Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

He Takes Us Where He Finds Us
by Tom Goodman
September 23, 2009

We don't have to be experts on the Bible and have our theology all figured out to get help from God. Just ask Darcy Jennings.

When her husband, Scott, began attending AA meetings, Darcy decided to join the Al-Anon group working with families of alcoholics. Neither had come from a church background, and so the talk of trusting God was new. "The idea that there was a real Higher Power in the universe was something I had never considered before," she said.

But over time they became dissatisfied with a relationship with some unknown, impersonal, ambiguous "Higher Power." Darcy said, "I knew God was real because of the miracle of my marriage, but I didn't know who God was." They were open to anything.

Scott chose an unusual approach to learning more about God: He stole a Bible from a church near their Connecticut home!

They couldn't put it down -- it was the first time they had really read a Bible seriously. Before that time, they wanted nothing to do with the Bible. In fact, a relative had sent a New Testament as a gift when their first child was born and they threw it in the trash. "All our lives Scott and I had been fighting the Bible," Darcy said, "but when we began to read it for ourselves it suddenly became very precious to us."

Soon they were attending church and going to small-group Bible studies. "In the process," said Darcy, "we came to believe that our Higher Power was Jesus Christ. That was really the turning point in both Scott's recovery and mine. The God in the Bible is so specific, and there was no question in my mind that He was the God who had already been involved in our lives through the Twelve Steps."

When Scott found out he had terminal cancer, he found serenity in the crisis of death just as he found serenity in the crisis of alcoholism: By putting his trust in Jesus Christ. Scott is with his Higher Power now, in heaven.

The testimony of Scott and Darcy illustrates that God graciously works with us long before we agree to work with him. Come learn more about that this Sunday at 10!.

--Tom

Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored." Some things to look for...

Song of the Week, posted every Sunday.
Links to Your World, interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday.

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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He Takes Us Where He Finds Us by Tom Goodman September 23, 2009 We don't have to be experts on the Bible and have our theology all figured out to get help from God. Just ask Darcy Jennings. When her husband, Scott, began attending AA meetings, Darcy decided to join the Al-Anon group working with families of alcoholics. Neither had come from a church background, and so the talk of trusting God was new. "The idea that there was a real Higher Power in the universe was something I had never considered before," she said. But over time they became dissatisfied with a relationship with some unknown, impersonal, ambiguous "Higher Power." Darcy said, "I knew God was real because of the miracle of my marriage, but I didn't know who God was." They were open to anything. Scott chose an unusual approach to learning more about God: He stole a Bible from a church near their Connecticut home! They couldn't put it down -- it was the first time they had really read a Bible seriously. Before that time, they wanted nothing to do with the Bible. In fact, a relative had sent a New Testament as a gift when their first child was born and they threw it in the trash. "All our lives Scott and I had been fighting the Bible," Darcy said, "but when we began to read it for ourselves it suddenly became very precious to us." Soon they were attending church and going to small-group Bible studies. "In the process," said Darcy, "we came to believe that our Higher Power was Jesus Christ. That was really the turning point in both Scott's recovery and mine. The God in the Bible is so specific, and there was no question in my mind that He was the God who had already been involved in our lives through the Twelve Steps." When Scott found out he had terminal cancer, he found serenity in the crisis of death just as he found serenity in the crisis of alcoholism: By putting his trust in Jesus Christ. Scott is with his Higher Power now, in heaven. The testimony of Scott and Darcy illustrates that God graciously works with us long before we agree to work with him. Come learn more about that this Sunday at 10!. --Tom Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored." Some things to look for... Song of the Week, posted every Sunday. Links to Your World, interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.