Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

FULL-THROTTLE FAITH
Life Lessons from King David
(Sundays @ 10)
Hillcrest Baptist Church
www.HillcrestAustin.org

Did you know you can read all the staff columns from the Beacon at our website? This week, Herb offers a great Thanksgiving poem, Steve suggests a great Thanksgiving tradition, Gene updates us on an alarming proposal from Austin Energy, and Karen reminds us of the childcare safety policies in place at Hillcrest. Check them out here.

Riding with the King
by Tom Goodman
November 23, 2011

We're hard-wired to glorify the solo hero. Whether it's Zorro single-handedly rescuing his down-trodden community or Bruce Willis' Die Hard John McClane terrorizing the terrorists by himself, we seem to be drawn to the Lone Ranger figures.

In the real world, though, it takes a team of heroes to accomplish anything of lasting value.

At first, you might think that the King David Story is another Lone Ranger story. David so dominates the Old Testament landscape that you might not immediately notice all the human help he received. That's why 2 Samuel 23 is so important. As the writer of 2 Samuel ended his story, he celebrated the "Mighty Men" who made David's success possible.

What do you think it took to be in David's posse?

That's a vital question, because the biblical writer had a point for including this list of "Mighty Men" in the David Story. It wasn't just to have thrilling stories to tell to boys around campfires. The writer wanted to illustrate some qualities worth copying in our own lives.

The German philosopher Gotthold Lessing thought of ancient Greek sculpture when he said, "Beautiful men made beautiful statues, and the city had beautiful statues in part to thank for beautiful citizens."

In other words, we become what we celebrate.

So, what are we honoring in our churches, our families, and our society? I read through the brief stories of David's Mighty Men, and I find some characteristics to honor in others -- and develop in myself. These guys were brave when others ran away; they stood their ground no matter how exhausting the conflict; they were willing to sacrifice for the good of the community. Such characteristics qualified them to ride in David's posse.

This Sunday @ 10, we'll look at six qualities of David's Mighty Men worth copying. It's part of our continuing series, "Full-Throttle Faith: Life Lessons From King David." You can review or catch up with the series at our website. If you've got guests in for Thanksgiving this weekend, bring them with you! Assure them we don't have a dress code, so no coat-and-tie is required. I'll be in the lobby if you want to introduce them to me.

Join us, and let's make a decision to be the kind of heroes the king would want riding with him!

--Tom

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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Did you know you can read all the staff columns from the Beacon at our website? This week, Herb offers a great Thanksgiving poem, Steve suggests a great Thanksgiving tradition, Gene updates us on an alarming proposal from Austin Energy, and Karen reminds us of the childcare safety policies in place at Hillcrest. Check them out here. Riding with the King by Tom Goodman November 23, 2011 We're hard-wired to glorify the solo hero. Whether it's Zorro single-handedly rescuing his down-trodden community or Bruce Willis' Die Hard John McClane terrorizing the terrorists by himself, we seem to be drawn to the Lone Ranger figures. In the real world, though, it takes a team of heroes to accomplish anything of lasting value. At first, you might think that the King David Story is another Lone Ranger story. David so dominates the Old Testament landscape that you might not immediately notice all the human help he received. That's why 2 Samuel 23 is so important. As the writer of 2 Samuel ended his story, he celebrated the "Mighty Men" who made David's success possible. What do you think it took to be in David's posse? That's a vital question, because the biblical writer had a point for including this list of "Mighty Men" in the David Story. It wasn't just to have thrilling stories to tell to boys around campfires. The writer wanted to illustrate some qualities worth copying in our own lives. The German philosopher Gotthold Lessing thought of ancient Greek sculpture when he said, "Beautiful men made beautiful statues, and the city had beautiful statues in part to thank for beautiful citizens." In other words, we become what we celebrate. So, what are we honoring in our churches, our families, and our society? I read through the brief stories of David's Mighty Men, and I find some characteristics to honor in others -- and develop in myself. These guys were brave when others ran away; they stood their ground no matter how exhausting the conflict; they were willing to sacrifice for the good of the community. Such characteristics qualified them to ride in David's posse. This Sunday @ 10, we'll look at six qualities of David's Mighty Men worth copying. It's part of our continuing series, "Full-Throttle Faith: Life Lessons From King David." You can review or catch up with the series at our website. If you've got guests in for Thanksgiving this weekend, bring them with you! Assure them we don't have a dress code, so no coat-and-tie is required. I'll be in the lobby if you want to introduce them to me. Join us, and let's make a decision to be the kind of heroes the king would want riding with him! --Tom Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them here. Check out my weblog here. 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.