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To Sum It Up

• Cynthia, Debbie & Daniel Cort and the rest of the production/band team did an amazing job leading worship.  It was one of my all-time favorite Sundays!
• The only think that I like better is when Debbie & Daniel happen to sit behind me in the service and sing in our congregation.  God has gifted us with a multitude of talented vocalists and musicians!
• My takeaway from yesterday is that Jesus is truly the ONLY way to everlasting salvation.
• I love Palm Sunday.  I love the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, an indication that He was coming in peace.  But the people of Jerusalem responded by laying down their robes and palm branches in His path, an indication of royalty!  He came to this earth to bring peace and those who followed Him made Him King of their lives.  I LOVE THAT!
• We can do that same thing in our own personal lives.  He comes to being peace and we should respond by making Him King of our personal lives.

I've been praying specifically for people to make lasting commitments to Christ at HHICC.  These past few weeks, during our message series I AM, I've been offering an invitation for first time salvations, recommitments, and assurance of salvation commitments.  Two weeks ago, we had two people make first time commitments, last week another two and yesterday at least seven.  God is moving in the life of HHICC and our Island!  He is hearing our prayers.! Would you join me in praying for our Easter services this coming Sunday?

• Pray for good weather for Saturday set-up and  for Sunday worship services.
• Pray that many people come prepared to have Jesus radically changes their lives.
• Pray that there are many brand new lives who answer "YES" to the question, "Do you believe?"

I hope you can join me on Thursday for our Maundy Thursday service as we reflect on Christ's death for us through communion, prayer, and worship. If you are a Christ follower, this service will be an amazing opportunity for you to express your love and gratitude toward Christ and his sacrifice for you.

So...it's Easter Week! I look forward to seeing you Thursday and then Sunday, 9:30 or 11:00 AM under the "covered environment." (it's a tent, Cynthia...)

memorial places

OK, I love Genesis 35:13-15:  

"13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.  14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." What great imagery.  I can just picture Jacob overcome with a sense of Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.  It's interesting to note that the place that he went back to, that was so special and meaningful to him, was the place where God was most personal to him!  In Jacob's case it was the place where God audibly spoke to him.  Then Jacob poured out a drink offering and oil on the stone pillar that he set up as a memorial of what God had done.  Those stones with the drink and oil dripping from them was a place for Jacob to remember God working in his life.

Do you have memories of God speaking to you or moving in your life in a particular way?  Do remember the place and circumstance surrounding that time? I recall when God was leading me into full-time Christian ministry as a 16 year old kid at Awanita Valley in South Carolina.  I remember God working through some serious spiritual issues in my freshman dorm room in Lynchburg, VA.  I remember the tree that I sat under on the Appalachian Trail when He told me that I was supposed to ask Cynthia to marry me (so glad she said 'yes').  I can recall the bed that I was sitting on, one sleepless night, when God began to renew his call on my life in our apartment in Kennesaw, Ga.  These are very vivid memories.  It's too bad that I can't build and altar at these places, like Jacob did; but my memory will have to be my memorial. So where is your memorial?  Where did you accept Him as your Savior?  Where did he call you to live a better life than the year before?  Where was it that He told you to finally rid yourself of that nasty habit?  Do you have that memorial place where God spoke to you or moved significantly in your life?  I'd love to hear about your memorial place.  Leave a short comment and let me know about that place where God took care of business with you, just like He did with Jacob.

You Version

OK, I've been looking for an online tool to use this year to focus my Bible study/reading/devotions around and I found the International Bible Societies read through the Bible in a Year.  I was excited about using it and I still may use it.  Specifically, because it has a function where it will read the daily passage through some type of MP3 player. However, my wife found the coolest thing that I AM going to use this year which will allow you to write an online private journal about your thoughts on that particular passage. It's in beta, but it's pretty cool, Check out youversion.