was not only a seeker of God’s presence, but a protector of His glory. His heart longed for the Lord to have a place of rest. A place where the nations would come and worship the Almighty.
David’s vision to build God a dwelling was fulfilled when his son, Solomon, built the temple in Jerusalem. The city God officially ordained as His sanctuary.
Verse fourteen is so beautiful as God declares of Jerusalem, “this is my resting place forever.” As I read the following verses, I realized they relate directly to believers. In the Old Testament, God ordained the temple of David as his dwelling. With Christ’s death and resurrection, came the death of the Old Covenant and the birth of the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant, God’s presence no longer dwelt in the walls of a building but within the chambers of man’s heart.
If I replace Jerusalem in the last portion of this chapter with the word, “you”, we see God’s sacred design for man from the beginning. A chosen dwelling for His presence.
“For the Lord has chosen you, He has desired your heart as His home. He has declared you shall be His resting place forever!”

Now I pray that we may be unrelenting as we seek more of God’s presence and fierce in the protection of His glory. What holy and sacred vessels we are as carriers of His presence!

Blessings,
Lauryn

December 8

One of the surest marks of spiritual maturity is the God-given ability to control our anger. A verse from our reading from today in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 29, verse 11 declares this character trait is a mark of wisdom:

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

The real problem with anger is not what we feel, but what we do. As the Apostle Paul put it in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin…” or in other words, “When you are angry, be careful that you do not sin.”

As we go through our daily lives, things sometimes happen that arouse strong emotions within us, but with God’s help we do not have to say or do everything we want to say or do! As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us in those situations, He will give us the self-control that we need to avoid responding in unrighteous ways. This precious reality prompted Paul to tell the Galatian Christians that self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23) and that walking in the Spirit is the key to overcoming the impulses of our “flesh,”

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Gal. 5:16)”

Anger management classes or techniques can help us, but at the end of the day our greatest recourse when dealing with anger is the power of the power of the Holy Spirit.

While we may sometimes be tempted to think that we do not have any control over our what we feel, in the Ephesians passage the Apostle commands us, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (vs. 26-27)” From his perspective, we have a choice to make as to whether or not we will continue to be angry from one day to the next. He wants us to realize that nursing, harboring, or deliberately feeding our own anger opens our heart to demonic influence. As another verse in Proverbs puts it, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. (Prov. 25:28)” When we choose to stay angry at anyone for any reason for any length of time, we become incapable of exercising spiritual authority over our enemy, Satan!

This very real danger is perhaps part of the reason behind the following biblical injunctions to work very hard at maintaining peaceful relationships with other people,

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”” (1 Peter 3:8–12)

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14–15)

Here is the “bottom-line”: We cannot be wrong with our neighbor and be right with God.

Ongoing anger is a symptom of other, deeper issues and has far-reaching consequences. 1 Timothy 2:8 links our liberty in prayer to an absence of anger and arguing. Galatians 5:20 lists “fits of rage” among some of the most serious sins in the Bible, flatly stating that no one who lives like this will inherit the Kingdom of God. Proverbs 22:24 instructs us, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”

One of the most valuable practical lessons I have learned about anger from my years of dealing with people is that a person who is continually angry with others is usually even more angry with themselves about something or another. Perhaps they find it difficult to forgive themselves for some past deed. Perhaps they are losing their ongoing battle with a specific sin that they themselves find so egregious that it fills them with shame and guilt expressed through rage. Or perhaps they have been deeply hurt by something that was done to them and have become so bitter about what happened that they are mad at the world and everyone in it.

Whenever you encounter this kind of anger in others or if you experience it yourself, remember this: Jesus Christ is the answer! He came to bring forgiveness for what we have done and freedom from what we have become! At the foot of His cross, there is peace and victory through the power of His Holy Spirit!

Pastor Mark

December 7

"Celebrating the Season Whatever Your Circumstances" Psalm 126:4-6

No Christmas This Year
We won’t have a Christmas this year, you say
For now the children have all gone away
And the house is so lonely, so quiet so bare
We couldn’t have a Christmas that they didn’t share.

We won’t have a Christmas this year, you sigh,
For Christmas means things that money must buy.
Misfortunes and illness have robbed us we fear
Of the things that we’d need to make Christmas this year.

We won’t have a Christmas this year you weep
For a loved one is gone, and our grief is too deep.
It will be a long time before our hearts heal,
And the spirit of Christmas again we can feel.

But if you lose Christmas when troubles befall,
You never have really had Christmas at all.
For once you have had it; it cannot depart
When you learn that true Christmas is Christ in your heart. (Author unknown)
Our joy is a spiritual reality anchored in Jesus, not in external circumstances. That’s why you can have joy even when your world is falling apart, even when Christmas is far from what you want it to be.

We can be joyful when our restoration is far from complete. Jesus is the foundation for our joy. As long as we have Jesus in our life, no one can rob us of the joy He provides. When we feel depressed struggling with our problems, we can turn to Him and ask for His help. He will give us what we need to have JOY IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

So whatever circumstances you are in at this Christmas season, REJOICE even in PARTIAL restoration. Thank the Lord for what He IS doing for you even if it is not complete. Have faith and confidence for the future. Ask the Lord for what you need. Let His joy come to you as you give him your burdens and anxiety. Don’t wait for God to do it all. Move into an attitude of joy by doing what you can do in “this day”, because the Lord made it for us to rejoice and be glad in. Celebrate the Season Whatever Your Circumstances and grace and mercy will follow you.

Blessings!
Shaun Estrada

Hello, Hillcrest Family!

35 years ago, a little girl knelt beside her bed and prayed for Jesus to come into her heart and be her Lord and Savior and pledged to live for Him. I was three years old. I've heard people argue that a child that young can't possibly understand the decision she was making. And yet, I totally did. You see, my mom and my Sunday School teachers taught me and showed me the love of God in Jesus Christ. I felt and knew His love in a way that impacted my life and won my heart for life...not just a few menial childhood years. I knew that I knew that I knew that God loved me, and I loved him. And furthermore, I felt the conviction of the Spirit and knew that I was a sinner in need of a Savior.

I John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." The Word teaches us that we love because He first loved us. You and I are capable of love, loving God and loving others, because He first loved us. And when we realize fully His love for us, how can we do anything but love others and lay down our lives for them? John admonishes us to love in deeds and in truth not just with words. Love is what motivated us to go out Thanksgiving morning and make and deliver 150 plates of food to the less fortunate instead of staying home and cuddling w/our families and enjoying ourselves. Love for God and this city is what motivated us to vote for and support the move downtown. Love is what moves us everytime we forgive someone who hurt us even though it stings. Love is what moves us to humble ourselves and prefer others above ourselves.

Reading in Daniel today I was blown away by how detailed God is and how amazing His love is that He would chose a mere man to relay such a strong, powerful and detailed message. How amazing that such a huge and powerful God loves, really and personally loves, each one of us enough to lay down His life. To save us...and not just let it end there...but to actually talk to us and move us and be concerned with every detail of our lives. Who are we that God would love us so much? Oh, that the world would know His perfect love...really, really know His perfect love.

Some people claim to make decisions for Christ at a young age, then walk away doing their own thing, their own way for many years before recommiting their lives to Him. But for me the love of my heavenly Father was so real despite the alcoholic father that I had that I couldn't help but lay down my life for Him and live for Him forever and ever. The love of Jesus made a difference in me AND WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS CITY!

God bless you, Hillcrest. Thanks for allowing me the privilege of serving you and your children. See you Sunday.

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

December 1

In order to become a follower of Jesus Christ, we have to turn away from the path we are walking in and head off in a completely new direction. This act of turning around is called “repentance” in Scripture. Without repentance, we cannot experience salvation.

It is as if at some moment during this Christmas season, someone is standing behind us holding a beautifully wrapped gift. They are calling our name in an effort to get us to turn around so they can place it in our hands. They bought the gift and wrapped it and brought it to the party because they want us to have it. It cost them so much money we could never feel we deserve it, so much that it is hard to imagine it is really meant for us, but all we have to do for it to be ours is accept it…and the only way we can accept it is to turn away from what we were looking at and focus our attention on the one who is giving it.

Before we give our hearts to Jesus, every single one of us is like a traveler who has lost our way. We are doing wrong things and we are headed in the wrong direction. Through the death of His own Son, God purchases our forgiveness and comes up behind us, calling our name, trying to get our attention, ready at any moment to wipe our sins away and give us eternal life. All we have to do in order to receive His salvation is turn away from our sin and look to Him.

Because we have turned away from the direction we were walking in and have begun to follow Jesus, with every passing day our life changes more and more into what He is calling us to become. After He has given us our brand-new life, when we make mistakes and commit sins, we discover to our amazement that He is ready to forgive us all over again and to plead our cause before God in heaven. The only thing He requires is that our heart and our attention stay focused on Him.

The Apostle John put it this way in our reading for today,

“I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

In the rest of that passage, John talks about the love God puts in our hearts when we repent from our sins and trust Him for salvation. Loving others is one of the clearest signs that we have turned around and have begun to follow Him. During this holiday season, amidst all of the hustle and bustle, as we give and receive gifts with those who are closest to us, may the Lord help us to always remember the greatest gift of all, the new life Jesus brings when we open our hearts to Him. May the Lord help us all to love others the way He loves us…!

Pastor Mark

November 28

Daniel 6:1-28

Lessons from Daniel

Daniel’s gifts paved the way, but his character brought God’s favor.
Clearly, Daniel was a man of integrity, but initially, it was his good looks and leadership ability that put him in a place of service within the king’s courts. Years earlier, Daniel’s country was besieged by Nebuchadnezzer and Daniel, along with his friends, was made to serve in the household of the king who had murdered their brothers and blasphemed their God. Nonetheless, Daniel purposed in his heart to honor his God. Over the years, Daniel grew in knowledge and skill, but nothing won the king’s heart over more than his character. Daniel’s character elevated him to place of authority and promotion within the kingdom. This elevation is seen in verse two when we read that king Darius put him in a position of administration over the 120 provinces of his country. Daniel, a captive from Judah, was put in a position higher than his peers, the royalty of Babylon. You see, even though it was Daniel’s gifts that opened the door to the king’s palace, it was his character that opened the door to the king’s heart. In fact, Daniel was esteemed so highly in the king’s eyes that he was planning on placing him over the entire empire.

Daniel’s favor brought persecution, but his integrity saved him from reproach.
As it was with Daniel, so it is with us. When our enemies see the favor of God increase in our lives, they will seek to find fault in us.
When they heard of the king’s plan, Daniel’s peers began seeking faults in his performance. They wouldn’t stand for some slave, a captive from Judah, ruling over them. So, they devise a plan for his demise. However, because he walked in integrity, no fault could be found in his ways. Daniel attended to his duties in such an honorable way, that even those who searched for a fault couldn’t find one! Through carelessness, a fool sets himself up for failure, but not Daniel. Through his integrity, he safeguarded his reputation. And when his enemies inspected his actions for fault, they found faithfulness, responsibility, and trustworthiness instead! Daniel’s enemies concluded that cheating was the only way they would be able to condemn him. In all their searching, it seemed the only fault they could find was his faith.

Daniel’s faith humbled a nation and saved a king.
You know how the story goes. A decree was issued prohibiting all citizens from praying to any god or man other than the king himself. This decree was only to last for thirty days, but Daniel couldn’t hold to it for 30 seconds. As soon as he learned of the decree, he went straight home, opened his window and began praying to his God. Daniel prayed before his God that day just as he had always done. Not just one time, but three times. And soon, the officials heard about it. Their hearts pumped with malice and its venom flowed through their veins. Soon, this captive would be put back in his place-a hole in the ground. Only this time, he would have visitors.
The king, with great remorse had Daniel arrested. Before throwing him to his death, the king looked at Daniel one last time and made a statement, “ May your God rescue you.” Even this pagan king had hope that the God of Israel would save his own. The hole was covered and Daniel was separated from the world. In darkness he waited and prayed. Early the next morning, the king rushed to the seal and ordered that it be removed. His faith in the God of Israel had been tested all night while he fasted and prayed. But that morning, his faith was solid at the sight of Daniel’s face.
This once pagan king then issued a worldwide decree and declared, “ The God of Israel is the living God, and He will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His rule will never end.”

Blessings,

Lauryn Everett

November 27

Good morning, Hillcrest Family!

I love today's reading in 1 Peter 5:6-11. "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because[g] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may[h] the God of all grace, who called us[i] to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." I love that we can humble ourselves and give God all those things, big ones and little ones, that we care about and that He will take care of us. He cares for us. He really, really does even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

In this passage, we're told to be sober and vigilant. Being sober means to be marked by earnestly thoughtful character or demeanor. Vigilant means alertly watchful especially to avoid danger. As a parent, I am vigilant to watch over and protect my children. As a children's minister, I am vigilant to watch over our HC flock of children. Why? Because the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour us, our children and our families. Wolves, lions, and bears seek out the weak in flocks to devour them first. They make easy prey. How susceptible are our little ones to our vicious adversary. Do we realize that?

In some countries, men & women train their little ones - really little ones even - for war, strapping bombs on them and putting vicious weapons in their hands. Muslims whisper in their newborn's ears that Alah is god and that they belong to him for life! Abortion rears its ugly head even in Dallas, stealing these little ones away. Do you realize that drug lords in Mexico are training kids in Mexico and in Texas and even Dallas to do their drug trafficking? They are calling these kids - "The Expendables!" Then there is sex slave trafficking right here in Dallas and around the world. But even less subtle are the every day distractions that take our children's attention and hearts away from God. I say all this to say that we MUST be sober and vigilant to protect our kids from the enemy more than ever before.

Reading Psalm 119 about David's troubles and cry to the Lord encouraged me. At one point he says that the proud almost made an end to him on earth...except for God's precepts. David knew and loved and obeyed God's precepts, His Word. The Word of the Lord is the Sword of the Spirit. We must read and know and obey God's Word AND share it with the children and new in faith in our lives. We must be sober and vigilant to teach these little ones God's Word! Reading and learning God's Word isn't hard. We can do it at bedtime or as a morning devotional or put the Word on cd while we drive. Obeying it, however, is the challenge. That's where we discipline ourselves and our children and pray that God creates in us a clean, new heart that is obedient to follow His commands.

So I challenge myself and you today... Are we sober and vigilant in God's Word ourselves? Will we accept the challenge to teach God's precepts and Word to our children and those new in faith? There is a war raging against this generation and against the family. There is a war raging in Dallas. But greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. Victory is ours. Take up your sword today!

Have a blessed day. See you tomorrow at Church!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

November 22

James 5: 13-16

In suffering, pray.

Why did James tell believers to pray in the midst of suffering hardship? Prayer seems the spiritual, even obvious response. It’s like asking someone, “What do you do if your house catches on fire?” Of course, they would reply, “call the fire department.” However, prayer is usually the last thing a person wants to do when found in the heat of battle and depending on the intensity of the fight, prayer can almost feel like surrender. Yet, James tells us that when we are assaulted, the simple and situation changing answer is always prayer.
Prayer releases faith. Often times, amidst our brokenness, the most sincere and childlike prayers come from our lips. In those moments of transparency, our own faith, though it may be weak, is declared. When we voice our injury to God, this communicates our trust and confidence in His ability to make it right.
Without our faith resting solely in Him, our hearts will have no stay and we will be tossed to and fro by the torrents of life’s daunting waves.
Prayer anchors our soul.
Prayer is communion. When we pray, we are engaging the Creator of heaven and earth. He is the living Word. He is speaking regardless of if we recognize His voice or not. When you are conversing with another, you don’t speak for both yourself and the other person. Instead, when you declare your thought, you automatically wait for their response. We should do the same in prayer. Wait for God’s response. He is faithful to answer our curious questions or our deepest cries. His answer will always anchor your heart amidst the raging storms of tragedy. His response will trigger a flood of peace and bring refreshing.
Prayer is unifying. In the book of Ecclesiastes, we learn that two are far better than one. This same natural principle applies in the supernatural. The only thing greater than your current faith in God’s promise is your increased faith in God’s promise! Our flame of faith increases when others lend their torch. Recently, I reconnected with one of my closest childhood friends. It was as if we never parted. Better even! Now, we have real cars, real money and she even has a real baby! Needless, to say, we are no longer “playing house”. We grew up and realized life is not all “peaches n’ cream”. Along with our real cars, came a real monthly payment. Along with our real money, came a real job and attached to a real baby, came real sacrifice. It has been an incredible blessing to be able to share the realities of life with the same person whom I shared my childhood adventures.
Our times together have been so refreshing for many reasons. But, the most important thing I have gained through our rekindled friendship is fuel for my faith. When our faith is fueled, our prayers become more fervent. The righteous man’s fervent prayer is unstoppable.
James encouraged the joining of faith in verse 16, when he wrote, “Confess your trespasses to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Now I pray fervently for you. I pray that you not be overcome or give in to the enemy’s vices, but that you give up on your own devices and find renewed strength under the shadow of His wings.

-Lauryn

November 10, 2011

The key word of the Book of Hebrews is “better.” It was written to show Jewish people the need and role of the New Covenant in God’s unfolding plan for mankind. While reading through the first chapters of this book, it is very important to remember that while it describes various aspects of the New Covenant as “better” than the Old Covenant, it does not call the Mosaic Covenant “bad.”

God did things through Moses that were a very important part of His plan and that were exactly what was needed at that time. The Apostle Paul points out in his Epistle to the Galatian Christians that “…the the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal. 3:24 KJV)” The New Living Translation renders that verse this way: “…The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.”

Having a guardian is not a bad thing when you need one! Simply put, what Paul is getting at is that God gave the Law through Moses as one of His means of preparing His people to receive the Messiah. How did that happen? Among other things, continually being confronted with the multitude of commandments in the Law made it very clear to every Jewish person how sinful they were and how much they needed a Savior. This set the stage for them to receive the message that Jesus the Messiah had died for them with great openness and joy.

In our reading from Hebrews chapter ten today, the author zeros in on the tremendous contrast between the sacrificial system set up by the Law and the perfectly full and complete sacrificial work of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross. Old Testament priests had to offer sacrifices over and over again for the sins of the people, time after time after time. Jesus, on the other hand, offered His own blood once for all time. He died once and will never need to die again. In a sense, the blood of bulls and goats could only cover sin for a defined period of time. The blood of Jesus Christ has the power to take away sin forever! In other words, the death of an innocent animal was enough to appease wrath of God for a few days or weeks or months, but the death of Jesus the spotless Lamb, God’s own Son, was enough to satisfy God’s righteous fury forever!

Furthermore, through the New Covenant, God not only deals with our sin, He also deals with our tendency to sin by putting His laws in our hearts and writing them upon our minds! When we open our hearts to Jesus, the one who died for us and who alone can cleanse our guilt, we also open our hearts to the one who rose again, victorious over death itself and who gives us the precious Holy Spirit who is ready and able to help us overcome temptation. When we turn from our sin and trust Jesus as our sacrifice – the one whose death in our place satisfied the righteous demands of the Law on our behalf by paying our penalty – we become a new type of person, what the New Testament calls “a new creature” or “a new creation.” Old things, i.e., our former life and way of living, pass away and Jesus makes everything new.

I don’t know about you, but thinking about this wonderful reality causes me to want to lift my voice in praise and thanksgiving to God for sending Jesus and establishing the New and better Covenant on our behalf…! Why don’t you take a moment and thank the Lord right now for setting you free from both the penalty and the power of sin…!

Pastor Mark

November 9

“LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO”
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.” Psalms 107:1-3 (NKJV)

WHAT ARE THE REDEEMED TO SAY?
Tell of the goodness, mercy and grace of God; that He saved you and that He will save anyone who comes to Him through Christ. Don’t be afraid to share what the Lord has done in your life with others. If you are thankful this morning that you did not wake up depressed and worried because Jesus healed your mind and your heart; then you should SAY SO! If you are thankful today that God has healed your body or restored your family or whatever Jesus has done to change your life you should SAY SO!

WHERE SHOULD THE REDEEMED SAY IT?
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them.” Mark 16:15, 20

WHEN SHOULD IT BE SAID?
“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1 (NKJV) “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)

WHY SHOULD THE REDEEMED SAY SO?
There certainly are more reasons than the four shown here but these four are the obvious ones.
• Because God deserves the praise and the glory. “
• Because our Lord commanded us to do so.
• Because we have a testimony to tell.
• Because the world needs to hear what we have to say…so tell them the message of God’s love, mercy and grace!

God has put every child of His on His “witness list”. Your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors are more interested in what God has done for you than what He did for Paul or Peter, James or John! They can read about the apostles in their Bible…but they can see you with their own eyes and hear you with their own ears! Every day we live, every place we go and to everyone we meet, let us all have our “SAY-SO” for Jesus.

Blessings,
Shaun Estrada

November 8

Anytime I read from God’s Word, I like to view it as an opportunity to learn. I understand that God is always speaking through His written word, but I especially love the stories found in the Bible of people just like us. Stories that encompass their whole lives; their failures, triumphs and everything in between. The Bible doesn’t leave out the “bad days” and I believe we benefit from that. This way, when we read their lives, we see glimpses of ourselves. We can relate in weakness and anticipate the triumphs they experienced.

As I read Psalm 106 today, I highlighted the verses that stuck with me. When I pulled away from the passage and glanced over the entire chapter, I noticed a commonality in the verses I had marked. If I designated a theme for this chapter, I would probably have gone with the forgiveness of God or the multitude of His mercies. I assumed I would write this piece on one of those two subjects. However, what kept resonating with me was Israel’s ability to so easily forget the mighty deeds of their God. The writer of this Psalm points out a few of God’s stupendous acts. He writes about God delivering Israel from Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think I could ever forget seeing my enemies being washed away (literally)! I don’t think the writer was implying that Israel was suffering from memory loss.

Israel did what we often do and that is to fail to keep God’s greatness in the forefront of our minds. We, just like Israel quickly shift from a song of victory to a desperate cry of fear when all we see is wasteland. We do this because we have already forgotten where God has brought us from and the marvelous acts He has performed in our lives. Throughout scripture, God emphasizes man’s need to remember His great deeds and to meditate on His wonders. Moses told Israel in regards to keeping the ordinances of the law, “When your children ask, “Why do we do this?” to remind them of the mighty acts God had performed on their journey to the promise land.

So it is with us. When we ask ourselves ,“Why do I live for Christ?” or “Why do I continue to believe for a miracle when all seems lost?”, we then remind ourselves of God’s mighty deeds throughout our journey. The “Red Sea” He parted when He delivered us from the depths of our depression. Or how He rescued us from the grip of our oppressor, whether it was poverty, promiscuity or fear. You see, when we forget God’s supernatural acts or His faithfulness, we silence the songs of thanksgiving and praise that should come from our lips. But, when we meditate on God’s goodness, the overflow of our lips will always be the highest of praise. We will always have a song in the wilderness!

So whether you are looking out at a wasteland or rejoicing in triumph, remember your God. Remember He that rescued you from death and punitive exile. Remember He who adopted you and called you His own. Remember His goodness that pervades every facet of your life.

Psalm 103:2-5 is applicable. It reads, “Praise the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He who forgives all of your sins and heals all of your diseases. He who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. “

Warmly,

Lauryn

November 5

Hello Hillcrest!

Are you ready to embrace you destiny? We've been through good times and bad times, easy times and hard times, joyous times and sad times. We've swam hard through the flood waters and as God promised we are not drowned. The fires of hell have raged against us, but we are not burned. Everything we've come through has brought us to this point right now. We stand before God as His church, His bride, with a decision to make.

Ezekiel 12:20 ...THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD. Yesterday, I had the privilege of sitting in the Esther Bible study. Beth Moore emphasized this phrase that recurs over and over throughout the Bible. God knows all. He knows our beginning and our end and everything in between. It's us that must begin to know Him. Hillcrest, everything God has brought us through and allowed us to experience has set us up to know that He is Lord! Everything we are getting ready to walk into points us to Him. Because knowing God and bringing others into that knowledge is the greatest thing that we can ever hope to achieve.

So today I pray that we will embrace our God-mandated destiny and that we will KNOW THAT HE IS THE LORD! Have a blessed weekend. See you tomorrow.

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Chilren's Minister

November 1

Dear child,

Today, when you hear my voice, do not retreat in fear. Fear is a vast wilderness and there is no cultivating it. Guard your heart from those who would deceive it. For when deceived, it becomes hard and unmalleable in My hands. Remember, my promises are seeds and your heart is the soil. They cannot take root in soil that is not cultivated by faith. A hard heart is a barren land.

Today, when you hear my words, do not filter them through what you see. You will quickly come to the conclusion that you don’t qualify for what I’ve promised. It is certainly easier to belief in what seems possible and to hope in what your own hands can accomplish. Beloved, your walk is one of faith and your path is foreign. You have never been to the place I’m bringing you. Please keep from leaning on your own understanding and keep your hands from interfering. Keep your eyes closed and let what I have prepared be a surprise!

Today, you will surely hear my voice. Allow it to lead you to deep places of rest. Grant it access to the places you keep hidden. Let my words engulf the wounds you cover. Let healing come!

Today, I ask, “Do you wish to be a wanderer in the wilderness?” For with a mighty hand I led Israel out of Egypt. I was leading them to land they would call their own. They would live in houses they built and eat of the fruit of their hands. I would be there God and they would be my people. I was the Builder and I was leading them home. Yet because the path home was arduous, they doubted. They worried that their Deliverer had lost His way. They tested me in the wilderness, constantly seeking signs. In their unbelief, their hearts departed from Me. The wilderness became their dwelling. 40 years later, they died there having never stepped foot in the house I built for them.

Hold to My voice, child.

Remember, I have prepared a place for you. A place a fruitfulness and abundance. I will make the path known. Only do not doubt. Put your faith to work and put your works to rest.

October 30

Good morning, Hillcrest!

This week a dear co-worker and friend passed away at the age of 56. He was one of my husband's previous supervisors. He was a big man with a big mouth, a big past, a big heart, and we truly loved him and were deeply sadened at his sudden passing. If Apostle Paul were to say something today about Smitty, it would echo what he wrote in Philemon 1:4-7. "I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in your love, Christ Jesus. For we have great job and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother."

Smitty told everyone he knew about the changing power of Jesus Christ who took him out of a drug ridden horrendous life and placed him here in Dallas at Reconciliation and totally saved and changed his life deeply. Family, friends, co-workers, strangers...all these lives were impacted because one man fell in love with Jesus, surrendered his life and shared his love and faith with anyone who would listen.

If Apostle Paul were thinking and praying and making mention of your name today, what would he say? Would he find you a faithful child of God, sharing your love, sharing your faith, and doing so effectively? Sometimes it is easier for us to share our love. God has given us so much love within our hearts, how can we not be loving to others?! But sharing our faith? Yes, we are full of faith...but how many of us actually share our faith with others?

Smitty often told his wife that he didn't think he was doing enough for the Lord...and yet now that he is gone the fruit of his witness remains strong and obvious. All he did was share the love of Jesus and his faith. He had no idea the impact on others. I encourage you today. We may not all have the terrible past that my friend had, creating such a powerful testimony, but we like him are new creatures since we are born again. We do have a testimony. We have a message. We know the heart of God to save a lost and dying world, to save a lost and dying Dallas. We know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I encourage you to share your love, share your faith, share Jesus with those He's put in your life. Be about your Father's work, and may it be said of you that you shared your faith effectively and that "the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you."

Let's get out of our comfort zones and make an impact in Dallas for God! God bless you.

Love, faith, and blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

October 22

Imagine that you were in the inner circle of Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. Imagine that out of that inner circle, only three of you experienced events and moments that none of the others did. Imagine being zealous for Jesus to the point that you wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy the opposition. Imagine clinging to Him and resting your head on His chest. Imagine your feelings and thoughts knowing that Jesus clearly loved you and being called "the Disciple whom Jesus loved."

John and his brother John clearly understood that Jesus was going to be glorified and reign. I'm sure all sorts of images danced in their heads as they imagined Jesus in His glory AND imagined what they would look like next to Him with power and prestigue at their taking. At that moment, I'm sure they were imaging Jesus reigning before them in Israel w/all their friends and enemies bowing at their feet. Zealously seizing the moment, these two Sons of Thunder as Jesus referred to them approached the King bolding asking for Jesus to do whatever they wanted in Mark 10:35-45, a portion of today's Scripture reading.

As they dialogued w/Jesus and He clearly told them that the positions to His left and right were not His to give but for those prepared for them, the other disciples got wind of James and John's bold request. Now imagine how you would feel if you were apart of His inner circle but that someone within wanted that special place of authority and greatness above you. Of course, all sorts of feelings stirred among the disciples as they heard the displeasing news. I'm sure pride and arrogance as well as competiveness and maybe even jealousy welled up within each of them. Can you relate?

But All-Knowing Jesus called them to Himself. Knowing their hearts and minds, He spoke these gentle but piercing words to His beloved disciples, "...but whoever of you desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Notice that He didn't rebuke them for wanting to be great in His Kingdom. He simply changed their perspective on that greatness - that achieving greatness in His Kingdom wasn't about exercising authority and lordship over others but serving them instead. Jesus, All-Powerful King, Son of God, reminded His zealous children that even He came not to be served but to serve to the point of ransoming His life, giving His life to redeem mankind who were bound and enslaved by sin.

And now we have that same opportunity...to serve as Jesus served...to lives our lives for Jesus by serving others. Not that we have to done a towel and apron and wash every foot that we see but that we use our gifts and talents and influence to somehow make a difference in someone else's life for the glory of God. Whether we change someone's flat tire or take a single mom groceries...whether we coach a soccer team or have a Bible study in our home...whether we give a homeless person a bottled water or a hungry child in Sunday School a cookie...serve as unto Jesus and you WILL make a difference in such lives!

Have a wonderful weekend. See you tomorrow.

Blessings,
Rolanda

October 20th

The Old Testament books of prophecy are filled with very sobering passages. Some are predictive, others are narratives of historical events, but they are all instructive. Our reading today from Jeremiah chapter thirty-six is a case in point.

Three simple yet very important realities stand out to me as I reflect on this chapter’s contents:

1. God is patient with His judgments. 

Even though King Jehoiakim had already imprisoned Jeremiah the prophet, the Lord tried yet again to send Him a message calculated to touch his heart and bring about true repentance. God’s purpose in doing this was so He could spare the king from the punishment he deserved. It is very important for every one of us to remind ourselves again and again that God always wants to forgive and redeem instead of judge.


2. God’s judgments are incredibly severe. 

It seems to me that most Christians today are far more aware of the reality of God’s grace than they are of the reality of His chastisements. Reading the Old Testaments prophets is a great antidote to this incomplete view of God’s character. Again and again, one encounters vivid depictions of the terrible consequences of God’s wrath. When the boy prophet Samuel receives his first revelation from the Lord, for example, God tells him that He is about to do something in judgment that will “…make the ears of everyone who hears it tingle.” The more we understand of God’s judgments, the more we can appreciate the wonders of His grace…and the more thankful we become for having experienced His mercy…!

3. God’s judgments in our lives are the consequences of our own choices. 

As astonishing as it may seem, instead of responding with contrition and repentance when Jeremiah’s prophecies were read to him, King Jehoiakim actually burned them in his fireplace. The flagrancy of this act, evidencing not only a callous disregard for God’s sovereign warning but also an utter disrespect for Jeremiah’s prophetic office and anointing, provoked the terrible promise that the king’s lineage would be completely destroyed and that even his corpse would be dishonored. All of this could have easily been avoided had the king chosen to respond differently to the word of the Lord. His decision determined his destiny.

Let's learn from his example and remain sensitive and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit…especially when He convicts of sin…!

Pastor Mark

October 19

Proverbs 25:23-24
As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks. Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

God’s Word has much to say about the words of our mouth. The Word of God says life and death is in the power of the tongue. In other words, the words we speak about our husbands and to our husbands can either bring life or death to him and our marriages.

In Proverbs 17:9 it says “He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.” That is why it is so important that we constantly look to Jesus and ask Him to help us speak words of wisdom and life. We have learned that we put on our new nature by constantly renewing our mind to who we are in Christ. When we walk in our new nature by respecting, admiring, praising and deeply loving our husbands, we will reap the blessing of God upon our marriages.

Of course there will be times when the enemy tries to steal the joy and peace from our marriage. Our husbands might say or do something that really irritates or upsets us. When we feel negative emotions rising in our soul, the best decision we could make is to turn our minds toward Jesus and say, “Lord help me. I need your strength. Empower me by your grace to love my husband with your unconditional love.”

Let’s take time today and ask the Lord to help us respect, honor, admire, appreciate and deeply love our husbands. As we do so, He will empower us to walk in our new nature in Christ and we will reap abundant life.

Blessings,
Shaun Estrada

October 18

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

Jeremiah buys a field. If a person read only this sentence, they might think, “ Good for Jeremiah. I hope he gets a good return on his investment.” If a historian or Biblical scholar read this passage, based on their familiarity with the state of Israel, they might assert that Jeremiah was a fool. However, if you read the Scripture passage posted right before this sentence, you would not only be familiar with the state of Israel at the time of this writing, but you would also know that Jeremiah was simply obeying the word of the Lord.

I think you and I can both agree that in the natural realm, Jeremiah buying a field was not what would be considered a wise monetary investment. As you recall, Jeremiah and his people were about to be carried away and their land completely destroyed. This would include the field that Jeremiah purchased. When I read this story, I wondered (as everyone did) why God would ever ask Jeremiah to purchase a plot of land that he would never be able to cultivate or even occupy. I mean, if I were an Israelite living at that time, I would probably try to sell all of the land I owned! Isn’t that what Jeremiah’s nephew was doing? I’m sure that those who knew him thought it a bit strange, even for Jeremiah. After all, they were preparing for what was to come-exile. But not Jeremiah, he was buying a field.

This story stirs my heart and increases my faith the more that I meditate on it. We know that even Jeremiah wrestled with God’s command and didn’t understand why He would make such an insane request. This is demonstrated clearly by the fact that the verses immediately following Jeremiah’s purchase describe him crying out to God for understanding in the matter.
Jeremiah’s obedience was his investment in what Israel saw as lost forever. Why invest in what you will never fully possess? Jeremiah’s obedience was birthed out of his unwavering faith in God’s promise. The promise of complete possession and restoration of the land. Jeremiah’s “foolishness” was a reminder to those who had lost sight of God’s original design for His people. When Israel was preparing to leave the land, Jeremiah was preparing to return. You might conclude that only a prophet could have such earth-shaking faith. I say only a visionary could. Only seeing through God’s eyes enables us give out of our lack because we see the eternal dividends of our obedience.

In Him, Lauryn

October 15

Good morning!

Peter, James, and John and the other disciples rocked this world for Jesus two thousand years ago. Their faith in Him and loyalty to follow Him transformed the world as they knew it. Jump to 2011. The calling upon their lives to go and make disciples and impact this world for Christ is now yours. The baton they ran with now lies within your grip. You are His 21st Century Disciples!

John 8:31 & 32 says, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Abide in His Word. As His disciples, we must know the Word of God. The Word of God is our map, sets our boundries, gives us the rules to live life by, shares God's very own love letters with us.

Abide in His Word. Abide means to remain, continue, and stay. It means to continue in a particular attitude or relationship. Just as the disciples once sat at the feet of Christ and hung on His every word, we too can sit at His feet and take in every word. Day in and day out no matter what we spend our time busily doing, we can abide in His Word and think about it with our minds and treasure it with our hearts.

"And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." As we abide in God's Word and hide it in our hearts, God reveals His powerful truths to us and sets us free to be the mighty men and women of God that He created us to be. So today I encourage you to take hold of that baton, take hold of His Word, His truth and run like your life depends on it...like your children's lives depend on it...like this world depends on it because there's a race to win!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

October 13

The One Year Bible reading reading for today from the Book of Proverbs chapter twenty-five teaches us four important things about the words we speak:

1. Right words spoken at the right time are extremely valuable. (“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” vs. 11)

Even the right words must spoken at the right time in order to achieve the right effect. As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and control us, He helps us know what to say and when to say it.

2. When wise people speak corrective words to us, they are doing us a great favor. (“Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. vs. 12)

Criticism is never easy to take, but well-intentioned criticism can be a very helpful teacher if we evaluate it honestly and sincerely by asking ourselves the question, “What lesson can I learn from my critic?” Sometimes even unfounded criticism reveals an area of our life that needs our attention. This helps us become a better person.

3. Accurately quoting someone else’s words honors and blesses them. (“Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him. vs. 13)

Not everything we hear said should be shared with others. When it is appropriate to quote someone, it is very important to accurately convey what they said, not what we think they meant. If we state conclusions we have drawn from their words, we should clearly distinguish between what they actually said and what we have come to think. To do otherwise is to risk misrepresenting their intent or even besmirching their character and reputation.

4. We should be very careful to never promise something we may be unable to deliver. (Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. vs. 14)

I once heard it said, “If you don’t toot your own horn it may never be tooted.” Scripture exhorts us to very different perspective regarding our own abilities and experience: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2 NIV)

As the Apostle James makes very clear in the New Testament, controlling our tongue is never an easy thing to do, but it is a very important part of being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. 

Join me today in praying for the Holy Spirit to help us control our tongues and for Hillcrest Church to be a place where words always edify and never destroy!

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. (James 3:2-8)

October 8

Good morning.

Reading today's daily Bible selections, Colossians 3:18-21 grabbed my attention. In this brief passage, God delivers specific marching orders - distinct - simple - but oh so difficult to put into action.

When Terry and I taught Family Connections Sunday School, one of our best series was called Love and Respect. We learned about the importance of women UNCONDITONALLY respecting our husbands. Respect. Not just love. Love comes natural for us. Respect does not. We have to work at it. Respect isn't due to him because he earned it. The saying that "he (or she) has to earn my respect" is not Biblical. We learned about the importance of men UNCONDTIONALLY loving their wives. Love. Not just respect. You see, respect comes more natural for a man. Love does not necessarily...at least not like we may want it to look like. Marriage takes work, but the dividends are priceless!

Now God loves the husband/wife relationship, but there's something more He's after. He's after godly offspring! So what does Colossians say about children? Obey Mommy and Daddy. Of course, we know that is much easier commanded than carried out. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child. That's why it takes on-going discipline to overcome the natural rebelliousness of our hearts & in our children's hearts. But the passage doesn't stop by instructing our children alone. God actually instructs fathers (and mothers) also. "Do not provoke or embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."

A few years ago, I was struggling w/my oldest daughter. She'd been hard-hearted and fought me about anything and everything all day long and had been in a season of doing so. Since she and I are both strong-willed, she pushed against me and I pushed back in the name of discipline. My heart was to train my daughter to do what was right and godly. My manner was legalistic and lacked grace. It was a Wed night. I finally told her she could not go to Children's Church which she loved. I told her she would have to stay with me in my class. Well, of course, she hardened up even more. So we sat in the fellowship hall next to each other at a table. I don't remember if I said anything else or just sat quietly with her and watched her. But after a while, she broke and revealed what was in her heart. Tears streamed down her face (and mine) as she told me that she just couldn't be good enough and didn't even think she'd ever make it into heaven. All of our legalistic, well-meaning training and disciplining had discouraged our sweet daughter.

Of course, Terry and I did not intentionally provoke or discourage our daughter. But it happens. And God cautions us not to let it happen for all of our own good. Be watchful, Parents. Know your children's hearts. If you've caused one to be discouraged either young or old, I encourage repent and go to him/her and make it right as we had to. Know each other's hearts. Love and respect in a marriage and in a parent to child relationship makes life much richer and rewarding.

Have a blessed weekend and enjoy your family!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

October 7

jeremiah 8:8-9:26;colossians 3:1-17;psalm 78:32-55;proverbs 24:27

“Where did you get that outfit?”

Some people have the ability to pick the right outfit every day. My wife has told me that it depends on what “season” your hair and skin tone shows or what piece of fruit you are shaped like?!? I do great just to keep my socks matching. Picking what to wear on the outside may be difficult but choosing what to put on the inside of you is easy. In our New Testament scripture today Colossians 3:1-17, we are given the greatest fashion advice of all time.

8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Wow, do you realize that we have the choice to pick up or put down all these “fashion” items! Slander has such an attractive appearance to our flesh and ego; if we can find fault in someone else we may feel better about ourselves. How about filthy language, that looks great on a person right?

What does God’s chosen people look like? What can we clothe ourselves with dearly loved? Yes, that list looks like HIM doesn’t it? So this is what I want to say to you today, “Where did you get that outfit?”

Blessings,
Pastor David

October 5

Rooted and Grounded in Him

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2: 6-7)

The expression “rooted and built up in him” reminds me of Jesus being the vine, and we being the branches (John 15:1-17), where “remaining” in Jesus means to live in His love and to live out that love. We feel and believe that God loves us, and we are to go about the business of loving one another.

Here in Colossians, we are encouraged to continue to live in Jesus. Those who are rooted in Christ will draw their strength and nourishment from Him. As they do so, they will continue to grow and be built up by Him. The more you grow, the more deeply your roots will take hold of Jesus, which will result in increasing gratitude in your lives.

A Christian must have deep roots in Christ if he is to produce fruit. The mature Christians roots are deep in Christ like a tree in the ground. He is the source of our life and strength. Being rooted and grounded in Christ, leads us to stability. As we grow in stability, we must be careful to give God the thanks. The scripture reads “abounding in thanksgiving”. Abounding means overflow. It is one thing to give thanks; it is another to give thanks abundantly. Gratefulness is the manifestation of someone rooted in Christ and recognizes what God has done in his or her life.
If your desire today is to become rooted and grounded in Christ may I encourage you to spend time daily with the Lord. Read the Word of God more and you will draw strength and nourishment from Him. Continue to give God thanks for all He has done, all that He is doing, and all He is going to do in your life.

Blessings,
Shaun Estrada

October 4

Philippians 4:1-23

Be anxious for nothing.

I took a walk by the lake after work today. There was a soft breeze and it’s been so hot lately, that 90 degrees felt more like 70 degrees.
My endeavor was two-fold: to burn calories and to burn off the frustrations that had been collecting over the past eight hours. I decided those 30 minutes would be dedicated to the care of life’s problems. I could “unpack” all my worries and attempt to fix them before my time ran out.
But as I breathed in the beauty of God’s imagination, I felt drawn to Him. The lake was luminous. It cradled the sun’s rays like a bed of jewels. I quickly became distracted by the realization of His presence.
His voice interrupted the chaos inside of my heart. His whispers fell like a blanket upon me. He wrapped me up and carried me to Himself. I had ceased from my “unpacking”. He had my full attention. His presence was all around me and all I could think or feel was, “God, you are so beautiful.”
It was simply the presence of God that set my heart at ease. I was no longer “fixing” my life. Instead I was staring into His eyes. I was no longer fretting. It was like when a child is in the dark. He can’t see so he becomes frightened and starts to cry. But that fear of the unknown quickly diminishes once he hears the voice of his father. The touch of his father’s hand floods that child’s heart with peace that flows over.
We must cease from worry, if we seek to enjoy God’s presence. Our impulse to fear will diminish once we realize He is with us. We cannot entertain our fears and truly enjoy our Father. He alone should be the guest of honor in our hearts. And where He abides, there is only light.
Paul wrote in Philippians 4: 6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. “ In His presence, we can cry out. We can make our needs known. And only when we cry out to Him, can he make Himself known in respect to those needs.
In that place of our darkness, He speaks and our hearts are illuminated.

Beloved, my prayer for you today is that your heart is flooded with the knowledge of His presence. That the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I pray that you will follow His lead as He brings you unto Himself.

Blessings,

Lauryn Everett

October 1

Good morning!

"Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." Can you picture Psalm 73:23 & 24 in your mind? As I read those words, I think of a loving father, holding his little son's hand as they cross the street while Daddy teaches his son to stop and look both ways. I picture a loving father holding his daughter's hand as they walk through a park w/Daddy giving true words of life, of counsel, at such a teachable moment.

In Psalm 73, the Psalmist, caught up in wordliness, momentarily began to envy the ungodly and dwell upon the things he longed for in their lives. How many of us can relate? How many of us have momentarily lost our focus on Christ to look at the idols of this world and the ungodly who possess them and wish we were in their shoes? Money. Possessions. Beauty. Fame. Intellect to name a few.

Then, the Psalmist awakened from his envious state and repented. He didn't just say, "I'm sorry," and refocus his attention to some godlier thoughts. His heart swelled with adoration of the only one, true God! He remembered, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You." "My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever," declares the Psalmist.

May we be quick to repent when we stray from His Word, and may our hearts be filled with such adoration and worship of the only One who matters in heaven and earth, our Abba Father God!

Have a blessed weekend!
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

September 29

Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi is among his most warmly autobiographical. His deep affection and strong relational bond with those he had led to Jesus in the face of fierce persecution was very strong. In its opening verses, he expresses his praise to God for their partnership in the Gospel and his deep conviction in the reality of the Lord’s providence. In the last chapter of this same epistle, Paul sets forth one of the greatest promises of provision to be found anywhere in Scripture – “…my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus...(vs. 19)” – and clearly links it to their ongoing relationship which was centered around a commitment to spread the Good News about Jesus whatever the cost.

In the opening verses of this book, which make up part of our reading for today, the Apostle also expresses his rock-solid conviction that God’s providential hand is at work in all of our individual lives, guiding and sustaining us as we walk with Him. He recognized, for instance, that not everyone in spiritual leadership was functioning out of the right motive or with the right agenda (“…some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love…the former preach Christ out of selfish ambition…” vs. 15-17). He also spoke quite candidly of the price he had paid personally to serve Jesus (“…I am in chains for Christ…” vs. 13). In spite of both of these difficult realities, he was convinced God’s purposes would prevail in and through him. He was personally committed to do whatever it took to finish his life’s work, even to the point of preferring to delay his personal entrance into eternal glory and fellowship with Jesus in the life to come so that he could serve the Philippian congregation (“…to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain…” vs. 21-26).

God wants to help each one of us to live our lives with that same perspective. As you walk through today and every day to come for the rest of your life, I encourage you to wrap your heart and mind around the very precious promise found in verse six:

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

As you serve Jesus and seek with all your heart to do His will, remember:

“God is with you! God is for you! God will help you!”

Have a great day…!

Pastor Mark

September 24

Good morning!

What an amazing daily reading! My heart burns within me as I read. I love Isaiah. It's one of my favorite Old Testament books. I used to read it and highlight it as a child. Isaiah 43:18 proclaims, "Do not earnestly remember the former things; neither consider the things of old." Sometimes "former things" can be bad or tough times. Sometimes thoughts of the past are filled with regret. Sometimes memories of the past are full of really, really great memories...memories that can hinder us in the present because our life is not what it used to be.

Verse 19 declares, "Behold, I am doing a NEW thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." God is declaring a new thing for Hillcrest church and even personally for my life and many of ours. Do you perceive it? Will we cling to the past as a church and as individuals or will we heed, reach out and take hold of what God wants to do with you and I and will Hillcrest Church right now? Not only is He proclaiming that He is doing a new thing but that He will make the way for us and provide for us.

God goes on to describe Himself as He "who blots out your transgressions for His sake" and as the "First and the Last" as "Redeemer" and as our "Rock." Praise be to God on High!

In Isaiah 44, He tells us to "fear not whom I have chosen" and that He will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on dry ground." Do you know that YOU are chosen by God? He will pour His Spirit out on our descendants, His blessing on our offspring! Watch and see the Lord accomplish His Word in our church, in our children, in our city, Hillcrest!

To close, I'll pray Ephesians 3:16-20 over you in my own words.

Dear heavenly Father, I pray that You would strengthen each one of us at Hillcrest Church in our inner man through Your Spirit. Cause Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith. Root us & ground us in Your love & cause us to comprehend w/all the saints the width & length & depth & height of Your love which passes knowledge. And fill us with the fullness of God today. May You do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and to You be the glory forever and ever. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray, amen and amen!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

September 23

Isaiah 41:17-43:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalms 67:1-7; Proverbs 23:29-35

Here's looking at you kid!

Have you ever seen a little boy preparing to sing in the school Christmas play? Nervous hands and feet, crooked red bow tie he never wears and scared because he is desparately trying to remember the lyrics to the song. But then all the sudden the worry melts away from his face. Why? Because he sees his parents in the sea of faces, smiling, so proud of little Jimmy. I have also seen the face of children looking for the mom or dad missing in action. Maybe a promised attendance but once again falling short of expectations.

Why is it so important to see the face of your loved one? Because it reminds us of who we are and what we are made of. It proves that someone loves us unconditionally and we will never be alone. It fills our soul with joy and reassurance that we can make a difference. Are you still looking in the crowd for this face? Maybe it's not a Christmas play anymore but a workplace. You might be looking for this gaze of reassurance in your marriage or relationship. If you are looking for love, protection, safety, healing or that unconditional love, well I have good news today. You can find it in the eyes of Jesus. He has always been watching. With your nervous hands and feet, trying to be a perfect person and failing. Let your worries melt away as He looks at you right now.

Psalm 67:1
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah

Blessings,

Pastor David

September 17

Hello Hillcrest family,

Today's passage that resignates with me greatly this morning is Isaiah 26:3 & 4. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength." (NKJV) I don't know about you, but I want peace and strength. My family is moving from one part of Dallas to another today and need the peace of God as much as ever!

Peace according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary's second definition means: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. I love that definition because honestly our minds are totally a battle ground where good & evil fight to dominate. I can be in the middle of prayer time or in worship or some other special time when all of the sudden my mind becomes distracted by awful or at least unnecessary thoughts right at that moment and in reaction to that thought I can sometimes become stressed or agitated or put my focus on me instead of God. It happens to ALL of us! Before I know it, my peace is gone.

Well, there's a way to get it back and that is to stay our mind's on the Lord. Stay can mean to stop doing something and to continue in a place or condition and also means to be in waiting or attendance. The way I can get peace is to quiet my mind from the distracting, unnecessary thoughts (no matter how good or how bad those thoughts are) and to purposefully put my mind on Christ and on His Word and attend to Him. As we make a conscious effort to stop thinking about one thing and to start thinking about the Lord and His Word and blessings, our peace returns and our emotions come in check once again. However, the other key part to staying in a state of peace is trusting God.

Peace comes in knowing God and in trusting that what He says is true and will come to pass for YOU (not just someone else)! Knowing God is everything. Do you know Him? Really know Him? Do you purposefully focus your thoughts on Him? Do you believe what He says is true for you not just someone else? If not, I challenge you to bow your knee before Him today and cry out to Him to know Him...to really know Him and trust Him.

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister

September 16

Isaiah 22:1-24:23; Galatians 2:17-3:9; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 23:15-16

I remember watching a show on television about the strongest men on the earth. One gentlemen showed his strength by pulling a big truck down the street with his TEETH! Wow, I thought to myself this guy is amazing! Then I thought, you know if I saw this guy pulling that truck with his teeth down the highway I would say,"This guy is a fool. Why doesn't he just get in the truck and drive it!" That is sort of what the Apostle Paul says to the Galatians in chapter 3 (NLT)

1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

Why do we so often try to become perfect Christians by our own effort? Why would I think I can achieve anything for God without depending on Him and Him alone? If I look at my track record compared to His I see clearly that my efforts fail and He has never failed. I find the only way to start my life is to acknowledge His death for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Are you showing your amazing strength today? Are you pulling that truck (perfect life) down the highway? STOP... get in and let Him drive.

Blessings,

Pastor David

September 3

God is good ALL the time, and His Word is life!

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 touched my heart as I read and sought God about this devotion. "Do not be unequally yoked w/unbelievers," God says. A yoke is a wooden device that joins two draft animals by the head or neck. For us it means, do not join ourselves intimately to unbelievers, to wickedness, to darkness, to idols. Through these verses God is calling us into deeper intimacy with Him and away from deeper intimacy with the world and the things of the world. We are His temple. He wants to dwell in us and to be our God. He wants our affection, our intimacy, our love & devotion. He wants us. He loves us. He wants us to be seperated unto Him so that He can fill us and be with us and walk with us. (Youth, do your music and tv shows and words reflect this?)

My mother, a precious godly woman, yoked herself to an alcholic, my dad, in one marriage. She thought she was doing better the second go around and yoked herself to a kind, wonderful man who may or may not be saved, who doesn't go to church like we do, and who isn't Spirit-filled. This unequally yoked initmate relationship cost my mother and our family 28 years of hurt, another failed marriage, and a very much so damaged testimony to our unsaved family members. My step-dad is a "good" man, but you might be surprised just how serious such an unequally yoked relationship really affects you and those around you. God gives us commands and shares His wisdom w/us because He loves us. Guard your heart and your relationships closely. As you live and work and move in this world, remember that you are His Temple & to live for Him by His Word & yoke yourself to Christ and those like Him!

Blessings,
Rolanda Green
Hillcrest Children's Minister