Pastor's Pen

My father-in-law, Boyd Anderson, died and went to be with the Lord this past Sunday, November 1, 2015. I would like to share some things about him. He was a remarkable man in many ways. He was a rarity in…

On behalf of Connie and our family, I would like to thank the HLPC church family for their expressions of love and encouragement we received this past Sunday as part of Pastor Appreciation Month. As I said from the pulpit,…

I have a few miscellaneous things to write about in this week’s Pastor’s Pen.   So here goes…   My family and I enjoyed a great time in Chattanooga this past weekend. My oldest son, Andrew, proposed to his girlfriend Christina…

This morning I read from one of my favorite Psalms- Psalm 103. It begins with these familiar words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul,…

“Blowing a gasket.” “Lost his cool.” “She freaked out.” These are all euphemisms for getting angry. What is it that causes you to get angry? I find our 7 month old beagle puppy, Sophie, to be a great resource for…

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1 (ESV)   Jesus wants us to pray and not give up. The parable of the persistent widow that is…

David Murray, professor at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, authors one of my favorite blogs.  The following article was really helpful and I wanted to share it.  You can read the original post HERE if you like. Re-ignite Bible Reading That’s…

If you’ve been attending HLPC for any length of time you have been exposed to a catechism. For many Protestant evangelicals, the catechism strikes them as a Roman Catholic practice. This is unfortunate, as dismissing the catechism is to dismiss…

After literally years of off and on discussion, the Session of HLPC has decided to move to weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper. This was announced during this past week’s School of Discipleship as we concluded our three week study…

  I want to express my sincere thanks for those of you who prayed for the Elders’ retreat that took place this past weekend. It was a time of reflection on who we are, where we are, and where we…

We must be careful to thank God when He responds to our needs! One such response from His gracious hand is financial blessing. Early in the year we had a giving downturn. The elders and deacons made the congregation aware…

  We value our children. That’s an understatement. I hope you gather that we value children at HLPC. We often refer to them as “covenant children.” Why do we do that? We understand that God has always related to His…

Coming This Fall: Kids’ Quest! Paul Bankson   As has been mentioned here before our plans for Wednesday nights this fall are to provide a fun way to encourage the kids of HLPC to grow stronger roots in the gospel.…

One thing I enjoy using the Pastor’s Pen for is to pass on recommended resources. I have enjoyed reading and studying Tim Keller’s Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God in preparation for the Wednesday night study. It’s been very…

Too often prayer is given lip service. Someone asks us to pray and we say we will and then forget the request minutes later. This is rarely if ever done intentionally- it just happens. Other times it may happen because…

This past Sunday we looked at Philippians 2:17-30 and the self-less ministries of Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus. All three were motivated by the grace of the gospel at work in their lives. Our desire at HLPC is to have more…

Dear HLPC family,   This past weekend was a real combination of joy and sadness. I was privileged to officiate the wedding of our own Ben Kinnebrew and his bride, Kara Franklin, in Chattanooga. It was a joyous occasion. On…

This past Wednesday evening we kicked off our study on prayer using Tim Keller’s book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. The introduction contained a testimony from Keller’s own experience that had driven home to him the necessity of…

  Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs…

This is one of my most energizing and exhausting weeks of the year. It’s VBS week at HLPC. By the time you read this, we should be over the hump with 3 of 5 days completed at “Camp Kilimanjaro”. I’m…

2 things to communicate today…   1) We have three men who have been nominated, trained, and are approved to stand for election to the office of Deacon. These men are: Bruce Coburn, Kevin Epperson, and Dave Maddox. We will…

I love to watch reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show.” I own DVDs of the first five seasons. They were the ones in black and white. Once the show went color in seasons six through eight it lost not only…

If you haven’t heard the message, “A Heavier Cross,” preached this past Sunday by Rev. Clif Wilcox to close HLPC Mission Week, you need to watch the video or download the mp3 file by clicking HERE. It was a sobering,…

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 Psalm 40 has been a favorite for many. It speaks of God’s deliverance in a time of great trial. In verse 2 we read,…

Everyone’s a Theologian is a recent book by Dr. R.C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries and Sr. Pastor of St. Andrew’s Chapel in Orlando, FL. Sproul understands that all of us have theological commitments. They may be rooted in God’s…

The Psalms have been of great help to me in recent months. They’ve given me language for prayer as well as words of comfort. I’ve been using the method of taking the day’s date and adding 3o to that number…

4 things I would ask of you as your Pastor….   Would you plan to stay after worship this Sunday for a brief prayer of dedication for the new building? We want to pray God’s blessing on the construction and…

I would say the following are unrelated but they all have to do with HLPC! Please pray, be involved, or be aware as the case may be!   Easter Week– what we sometimes call “Passion Week” is soon upon us.…

“Let the little children come to me.” –Jesus VBS Dates: June 1-5 / 8:45a-Noon What do we need? VOLUNTEERS!!! This Sunday will mark the beginning of Volunteer Sign-Up. The Welcome Desk in the foyer will serve as The Volunteer Sign-Up…

“My grace is sufficient for you.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 Good words from Charles H. Spurgeon found in his Morning by Morning devotional that are well worth sharing… again:The one who would glorify his God must be prepared to meet with…

A couple of months ago the HLPC youth spent a week at Strong Tower Fellowship in Macon. HLPC has supported the Strong Tower work and Pastor Tom Anderson for several years now as they seek to minister the grace and…

This past Sunday we continued in the series “Grow Up” with a look into Nehemiah 8:1-12. There we saw God’s people demonstrating both an eagerness for and a proper response to the Scriptures. As we noted, they weren’t merely hearers…

I must begin this Pastor’s Pen on a bit of a sad but thankful note. The Air Force is moving the Drowns! Brent will be soon taking a new job in Columbus, MS. We will certainly miss the Drown family…

This Sunday after worship we will have an informational meeting for parents and children wishing to go through preparation to become communing members of the church. This is sometimes called a “Communicants Class”. What is this and why do we…

My son, Andrew, who just graduated with philosophy and economics degrees from Covenant College just sent me a book that he really liked entitled Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon. The subtitle is “A provocative Christian assessment of…

This past weekend as HLPC celebrated our ten years of existence was a great blessing and an answer to many prayers. It was a great time of remembering God’s faithfulness and goodness to us as a church. I thought Dr.…

Last week the UNCHAINED Youth of HLPC went to RYM. RYM stands for Reformed Youth Ministries. They do a lot of things by way of supporting youth ministry in our denomination. HLPC has been going to one of their summer…

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.…

July is here and it’s time to jump in! I want to encourage you to make the most of what HLPC has to offer during our School of Discipleship time each Sunday morning this month. First, let me thank the…

By the time you read this, I will have gathered with extended family in Birmingham, AL to celebrate the 100th birthday of my grandmother, Clara Kyzer Stoker. She actually turned 100 on June 12th but the 24th was the best…

Last week we took 18 youth to Ellijay in north Georgia. We had a great time! One of the things we did up there was tube down the Cartecay River. The rapids require your attention. But there are also long…

We are surrounded by friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who have no faith in Christ. Many may have a general belief in God or even be Church goers but if pressed, they would not be able to affirm that they…

This is our fourth year to have VBS here at HLPC. Prior to that, we didn’t have a facility to host it in. Now we do and it’s off to another good start. By the time you read this, day…

I was startled by the words I read this morning. I’m sure I’ve read them before but their brutal honesty grabbed me in a fresh way. I was reading Psalm 44 which says, (v.23) Awake! Why are you sleeping, O…

This past Lord’s Day we considered Jesus’ words in Mark 13. Parallel accounts of what we have come to call Jesus’ “Olivet Discourse” (which was given on the Mount of Olives and thus was given this title) are found in…

There’s a movie that’s opened recently based on a book by the same title called Heaven Is For Real. The book and subsequent movie is based on the recollections of a four year old boy who was clinically dead and…

The Pastor’s Pen is short and to the point this week. I just wanted to say “thank you” to all of you who helped make this past week such an encouragement in the life of HLPC. Several musicians used their…