Author: janicevance

by Justin Morton

Have you ever been fishing?  My first experience with fishing was in the pond behind our house; a pond I knew very well.  Not only was it just 50 yards from my back door, but over the years I had lost several baseballs in that pond.  Despite that familiarity, I had never spent much time fishing.  Then one day, all that changed.  My uncle came to visit and decided to teach me the finer points of the sport.  He spent time teaching me about the various baits, the technique of casting the line into the water, and the actions to take once you hooked a big one.  Within minutes, I had caught my first fish, a bass.

As thrilling as it was to catch that fish, what stands out most in my memory is the fish’s struggle for survival.  The fish fought and desperately wanted to return to the water, it’s essential source of life.  Once a fish is out of water, it is unable to survive for very long.

Sometimes I feel as though Christians have a lot more in common with fish than we realize.  Like fish, we sometimes allow ourselves to be drawn away from our source of life into a world that threatens our spiritual well-being.  James writes, “You adulterous people!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

As Christians, we often find ourselves like fish out of water.  We allow ourselves to be enticed by the bait the world dangles before us, leading us away from obedience and faithfulness to God.  In doing so, we give our friendship and loyalty to the world, making ourselves adversaries of God.  Like fish, we take the bait and are drawn into a world that not only threatens our well-being, but our eternal survival as well.  God does not want His people to be conformed to the world (Romans 12:1-2).

Although the bait may look appealing to the fish, it is merely a deception.  By the time the fish realizes its mistake, it is already gasping for air and struggling to survive.  Let us remain vigilant so we do not take the bait and become like fish out of water.

Grace: God’s Gift of Salvation

Grace is one of the most powerful and transformative truths in all of Scripture. It is the unmerited favor of God—His loving kindness extended to humanity, not because we earned it, but because of His own goodness and mercy. We recognize grace as central to the gospel message and to our lives as followers of Christ.

The apostle Paul describes grace beautifully in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” This passage teaches us that salvation is not something we achieve through our own efforts. It is a gift—completely undeserved and entirely dependent on God’s love.

However, while grace is a gift, the Bible also makes clear that receiving this gift requires a faithful response. Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Grace is not a license to live however we please; it is a call to transformation. God’s grace teaches us how to live in a way that honors Him.

We emphasize the balance between grace and obedience. Some misunderstand grace to mean that God overlooks sin or that baptism, repentance, and faithful living are optional. But Scripture is clear that our response to grace involves submitting to God’s plan of salvation. This includes believing in Jesus as the Son of God (John 8:24), repenting of our sins (Luke 13:3), confessing Christ before others (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). These are not works that earn salvation but expressions of faith made possible through grace.

Once we are saved by grace, we continue to live under grace. Christians are not perfect people, but forgiven people. 1 John 1:7 reminds us that “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This ongoing grace strengthens us, forgives us when we fall short, and empowers us to grow in holiness.

Grace also shapes how we treat others. Just as God extended grace to us, we are called to be people of grace—offering forgiveness, patience, and kindness. Colossians 4:6 urges us, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt…” Our lives should reflect the same mercy and compassion God showed us.

In conclusion, grace is more than a doctrine—it is the heart of the Christian life. It reminds us of God’s deep love, calls us to faithful living, and gives us hope even when we fail. May we always be grateful for His amazing grace and strive to live in a way that honors the gift we’ve been given.

by Justin Morton

Jesus loved to tell stories. Those stories, often called parables, were moments where Jesus took something His hearers were familiar with and used it to teach a powerful spiritual lesson. In Mark 4:26-29, Jesus told a parable that was unique to the Gospel of Mark. In that parable, Jesus used the picture of a farmer scattering seed to teach us the importance of the Word of God in growing His Kingdom.

As Christians, we are called to scatter the seed. According to Jesus, the seed is the Word of God (Mark 4:14; Luke 8:11). Notice, we are never asked to create the seed or even to begin germinating the seed. We are simply told to “spread” the seed, the Word of God, all around, to every creature (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).

Jesus expects His disciples to be people who go about sowing the seed in our daily lives. And while this is something we are called to do, many followers of Christ struggle to faithfully live out this important command. There may be a multitude of reasons why disciples struggle to sow the seed, but perhaps one of the more common reasons is because many people feel they are incapable of “leading someone to Jesus.” They feel as though they don’t “know enough” to help bring someone to faith in Christ. The problem with this attitude is that it places power in the wrong source. The power is not in the individual scattering the seed; the power is in the seed itself.

In the parable of the growing seed (Mark 4:26-29), the farmer scattered the seed and then Jesus said, “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:27). The man scattered the seed and then went about his business. He did not know how the seed grew. The reason is because the power is not in the farmer, but in the seed itself.

The Hebrew writer said, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The power is in the Word of God!

Our job is not to figure out how to get the seed to grow. Our job is simply to sow the seed and watch what happens because of the power of the seed.  We must never forget the power God’s Word can have on a person’s heart. Let’s stop relying on our own ability and power to try to save people, and instead rely on the power of the Word of God.

By Chris Elrod

Two weeks ago, we left for another week of camp!  This year our theme was “Wild, Wild World” based on the “Wild, Wild West.”  We put the kiddos into teams and played western style games, where they had to shoot nerf guns and ride on inflatable stick horses.  It was a fun week of adventure!  Most importantly though, we studied God’s Word together, sang songs worshiping our great God, and grew closer to our brothers and sisters in Christ!  Camp is always such a blessing!

Our Bible classes focused on various showdowns we find in scripture.  We looked at doubt versus the promises of God by studying Abraham and Sarah.  We looked at overwhelming obstacles versus God’s strength, by studying David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).  We spent time thinking about faith versus persecution by studying the evil plot of Haman against the Jews in the book of Esther.  Finally, we looked at the Word of God versus temptation by looking at Jesus being tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

Our nightly devotionals focused in on Jesus as the only one who could bring peace to our wild world.  Night one we introduced our theme and talked about the reason our world is so wild is because of a failure to recognize God as God.  Our world fails to give Him the honor and thanks He is due (Romans 1:21-22).  We then discussed how Jesus has been revealed to bring peace to our Wild, Wild World (Romans 1:16-17).  Jesus is the only one who can settle our lives and our world.  This is the big message we wanted our campers to leave understanding.

The next night we talked about Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth!  Matthew 1:21 an angel revealed to Joseph that Jesus was to save His people from their sins, before Jesus was even born His mission was clear.  Just as a new sheriff arrives to bring peace, Jesus arrived to bring peace between us and God.  The third night we focused on our need to have Jesus at the center of our heart.  Matthew 6:24 makes it clear we cannot serve two masters.  We wanted the campers to know there is only room for one savior in these hearts!

Night four was spent looking at how Jesus was a wanted man (Matthew 26:3-4).  It is my hope and prayer our campers left wanting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Our final nightly devotional was spent looking at Jesus as the one who defeated death.  Jesus lives which allows us to have no fear in death!

By Johnny O. Trail

We are faced with many temptations in our Christian Walk.  When we face temptations, it is easier to overcome if we have a support structure in place.  Things such as church attendance, prayer, Bible Study, and fellowship with like-minded people tend to help us overcome the trials we face.  Thus, we should never take these things for granted.

What about those times when we are alone?  How do we act when we are away from other Christians and people who know us?  For many, this may be the true test of one’s Christianity.

In the Old Testament, we find good examples of people who acted in a godly fashion even though no one was around who would have known otherwise (Daniel 1:8).   Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego provide some prime examples of this.  In the book of Daniel, we read an account of some young men who were taken away in the first wave of Babylonian occupation.  These young men were taken to the nation of Babylon and indoctrinated with the customs, traditions, and religion of the empire (Daniel 1:3-5).  They were many miles away from home and the nation of Israel.  As a result, it would have been easy for them to act in an esoteric manner concerning their religious beliefs.  After all, they were under immense pressure to conform to the standards of a Babylonian culture.

Considering these facts, why didn’t Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego simply compromise their values (Daniel 1:8-16)?  Besides, no one would have known!  They were intermixed with a group of pagan captives who had no knowledge of Yahweh, and no means of notifying other Jews about the behavior of these young men.

The sterling example that these young men set should speak volumes to a twenty-first Century audience.  Certain individuals in the church might be more prone to temptations of this nature than others.  People who are away from home for extended periods of time (on business trips, etc) could be tempted to transgress God’s commands.  Being away from family and friends could make one think that he can sin with impunity—after all no one knows!

The fact of the matter is that God knows.  When Potiphar’s wife approached Joseph, he could have committed adultery without anyone knowing.  No one was in the vicinity of Joseph and Potipher’s wife to know otherwise (Genesis 28:11).  Why did he not do it?  He refused to sin because God would have been offended.  We need to follow the example of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego.  Regardless of where we are at or who knows us we must choose to do the godly and right things—no matter what the consequences.

by Justin Morton

Let me begin by saying “Happy Father’s Day!” to all the dads here at Walter Hill.  I hope today is a special day for you whether your children are grown or still at home.  Whether you are able to spend time with your children or not, I hope you know how much your family loves and cherishes you and appreciates everything you do to help provide for them.

I once read, “A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.”  The older I get the more that quote rings true in my own life.  I have a great dad.  He worked hard to provide for the physical needs of our family.  He spent countless hours teaching me how to play ball and coaching my teams.  My dad demonstrated what love and patience looks like, even when it wasn’t always easy.  But of all the wonderful things my dad did for me over the course of my life, the most important was that he taught me about Jesus and the importance of following Him.  While I know not everyone had or has a father like that, I am sure many of you can relate to such sentiments when it comes to your own father.

Dads are special.  And while we celebrate fathers on this special day, sometimes we are guilty of not quite celebrating our dads the same way we celebrate our moms.  So today, let’s make sure we celebrate the fathers in our lives who are not only helping provide for our day to day needs, but also who hopefully are training and leading us and our children to follow after Jesus.

Speaking of fathers, Paul wrote, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).  Dads, there are many wonderful things we can do for our children that they will remember throughout their lives: spending time with them, laughing with them, giving them our undivided attention and encouraging and supporting them in the pursuit of their passions.  But the most important thing will always be to train and instruct them in the way of the Lord.

If you are a dad, I hope you take the responsibility God has given you seriously.  You could never be given a greater responsibility.  Spend time with your children teaching them and showing them the importance of living lives of service to God.  This time and energy will be the greatest investment you will ever make.  After all, it’s an eternal investment for you and your children. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).    

What an amazing week and a fantastic Vacation Bible School!  From the record-breaking VBS attendance on Sunday evening and the BBQ dinner, to the ice cream on Wednesday night, each moment was special, and we could see it in the excitement and in the eyes of the children! 

             We are especially grateful for the many folks that came together to make this VBS not only possible but truly meaningful.   A heartfelt thank you goes out to our amazing volunteers—organizers, teachers, craft leaders, snack coordinators, decorators, Bible characters, those that spent hours smoking the BBQ and churning homemade ice cream, and others that worked behind the scenes.  Each of you played a vital role in creating a wonderful VBS environment for the children.  We are incredibly thankful for your dedication, and your hard work and your kindness throughout the week.  It did not go unnoticed.

  We also are thankful for the adult speakers who led our Bible lessons throughout the week.  Their thoughtful teaching and enthusiasm brought the story of Moses to life.  As we explored Moses’ calling, his initial reluctance, and God’s power revealed through the plagues, our children—and adults—were reminded that God equips those He calls.  These stories served as powerful examples that excuses, fears, or insecurities should not keep us from fulfilling God’s mission for us, especially when it comes to evangelism. 

  In Exodus 4:12, God says to Moses, “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (ESV).   His promise echoes through the New Testament as well.  In Hebrews 4:12, we are reminded that “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (ESV)  God’s Word itself empowers us!  It is not our strength, but His living Word that transforms lives.

  Through Moses’ journey, we learned that obedience to God’s mission often requires stepping out in faith, even when we feel unqualified or afraid or way out of our comfort zone.  Just as Moses overcame his doubts with God’s help, we too are commanded to share the Good News boldly, trusting that God will provide what we need.  The children’s enthusiasm in singing, crafts, skits, and prayer was inspiring, and it reminded us all of the importance of a childlike faith.

  A special thanks to Chris & Emily Elrod and Brandon & Abbi Thomson for the countless hours of preparation, planning, and prayer poured into this year’s VBS.  Your leadership and love for our children and families were instrumental in making this week a success!

by Justin Morton

This summer we have an incredible opportunity to grow and be uplifted through the study of God’s Word.  On Wednesday nights for our summer quarter, all adult classes will be meeting in the auditorium for a special series of lessons based on our congregational theme for this year.  Everything will be the same as normal for a Wednesday night, except when it’s time for class.  We will dismiss our children to their classes and then the adults will be blessed to hear a guest speaker.

I am really excited about this special series.  I hope you will make plans to join us each week.  It is my hope and prayer that we all will be blessed and have a greater appreciation for the ways we can see the Goodness of God.  Here is the schedule for this upcoming series.  Flyers are available in the foyer and educational wing.

Theme: I See the Goodness of God

June 11 – In His Creation – Demetrius Desnoes (Franklin Road CoC, Murfreesboro, TN)

June 18 – In His Law – Mike Baker (Green Hill CoC, Mt. Juliet, TN)

June 25 – In His Holy Spirit- Craig Evans (Mt. Juliet CoC, Mt. Juliet, TN)

July 2 – In His Providence – Jerry Morton (Little Swan CoC, Hohenwald, TN)

July 9 – In His Son – Bryan Hayes (Bethlehem CoC, Murfreesboro, TN)

July 16 – In His Discipline  – Chuck Mullins (Lascassas CoC, Murfreesboro, TN)

July 23 –  In His Salvation – Ralph Richardson (New Hope CoC, Readyville, TN)

July 30 –  In His Church – Phillip Heffington (Woodson Chapel CoC, Nashville, TN)

August 6 – Prayer Service for Back to School

August 13 – In His Second Coming – Wayne Miller (109 CoC, Lebanon, TN)

August 20 –  In His Judgment – Chuck Morris (Spring Meadows CoC, Spring Hill, TN)

August 27 – In His Reward – Cody Boston (Central CoC, McMinnville, TN)

by Justin Morton

It’s the sound so many have been waiting to hear. The final bell of the school year has rung, and class is finally dismissed. The kids are excited because summer is finally here, although some of the adults may not quite share the same enthusiasm. The end of the school year brings a time of relaxation, adventure and cherished moments spent with family and friends. For many of us, over the course of the next several weeks, we will take a much needed vacation. While that may just mean relaxing around the house, it could also mean loading up the car and traveling several hours to some thrilling destination with our family.

The summer is usually an exciting and memorable time. And while this time of year provides us with ample opportunities for travel and memory-making adventures, I want to issue a challenge for each and every one of us. No matter what our plans are this summer, whether we are spending the majority of our time here at home or on the road to bask in the sun, let’s make sure we include worship and fellowship with believers as a part of our summer plans.

The Hebrew writer reminds us, “ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). We need to remember that worship and fellowship provide great opportunities to help encourage us, strengthen us and build our faith.

Even during the summer months, when our routines may change, gathering for worship and fellowship remains vital. For one thing, God is still worthy of our worship, even when we are “on vacation” (Psalm 29:2; 145:3). You and I being on vacation does not change the fact that God is still deserving of our worship and praise. Secondly, no matter where we may find ourselves this summer, the devil is still on the prowl (I Peter 5:8) and looking to destroy us (John 10:10). The more time we spend away from God and the great people of God, the better opportunity Satan has to deceive us and influence us away from the Lord (Revelation 12:9).

So, no matter where we may find ourselves this summer, I want to challenge you to make sure the Lord and His people are a part of your journey. Make a commitment right now, before you even begin your summer fun, that on the Lord’s Day you and your family will always be assembled with the saints, no matter where you are.