Global Impact Celebration

For many months a team of highly dedicated volunteers at HDBC have been planning and preparing to lead our church through a weekend Global Impact Celebration. That weekend is now here. Beginning Friday evening and ending on Sunday night HDBC will celebrate God’s passion for the world and the part that we play in that passion.

Missionaries from around the world and across town will be with us for this significant three-day event. It will involve large group gatherings, small group activities and one-on-one conversations. We will celebrate past victories and consider future opportunities. We will get to know some missionaries who are on the front lines of mission work. I am really looking forward to our time together.

If you are part of the HDBC family I hope you have already decided to participate. If not, make that decision now. Come on . . . take a chance! We promise not to waste your time or to leave you bored. It just might change your life.

Our theme is Raiders of a Lost World. Just as Indiana Jones was on a quest to find the Ark of the Covenant, we are on a quest to find people around the world who have not yet had an opportunity to know that God loves them and that Jesus died for them. For us it is more than a quest, it truly is a passion.

So, I look forward to seeing all HDBC members and attenders this Friday night.

Sore Muscles

I love Fridays. Several years ago I developed the habit of taking off work on Fridays. That was a good decision. Normally by the time I leave the office on Thursdays I am completely prepared for Sunday. That enables me to be totally relaxed on Fridays. I normally sleep-in, then when I do get up, I hit the ground running. I may do a little house work (Jan loves that) then if the weather permits I work outside. The past few Fridays I have cut and hauled wood. I have also split some firewood the old fashioned way. It is therapeutic for me to get out and do some physical work and just let the mind relax.

This past Friday was a good one. The weather was perfect and I stayed at it most of the day. I moved seven wheelbarrow loads of firewood from one side of my backyard to the other. I finished cutting off what was left of a large limb still laying on my fence. Two more wheelbarrow loads. Why can't these trees and limbs fall close to where you need them? I then split wood for about and hour. That will get the heart rate up. I wrapped it up by spending several hours at Jana and David's cutting and hauling wood. They have a large oak and a very large pecan tree that both took a big hit during the recent ice storm. We've made some progress but there is still much to be done there.

I've said all that to say, "I am still feeling it today." The muscles are sore, but it is a good feeling. I am just grateful to be able to do it. And next year I will enjoy burning all of this wood in our new fireplace which we will soon install. Maybe, just maybe, we will get it in time to use it this year.

Blessings

Poofed Again

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago. It was a Wednesday night and I wandered back into the MAC as the kids were wrapping up G-Force and Grapple. I was enjoying the happy faces and all the sights and sounds of a growing kids ministry, when I suddenly became the victim of a frenzied mob. Somone was going to get "poofed" and I heard my name called. With little prompting the chanting spread through the crowd as I was asked to removed my glasses and close my eyes. A moment later my face was covered with flour. I had been poofed! It was worth it to hear the laughter rising from the mob as the cloud of flour spread through my hair, across my face and even into my ears. It was almost as much fun to see the looks on the faces of other people as I made my way back through the church. Clearly some had no idea what "poofing" meant.

Last night Shay was poofed eight times. Wow, that's a head full of flour. Now, that is a good thing. In fact I hope we will see a lot more "poofing" going on in the MAC. Everytime someone is poofed it is a sign that one of our kids, parents or workers has brought a new person to a kids event for the very first time.

Poofing! It's a sign of life and growth. So, let the flour fly!

Growing Family

Our family is growing! No, this is not an announcement about a new grandbaby in the Hutchison family. It is an announcement about growth in the HDBC family. I'm excited about the five individuals who chose to become a part of the HDBC church family this past Sunday. Four ladies and one teenage student joined with us yesterday, but they also bring with them eight children and two additional students who are already becoming actively involved in our student and kid's ministries.

Our worship attendance numbers continue to grow. We will soon be adding more chairs to the worship center to handle the growth. After that we will probably be adding a third worship celebration. At this point we have only begun to pray and think through the details (when, where, how, who, etc), so please be praying for our staff leadership as we consider the options and seek the Lord's will.

Love God, Connect to Others, Serve the World. This is why we exist. This is our mission. Everything that we do as a church is to lead people through those steps to spiritual maturity. It is so much fun to watch people moving through those steps as they grow in their love for God.

So, among all the other things that will compete for your attention this week, remember to Love, Connect and Serve.

Volunteers

I am so thankful for the many volunteers at HDBC. We could not function without them. We have a great staff, but the key to effectively serving the world is the mobilization of our volunteers. I cannot begin to name all of the things that are done in and through our church by volunteers. But let me share a few. HDBC volunteers greet, teach, share, cook, serve, assist, fix, hug, smile, encourage, play instruments, sing, turn knobs and push buttons, sweep floors, repair drywall, unclog drains, collect offerings, open doors, hand out programs, count money, visit the sick, invest and invite, give, change diapers, change light bulbs and on and on and on.

We are called to Love God, Connect to Others and Serve the World.

Thanks HDBC, for serving so faithfully!

What Do You See?

What do you see? All over town and throughout the region streets are decorated with piles of limbs from the recent ice storm. But what do you see when you look at those piles? Do you simply see a pile of wood? Do you see rubbish meant for the landfill and a date with a wood chipper? Do you see the negative effects of a harsh winter storm? Do you see the villain that caused many to be without power for days? What do you see?

You can also see some other things in those brush piles. Some see firewood that will keep people warm next winter. Others see trees that will not have to be pruned for many years. That's a good thing. Many see those piles as evidence that the cleanup is complete or almost complete for them. I also see them as evidence of a resilient spirit. They reflect a spirit of dealing with a difficult situation without succumbing to it. Those brush piles point to a focus on the future. Life will return to normal, whatever that is.

One more thing. Rather than focusing on the dead limbs that are in the brush piles look around and notice the living trees throughout the area. They took nature's best shot and kept on standing. And in a few weeks those same trees that now appear so broken and feeble will begin to demonstrate life and vitality through the new growth that comes with spring.

Busted

Imagine my surprise Sunday night when I openned my front window blinds and found my front yard being decorated with toilet paper. It was priceless to see the look on Bobby's face when those blinds were opened and our eyes met. My only regret is that I did not sneak out the back door and onto the roof. That would have been a fun surprise for them. It's great to be loved. Thanks guys for caring enough to think of us :). Life is too short not to have a little fun.