Pastor's Pen

As I mentioned in a recent sermon, it seems that a lot of folks at HLPC are going through hard times. Many of us are being buffeted by trials and hardship. Some involve physical suffering, some trials involve relational difficulties.…

This past Sunday I used a story from the time of the Covenanters as an illustration to help us understand the blessings and privileges of coming to the Lord’s Table. I realize that many of us don’t have much of…

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Fighting for Joy Paul Bankson This past Sunday we considered the need, in John Piper’s words, to “fight for joy”. I appreciate Piper’s perspective very much. We live in a fallen world in which we deal with trial, disappointment, heartache,…

As 2014 gets underway I wanted to highlight some news and events in the life of HLPC. I hope you’ll make some of the opportunities for growth, fellowship, and ministry a priority for you and your family! 1. Capital Campaign…

One of our local radio stations is already playing around the clock Christmas music. That seems a bit early for most of us. Thanks to Macy’s and its Thanksgiving Day parade we all have a collective idea that the Christmas…

I was recently encouraged by reading an article posted on the Christianity Today website: “Fox News” Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower”. In the article, Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers describes how God pursued her and drew her into a relationship with…

Some things change and some things stay the same. HLPC Midweek Meals will resume next Wednesday, September 4th. Wednesday nights have played an important role in the life of our church for several years now. We want to provide an…

We wanted to take this week’s Pastor’s Pen to thank the congregation of HLPC for their kindness and generosity this past Sunday as you recognized Pastor’s Appreciation. We are grateful to God for you and for the privilege of serving…

Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as the latter. –Paxton Hood When I was a seminary student I was…

This past weekend Connie, Matthew, and I made a quick trip to Lookout Mountain, TN to Covenant College where our two oldest sons, Andrew and Stephen, are currently students. We went to see the annual big fall event on campus…

Grace makes us gracious. We hear that every week in our Sunday morning worship service. It always comes after our gospel exercise of personal confession and remembrance of the forgiveness that is found only in Christ Jesus. Our own humbling…

She was not happy. I could tell the moment I walked into the AT&T store and saw her sitting there. She was not a satisfied customer and she was letting the sales assistant know it. Her mood went from bad…

I am very grateful for the time the Session of Houston Lake Presbyterian Church has given me away from the pulpit to focus on the dissertation I am writing for the Doctor of Ministry degree I am pursuing through Reformed…

Believe it or not, we need some more Deacons. The Deacons we have are doing a marvelous job but their numbers are a bit down. Curtis McDonald and his family have moved and Joey Smith is deployed and he and…

In the previous weeks we’ve been covering the concept of church health as what we want to pursue as a church. Certainly, our overall pursuit would be the glory of God in all things but as a means to that…

In the previous weeks we’ve been covering the concept of church health as what we want to pursue as a church. Certainly, our overall pursuit would be the glory of God in all things but as a means to that…

We want to encourage families who believe their children are ready to be admitted to the Lord’s Table to come to a Communicants Class informational meeting this Sunday after worship. This will be a brief meeting to introduce you to…

In the previous weeks we’ve been covering the concept of church health as what we want to pursue as a church. Certainly, our overall pursuit would be the glory of God in all things but as a means to that…

Last week I wrote a bit about church health and the place it plays in the church’s vision. We noted that church health is what our goal needs to be above other goals. Church health, when properly pursued, should yield…

Sometimes I am asked the question what is my vision for Houston Lake Presbyterian Church? If the person asking that question is looking for answers that involve number of members, size of staff, or size of facility, they will be…

The Honduras Team has been preparing for the week ahead, July 20-27, for many months. We were just discussing this morning during our weekly church staff meeting about the fundraising efforts that go back to last October with the Pumpkin…

If I were to rate last week’s family vacation in western North Carolina on a scale from 1-10, I’d have to give it a “4”. Like those of you who were still here in Houston County, we were in the…

As the first Adam’s sweat surrounds my face, May the last Adam’s blood my soul embrace. Famous for his lines “No man is an island” and “For whom does the bell toll?”, John Donne wrote the lines above in his…

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. I Cor. 12:27 This verse comes in a section of I Corinthians wherein the Apostle Paul exhorts Christians to recognize that they are part of a body- the…

This week, Tuesday through Friday, the PCA’s General Assembly is gathering in Greenville, SC. This is the annual meeting of our denomination’s highest “court”. Historic Presbyterian Church government uses such language because we believe that the church is to have…

An excerpt from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning by Morning * that gave me much encouragement and I wanted to share: “We love because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19) There is no light but that which proceeds from the sun;…

They say knowledge is power. Many in our culture advance the idea that education is THE key for success and a meaningful life. But in 1 Corinthians Paul tells us that “knowledge puffs up.” It’s good for feeding the ego…

I’ll date myself here, but I remember well a 1978 movie entitled, Capricorn One. It was based on a theory that had been floating around for some time that the Apollo moon landings were a hoax perpetrated by the U.S.…

Let me encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities for encouragement, reflection, and worship during Easter week at HLPC! We’ll begin the week this Sunday with remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we have come to…

This week I heard Nina Shea interviewed on the radio about a book that she has helped author entitled Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians that has been published by Thomas Nelson. I was so taken with her radio interview…

The one who would glorify his God must be prepared to meet with many trials.

Our military community and many in our church family are watching the events in our nation’s capital with intense interest this week. We anticipate the potential for sequestration and the subsequent furloughs that could come to RAFB employees and the…