Hill of the Lord Blog

Dearest Hill of the Lord,

From your brothers and sisters in the first century. greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. To say grace and peace to you is not an offhand greeting, it is a declaration of truth. It is the message that Christ declared to the disciples when he rejoined them after the resurrection in the upper room. It is the message of the Cross, the good news. We have peace with God through the blood of Christ. Ours is a salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. That was the message we brought to the world and the message that continues through you. The mission remains, worldwide witness. And the means continues to be people, normal people, the church, you.

For this reason, we thank God for you. We thank God for your faith in the Gospel, a faith that is bearing fruit. We thank God for your love for each other, your generosity, your hospitality, and your service. Read more »

Filled under: Blog | by PastorAdam | Comments (1)

“Here O’ Lord I see Thee…” is a gift to Hill of the Lord University Church and Riverside Community Church. We hope to record an entire album of hymns, modern and old, in the spring of this year to give away. If you would like to contribute to that effort please contact nathanpoole@hotmail.com

Performed by Anna Carol Fancher and Nathan Poole. Music Arr and variant text by Nathan Poole. Produced by Kenny McWilliams at Archer Avenue Studio.

Here O’ Lord I See Thee Face To Face

CLICK to listen or RIGHT CLICK to download

Filled under: Blog | by Caraleigh | Comments (2)

Pousser (To Grow) from Agapé Innovation on Vimeo.

Filled under: Blog | by Basler | CommentsTags: France, short film, to grow

Hey Church,

In case you did not receive the email from Emily this past week, you can keep up with her through her blog. http://mesyeuxmesoreilles.blogspot.com/

Filled under: Blog | by PastorAdam | Comments

I would like to ask if you and the church could keep my two younger brothers, Luke (15 years old) and Nat (9 years old) and my parents, in your prayers?

The reason I am asking for prayers is that on Labor Day, my brothers were playing football and the ball bounced and hit my brother Luke in the eye. Luke is now not able to see out of the eye that got hit. This is a big deal for two reasons: obviously, because Luke cannot see, and two, it is the eye he has had corrective surgery on. Luke was born with a cataract, and was pronounced legally blind in one eye before he was a month old. Throughout the years, Luke has went through so many different procedures to correct his eye and further develop his retina and eye tissues. Just in the past few years, Luke became one of about 20 people in the entire nation to have a certain corrective eye surgery. This surgery allowed Luke to be able to see out of the eye that he was pronounced legally blind in (a miracle).

Luke has been to the optometrist and was suppose to see the opthomologist today–I have not heard anything as of yet. Although not a lot has been done, they do know that if he does not regain his sight within a few days, he will have to have the surgery all over again. Please pray that God will just be with Luke, that he will keep him calm, and that if he does not regain his sight, that God will give Luke the strength and courage to go through this surgery again.

Although Luke is most certainly the main concern, Nat needs prayers as well. It was slightly his fault that the ball hit Luke in the eye. My family does not want Nat to feel guilty because after all it was an accident.

My parents are going to also need prayers. These next few days are going to be crucial, and if Luke does not regain sight, they will be in for a long and stressful time period that I know they do not wish to go through again.

I’m sorry this is long, but I thought that it would help to know the whole story behind everything.

In Christ,

Allie Clark

…an update 9/10

I was able to talk to my parents last night after they got back from the opthomologist. The bleeding has stopped in Luke’s eye, and his vision, Luke thinks, is slowly coming back. Unfortunately, he is going to have to have surgery on his eye still. He needs the calcium build up removed, and most likely, are going to make sure nothing needs to be repaired.

Nat, the youngest brother, is also doing okay, as of right now. He seems to be taking the role of the older brother and is being very protective of Luke.

God is already answering prayers–which is absolutely awesome!

Filled under: Blog | by PastorAdam | Comments

As Bethany moves with John (Husband) to British Columbia, The Glances, in their current form, will be somewhat short lived. However, we hope that this song will continue to live in the hearts and minds of those who hear it. As you enjoy and share this music, please remember to pray for John and Bethany as they transition to life and ministry in Vancouver.

“There is Love Pouring like a Flood” is the first recorded track from the new hymns project, The Glances. Performed by Bethany Furst, this song is a gift to the body of Hill of the Lord, University Church. Bethany and Nathan would also like to thank Kenny McWilliams @ Archer Avenue Studio for his generosity and support.

There is Love Pouring Like a Flood

CLICK to listen or RIGHT CLICK to download

Filled under: Blog | by JCoop | Comments (1)

Of all that was done in the past, you eat the fruit, either rotten or ripe.
And the Church must be forever building, and always decaying, and always being restored.

-T.S. Eliot, Choruses From “The Rock”

Enough time has past prior to and since the time when Eliot wrote these lines for there to remain little doubt of their wisdom.  Even though his was the High (pseudo-Catholic) Anglican church, we in the 21st century evangelical church could utter the same things with equal fervor.  Ours is a Christendom that is a veritable orchard of good and bad fruit, both a product of bygone saints and men who only styled themselves as such.  Their fruit might be good doctrines proclaiming salvation by grace alone, or bad ones such as papal bulls asking for indulgences and pastel covered self-help theology books within which Christ is conspicuously absent.  Whatever the quality of the fruit, good or bad, it is what remains before us.  Ignoring it does little good and despairing over it fails to remember the promise of Jesus Christ that, “the gates of Hades will not overpower it,” (Mt 16:18).  The only question we are left with when we feel the cool, crisp flesh of good fruit– or wade amongst the rotting compost of the bad, is how will we sow?  How will we build in the church?  The task laid before our forefathers is the same that lay before us.  Will we seek the Lord, or will we exhaust ourselves in bad sowing, neglecting Divine intercession? Read more »

Filled under: Blog | by jonfurst | Comments (2)

I’ve been thinking about bread and wine lately. The church I attend here in Toulouse takes communion every Sunday, so I’m not surprised that it has been on my mind. What has been striking me most each week is the remaining bread and the leftover wine. Why don’t we finish all the bread, and why don’t we drink all of the wine. Well aside from it being weird to see someone scarf down a whole loaf of bread, and that it would be not proper to be buzzed or drunk at church, I see these remaining elements of communion and I realize that there are so many others who have yet to partake in the bread and wine, so many others who need to have their thirst and hunger satisfied. So many others. But in light of this perhaps daunting thought, I am comforted as well, realizing that there is still more to eat and more to drink. That Christ on the cross is enough for all to be filled. Christ’s love is abundantly more than enough to satisfy each and every one of us. There are so many more who need to be filled but even more left for them to partake in. Read more »

Filled under: Blog | by Basler | CommentsTags: Bread, Wine

The significance of the resurrection cannot be understated and it has been my experience that its study will result in a more beautiful and full picture of Christ that will ignite the mind, humble the heart, and prompt the lips to speak of the glory of Christ. I want to start by reviewing briefly what we have talked about on Sunday mornings. Read more »

Filled under: Blog | by PastorAdam | Comments

Hey Church,

I hope that you are doing well and ready for the summer. For some of you, work is as usual. You students are taking a deep breath after finals week. Others of you are planning on a migration to various parts of the world in the next months. For me, at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, these weeks are slow as students move back home and we staff take a look back on the past semester. This May completes my first year of full-time ministry, and wow have I learned so much! God has been showing me how to live sacrificially: relationally, financially, and emotionally. Read more »

Filled under: Blog | by JulieM | Comments (1)