Hillside Retreat Committee: "Thank you!"

Hey, once again, "hats off" to the retreat planning committee! Burkes, Douds, Chiappinis and Thomases--you all did a fantastic job of making this past weekend a very memorable one for Hillside! Thank you so much!

For those of you who coulnd't make it to the retreat, we missed you.

For those of you who did come, please take a moment to express your appreciation to the planning committee for the hard work and energy they put in.

Our own fencing pro - Russell Gibson

Wait for it... (just after 1:30)

Praying for year #4

On Sunday we had some cake to celebrate our third anniversary as a church, and we took a few minutes to pray for year #4. The heart of our prayer is surrender. We want to ask God to do what He wants at Hillside in the year ahead. This is His church.

There were three aspects of that prayer--asking God to do what he wants IN us, AMONGST us, and THROUGH us. It might be too personal to share your prayer for part one, but what do you think God wants to do amongst us and through us in year #4?

The Kingdom of God

We are wrapping up our current series this Sunday and I thought a little retrospective summary might be interesting. The big picture for this series was that Jesus' miracles demonstrate the in-breaking of the Kingdom and a very real battle with Sin and the consequences of sin.

By studying some of Jesus' many miracles, here's what else we've learned about the Kingdom of God... (you can read the Bible text here)

The Big Catch (Luke 5:1-11)
Jesus invites us to help him gather people into the kingdom.

An Exorcism (Matt. 12:22-30)
The King has arrived and he is beginning to set things right and make things new again. And... you are either gathering people to or scattering them away from the Kingdom.

Favorite verse of the series: "But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Matt. 12:28)

Healing a Leper (Mark 1:40-45)
We are called to proclaim and display the Kingdom through compassionate care.

Healing a Paralytic (Luke 5:17-26)
Jesus can forgive and bring people into the Kingdom of God. He has authority in heaven and on earth.

Healing a Sick Woman (Mark 5:21-34)
The power of the Kingdom is not impersonal but rests on and comes through a person--Jesus Christ.

A definition of the Kingdom: God's reclamation of humanity (his creation), and the recognized reign of Jesus Christ over all things.

Raising Jairus' Daughter (Mark 5:21-43)
There are no worldly barriers or headstarts to entering the Kingdom. Everyone is equal before Jesus.

Feeding the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44)
Those in the Kingdom are under the watchful care of the Good Shepherd.

Healing a Severed Ear (Luke 22:45-53)
There's conflict between kingdoms... stay tuned!
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I love maps...

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