Author: janicevance

            Forgive me as I briefly reminisce about the past twenty-five years at Walter Hill. Gail and I moved here from Nashville after serving the Lindsley Avenue church for two years – our first ministerial work. We were not looking to move but Jim Creech called me and invited me to “try out” in December of 1996. I did and the rest is history.

            I preached my first sermon as the newly-hired minister on April 6, 1997. On Sunday evening, May 25^th, I preached on Romans 1:26-32 – emphasizing the sin of homosexuality. When we arrived for services on Wednesday evening, Cleveland Wrather unlocked the front doors and immediately the building filled with smoke. Lightning had struck the roof earlier in the week and the fire had smoldered until the open doors fed the flames. (This was at our former location on East Jefferson Pike.)

            I have often looked back on that fire as a God-send because it helped bond the congregation together – sometimes as many as 140 of us meeting in the small fellowship hall while the building was repaired. We got back in the building on Sunday, July 13^th, and held Vacation Bible School July 27-30 (Sunday – Wednesday nights). That was quite an accomplishment with a lot of effort by so many.

            We started growing numerically and changing demographically. Our average age began to lower as more young families became a part of Walter Hill. We finally reached our maximum size – unable to expand any more. People would drive into the parking lot on Sunday mornings and leave because there was no more space. We moved into our current building in June of 2005 – with plenty of room for expansion.

            I don’t pretend that any of the successes over the past twenty-five years are because of me. Remember it is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). However, with the arrival of Justin and his family, Walter Hill should see some more growth as the congregation labors together. It is a phenomenon that almost always occurs with a new minister and I look forward to being a part in a supporting role!

            Last Sunday morning, we had one of the largest crowds in quite a while. It may have been because our young men conducted most of the worship service and some family members came to witness one of their own. Whatever the reason, it is good to see our numbers slowly increasing and perhaps will soon reach pre-COVID figures.

            I want to use this article to commend these young men for their courage and willingness to publicly serve in worship. It really doesn’t matter how you participated – it’s the fact that you did! We had some who lead prayers, read Scripture, lead songs, gave a talk, served during the Lord’s Supper, and took up the offering. Thank you, Chris, for organizing this service. But thank you most of all young men for leading us in worship.

            I hope I do not omit anyone in the list of those who participated but I want to personally commend each of you by name: Dylan Knox; Martin Nance; Hunter Bradford; Alex Norwood; Tyler Lancaster; Bradley Lane; Gabe Hintz; Jack Byrd; Hunter Jones; and David Cary. We are so proud of each of you because we know how difficult it is to get up in front of an audience. I remember how difficult it was for me the first few years as I would get up to serve in any way. My face would turn red, my knees would quake, and I would sweat profusely! Little did I know how much the worshipers were simply thankful for my service.

            We love our young people at Walter Hill and want to encourage all of you to serve in any way you can. We know you need encouragement but know that you are also an encouragement to us! Last Sunday was a great example!

            “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18a; NKJV).

             I believe we are all thankful for our elders’ decision on the new minister for Walter Hill! We are very thankful for all the hard work done by the search committee and for the prayers and cooperation of the membership at Walter Hill. We now look forward to Justin and his family getting safely settled in and fully onboard.

            This will be a big adjustment for all of us – me included. But together, we can make it work. I believe this is a win-win situation for all of us! I’m tired and ready to slow down a bit. And this is the next step in Justin’s dreams – to preach full-time. Let’s give him (and his family) all the love and encouragement you’ve given me and my family for the past quarter of a century.

            We’re coming out of COVID in better shape than many congregations and we have the opportunity to do even more in the kingdom with renewed energy. But it takes each of us doing our part. May we all rededicate ourselves to carrying our load within the Lord’s body.

            “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many… But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 24b-25; NKJV).

Recently, in a conversation with a brother, we were talking about the daffodils which have come into bloom and how pretty they are this year.  This brother remarked how the blooming daffodils gave him a sign of hope for the year.  It is an acknowledgement that God is in control, and He has set His creation in order.

In Hebrews 11:1 the writer states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We can look at the daffodils and be assured that spring and summer are coming, even though the azaleas are not in bloom and tomato plants are not producing tomatoes yet.

We have young couples preparing for their weddings this year.  It is a sign of hope that God will bless these marriages as two become one flesh and start a life together in union with God.

We have couples who will soon bring a new life into the world.  It is a sign of hope to see a child raised by parents who love the Lord and want to teach their children to also love the Lord.

Some of us who have lived relatively long lifespans should certainly make hope a major part of our lives.  We can look back and rejoice in the hope of the young, but we are not without hope.  Just as daffodils provide hope in the physical world, God’s Word, His church, His promises, all provide hope to all of us.

In Hebrews, faith is linked to hope.  The greatest assurance of better things to come rests in our faith in Jesus Christ.

The fourth verse of Edward Mote’s hymn, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, describes that hope.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. 

            Please pray for Chris, our teens, and adult chaperones attending CYC this weekend. It is a great opportunity for their spiritual growth, and may God protect them in their travels.

            I know everyone is anxiously awaiting the announcement of our next minister. Please continue praying for our elders, their selection, and a smooth transition. Our responsibility is to honor the elders’ decision and love and welcome this new family.

            Do we ever throw ourselves a pity party? It is so easy to do – thinking no one cares about us! I’m reminded of an incident on the Sea of Galilee when the disciples awoke a sleeping Jesus. It was stormy and water was starting to fill the boat – and they were afraid. Listen to their words in Mark 4:38 – “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Yes, the wind was blowing hard, the waves were beating the boat, and water was filling it. But notice who was in the boat – the Son of God and Creator of everything. His response was to calm the storm.

            If we are where we need to be spiritually, Christ is always with us (Matthew 28:19-20). Does He care what is happening to us? Of course, He does. And He can still quiet the storms in our lives. However, if we are not where we ought to be spiritually – if Jesus is not in our boat, it is because we have distanced ourselves from Him. Maybe it’s time to change ships before the next storm and pity party.

            Does Jesus care when my heart is pained

            Too deeply for mirth and song,

            As the burdens press, and the cares distress,

            And the way grows weary and long?

            O yes, He cares, I know He cares,

            His heart is touched with my grief;

            When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

            I know my Savior cares.

            What a great turnout this past Wednesday evening! It was a blessing to witness such interest in the selection of our new minister. I want to personally thank all the men who led us in this prayer service. May God bless our elders with wisdom in this momentous decision.

            It is easy to become hardened by things we see in today’s world and turn a blind eye. For example, when a drug addict overdoses, do we just sigh and conclude they got what they deserved? While I could come up with many more such examples using chain smokers, alcoholics, gang members, etc., the point is that it is often easy to look down our noses at those who live recklessly. Or, live on a different socio-economic plane. Or, let’s be honest, are simply different from us.

            The continuing goal of Christians is to be more Christ-like. Listen to this example of Jesus – one that was oft-repeated. Matthew 14:14 – “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” Now listen to the parallel account in Mark 6:34 – “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.” Based on the two records, Jesus healed the people and taught them – and then He fed all 5,000 of them!

            Jesus showed compassion to everyone He met whether blind, lame, leprous, poor, hungry, or sinner. May we all strive to be more compassionate!

            I want to be more like Jesus, And follow Him day by day;

            I want to be true and faithful, And ev’ry command obey.

            I want to be kind and gentle, To those who are in distress;

            To comfort the broken-hearted With sweet words of tenderness.

It is with great joy that I write this article. The Lord has blessed the church at Walter Hill beyond measure, praise the name of the Lord. He has blessed us with unity, stability, and spiritual growth as Paul has ministered to us these past 25 years. 

The Lord has also blessed us with very sound minister candidates to choose from to replace Paul as he semi-retires and moves to an associate minister position. I want to assure you, each of the candidates have been vetted. They each had to submit written answers to biblical questions, face a panel interview of committee members, pass a background check, face an elder interview, and a follow-up interaction review with the elders.

Each of you have had the opportunity to hear each of these men speak, there have been no negative comments about the content of doctrine from their sermons. This demonstrates the process is working. It is the number one priority of the elders to hire a minister who is sound in biblical doctrine. This is where unity comes into play. If all the candidates are sound, it becomes an issue of who we feel best fits with the Walter Hill “culture.” We realize the church is made of Christians from many different backgrounds, social-economic conditions, past experiences and everyone has an opinion and preference. I assure you the elders are very mindful of this.

As we move forward, please pray for unity, the elders, and the decisions that are to be made.

            Despite a groundhog’s forecast of six more weeks of winter, it won’t be long until spring cleaning time. Many of us will be cleaning out attics and closets and getting rid of things no longer wanted or needed. There’s an account in John 2:13ff in which Jesus did some spring cleaning (“the Passover of the Jews was at hand”) of His Father’s house. Also, in this text, Jesus refers to His body as a temple which the Jews are going to temporarily destroy.

            Likewise, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and God’s Spirit dwells in us as Christians. Remember Paul’s stirring words in Galatians 2:20? “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” It is unimaginable that deity dwells in us!

            Is it possible that we need to do some spiritual “spring cleaning”? I don’t mention this with fingers pointing – except at myself. Rather, this should be an almost daily exercise as we reflect on our relationship with our Creator and Savior. Are we conforming to Christ’s image (Romans 8:29)? Is our light shining as it should (Matthew 5:16)? As we examine ourselves, are we in the faith and is Jesus Christ in us (2 Corinthians 13:5)?

            If we are Christians – if we are in Christ, we have been set free from sin. As a result, we should be slaves of righteousness and slaves of God (Romans 6:18, 22). Who is the biggest beneficiary of our time, energy, wealth, and talents?

Recently, I shared a vision with our youth group: to become the friendliest youth group in Rutherford County. I have shared this vision with them not because they lack friendliness, but because of the impact friendliness can have on the Lord’s Kingdom.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the parable of the sower, a parable Jesus tells to help us understand how people will respond to God’s Word differently. This parable also points to the power God’s Word has to transform those who hear it. In Luke 8:11, Jesus begins to explain this parable, where He clearly states that the seed represents the Word of God. This is an important point that we must focus on, as we show concern for the lost.

 It is good for us to think about “planting seeds,” as we pursue those who are lost in our lives, but we must ensure we are spreading the seed Jesus is talking about, the word of God. This means we aren’t spreading seeds when we are serving others, letting our light shine, or by being friendly. A seed is planted when God’s Word is heard. Now, certainly letting our light shine, serving others, and being friendly is important. For, it is our light, our service, and our friendliness that prepares the seed to be planted.

This is why I have this vision of our youth being the friendliest youth group in Rutherford County.  It’s as Theodore Roosevelt said, “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Our friendliness, with some intention, can lead to spreading seeds as Jesus intended. We are friendly people, but I hope we can be friendly with the intention of planting a seed, by sharing God’s Word. 

            Except for the rise in COVID cases, the New Year seems to be off to a good start. Now it is up to us to make it a joyful one! Oh, I know we’re all affected by inflation, higher energy costs, higher taxes, and a host of other irritants. We all have things in our lives which cause anxiety and worry. But a Christian’s joy is not determined by earthly circumstances.

            I like the way someone described joy: “It is closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice.”[1] Joy is based upon our relationship with God and His Son and the blessings we enjoy as His children and citizens of His kingdom. Why shouldn’t we be joyful with the assurance of an eternal home in heaven?

            Joy is included in the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22 and is something we must cultivate. It doesn’t come naturally just as surely as loving one’s enemies is hard work. The apostle Paul taught us much about being joyful in the harshest of times. From a Roman prison, Paul could write, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4; NKJV) Even our Lord’s brother offered this exhortation: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (James 1:2-3)

            Let us each determine to be joyful no matter what life brings and, in the process, spread joy to those around us. The more we learn to be joyful, the more we’ll be able to praise our Lord and Savior!

            Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,

            God of glory, Lord of love;

            Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,

            Opening to the sun above.

            Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;

            Drive the dark of doubt away;

            Giver of immortal gladness,

            Fill us with the light of day!

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[1] Heyink, B. (2016). Joy. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.