Church on a Hill

Courageous

2011-10-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

"Everything" by Quest youth group

2011-04-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

Home - I Am Second

2011-04-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Home - I Am Second

How to Really Fight For Your Marriage — We are THAT Family

2011-02-24T15:16:00.000-08:00

How to Really Fight For Your Marriage — We are THAT Family

Avoiding the deadly poison of gossip

2011-01-25T17:21:00.000-08:00

Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

Proverbs 11:13

One sin that I think is constantly looked over in American Christianity today is that of gossip. Not only is it the most looked over, but it is also one of the most destructive to relationships because it happens in secret and explodes when it's revealed.

Now if you dislike someone and you want to hurt them, one way to do it is to spread gossip about them. Some may say, "Well, it's true, so I guess I can tell it." But spreading disparaging stories about someone, true or untrue, only dispenses hate.

On the other hand, if you really love that person, you want to cover their sin by keeping matters confidential. If your child sins, would you want people talking about it? No, you would want to protect your child by covering that sin and dealing with it among trustworthy people.

One of the most dangerous tools you have is your tongue. It can either edify or it can tear down. The Bible says, "The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!" (James 3:5).

So before you talk, think. Ask yourself, "Is what I'm about to say edifying to others?" I don't mean for you to sugarcoat your speech and only say nice things all the time. But if you have criticism toward others, either take it directly to them or just let it be. That way, you will build others up and bring glory to God.

GOSSIP IS A DEADLY POISON FOR RELATIONSHIPS. LOVE OTHERS BY BUILDING THEM UP INSTEAD OF TEARING THEM DOWN.

Dr. Jack Graham, please visit www.jackgraham.org

Purpose? Yes, Purpose!!!

2010-10-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

How You Can Know the Will of God
Jack Graham
PowerPoint Ministries
.
A few months ago I stumbled across a very interesting study. The goal of the survey was to determine what the most common questions Americans were asking today, and do you know what the study found was the most asked question?

I'll give you a couple of hints. It wasn't "Does God exist?" and it wasn't "Is there life after death?". Above all others, the study found that the question most Americans are asking is a simple one:

What is the meaning of my life here on earth?

Even bigger than their concern for the existence of God or the uncertainty of death is a desire for meaning… for purpose!

I want to tell you that every human being has that desire. How else can you explain the fact that when my friend Rick Warren published his book, The Purpose Driven Life, it quickly became one of the best-selling hardback books in history?

The reason why so many people are asking what is the meaning of life is simple. You and I and everyone else are all hardwired to believe in God. As much as we need food to eat and air to breath, we need faith to live by!

So God has fused into our DNA a deep desire to know our purpose… a deep desire to know that there is something greater than ourselves. We are born with an instinct to seek him and his purpose for us!

God has given a very clear purpose for our time here on earth, and that's to glorify him. The problem is that we are given such a short time to do it! I remember when Billy Graham was once asked the question, "What's your biggest surprise in life?" In his heavy North Carolina accent he responded, "The brevity of it."

You know, I completely agree with Billy. My wife, Deb, and I celebrated 40 years of marriage in May. But it seems like just yesterday that I saw her for the first time at Hardin-Simmons University. Life has a way of flying by before you can even stop to take a breath!

In this short time that you and I are given on earth, God wants to use us for something great! He wants you to magnify the name of Jesus with every day that he gives you. As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1,

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

This is the clear mandate for your life: to present yourself to God as a sacrifice… to glorify and honor him in everything you do!

So the question you should be asking is even bigger than "What's the meaning of my life?" That's already been answered for you! The bigger question… the one that you should really be concerned with… is "Am I going to honor God with my life?". That's the first thought that should enter your head when you're wondering what God's will is for your life. Will he be glorified?

Sometimes people ask me, "Pastor, should I do this or that?" And I ask them, "Have you prayed about it?" I ask this because there is no reason they should come to me before they go to God!

But many people are afraid to pray and I think I know why. They are scared of the response they might get. It's one thing to know the will of God. It's another to actually do it! So here's the ultimate principle when it comes to the will of God… surrender to it!

Trust God because he knows what's best for you. Allow him to guide you through the sometimes muddy waters of life. When you do this, you can have every bit of confidence that he is in control!

So what is God's will for your life? Here it is: to honor him in all you do, to seek his guidance in times of difficult decisions, and to surrender to his will when he answers you. That's his will for your life!

PowerPoint® Ministries is the radio and television broadcast ministry of Dr. Jack Graham in Plano, Texas. Dr. Graham is the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the nation's largest, most dynamic congregations. Dr. Graham has served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Read or sign up to receive Dr. Jack Graham's PowerPoint devotionals through Crosswalk.com.

Publication date: October 15, 2010

Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11639581/

2010-10-07T09:16:00.001-07:00

Loss

2010-08-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, Some of you may not have heard yet. Devere went to be with the Lord last night around 10PM. He had a lot of complications, infections and he was not improving in his health. The doctors took a blockage out that was cancerous and they took about 2 feet out of his intestines. There were many other things that were not going right with his body and therefore he was in critical condition for over a week. God obviously had planned for him to be going home sooner than we thought. I understand he was 75 years old. He had a lot of love for all of us and we are going to miss him greatly. Good news, he is with Jesus right now and he will not have to experience anymore pain. There will be a memorial service at the Evangelical Church here in Sweet Home on Friday morning at 10AM. Sharon has indicated to me that all of Hillside is invited and our worship team will be involved in the service as well. Please pray for the family as they deal with the loss of a wonderful man of God. Peace, Pastor Matt

VBS 2010 Day 2

2010-07-20T15:42:00.001-07:00

VBS 2010 Day 2

2010-07-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

VBS Video Day 1

Five Functions of the Church

2010-07-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Five Functions of the Church

Pastor John Stumbo (A Miracle)

2010-06-07T09:58:00.003-07:00

John Stumbo May 30, 2010 from Salem Alliance Video on Vimeo.

Been Thinking About » Faith and Fear

2010-05-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Been Thinking About » Faith and Fear

everybody, somebody, anybody, and nobody

2010-05-20T16:46:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time
There were four men named
Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done
And Everybody was asked to do it.
But Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it.
But Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about it
Because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought that Anybody could do it
And Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody
And Nobody did the job
That Anybody could have done in the first place. (Author unknown)

Fav 5

2010-04-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Who are the important people in your life? Maybe your friend from college. maybe your sister or brother. Maybe it is your fishing buddy or your neighbor down the street. We all have our favorites and that is healthy to have those relationships.

Jesus went beyond this fav 5 idea and went and had dinner with a proud, egotistical, short, undesirable thief named Zaccheus. Why? Because He came to save what was lost. And Zac was lost like all of us were at one point but Jesus accepted Him!

That is a great mission in life! Shall we join Him?

Easter

2010-04-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

"He is risen, He is risen indeed!"

We had a great Sunday. "Redeemed" sang beautifully and got us clapping and into the celebration of Easter. The kids did an amazing job dancing to Toby Mac's new song "Get Back Up Again."

The men really fed us well for breakfast, thanks everybody.

A lot of families represented and came together. Awesome.

PMatt

"Vision"

2010-03-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 29:18 (The Message)

18 If people can't see what God is doing,
they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
they are most blessed.

Building Bridges

2010-03-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

"The church does not exist for the sake of the church. It exists for the sake of the world."

~church of irresistible influence

Serving those who serve-story of Darrell Mishler

2010-02-11T08:23:00.001-08:00

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Today!

2010-02-02T08:51:00.001-08:00

Love Jesus
Trust Jesus
Follow Jesus

Traveling West

2010-01-18T02:32:00.000-08:00

Well...it is finally that time that I have been anticipating all week. I am on my way home. Right now it is early in the morning and most of you are sleeping. I hope you have sweet dreams! I am sitting in Indy's brand spanking new airport attempting to stay awake. 30 minutes to blast off.

Peace

Pray.

2010-01-15T17:18:00.001-08:00

God's ways not mine!

2010-01-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Haiti

2010-01-14T18:25:00.001-08:00

January 14, 2010 - 3:20 p.m.
We continue to be in prayer for our Haitian brothers and sisters in crisis. Here are some recent developments:

► Jack Munos and Katie Zook were airlifted from Guantanamo Bay last night because their conditions were deemed more serious than originally thought. They arrived in Miami early this morning. Pacific Northwest Superintendent Matt Whitehead is at the hospital and reports both are doing well. They are in ICU but alert. Both have been suffered quite a bit of trauma but "we can be encouraged that God is answering prayer." Katie's family is now at the hospital and has been a great encouragement to her. I was able to speak to Jack for a few moments by phone and encourage him with, "Well done good and faithful servant." Jack asks us to not give up hope on Jeanne even though he recognizes her rescue would require a miracle.

► The Free Methodist World Missions team, together with the Board of Bishops, are working to produce a short video for use in FM churches on Sunday. Please reserve a couple of minutes in your services to project this video. I (Bishop Roller) will be the face of the video but will be representing the broad spectrum of Free Methodists with ministry in Haiti. Remember that International Child Care Ministries, Clear Blue Global Water Project, FOHO (work teams), Eden Reforestation and other FM-related ministries will be involved in our response. Please alert ministries to connect with us before developing independent plans.

► We are working to put together an exploratory team to travel to Haiti and connect with the Haitian church leaders. We will rely heavily on the wisdom of the Haitian church to create a response strategy and action plan. We also are working to make connections with other denominations and NGOs to participate in a coordinated response. We anticipate this exploratory team will provide a fuller assessment of the needs, as well as the best way for North-American teams to respond over the next months.

The next weeks and months will be filled with uncertainty and grief. At the same time, we know God will redeem and heal. He will make sense out what appears random and cruel. There will be opportunities for Haiti to be rebuilt as a new Haiti. Soon, unprecedented opportunities will open up in Haiti for the church to participate in building safer and better housing, more reliable infrastructure and a more just society. The Haitian FMC, which has always been intrinsically wholistic, will need our partnership. Get ready.

Bishop David Roller

To respond:
Give:
► Online: www.fmwm.org/give/help_haiti_heal.php
► Check: Help Haiti Heal, PO Box 535002, Indianapolis, IN 46253-5002

Weslyn-Arminian Theology

2010-01-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

Finished the 2 credit class on History & Polity. Starting a 3 credit class on Wesleyan-Arminian Theology. Wow that is a mouthful. Soon I will be able to tell you all about it. :)

The ground is melting a little here. It has been 10 - 25 degrees (nice & chilly). We have had 4 inches of snow for about 5 days. Not missing the rain in Oregon but missing my wonderful family and friends.

God is good and He is not finished working on us.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24 "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it"

Peace

Thanksgiving and Prayer

2010-01-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Church, I just want to thank you for all your support and providing for this time in Indy. I am learning a great deal about John Wesley and Free Methodism BUT even more so... I have had a great opportunity to step back and think through what has happened in our lives over the last 6 months.

God is doing some new things in my heart and my prayer is that He is doing something new in yours. John 15 tells us from Jesus' mouth that he is the vine and we are the branches. He is pruning us and wants to strip away everything that is dead.

I have realized that John Wesley was also on a journey of letting God prune Him and making him into a new creature.

In 2010 may we come to Jesus with the intent to radically DEPEND on Him and let Him change us from the inside out. Amen! I am praying for you this very minute as you worship together. Miss all of you! Peace Pastor Matt

Where is the line for Jesus

2010-01-07T06:59:00.001-08:00

Love

2010-01-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

"There is no love of God without patience,and no patience without lowliness and sweetness of spirit." ~John Wesley

"This is what I want to be like when I grow up" ~ Matt

Well, the Ducks did it! After 15 years they are now going to the Rose Bowl. Very Cool.

2009-12-03T22:38:00.001-08:00

Well, the Ducks did it! After 15 years they are now going to the Rose Bowl. Very Cool.

Thanks God

2009-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

God is good! He satisfies and fulfills our needs.

My Pastor John Stumbo

2009-11-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

click on title to watch!

www.salemalliance.org/home/091108/stumbo.php

My Pastor has been very sick for the last year. He is slowly but surely doing better. God is moving in his heart and he is back preaching on November 7th on Acts 3 and the Holy Spirit!

Ironic or Divine plan? We just looked at Acts 3 this last Sunday and it was about the same story.

Letting the Holy Spirit have full reign. Or as John puts it, "we are full of cracks and we need to be daily filled with God's Spirit! Amen!!!!

Sacred Service by Oswald Chambers

2009-11-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2009
Sacred Service
I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . . —Colossians 1:24

The Christian worker has to be a sacred "go-between." He must be so closely identified with his Lord and the reality of His redemption that Christ can continually bring His creating life through him. I am not referring to the strength of one individual’s personality being superimposed on another, but the real presence of Christ coming through every aspect of the worker’s life. When we preach the historical facts of the life and death of our Lord as they are conveyed in the New Testament, our words are made sacred. God uses these words, on the basis of His redemption, to create something in those who listen which otherwise could never have been created. If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. We must make sure that we are living in such harmony with God that as we proclaim His truth He can create in others those things which He alone can do.

When we say, "What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!" then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).

Pray for the Persecuted Church

2009-11-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some resources:

www.freemethodistchurch.org
www.persecuted.org
www.impactmiddleeast.org
www.hovsepian.com
www.cmalliance.org

Suffer

2009-11-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Jesus told us that we would not be comfortable. That if we decided to follow Him, we would go through difficulties. So sometimes, we get frustrated and we wonder and then wander. Our mind thinks irrationally. We sometimes allow our feelings to get the best of us and we wonder; "Why I am going through crap." Then we wander. It is so easy to walk away. We think that it is going to be better but it makes it worst. Facing our struggles, our suffering will make us into a better person. Let's become gold, bring those struggles on!

I Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Great Video

2009-10-26T16:11:00.001-07:00

The beginning

2009-08-26T09:11:00.001-07:00

We have started this journey with you in Sweet Home and are delighted that you invited us. We anticipate great things ahead!