In the Master's Hands

Maybe you’ve heard the old song about the auctioneer holding up an old, beat-up violin. “How much do you bid for this antique? One dollar? Give me two. Two dollars? Who has three?” He was able to get the bidding up a few dollars more, but that’s where it stalled.

That is, until a mysterious violinist stepped up to the stage, tuned the strings, and began to mesmerize the crowd with his music. Suddenly, people were shouting out bids in the hundreds to buy the violin.  

The hands of a skilled violinist made all the difference.

“It all depends on whose hands hold the resources”

A violin in my hands will get you some squeaky noise. A violin in a master’s hands will get you spectacular music.

Marble in my hands is just a rock. Marble in Michelangelo’s hands will get you a magnificent David.

A tennis racquet in my hands is meaningless. A tennis racquet in the Williams sisters’ hands leads to tennis championships.

A golf club in my hands means lots of hooks to the left. A golf club in Hideki Matsuyama’s hands wins the Master’s Tournament.

And two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands will get you a couple of fish sandwiches. But according to John 6, in Jesus’ hands it will feed five thousand.

It all depends on whose hands hold the resources. So, into whose hands have you entrusted your life and resources?

 This weekend, we’ll look at how Jesus fed a multitude with just a few loaves and fishes. Read John 6:1-13 and let’s study it on campus or online at 10am this Sunday!

--Tom

(Parts of this devotional were inspired by a sermon by Ken Ulmer.)

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

The Ready-Aim-Aim-Aim Syndrome

Business tycoon T. Boone Pickens once told a graduating class, “Don’t fall victim to what I call the ‘ready-aim-aim-aim syndrome.’ You must be willing to fire.”

This came to mind as I reflected over John 5:31-47. In this passage, Jesus laid out evidence for his claims to be equal with God. Consider this evidence, but don’t fall victim to the ready-aim-aim-aim syndrome. There comes a time to act on what you’ve considered.

“It’s risky to get out on that limb, but that’s where all the fruit is!”

It’s like what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (LB), “Test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it.” Some neglect the first half of that verse because they don’t test anything. Others neglect the second half of that verse because they don’t accept what their testing has found trustworthy.

Some of you are considering Christianity. Some of you are young adults trying to decide if Christianity is worth sticking with. Gather information as you go through this process, but don’t let it become just a clever form of procrastination. G.K. Chesterton once wrote to H.G. Wells, “The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

I’ve met people who want to have all kinds of intellectual conversations about Jesus and then they end up missing a personal relationship with Jesus. Don’t let that happen to you. There comes a time in your investigation that you have to cross the line. There will come a time when you realize that any further investigation is just a personal delaying tactic.

This Sunday at 10am we’ll look at John 5:31-47 where Jesus laid out the evidence for his remarkable claims. Come ready to test everything that is said to be sure it is true. But come ready to accept it if you find it trustworthy. It’s risky to get out on that limb, but that’s where all the fruit is!

--Tom

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Call in Calvary

Have you heard anyone use the phrase, “It’s a doggy dog world”? The idiom is actually, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world.”

How about, “For all intensive purposes.” Nope. The phrase is supposed to be, “For all intents and purposes.”

I once heard a public speaker promise to help us separate the gold from the floss. You’re supposed to separate the gold from the dross. Unless you’re a dentist.

If you get annoyed at grammar nerds, don’t make me your escape goat. And not just because the term is “scapegoat.” I don’t think the correct use of grammar is a mute point, though it may be a moot point. (Or a moo point, if you’re a Friends fan.)

“One misused phrase may be more accurate than intended”

But one misused phrase may be more accurate than intended. I often hear people say it’s time to “call in the Calvary.” What they mean to say is it’s time to “call in the cavalry.” The cavalry is a division of soldiers you hope will arrive when things get desperate. “Calvary” is the hill on which Jesus died.

I’ve decided I like the misspoken phrase. To battle our shame and guilt, to battle our fear of death and judgment, call in Calvary. Trust the sacrificial work of Jesus to remove the sin that separates you from God.

If you want to learn more about this, watch our Good Friday service online, and join our Easter Celebration this Sunday!

The Good Friday service premieres at noon on April 2, on our website, on our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel. After that, you can watch it at any time. On Easter Sunday, instead of our normal start time of 10am, we’ll have two services at 9am and 11am. Join us on campus or meet with us online at either hour.

Let’s celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death!

--Tom

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

A Lesson on Standing Up

A police department in Washington state ordered their employees to undergo a training session on how to safely sit in a chair. The order came after two employees slipped off their rolling desk chairs and fell to the floor, one injuring herself badly enough to miss work.

At first it was just a memo sent out to the 26 employees. The memo provided detailed instructions on sitting down: “Take hold of the arms, get control of the chair, then lower yourself carefully into the seat.” Apparently, the department didn't feel the memo alone was clear enough. So, they went on to schedule a half-hour lesson on the proper way to sit down.

“He failed to stand with Jesus”

It was a tongue-in-cheek lesson on sitting down. But in John 5, a man needed a serious lesson on standing up.

With a simple command from Jesus, the man who had been disabled for 38 years was suddenly able to stand and walk. Shortly after, the religious authorities demanded this man report who had performed this work. After all, no work was to be done on the Sabbath. The man didn’t know who had healed him. But later, when he found it was Jesus, he used his now-working legs to take that information straight to the authorities. He knew there would be consequences if he didn’t.

He received his miracle of standing from Jesus, but then he failed to stand with Jesus.

Stand with Jesus, and support people who do, and it may cost you. But the cost of not standing with Jesus is higher. Jesus said to the man, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” What does this mean? Jesus was warning him that if the man persisted in disowning Jesus before others, Jesus would disown him before God. (See Matthew 10:33.)

Study this story with me on Sunday on campus or online. And don’t forget to spread the word about The Anchor Course, designed to introduce people to the Jesus worth standing with. The Course begins in two weeks.

--Tom

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Carry the Fire

In Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize novel, The Road, a father takes his young son on foot across an ash-covered United States after some vast but unnamed catastrophe. They have to avoid bands of cannibals on their way to the sea, where they hope to find a livable climate and maybe some ragtag remnant of a civilized society.

It’s one of my favorite novels because in all the bleakness there shines a stubborn ray of hope. Throughout the novel the father and son remind each other that they “carry the fire.” That simple phrase shows up in four scenes of the short book, including the ending.

“How can you have faith like that?”

Do you carry the fire? For the Christian, to carry the fire means to keep going despite hard times. To carry the fire means to stubbornly trust that God knows what he’s doing in your bewildering heartbreak. To carry the fire means to choose the narrow path of obedience and faithfulness when the wide path is easier and more popular. We say with the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

 That’s what it means to carry the fire.

 How can you have faith like that? When you build a fire, it starts with a spark sputtering in the kindling, then a few tongues of flame lick at the sticks, and finally it rises to a bright and welcome blaze. We can see faith growing like that in John 4:46-53. It’s a story of a desperate man’s faith going from spark to flame to bright blaze. If you want better faith, read the story and join us this Sunday to study it with me.

 Two more things. First, I recommend Andrew Peterson’s song, “Carry the Fire,” inspired by McCarthy’s novel. Here’s the song and here’s his story behind the song. Second, I designed The Anchor Course to introduce people to the fire worth carrying. I’m hosting an online version of the course in April and May. Find out about it here.

 --Tom

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

Christianity 101

We all operate out of a set of assumptions about the way the world is. Assumptions such as:

“If I do good things, then good things will happen to me.”

“The only person you can count on is yourself.”

“Life is a dressing room for eternity.”

“God likes me.”

“God hates me.”

We make our decisions and respond to circumstances out of the suppositions we hold. And maybe it’s time you examined the beliefs that drive you. 

That’s where the Anchor Course can help.

“Now anyone can join the class from anywhere in the world!”

The Anchor Course is an 8-week study of my book, The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. It’s designed for seekers who want to discover the Christian faith, and for believers who want to develop in their faith. The study is ideal if . . .

. . . you’re a spiritual seeker who wants to learn more about the life and teaching of Jesus but you don’t know where to start, or

. . . . you’ve become curious about the Christian convictions of your friends, or

. . . your partner is a believer, and you want to learn more about your partner’s Christian faith, or

. . . you’re a parent who’s wondered how to explain Christianity to your kids, or

. . . you’re a believer who wants a better grasp of the main points of your faith.

I’m hosting an online version of The Anchor Course in April and May. Each Wednesday we’ll gather online at 7pm for an hour to explore the basic beliefs Christians hold.

In the past we had to limit participation to those within driving distance to Hillcrest. Now anyone can join the class from anywhere in the world!

Click here to register for the Anchor Course. Registration is free, but you'll need a copy of the book. You can get it in print at this link, or on Kindle at this link. We have a few copies at the church office for $14. If you need help with the cost, let us know!

Will you forward this to someone and invite them to join you in this special opportunity?

--Tom

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.

From the Night to the Light

An English professor introduced his university class to what he called one of the finest, most elegant lines in the English language.

He said the words in a whisper to his class. “Walk with light.” He paused for dramatic effect and repeated it in a voice husky with emotion. “Walk…with light.”

He looked at the rapt faces of his students and exclaimed quietly, “Isn't that a wonderful thing to say to someone?”

The class agreed. They wanted to know the author.

“It's anonymous,” the instructor said, as if to heighten the profundity. Then he smiled and added, “I saw it this morning on a sign at the intersection of Main and Broadway: ‘Walk with light.’”

The story that begins in the night ends with the light

When a religious leader named Nicodemus wanted to visit with Jesus, he “came to Jesus at night” (John 3:2). As in many stories in the Gospel of John, that likely has a double meaning. On the surface it’s just a reference to the time. Under the surface, it’s a reference to spiritual darkness. But the story that begins in the night ends with the light. John declared, “Light has come into the world” (John 3:19).

Jesus told Nicodemus that the transition from night to light could only happen if he was “born again” through the labor of a God who “so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:3 and 16).

These may be the two most famous phrases in the Gospel of John. We’ll see what they mean at Hillcrest this Sunday, February 14. How fitting to celebrate God’s love for us on the day couples celebrate their love for each other! John 3:1-22 is a Valentine’s Day card from God to you. Let’s study it together on campus or online this Sunday at 10am.

(One more thing. My book, Winning Ways: Inspiration for Uncommon Living is free for Kindle starting today until Monday, February 15.)

--Tom

Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast. He blogs at The Anchor Course website and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.