Very Important – Please Read

Dear Family and Friends,

As most of you know, Mandy and I have started one of the most exciting adventures of our lives. We have recently become licensed foster parents. I know a lot of you are so excited and have been very supportive. I really needed to make a few things clear so that there is no confusion in the future.

Being a foster parent is an amazing thing. We are excited to get started. This being said, there are a lot of stipulations that come right along with being a foster parent. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance. This may seem like a given to some people, but I felt I should elaborate on what this means.

From this point on, you will not see any twitters, blogs, facebook updates, etc about foster parenting. The reason for this is the children we will be caring for need to be protected. What this means for you as our family and friends is that we absolutely need you to understand that if we make a comment about a child, which we will not be doing often, but you need to treat it as though we were talking about our own children, because that is what they are while they are in our care. This means no questions like, “oh how sweet, is this your foster child?” or “How are you liking being a foster parent?” If you have questions about the well being of our family, please feel free to call me and we will be more than happy to catch up.

Basically, the fact that we have foster children is confidential. The fact that some of the children in our care may be foster children is confidential. Pretty much, everything involving the word “foster” is confidential. We could lose our license if any of that confidentiality is breached. Thank you for understanding and if you have any questions, you can email me @ pastor.travis.hill@gmail.com

Pastor Trav

Tulsa Update

What’s Up Generation!!!

 

I just wanted to give you guys and gals an update from Tulsa, Ok. It has been an amazing week of spending time with friends and family, as well as speaking into lives of people. I was planning on a nice, simple vacation before I start my new job, but God made it so much more. It has been the most productive week Mandy and I have had in a long time. We have made some exciting new connections with family I didn’t even know that I had. We had the chance to see some of the most amazing students for The Verge at Destiny Church. (Amanda and Hailey… I am so proud of you!!!!) It was great to see my homie Dawson again. (Love you lil’ bro) It has truly been a blessing to see everyone again. I can’t wait to come visit ya’ll again. (Getting my okie accent back) Until then, you are all welcome on the beach.

 

Love Ya,

 

PT

berryblog 2.0 God’s Goodness

Growing up in my tiny Baptist church, we had a fun little game we liked to play. Any time the pastor would say “God is good” we would say “all the time.” Any time the pastor said “all the time” we would say “God is good.” You probably played the same game or some variation. The question is will we say those words when life isn’t good.

My good friend John Allison often tells the story of how God revealed his goodness to him while on a mission trip to China. It wasn’t while standing on the Great Wall, or on top of a beautiful mountian. No. The revelation of God’s goodness came to John with his arms wrapped around a toilet, pukeing his guts out, thousands of miles away from home. Life was not good, but God was.

No matter what our lives look like, no matter how we feel, God is still good and just and righteous. We may not like what God is doing or allowing to happen, but it doesn’t change the fact that He is good.

Our goal as Christians can’t be to lead a happy life, because to word of God say that in this life we will have trouble. If we gadge God’s goodness by our happiness, we miss the mark and blame God for our sorrows. But if put or hope and trust in His goodness then we can always say “God is good” and sing “it is well with my soul”…. I told you it was a baptist church

PT

Big News in the Hill House

Hey Guys and Girls,

I just wanted to give everyone an update of what’s going on in the Hill house. God is doing big things in our hearts and lives. Mandy and I have both been called to reach a lost and broken generation. He has given us a passion to help abused, neglected, and abandoned children. Being obedient to what God has for us, this week we are starting foster parenting classes. In 6-8 weeks we will be a licensed foster home. At that point we begin to take in the children that God has called us to love and protect. (I am so freaking pumped!!!)

Secondly, when all my paper work clears with the wonderful people at the FBI I will be the newest employee at Curry House. Curry House is a shelter for runaway and troubled teens. It is an amazing opportunity to minister to hurting and abused youth. (Again….FREAKING PUMPED!!!)

God has totally and amazingly blessed our family. He has put a heart for children and youth inside of us and now He is putting it to work. I was born for this! For as long as I can remember my mom has been caring for children. I have never known a time when my house wasn’t filled with other people’s kids. From the time I could walk I was plugged into the childrens ministry at our church, followed by talking when I took over the youth ministry… well almost. The Father built Mandy and I, and placed us here for such a time as this.

Thank You Jesus!!!!

War and Peace

Matthew 10:34-39

³⁴“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn
” ‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—
³⁶a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’^[e]

³⁷“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

I have come to the understanding that I really don’t understand. I don’t understand the paradox of God’s love and grace. I do not get teachings like“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” That is unless God reveals it to me. That is exactley what happened the other day. The Holy Spirit began to teach me about these scriptures. This is what I found out…

1.  Jesus, the Prince of Peace, did not come to bring peace but war. We were prisoners of death and slaves to sin. Jesus came with the sword of the spirit, his very word, to conquer Satan, Sin, and Death. He did not do this to bring peace between us and sin, but between us and God. While we were still sinners, even enemies of God, Jesus came to reconcile us to himself. This was no peaceful transaction, but a nasty, bitter, bloody war that wages on this very hour.

2. We have been enlisted in the battle. Don’t expect because you have been set free from captivated that your life will be peaceful. You are now the target of our true Enemy.  This enemy will put anything and every between you and our Savior, including your own family. Don’t hold too tightly to anything in this world, but cling to the cross. It is our hope and salvation. It is what we live and die for. Anything else is worthless.

3. The only way to win is to die. Before Jesus rescued you from sin, you were died. Like Lazarus, you have been called forth from the tomb, and set free from your bondage. Now to remain in a life of sin and selfish living would be to return to the grave. To truly see abundant life we must present our bodies as living sacrifices before God. We must die to our old lives that we can take hold of a new life of obedience to him. Then we will see our victory.

Take up your cross….

Saturday Poll

Simply Incredible

I want to be this kid. I want to have that level of expectation in my walk with Christ. I have seen God show up and show off time and time again, but somehow I always seem surprised when it happens. What if we all had the attitude of this kid. What if after we experience a miracle, be it that of salvation, healing of our bodies or relationships, God’s supernatural provision, what ever the case may be, what if after that experience we kept coming back to the foot of the cross for more.

Its no wonder Jesus had thousands of people that followed him from town to town to hear him teach and see him do miracles. Can you imagine the kid from this clip there on the day Jesus feed the 5,000. I can just see him peddling along on his big wheel, weaving in and out of the crowed, trying to get as close to Jesus as he could. Suddenly, he is stopped by one of the disciples. He is asked to share the small lunch he is carrying in his backpack. He peddles up to Jesus, turns over his five loaves and two, and bows his head as Jesus begins to pray. When this small boy opens his eyes to baskets filled with food he has only one thing to say…

I want to be like this kid!!!! Expect Greatness….

PT aka Mr. Incredible

Faith that Saves

May 1, 1990. I was six years old. My mom was reading her Bible like she had done everyday for as long as I can remember. I crawled up into her lap to spend a little momma son time. She began to read to me about Jesus. I don’t remember what chapter and verse she read or if she had some amazing insight to share with me, but when she finished I looked up at her and said “I think I am saved, but I don’t really know.” She turned to me with a tear in her eye and asked me if I would like to be saved. She took my hand as we knelt next to my bed and said the sinner’s prayer. It was the greatest day in my life. I couldn’t wait until my Dad got home to tell him the amazing news. I knew from that point on that I was saved. I was going to heaven. I had Jesus in my heart.

If you think about it, the prayer of salvation is the most ridiculous prayer God has ever heard. Listen…

“God,

I am a sinner. I have broken your laws. I have taken your commands and knowingly spit on them. And I know that you are a Holy God, and you can not look upon sin. There must be  someone to take the punishment for what I have done. Jesus! Will you take my punishment? Will you take the wrath of your Father for my sin and shame?  God! Will you take the blood of your son as ransom, as payment for my debt? If you pay my debt, Jesus, I will make you Lord. I will be your bond servant to do your will. My life isn’t worth much, but it is all I have to give. Is it a deal?”

If God is willing to do such an amazing, selfless act with our first prayer as believers, why do we fail to believe that He will continue to do the miraculous after we are saved. From the time I was six, I have had no doubt that I was saved, but I have had a hard time believing that God would heal my body, give me a good job, or even let me have a good day. If the prayer of salvation is the most silly, unbelievable prayer that we could ever pray, why is it all down hill from there?

I say let’s pray big. Let’s believe the unbelievable. Let’s pray that cities come to know Jesus. Let’s pray that thousands are delivered from sickness and disease. Let’s pray the economy gets turned around. Let’s pray that abortion is abolished. Let’s just pray!!!!

PT

If you have any prayer requests big or small leave a comment, email me at pastor.travis.hill@gmail or twitter @Pastor_Trav.

I am ALIVE

I am still here. God is still working.

berryblog 1.0

Hey kids.

I am at home sick today, so I thought I would try an experiment. This is the first of many (I hope) berryblogs in which I will blog from my phone. The upside is that I can blog from anywhere. But if you have ever received a text from me you know there will be many missing and or misspelled words. I hope it works and I hope I don’t suck it up.

Love you guys!

PT