The Day After

It wasn't the right size, the right color. It just wasn't what I wanted. It was a duplicate gift. All these are reasons why people are returning Christmas gifts. Tis the Season...

We've been told for years that "Black Friday" (the day after Thanksgiving) is the busiest and most prolific shopping day of the year.. But while "Black Friday" holds that reputation, data in this decade indicates that the days immediately prior to Christmas hold the distinction of most prolific shopping days (the days when retail sales spike for the holiday season).

And of course we've heard that the day after Christmas is the busiest day for returns of many Christmas gifts. Which begs the question: What really happens the day after Christmas?

Now that we've remembered and observed Jesus, do we exchange Him for a different life and perspective for the rest of our year? Is baby Jesus neatly packed away with the nativity scene, to be reinstated in the home decor next holiday? Do we take down the "light of the world" with the Christmas lights? In short, now that we've celebrated and commemorated the Advent, do we add events back into our lives more suitable to our taste and decor?

Or, maybe, just maybe, Christmas stirred something inside us...something of a more eternal nature. Maybe somewhere amid the presents, we discovered the Gift, and it changed us. And when we did, the words jumped off the page and their truth transformed our hearts.

If so, you're in very good company. That happened the first Christmas: And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. (Luke 2:20 nas)

Here's a gift that need not be returned the day after.

HIStory

One of the great surprises of life is to find out that God is pursuing a relationship with you. Too often we read the pages of scripture and their accounts of Bible heroes and mark it down as really good ancient literature or as an exciting story to read our children. And then, we remember that the same God that worked in them, works in us. In fact that is exactly what God tells us:

we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 nas

And what we find is this: Their Story is also OUR story, but ultimately it is HIStory...the tale of an eternal, loving God working in the lives of men. Join us as we make HIStory at The Heights Fellowship.

A Postcard from the Edge

Have you heard all the pundits attempting to pick this year's football winners...in August and September! A lot can happen between now and the season's end. The best any of these "experts" can do is to look at talent and schedule and guess. But one thing we all know for sure is that whatever teams keep their edge are probably going to come out ahead at the end of the season.

Through the Fall, we're using the theme "GameDay" as our direction at The Heights. One of the greatest coaches of all time once said, "Make game day your best day." I believe that's true. And I believe that for the believer, "GameDay" is today...right now...this moment. In the ordinary of the day to day or in he extremity of trying circumstances, we as a church are called to shine, because we as individuals who have been saved, set free, set apart, and set up for victory by Jesus are called to shine (Matt 5:16)

Since our earthly future is tenuous and uncertain, we who know the One who holds eternity are called to pack everything into the moment. A large part of victorious living is winning this moment. God calls that faithfulness, and it's a very, very edgy thing.

Like a championship team, we need to learn how to keep our winning edge. Join us in the moments ahead as we discover what that means. How do we stay in the game? How do we stay useful and available in God's hand? How do we win the moments?

Let's make this game day our best day. Make it your goal this fall to be a part of an awesome community at The Heights Fellowship.

Communion

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!

GAMEDAY THF

It's almost as eagerly awaited as the holiday season. It's an American phenomenon - the start of football season. And no wonder... after the long hot summer, it signals the coming of crisp Friday nights and Indian Summer Saturday afternoons. It's the gridiron and cleats. It's marching bands and pep rallies... concession stands and tailgating. It's a new semester...a new day...a new opportunity. Time to focus again.

Join us for a special Sunday Celebration and experience at The Heights Fellowship on August 23rd. It will be a great time to reconnect or to even start a new and exciting season. It's GAMEDAY THF.

It will be "wear your team's jersey day." There will be tailgating and concessions. And you never know who might show up. One thing is for sure, it won't be your normal Sunday.

Join us for the 9:01 am kickoff or for the start of the "second half" at 10:46 am. Load up your whole team and plan on being a part of GAMEDAY THF!

Summer Time

It's amazing how our culture paints itself into summer. Of course, the summer break from school prompts much of the sentiment directed at summer. But even if you don't have kids - or specifically, school-aged kids - chances are that you merge into the summer haze with vacation or other time off. Summer is vacation. It is holiday - 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day. It's trips to the lake, the beach, and the mountains.

Most of the time, we view summer in terms of leisure. But the fact is, around the family of God, it seems that as Summer heats up, so do our calendars. The THF Youth Outfitters just finished their Summer Youth Camp. They still have Super Summer (leadership camp), mission trip, and a whole slate of weekly events coming up. The THF Children's Ministry has Vacation Bible School and XTreme Kids Kamp still to come, in addition to an already busy summer calendar. We have Men's Ministry Golf Challenge and Women's Ministry events ongoing this summer. And we haven't even talked all church fellowships, and LIFE group ministry events...

Point is, there's a lot to be a part of. There are plenty of places to explore, fit in, plant yourself, and invest. If you're already at The Heights, you know what a special place it is. If you're just introducing to The Heights, jump right in. I know there's a fit for you.

Pastor Mike

God and Fossils

There are a couple of recurrent questions I've received throughout our current series on Creation v. Evolution. They are similar in kind. 1) If creation happened as the Bible says - 6 literal days from nothing, then how do you account for the vast fossil record? and, 2) How do creationists account for the coal and oil deposits?

For a century and a half, both questions have stumped many people of faith and given evolutionists great fodder to perpetuate the message of uniformitarianistic evolution. (By the way, they're GREAT questions.)

We're looking forward to the conclusion of our series, Origin and Destiny this Sunday as we look at these and similar questions in light of the truth of the Bible. You won't want to miss it.

Hope you're there.

Pastor Mike