A Celebration of the Backslidden

It's not a four letter word, but its impact among those of us who know Jesus and claim His church as our family is equally impacting: BACKSLIDDEN. No one wants to admit he's backslidden. She surely doesn't want to be named among the backsliders.

But the dirty little secret of our culture is that come this weekend, we'll all be backsliders. So THF wants to celebrate that with you. I'm talking about TIME CHANGE - From Daylight Saving Time back to Standard Time. (What'd you think I meant?)

It's a pretty cool concept. DST originated almost a century ago, during World War I. The idea was to save energy for our production during the war effort by taking advantage of longer daylight hours in the months between April and October. The idea was legislated by the US Congress in 1966 when they standardized the idea and established the dates - April to October. In 2007, the US Government acted again to lengthen DST by four weeks (creeping its beginning back into March and extending its duration into November). It was believed that change alone would save upwards of 10,000 barrels of oil per day. Pretty impressive!

The fact is that most people know little about DST, and care even less - except as it affects their sleep patterns. (Who doesn't hate losing that hour in the Winter?) But this weekend is SPECIAL - it's the one time during the year we all get to backslide - for an hour at least - and enjoy the indulgence of "an extra hour of sleep." Go ahead, set those clocks back and rest easy. Your God will still be on the job.

THF hopes you'll remember that and then join the celebration of the backsliders on Sunday morning at 9:01 and 10:46 Central STANDARD Time. You'll be the better for it all the way around. See you here.

A Reason to Celebrate

Harvest time has always been jubilant time. In the agricultural economies of our heritage, it was the payoff. It's what people worked for so long and so hard. We carry that tradition of joy with us into the present.

At THF we have an annual celebration of the harvest called Fall Festival. This October 31st, from 6:30-8:30 pm on the THF campus, we will celebrate again and we want our community to celebrate with us.

You are invited. This celebration is free and the fun is for everyone. You can follow the link for Fall Festival on this page to find out more.

Communion and the Lord's Supper

Undoubtedly, the word communion conjures up visual images of priests and robes and high church ceremony. I supposed that is one application. However, at its heart, the word has a more familiar texture. In fact, the source of communion falls nearer a more familiar, used word: community. Both have an old English word for sharing as their root. Both represent something that we share...something that we have in common.

This Sunday, THF will celebrate communion, what a lot of us refer to as The Lord's Supper, as a part of our worship expression. We will rejoice in that - better said, HIM that we have in common. It will be a poignant, meaningful time of reflection, remembrance, and celebration. Hope you'll be there.

We will celebrate twice - 9:01 and again at 10:46 am.

See you here!

OTC

Every Sunday at THF is unique and special. But there are some that off the chart special. This Sunday will be one of those OTC (Off the Chart) Sundays. I dare say, that we are going to do something you've probably never seen before...and never thought you'd hear of a church doing. I won't tell you in print...you'll just have to show up to find out...BUT YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS IT. This is something that will silence church critics for weeks to come!

Grab your family, bring your friends, talk to the neighbors and get here for the Sunday's celebration. 9:01 or 10:46.

See you then!

Beginnings

To describe this Fall for our THF Outfitters as awesome will be an understatement! My excitement level just continues to grow every time I think about it. With a new format, new theme, new set-up, AND some new personalities, this Fall is shaping up to be the BEST EVER at THF!

Be sure you mark your calendars with some of the important dates that are coming up for our Student Ministry! Here's a "small" list of things you'll want to mark on your calendar:
Yuck Night – September 1
SYATP – September 22
Salvation City Tour – October 30
Fall Festival – October 31
DNow – November 11-14
Turkey Bowl – November 25
Winter Retreat – December 27 - 30
Ignite – January 28-29, 2011
X-Axis – March 14 – 19, 2011
Youth Camp – May 30 – June 3, 2011

WORD up

It’s the best selling document of all time. It’s the most widely circulated, widely translated book ever. In our western culture, it’s almost ubiquitous…over 90% of Americans say they own at least one. They’re even stocked safely away in most hotel rooms. Yet for all of that, the Bible is one of the least read, most divisive and misunderstood pieces of literature in existence.

Here are some of the questions:

Who really wrote the Bible?
What makes the Bible unique from other religious books or from other works of ancient literature?
Weren’t there books left out of the Bible?
Aren’t there supposed to be contradictions in the Bible?
Can I really understand and find meaning from something that old?

Join us this August for our series WORD, as THF uncovers the mystery, answers the questions, and opens the book on THE BOOK. You’ll be forever changed.

Released

My friend, Luke, was released today.

I first met Luke a little over a month ago through one of our THF family. I'd been told that he was a good guy, a professional painter, who had lived a pretty rough life and that he had been diagnosed with cancer down in his abdomen back last year. He was literally riddled with cancer - abdomen, throat, brain. A tumor was even pressing against the optic nerve behind his right eye and he had lost vision in that eye. He was terminal.

No one really knew what his spirit was, and I was asked if I'd visit him. "Of course," I said. After all, that's something pastor's do, right?

You never know, going into a meeting like that what you will find. People respond all kinds of different ways. Anger, rage, dismissal...and worst of all condescension (like you're a hired "gun" and of course, you're there to see them about their eternity.) Well, what I found was a friend...and a really good man.

It was a quick five weeks. I don't know what Luke was like most of his life, but I do know what he was at the end. He was just very genuine and gracious. Somewhere in there, Luke had embraced the Savior and it - as it always will - transformed him. He wasn't fatalistic. He wasn't angry or questioning. He was just real people. We talked much - which was a trip in itself, because Luke was hard of hearing, so we had to yell at each other. We laughed a lot, sometimes at stuff we'd say - or often enough at stuff we couldn't figure out how to say, given all the yelling. And sometimes I'd just sit on the edge of his bed on the really tough days and hold his hand and pray. Like a true Texan, Luke always extended to shake your hand...

I told his brother-in-law on Wednesday that Luke's spirit was "quiet" over the five or six weeks I knew him. As is intended, that wandering, nomadic soul found its rest in Jesus...and he was good with life. And here's a truth to live by: He never mourned the life that cancer was taking from him. He embraced the life that Jesus was giving to him.

This past Sunday, Luke was able to muster up the strength to come celebrate with us at THF. He'd wanted to for a while. His special lady had come with him...had flown all the way from Florida, in fact, to come with him. It was a big thing. I'd told our greeter team to be watching. They did, and when he arrived, they came directly to me and told me that big ol' goober was in the building. It was great for them to pray with in person the guy they'd prayed for at a distance for over a month. I told Luke that this place - THF - was started for guys just like him. He was in many ways the epitome of "Heights Harry." We celebrated.

His hospice nurse just called to tell me that Luke has been released. And, that's a good thing. Life didn't leave. Life just came by and picked him up on its journey. Today, I'm grateful for friendship. But more than that, I'm grateful that the Savior counts as precious in His sight, the death of His beloved.

What about you, friend? Has your spirit found its rest in the Savior?