"But in those days, following that distress,

" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
Mark 13:24-37 (NIV)

Last Sunday's ABF Recap:
rg

Jesus talks about End Times

Matt pointed out two certainties:

1. The end times are coming
2. We don't know when.

It's easy to get caught up thinking about end times. Lots of books have been written and sold on the subject. But rather than spending our time talking about signs of the end of the age, we focused our time talking about what difference Jesus' second coming means for our lives right now.

• It ought to impact our relationships, especially our broken relationships.
• It ought to impact our ability to forgive others. If Jesus' return is real to us, grudges seem small and petty.
• It allows for real freedom.

  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

• A thought: how we spend our time on earth will have significant impact on our relationship with God in Heaven.

  Jen Claypoole had a great illustration: Of many grandchildren, she was the only one who wrote letters to her grandfather. At family reunions, she was the grandchild that had a close relationship with him. The other grandchildren knew him, and he welcomed them, but there was a depth to her relationship with him that the others simply didn't experience or know. Might it be the same when we get to Heaven? Might those who invest in knowing God here on earth experience a greater depth of relationship than those who don't invest on earth? We're all saved (those who have accepted Jesus as their savior), but will we all have the same type and depth of friendship with the LORD? (For more on this idea from someone who's given it lots of thought, check out Randy Alcorn's Deadline.)

A new heaven and a new earth is coming.

click here for more info

If you're looking for work, take advantage of Cross Reference. There are literally dozens of folks at HCC who are absolute All-Stars when it comes to helping those in need and finding jobs for those who are looking. Some very helpful men and women have offered their time and their talents to help those laid off to find work again. If you have a need, take advantage of this! These folks can help! Cross Reference meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7:00 in the HCC fellowship hall.

Some requests shared this past Sunday:

• Koons Family in adoption process
• Jessica Kiel's brother's marriage is in trouble
• Mary & Emmanuel Agbovi's baby, and a healthy pregnancy for Mary
• Haley Dumpe is currently in the middle of MS treatments
• Michael & Annie King (and all teachers) are busy and stressed with the end of school approaching
• The Delly family is traveling this week
• Joel Grigsby is having a particularly challenging time at work

• Shaun Kiel, through an interesting series of events, received a good promotion at work
• Jarrod Dumpe told a neat story of experiencing spritual growth in spite of being on a particularly difficult rotation at the hospital over the last month... the secret? Andy Stanley podcast sermons

Supper Six will continue through the summer. Consider whether you'd like to stay connected with other folks through Supper Six. E-mail Annie King to sign up.

Root out of a Dry Ground
A.W. Tozer

One of the most beautiful descriptions of our Savior to be found anywhere is that given by Isaiah in the 53rd chapter of his prophecy: He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground (verse 2).

Those who have at any time been close to the soil will see at once a young shoot just pushing through the ground and will feel the exquisite precision of the word "tender" when applied to it. The delicate sprout appears to be mostly water, held together one scarcely knows how, and so brittle that it will snap asunder at the slightest touch. Only after the passing of several days does it toughen up enough to endure external pressure without damage.

While a newborn babe is not as fragile as the tender plant just emerged from the soil, the likeness is too plain to miss, and the prophet spoke well when he compared the one to the other. The helpless, crying human thing is vulnerable from a thousand directions and is wholly dependent for its very life upon parents, neighbors and friends. No one can pick up a day-old baby and not sense the pathetic frailty of it--a barely conscious blob of sweet, perishable life only now arrived from the ancient void of nonexistence.

So our Lord came to the manger in Bethlehem that first Christmas morning, not out of nonexistence, but from eternal pre-existence; not as a son of man only but as Son of Man and Son of God in the fullest sense of both terms; a tender plant and a root out of a dry ground.

Prayer
For me, Lord, You emptied yourself of the exercise of Your divine prerogatives. You showed me the meaning of complete humility.

Scripture
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
-Philippians 2:6-7

Thought
What utter condescension on Christ's part! From eternal pre-existence as God, He empties Himself and enters human existence as a poor, helpless new-born baby. He does it all for you and me!

Enjoy your week. Send an encouraging e-mail to a friend.

RG