"Forward" Thinking!
by Tom Goodman
April 21, 2009

Tomorrow you will receive your edition of Winning Ways like you do every Wednesday.  If you live in Austin, I want you to forward it to someone else in Austin.

Every edition of Winning Ways is designed for two reasons.  First, I want to give you a shot of encouragement in the middle of your busy week.  This shot of encouragement is usually based on the topic we'll cover the next Sunday.

But there's another reason for Winning Ways:  I want to give you a tool to help you reach out to others.

Several of you have used the e-newsletter as a tool in your outreach.  You've sent me notes telling me how you were able to discuss your faith with people after forwarding Winning Ways to them.  This is music to my ears!

Never under-estimate the power of the "Forward" button on your e-mail program!  Conversations about Christ have started because of the click of this button.  People have listened to sermons on our website because of the click of this button.  People have attended Hillcrest because of the click of this button.

If you haven't clicked your "Forward" button after reading a copy of Winning Ways in the past, tomorrow's copy would be a great place to start.  I think our new sermon series is a perfect tool for your outreach.  We're taking 8 weeks to look at the book of Proverbs in a series called "Bumper-Sticker Wisdom."  It should be easy to invite someone to such a practical study of ancient wisdom.

Special reminder to Bible Study leaders:  This Sunday (April 26) is High-Attendance Day in our "Step Up" Campaign.  So if you're a Sunday School teacher or Common Ground host, you should forward tomorrow's "Winning Ways" to every member and prospect on your list.  That way you can invite them (or remind them) to stay for your class or group after the service!

As Herb would say, that's "forward" thinking!

--Tom

P.S.  As an alternative to forwarding "Winning Ways," we've also created an "e-vite" on our website for you to send to your friends.