Author: janicevance

by Justin Morton

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Houses are glowing, trees are decorated, families and friends are making lasting memories and you likely have some presents under the Christmas tree. If not, you’d better get on it. You only have one week left to get those gifts bought and wrapped, gentlemen.

I love this time of year. Over the course of the next week, many of us are going to be involved in family gatherings. Some of these events may require us to travel, while others may be enjoyed in the comfort of our own homes. Regardless of where we find ourselves the next few days, I want to challenge each of us to remember what is truly important. No, I’m not talking about your dirty Santa gift! I am talking about something that is not only important this time of year, but all throughout the year. During this week of celebration and fun, I want to challenge you to worship and praise our Heavenly Father.

By now I am sure you realize that Christmas falls on Sunday. And while Christmas is a special time for many of us, each and every Sunday is incredibly special because that is the day when we come together to celebrate the Lord’s victory over death (Matt. 28:1), break bread with one another (Acts 20:7) and participate in various acts of worship (I Cor. 16:1-2, Ep. 5:19). Next Sunday is no different. So while I hope you enjoy participating in whatever traditions your family enjoys on Christmas morning, I pray that you will prioritize our worship, joining other brothers and sisters in Christ to worship and praise our glorious Father above!

“THANK YOU”

Many times, we do not say these words often enough.  As we come to the close of 2022 it is only fitting to say, “Thank You”.  Occasionally, when we try to publicly thank people it is often easy to overlook someone.  This may be the reason we leave these words unspoken far too many times.  However, today I want to say “Thank You” to all of you for the things you have done over the past year for the Walter Hill Church.  It is such a joy to come together to worship God with each of you.  It is such an encouragement to see your warm smile and to hear your kind words each time we come together.  You are truly a blessing to the Walter Hill Church, and it is great to be part of God’s family at Walter Hill because of each of you.  I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,”.  Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi offers his thanks for their help in his time of need and encourages them in their walk with Christ.  

Thank You for your love for God and His church at Walter Hill.  May God continue to bless you throughout the rest of this year and the new year to come. 

by Justin Morton

Yesterday was a great day at Walter Hill. Over the course of a few hours yesterday morning, our building was filled with kids and their parents, here to enjoy some cookies and milk and to get their pictures made with Santa. A big thank you to Chris Elrod for organizing the event and to all of you “little elves” who pitched in and helped to make this event a success. We are so grateful to each and every one of you for the part you played in making yesterday special.

Days like yesterday are important. Some people may wonder why the church would go to all that trouble just so kids could eat cookies and have their pictures made with Santa. The reason is quite simple: outreach. Yesterday gave the Walter Hill congregation an opportunity to meet and get to know members of our community. This is important because the church is in the “soul saving” business. We are to follow in the steps of Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10, Matt. 28:18-20).

We cannot reach people if we do not know people. Events like Cookies with Santa give us an opportunity to become known in our community. Each one of us lives near, works with and knows people who are lost and dying in their sins. May we never forget the mission Jesus left for us, his disciples Let’s use the opportunities we have, opportunities like yesterday, to invite our friends and neighbors to come to Walter Hill so they can learn about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

by Justin Morton

Have you noticed? Right now is a very exciting time for us at Walter Hill! So many wonderful things are taking place, bringing about great excitement. I want to highlight just a few of these exciting things.

This morning, at the close of our service, our shepherds will officially install and welcome Charlie Davidson, Dan Holt and Jordan Pack as the newest additions to our deacons. Each of these men are well qualified (I Tim. 3:8-13) and have wonderful family support. While all three have already started working in their respected areas of service, we cannot wait to see all the good that comes from their work for the Lord and His Kingdom.

Over the last couple of months, we have had several new individuals and families place membership. We are extremely excited to be working with these families for the glory of God. And then there is our Bible classes. Last Sunday night we had 182 people present to study God’s Word. Were you one of them? If not, why not? Make plans to be here tonight and again on Wednesday evening. Our teens just had 39 in their Wednesday night Bible class last week! And we can’t forget about our children’s classes. Many of our children are learning new Bible verses every week, and each of us has an opportunity to join them in memorizing God’s Word.

Walter Hill is experiencing exciting times; however, we cannot become complacent with where we are. Let’s keep striving to excel, not because of the attendance numbers we put on the back board, but because we want to know God and bring glory and honor to Him (Col. 3:23).

If you were able to attend the singing Friday night, it was certainly an uplifting evening of praise to God and encouragement to one another!  Thank you to Bill Cooper and Matt Lanius and all the others who made the night a huge success.  If you were not able to attend this year, please be making plans to attend next year.

As the year starts to come to a close with holidays looming right around the corner, let us all be thankful for the goodness of God, whether the times are good or not so good. 

Paul, while imprisoned under house arrest, wrote these words to the Philippians in 4:11, “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”  Two verses later, he adds, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

We all experience mountain tops where we are on the top of the world.  We also experience deep valleys where everything seems to be going against us.  In addition to turning directly to God for comfort, He has also provided us with a church family.  Assembling and worshiping with brothers and sisters will always benefit us.

Also, with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approaching, most of our college students will be coming home for a visit.  It will be good to have them back in worship with us.

We have had several individuals and families become part of the Walter Hill church family lately.  The elders are appreciative of their desire to work and worship with us.  As you have the opportunity, be sure to welcome them.

Each week, we have several visitors come through our doors to worship with us.  If you are visiting with us, thank you for coming.  You are welcomed to be with us at any time.

by Justin Morton

I enjoy laughter. In fact, I find myself spending a great deal of time laughing, and I believe laughter is one of God’s great gifts. However, sometimes laughter can be a bad thing. For example, have you ever laughed at an inappropriate time? One of the inappropriate times for us to laugh is in response to God and His promises. Perhaps we have never truly laughed out loud at God, but we have probably laughed to ourselves at the thought of some of the very promises God has made.

Abram struggled with this. God promised Abram he would have a son (Gen. 15:1-6). Unfortunately, he and his wife Sarai apparently got tired of waiting on God and decided to take matters into their own hands. Sarai gave Abram her servant, Hagar, and he slept with her and she conceived and bore him a son (Gen. 16:1-6). Just when Abraham was probably feeling good about having a son, God tells him Ishmael was not the son of promise. Instead, God was going to bless Abraham and Sarah with their very own son. Here’s the problem: instead of being excited, Abraham and Sarah laughed at God (Gen. 17:16-17; 18:9-15).

Can you imagine laughing at God? When we read the promises God has made to us in His word, do we have faith that God will bring those promises to pass? If we don’t, then we are laughing at God and His promises. Abraham and Sarah laughed at God because they doubted. The promise He made seemed illogical. Let’s not make the same mistake as Abraham and Sarah. Instead of laughing at what God says, let’s trust that His promises are true.

A Glimpse into the Youth Bible Class

In the youth class we have recently been studying the importance of our attitude. Winston Churchill said, “attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference,” and certainly he’s correct. Our attitude impacts everything we do. But what does God’s Word have to say about our attitude?

The Bible actually has a lot to say about our attitude, often it is very direct and other times it’s more implied. But since our attitude is always with us and never turned off, and impacts all our life, certainly the Bible would have a lot to say about such an important topic.

One of the first scriptures to come to mind is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Here Paul gives us three attitudes we need to have. He encourages us to rejoice, pray, and be thankful. We don’t often think about prayer as an attitude but in the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it makes sense. We need to have a prayerful attitude. An attitude that quickly turns to God in prayer. Prayer should be our first instinct, in most situations. This shows our dependency on our Heavenly Father. We need to seek guidance from Him.

At the core of this series is Colossians 3:1-4. Here Paul gives us not just an attitude but an approach to life. “Set your minds on things above not on things on the earth.” Our attitude and approach to life must emphasize the spiritual rather than the physical. As Christians we are blessed to have this attitude because we have been “raised with Christ.” As we seek the things above, our attitude is greatly impacted because we aren’t swayed by the stressors of life knowing we have victory through Jesus.

             Our names are very important to us! Parents should carefully choose names for their children since they will wear them for a lifetime. From an early age, we put our own imprint on our names – for good or not so good. At some point, Jesse James became known as a bank robber; Blackbeard as a pirate; and Benedict Arnold earned the title of “Traitor”. The same could be said for numerous Bible characters such as Judas Iscariot or Barnabas. The wise man declared in Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

    Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

            What are we known for? When people hear our name, what comes to their minds? Hopefully, they think of something good and positive. Perhaps it’s our honesty or integrity or kindness. Cornelius was a Roman soldier – a centurion – with a good name. But he lacked something. You and I can have a good name among men, but we need an additional name to our birth or married name – and that name is “Christian”. Such a necessary name is only mentioned three times in the New Testament. A quick look at these passages reveals three things we can learn about this name. But first, the term “Christian” means “of, or belonging to, Christ.”

            The first mention of “Christian” is in Acts 11:26 which identifies us (“Christians”) as disciples or followers of Christ. This certainly fits the definition given in the previous paragraph. Next is Acts 26:28 which is interpreted in many ways in our translations. But the one thing not subject to dispute is that “Christian” is something we choose to become – a choice we make. Sometimes we sing a song that puts this choice into words: I have decided to follow Jesus… The final scripture is 1 Peter 4:16 that indicates being a Christian may involve painful consequences – “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”

            Are people shocked to learn we are Christians? Is Christian just another name to us or does it describe whose we are? Perhaps the apostle Paul described this identity best 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.”

By Justin Morton

This last week my family and I were on vacation with some friends. While we had a great time and enjoyed spending time with our friends, we were very thankful to finally get back home. The fellowship was great, the food was good, and the memories will last a lifetime, but as the old saying goes, “There’s no place like home.”

Many of you have probably had the same thought as you came home after being away for several days. While you enjoyed your trip, you were thankful to get back home to the place you belong. The apostle Paul felt the same, but his feelings were not about a physical location here on earth. His feelings were about being at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). When writing to the Christians at Philippi, he said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 2:21-23).  The way many of us feel about returning home after a long trip is the way Paul felt about being away from the Lord. He wanted to be with Jesus more than anything.

Friends, it’s nice that we have a strong desire to return home after being away. Just don’t forget, “This world is not our home, we are just a passing through. Our treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.” My prayer is that we are a people who long to be back home with the Lord where we truly belong.

Last week the elders put forth three men to serve as deacons. We feel these men will be a great addition to our existing deacons. The roll of a deacon can be time and energy consuming and we are thankful we have men willing to serve in this capacity. These men will be blessed to serve and we will be blessed to have them serve.

            One of the blessings of being a deacon is that you are fulfilling a need. In Acts 6 there was a problem. The Grecian widows were being neglected and they went to the Apostles. The Apostles told them to select seven men to fulfill this need, which they did (Acts 6:1-7). A need was fulfilled. These have been asked to serve the needs of greeters, visitation, and care groups.

            A second blessing of being a deacon is the opportunity for development. Remember the Apostle wrote, “For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 3:13). As a deacon one learns how to carry out a task assigned and to serve the congregation.

            A third blessing is that the church grows as a result of a good work being accomplished. After the Apostles had the church to select seven men to carry out the designated task, the scriptures record, “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

The elders are very excited about the future for the assembly at Walter Hill and hope you are too. God bless our current deacons and these men put forward as potential new deacons.