A modern day Parable of the Talents

We talked about stewarding our talents last Sunday and looked at the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. This is from LarkNews.com (Christian satire--not real news) and, I think, a really funny/sad modern day version of the parable. I was going to read this during the lesson but didn't get around to it...

Man, 91, dies waiting for will of God
. . TUPELO — Walter Houston, described by family members as a devoted Christian, died Monday after waiting 70 years for God to give him clear direction about what to do with his life.
. . "He hung around the house and prayed a lot, but just never got that confirmation," his wife Ruby said. "Sometimes he thought he heard God's voice, but then he wouldn't be sure, and he'd start the process all over again."
. . Houston, she says, never really figured out what his life was about, but felt content to pray continuously about what he might do for the Lord. Whenever he was about to take action, he would pull back "because he didn't want to disappoint God or go against him in any way," Ruby says. "He was very sensitive to always remain in God's will. That was primary to him."
. . Friends say they liked Walter though he seemed not to capitalize on his talents.
. . "Walter had a number of skills he never got around to using," says longtime friend Timothy Burns. "He worked very well with wood and had a storyteller side to him, too. I always told him, 'Take a risk. Try something new if you're not happy,' but he was too afraid of letting the Lord down."
. . To his credit, they say, Houston, who worked mostly as a handyman, was able to pay off the mortgage on the couple's modest home.

Read it on their site here.

Community Boards

We've had these boards for a while now, but they've gotten buried on the blog. So here's a refresher...

This board is to post stuff that you're looking for or have to give.

Occasional stuff "for sale" is okay, but we'd really like to keep it to borrowing and giving.

This board is to post your professional services or home businesses.
Please note our policy on active vs. passive selling in our church community.

PS. If you've commented on either board and it's no longer relevant, please delete it. Thanks!
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Deacons

We've got Deacons!

The word “deacon” simply means to be a servant and the role was formalized in Acts 6:1-7 when the practical needs in the church/community became too much for the spiritual leaders in the church.

Deacons help bear practical burdens in the church so that the Elders are freed up to bear spiritual burdens in the church.

This is a biblical role and we see the qualities of a Deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. We have asked Steve & Holly Fullmer, Brad & Nicole Rowell, and Tim & Karleen Wagner to serve as Deacons. We believe these people represent the biblical qualities of Deacons, they clearly have amazing servant-hearts, and we trust they will be a blessing to you and free up the Elders to lead and shepherd.

Elders:
. Lead the church as shepherds
. Guard the church in doctrine/teaching
. Govern the church in submission to Christ and His Word

Deacons:
. Serve the church through practical care
. Encourage the church/community through ministries of mercy
. Administer God’s grace through wise benevolence
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One other quick thought... the Deacons will not be meeting all the practical needs of the church by themselves! That's not the idea. They will undoubtedly roll up their sleeves but the Deacons will primarily facilitate the Body meeting one another's needs.

If you have any questions about the role of a Deacon, or any thoughts about these Deacons, please email the Elders. We'd love to hear from you. If you have any general comments you can always post them here on the blog.

If you are curious about why we have only men as Elders, or why we have men and women as Deacons, we plan to post our conclusions from Scripture this week. Stay tuned. Or you can email the Elders. Update: see here.

In the future, you can contact the Deacons here.

Talking about Jesus

I realize we talked about "Initiative" last Sunday (which we mean as initiative with one another inside our church community), but this is a great reminder about how important it is for us to be people of courage to engage those who don't follow Jesus. This is from an interview with Chip Arn.

Asked why each person became a Christian, here's a list of eight things that are always mentioned.

1. A special need arose in my life, such as a death or catastrophe. That's 1 percent to 2 percent.
2. A spontaneous walk-in—I just decided to go to church one Sunday. That's 2 percent to 3 percent.
3. I had a relationship with a pastor or someone else on church staff. That varies from 1 percent to 6 percent.
4. I was visited; somebody just knocked on my door. That's 1 percent to 2 percent and continually dropping.
5. I participated in Sunday school or some other Christian education. That's 4 percent to 5 percent.
6. Participation in evangelistic crusades, television, and radio ministries is less than 1 percent.
7. Church programs, such as special events or other advertised activities, drew 2 percent to 3 percent of those surveyed. If you've been following the numbers, the percentages are still very low and there's only one item left to list.
8. A friend or relative talked to me about Jesus. Of all the tens of thousands of people we surveyed, 75 to 90 percent of them said they're Christians because a friend or relative talked to them about Christ. That's not just a U.S. thing, that holds true from my visits to Korea and India as well.

What's your blog made of?

For all you bloggers out there, here's a little tool to see what your blog is made of: http://www.wordle.net/create. Just paste in your blog URL and this will give you a cloud of the more common words.

The one for this blog should be showing over there to the left. I'm not sure the value of this little exercise yet... let me know if you think of something. I wish the word "Jesus" was bigger and bolder.

And add a comment with your URL if you do this so we can give props to all the Hillside bloggers.
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