Pastor's Pen

HLPC is in the middle of our “Missions Week.” We are devoting back to back Sundays as well as our MidWeek to an emphasis on reaching our community and the world with the gospel. In addition we will be having…

We have a great week on the horizon and I hope you can take full advantage! On Sunday, January 22nd, we’ll kick off our Missions Week with Paul Hahn preaching for us. Paul is a very gifted communicator who God…

A New Year is always a great opportunity to get a fresh start on a variety of things (particularly dieting after the holidays). Here at HLPC we don’t want to deprive you of fresh opportunities for service within the body.…

Ever heard that question asked? People say that the roots of the Christmas celebration are in pagan festivals. Therefore, some would say that it is illegitimate for Christians to celebrate Christmas. Is that so? R.C. Sproul has answered that question…

Christmas, as you know, is not a prescribed celebration in Scripture but is one we joyfully embrace. We are happy to be reminded of the great events in history such as the birth of the Lord Jesus and to remember…

This season is one of extremes. As a child, we associate it with the greatest day of the year. Our birthday would be the close second. Christmas for us all is often painted as the most joyous time of family…

I want to thank the HLPC church family for praying for me during my week in Colombia, November 7-14. The trip, which was arranged by the ministry Gospel Through Colombia, took me to the coast of Colombia to the historic…

After a full week in Colombia, South America, it’s so good to be home with family and familiar surroundings. I enjoyed a great week with new brothers and sisters in Christ in Santa Marta, Colombia .   I consider it a…

Thank you for your prayers for my safe travel to Colombia! I arrived Monday in Barranquilla and then took an hour and half bus ride to Santa Marta which will be my home base until next Monday, November 14th. It…

    I have two prayer favors I would ask of you today:   Please make an effort to join us TONIGHT at 6:30PM for prayer in the youth building. We will be devoting significant attention to the Presidential election…

My first friend, outside of family, of whom I have the earliest conscious memory, is Rusty Gilliam. Rusty was my friend next door when we both were very, very small. We both grew up in the same church.   We remained…

On behalf of my family, I want to thank you all for the wonderful expressions of love and encouragement we received this past Sunday as a part of Pastor Appreciation month. We are very grateful to be a part of…

There’s a lot of hand wringing going on concerning the future of our country. The choices we have for president are leaving much to be desired. Many sincere believers, who desire to honor the Lord in their choice for President,…

Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 (ESV)   How do I know God’s will? That’s a question we all ask in a variety of circumstances. One principle of discerning His will is found right…

This past Sunday while preaching on Romans 8:12-13, I quoted several times from John Owen’s work, Mortification of Sin. I wanted to share some of those quotes again so you can be better able to consider them and give you…

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have…

The book of Joel is fascinating. God uses Joel the prophet to call the nation of Israel to fresh repentance so that they might experience renewal and blessing. This is after the nation has spent time in exile in Babylon.…

Families are busy, busy, busy these days. Along with academics there are a myriad of activities for them to pursue: dance, music, athletics, and others. This leaves many families gasping for breath wondering what day of the week it is!…

The word “Presbyterian” is taken from the Greek word, presbuteros. It is translated into English as “elder.” The Presbyterian Church derives its name from the form of church government we utilize- a church that is led by “presbyters” or elders.…

This past Sunday we looked into Romans 7:1-6. There the Apostle Paul uses marriage as an illustration of the implications for the Christian of being one with Jesus Christ by faith. We saw that we are now dead to the…

Week two of the Olympic Games is upon us. It will be hard next week not to turn on the TV at 8PM and expect to see Bob Costas introduce the night’s events. Seeing so many athletes being interviewed reminds…

As I am writing this Randy and Leigh Anne Saye, along with their three sons, are making their move to Americus, Georgia. The truck may be in route to their new house. After several years of ministry here at HLPC…

The “Win-Win” Mission Trip Paul Bankson   This Saturday a group from HLPC will be leaving for a week of ministry in La Ceiba, Honduras. This will be the third time we’ve sent a team there. This past Sunday we…

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that…

June 21-24 the PCA General Assembly met in Mobile, Alabama. Randy Saye and I were privileged to attend. This is the annual denominational gathering at which time reports are given on the ministries of the PCA and actions are taken…

In our community, July 4th gets a lot of special attention- more so than in many other communities. Obviously, this is connected to the fact that we are in a military community where so many serve our nation through Robins…

Change. Some people hate it. Some people just can’t process it. If you’re one of those people, you’re sadly living in the wrong century. Change is happening so fast it’s practically impossible to keep up and it’s unsettling.  The only…

VBS is right around the corner!   We had a great time Monday night at Volunteer Training. One of the things I like to ask every year is, “Why VBS?” We had some good discussion. Personally, I believe if you…

And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O LORD, to the ten thousand thousands…

This past Sunday we considered Romans 1:24-32. That passage speaks about the consequences of our idolatry in the removal of God’s hand of restraint. This impacts all of life. No one is left unscathed in that passage. We further considered…

Thanks to all who were able to stay for our After Worship Opportunity for Lunch (AWOL) this past Sunday and heard the Re-Blued presentation. It’s always a good thing to review your purposes. As the saying goes, aim at nothing…

I’m praying today that this week everyone who reads this week’s Pastor’s Pen will plan to stay for our monthly AWOL gathering which stands for “After Worship Opportunity for Lunch.” We have these lunch opportunities to foster relationships and fellowship.…

I was watching a documentary on “The West” produced by Ken Burns. At one point, the focus was the Oregon Trail and the early settlers who travelled on it by wagon train in the first half of the 19th century.…

  We call this week “Holy Week.” It is the week to remember and reflect on the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We use this week to walk through Jesus’ hours of suffering and eventual death but then turn…

Ligonier Ministries, the teaching ministry of R.C. Sproul recently released a well worded statement on the person and work of Jesus Christ. The statement is entitled, “The Word Made Flesh: The Ligonier Statement on Christology.” You can read the statement…

Have you ever prayed for something only to see God do something radically different and unexpected? It seems to be that God delights in being counter intuitive- that He delights in acting in surprising ways. This is seen throughout the…

Today, as I write this, Georgia voters participated in what has been labelled “Super Tuesday.” March 1st was the day the Democratic and Republican primaries took place in several other states to determine the nominees for the office of President…

Carl Trueman has written a thought provoking essay for First Things. In this article, he challenges the growing approach to funerals as “celebrations of life.” You can read it HERE and I encourage you to do so. Like him, I’ve…

Houston Lake Presbyterian Church desires to support God’s gift of life. For this reason, we have been supporters of Covenant Care Services since the earliest days of our existence. Covenant Care is a Christian adoption agency serving our state that…

Who needs a marriage conference? If you’re married or contemplating marriage- then YOU do. You need to carve out some time February 19-21 for “The Messiness of Marriage” Conference to give some attention to a very important relationship that God…

This past Sunday in worship at Houston Lake Presbyterian Church we considered Daniel 9:24-27. As I said, this was one of the hardest passages on which I’ve ever preached. It’s a hard passage to interpret and then to explain all…

Just for much needed clarification, “Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare” is a hymn written by John Newton NOT by Paul Bankson! We’re going to sing this great hymn this Sunday evening at 6PM at our 5th Sunday Prayer and…

I’ve mentioned several times in recent sermons how much I’ve been enjoying reading Tony Reinke’s book on John Newton, Newton on the Christian Life: To Live is Christ. It’s part of a series of books published by Crossway entitled, “Theologians…

In reality, what really changes when we flip our calendars from one year to the next? Life doesn’t really change. Sure, we have to get used to writing a new date- in this case we have to write “6’s” instead…

“Sometimes, God’s plan to get us through hard times is to redirect our inward focus outward. Service is often a remedy for sorrow.”   I spoke these words once, or something close to them, to someone who was struggling with…

And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless…

This past Sunday we talked about God’s “covenant of grace” that comes out in Genesis 12:1-3. There we saw God make gracious and magnificent covenant promises to Abraham that culminated in the promise that through Abraham “all the families of…

Ryan Shelton wrote the following article for the Desiring God web site. He gives seven reasons to celebrate Advent. As we begin this season of preparation and anticipation, I thought it well worth sharing. You can read the full article…

Dan Graves, in a November 26, 2013 blog post on the Christian History Magazine web site (www.christianhistoryinstitute.org) gives us the history of Thanksgiving Day as celebrated here in the U.S.A:   Thanksgiving as a national observance began near the end…

Many reasons for thanks this November 11, 2015….   Thank you to our veterans. Our church has many. Thank you for your service to our country. Despite some of our discouragements as a nation, we still enjoy great freedom and…