Weekly Update
Highland,
Due to it being a first Sunday, we will hold Communion tomorrow. We will issue a video that will carry you and your family through Communion then, in the post, we will have the passages and the discussion questions included. Please feel free to use whatever you have on hand for Communion or take this chance to go out and grab the needed items (bread and juice).
Song: “Though You Slay Me” - by Shane and Shane
Highland,
I hope you’re doing well, considering this unexpected season we are all facing! It brings me great joy to share Mr. Hank Shelby’s song with you this week, as part of our Midweek Devotion! Hank’s heart for the Lord is so tender and authentic; his heart for the Lord is revealed in this song. May we all draw nearer to the Lord as we listen, allowing Him to be ‘our enough.’
In our Midweek Devotion this week, we read through Psalm 29, together. This Psalm centers on the majesty and the might of God! We also see in this Psalm that the Lord holds eternity in His grasp! While we might only be able to handle one moment at a time, let us acknowledge the power of our God, who knows the beginning and the end of all things! Let us look to Him right now, here, in the middle of this pandemic, because He is eternal and almighty! He sits enthroned over all time, all creation, over you and me. Knowing this reality, let us allow Him to be King of our hearts, too.
Midweek Devotion: April 29th, 2020
“Ascribe to Yahweh, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due His name;
worship Yahweh
in the splendor of His holiness.
The voice of the Lord is above the waters.
The God of glory thunders —
the Lord, above vast waters,
the voice of the Lord in power,
the voice of the Lord in splendor.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion, like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the woodlands bare.
In His temple all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sat enthroned at the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned, King forever.
The Lord gives His people strength;
the Lord blesses His people with peace.”
Highland, I love you. My family adores you.
Rob
Family Devotion: April 26th, 2020
We turn our attention to Psalm 37, because it offers us a rare reflection upon our days as we spin around on this blue marble. When David, a man described as “a man after God’s own heart”, writes about life’s happenings and God’s promises, one would be wise to pay attention and read carefully. The devotion I have put together for Psalm 37 is sectioned into the parts of how it was originally written. There are a total of 7 sections; we will cover the last 3 sections today. Have someone read the given section of the Psalm. After each section, there will be a discussion topic or question ( This is part two of a two-part devotion).
by: Kurtis Parks
About:1 Samuel 24
from: Saddleback Kids
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.
I have been young and now I am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his descendants begging bread.
All day long he is gracious and lends,
And his descendants are a blessing.”
Rick Roper once told me that this is a passage he cherishes. In section five, David is telling about the generational-blessing of the Lord, which rest upon those who remain repentant and submissive to the name of the Lord.
This blessing is now secured for believers by the blood of Jesus. ANYONE who repents and professes Jesus as Lord is redeemed. Our sin-nature is then crucified with Christ. We then become one, with Christ, now bearing His name, as He bore our shame to death on His cross. He bore our sin that we might bear His blessing - unbroken fellowship with the Father. That blessing brings us security, and enables us to declare with confidence, that there will never be a time when we are forsaken by the Lord. No matter the circumstance, no matter the trial, He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Though David encountered many hardships throughout his days, he was able to say at the end of his life, ‘The Lord is the one who holds My hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.’
Describe a time or season in your life where you may have been tempted to think that God had forsaken you. Looking back now, how did God prove Himself faithful to you in that season?
What else brings you encouragement from this section of Psalm 37?
“Depart from evil and do good,
So you will abide forever.
For the Lord loves justice
And does not forsake His godly ones;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land
And dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
And his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
His steps do not slip.
The wicked spies upon the righteous
And seeks to kill him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand
Or let him be condemned when he is judged.
Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.”
‘The law of his God is in his heart.’ Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, God’s spirit now etches His nature, His character, His identity into us. We become His and the desires of our hearts are then renewed, aligned with His desires! We long for HIS righteousness instead of demanding OUR rights. Our lives then bear the fruit of His spirit. Those who live under the power of the Spirit of God then bear the fruit of His spirit, not our sin. Based on this passage - because His Spirit is now the law of our hearts, we then desire to depart from evil and do what is good in the eyes of God. Furthermore, we see that, because we are preserved by the Lord, He secures our lives, both our personal safety and our reputation. His instruction is simply that we wait for Him! No need to force a matter, no need for self-effort, for the Lord will exalt the humble —- ‘you will see it’!
Discuss what it means to wait for the Lord.
“I have seen a wicked, violent man
Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.
Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright;
For the man of peace will have a posterity.
But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.”
David experienced these words in own life. After being anointed King by the prophet Samuel, he was hunted by King Saul, who was bitterly jealous of David and under the command of an evil sprit. Though Saul loved David, his jealousy of him soured that love. Saul’s son, Jonathan, kept a loving friendship with David. Jonathan even helped protect David from his father’s wrath.
Jonathan, then knowing that David would become king, asked David to be kind to his family. David agrees and carries out his promise to Mephibosheth (Jonathan’s son). Though David could’ve had exercised his right to eliminate any threat to his throne, he acted as though the Lord’s law was within his heart: Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; for the man of peace will have a posterity. David chose to act out of the righteousness of his God, not out of his own right. He sowed ‘peace from above’, justice in line with the heart of his God instead of taking on his rights and bringing vengeance on Saul and his family line. David saw that salvation and strength belong to the Lord, not to a crown made with human hands. Therefore, we see that while David was on the throne, the Lord sat upon the throne of His heart. Does the Lord sit on the throne of your heart?
Highland, it is my greatest desire that, through this time, God’s Word would be at the center of our hearts and homes. As David notes, the person who loves the Lord is a person who sows peace, because Jesus has placed peace between God and us.
Does our family live in the *peace of God?
If part of the definition for peace is ‘flourishing on every level”, then what area of our family would we consider to be flourishing? What area of our family would we like to see a fuller flourishing?
*peace (Shalom) - flourishing on every level, wholeness, unbroken fellowship
I encourage you this week to place your famliy’s name in verse 37 and ask the Lord to create that in your home. Lord, make us blameless, make us upright, and make us sowers of peace that we may leave a lasting legacy for Your name! Amen.
We love you,
Rob & Carrie
Highland,
After considering all of the details, Highland Community Church will continue to refrain from physically gathering. Due to our building space and the number of people who attend each Sunday, social distancing requirements would be very difficult for us. Bible Studies and other ministries are refraining from gathering, too.
In my eagerness for us to come together, being too hasty in this season could be too costly. I rest in the leading of the Holy Spirit; He will reveal His timing and His plan. I continue to take my cues from Him.
Devotions and updates will be posted here, on our blog page. Please continue to check here for updates. You can subscribe through our website to receive emails or you can follow us on Facebook as well. Finally, remember I am just a phone call away.
I love you, Highland!
Rob
Robert and Lashonda Singleton offer the Highland Tribe a shoutout of courage and hope!
Lashonda and Robert Singelton
Becky Strickland takes us through Psalm 25 and sings: “Show Me Your Ways” - by Hillsong.
“Lord, I turn to You.
My God, I trust in You.
Do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me.
No one who waits for You
will be disgraced;
those who act treacherously without cause
will be disgraced.
Make Your ways known to me, Lord;
teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation;
I wait for You all day long.
Remember, Lord, Your compassion
and Your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me
because of Your goodness, Lord.
The Lord is good and upright;
therefore He shows sinners the way.
He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.
All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth
to those who keep His covenant and decrees.
Because of Your name, Yahweh,
forgive my sin, for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
He will show him the way he should choose.
He will live a good life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
The secret counsel of the Lord
is for those who fear Him,
and He reveals His covenant to them.
My eyes are always on the Lord,
for He will pull my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
The distresses of my heart increase;
bring me out of my sufferings.
Consider my affliction and trouble,
and take away all my sins.
Consider my enemies; they are numerous,
and they hate me violently.
Guard me and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in You.
May integrity and what is right
watch over me,
for I wait for You.
God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.”
Psalm 37 has played a tremendous role in the life of our family. One role to note is the day Carrie and I were closing on our current home on 5th Avenue. Just before we were leaving to sign the dotted line, I had a rush of panic! Questions began racing through my mind: Were we making a mistake? Was this going to end up being a disaster? To keep from spreading my panic to Carrie, I stepped outside onto my parents’ deck and began to ask the Lord to make His plan known to me in an undeniable way. In my desperation, I opened my Bible and was prompted by the Holy Spirit to turn to Psalm 37; a Psalm that was familiar to me, but that I had not read recently. I desperately began to read it from the beginning and, immediately, I was flooded with a peace that can solely come from the presence of our Lord when I read this verse:
“Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”
In that moment, God’s Word overcame my fear! I was flooded with peace because the passage was showing me that our plans for buying a home in North Highland were aligned with His purposes. I left with Carrie to sign the closing documents that day with an unshakable confidence in the Lord. Now, 14 years later, this passage still serves as our family’s personal mission statement. As Carrie and I have taken the time during this season of “shelter in place” to reflect back over this Psalm, and reflect on our years in North Highland, we have rejoiced in seeing how the Lord has prodcued fruit through our lives, the life of Highland and Truth Spring consistent with the promises of Psalm 37.
When David, a man described as “a man after God’s own heart”, writes about life’s happenings and God’s promises, one would be wise to pay attention and read carefully. Highland-tribe, please take your time as you read and dwell upon the power of God’s enduring Word throughout this devotion.
The devotion I have put together for Psalm 37 is sectioned into the parts of how it was originally written. There are a total of 7 sections; we will cover four sections today.
Have someone read the given section of the Psalm. After each section, there will be a discussion topic or question ( This is part one of a two-part devotion).
Source: Seeds Family Worship
“Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.”
Section one centers on the fruit that comes from our lives when we confidently trust the Lord and commit our way to Him.
Does my way (or the way of our family) reflect that I (we) delight and trust in God? Give an example of what that has looked like for you or your family.
“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”
Section two compares people who live by their immediate passions to those who live by a steady patience. In Spurgeon’s “Treasury of David”, he refers to a statement that an author made about patience and passion. He says: “Passion has his good things first, then they are soon over; patience has his good things last and they last forever.”
What does resting in the Lord look like in your life or in the life of your family?
Do we see the value in patience and choosing to wait on the Lord?
“The wicked plots against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees his day is coming.
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slay those who are upright in conduct.
Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.”
In Section Three, David is pointing out that people who are evil, intentionally seek to oppress and mistreat people who are needy and *afflicted. As the Lord radically defends the most vulnerable, David points out that the Lord even laughs at those who think real power is to be gained from preying on the needy and afflicted.
Why is it that the Lord considers caring for the needy and afflicted important?
Do you or you and your family share in the Lord’s desire to defend and care for the needy and afflicted? Give an example.
*The word afflicted means grievously troubled, suffering, overthrown, having a sense of being defeated.
“Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord sustains the righteous.
The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have abundance.
But the wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures,
They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and gives.
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.”
As David wrote by the power of the Holy Spirit many generations before, those who submit to the Lordship of Jesus, “will not be ashamed.” Highland, let us rejoice over the Lord, who forgives sin, covering us with His righteousness.
In our closing section for today, David compares the course of the life of both the righteous and the wicked. In 1 Corinthians 5, we read that Jesus became our “sin offering” and, through Him, we become the “righteousness of God.” WOW! Take the time to take that statement in. Highland, let us all pray, rejoicing over the righteousness that is ours, in Christ Jesus. Let us rejoice over the promise of God that says, ‘even in the midst of famine and adversity, the righteous will have an abundance!’ May we use that abundance, in this season of uncertainty, to care for the needy and afflicted.
We love you,
Rob & Carrie
Mr. Jim Holbrook tastefully plays for us one of his favorites: "It is Well."
Highland,
This week, Mr. Jim Holbrook skillfully plays for us “It is Well.” This is a hymn that speaks to an unwavering faithfulness in a God who is steadfast in love throughout every season we may encounter. I hope you enjoy listening to Jim, along with the chorus of birds that joins him, as much as I do.
Over this time of being home-bound, our family is reading and praying through Psalm 20 each night at our dinner table. We are using this Psalm to draw our family closer, through God’s Word and to pray for our church throughout these unusual times. Here is the Psalm:
“May Yahweh answer you in a day of trouble;
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
May He send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.
May He remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.
May He give you what your heart desires
and fulfill your whole purpose.
Let us shout for joy at your victory
and lift the banner in the name of our God.
May Yahweh fulfill all your requests.
Now I know that the Lord gives victory to His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
with mighty victories from His right hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.
Lord, give victory to the king!
May He answer us on the day that we call.”
Using this verse from the Psalm, Carrie asked each of us to write down our heart’s desire and what we sense as our ‘whole purpose’ throughout this season, and beyond. Following our meals, we read Psalm 20 together, then revisit our cards and pray. As we have discussed and prayed, what has become more and more evident is that you, Highland, are part of our ‘whole purpose.’ Your well-being, your joy, your safety are directly connected to our hearts’ desires. Carrie and I both wrote that our heart’s desire was for an overflow of the Holy Spirit so that His joy and power would abound in and through our lives. All of this for His glory and our good!
We invite you to join in this prayer alongside our family. Ask yourself, “what is my heart’s desire?”. And if you could summarize what your “whole purpose” is in this season of quarantine, what would that be? Let me remind you of the beautiful parable found in Luke 11. Jesus speaks of an earthly father and his desire to give his child good gifts. Then Jesus moves from an earthy example and begins speaking about His Father. In referring to our Heavenly Father, Jesus says, “how MUCH MORE will your heavenly Father be delighted to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?”.
Remember, it is the delight of our Father to give us our request for an overflow of the work, power, and joy of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives. So may we unite our voices as one and pray with confidence, “Lord, may You give Highland what our heart desires and fulfill our whole purpose for more of the Holy Spirit. Lord, give great victory to the Highland family! May You answer us on the day that we call” (Psalm 20:4,9). Throughout this time, know that from our dining room table, the Strickland family is praying for you, Highland. Our family truly loves each of you!
Rob & Carrie
Family Devotion: Easter Sunday, 2020
Songs by Rick & Ivey (filmed by Cassia): “Beautiful Cross” & “He Came Arisin’”
Let’s read together.
TO ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND NEED REST
TO ALL WHO MOURN AND LONG FOR COMFORT
TO ALL WHO FEEL WORTHLESS AND WONDER IF GOD CARES
TO ALL WHO ARE WEAK AND FAIL AND DESIRE STRENGTH
TO ALL WHO SIN AND NEED A SAVIOR
THIS FAMILY OPENS WIDE HER DOORS WITH A WELCOME FROM JESUS CHRIST
THE MIGHTY FRIEND OF SINNERS THE ALLY OF HIS ENEMIES
THE DEFENDER OF THE INDEFENSIBLE
THE JUSTIFIER OF THOSE WHO HAVE NO EXCUSES LEFT
WELCOME
Happy Easter, Highland! If you recall, our devotion that was offered last Sunday was called: “The Cost of the Cross.” In conjunction with Communion, we were challenged to ask ourselves if the cross has conquered our lives: our rights and our self-effort. Realizing that there is no way that we can earn our salvation or clean ourselves up enough to make God right with us, we turn our eyes to the cross of Christ Jesus. At that cross, we encounter Him willingly laying down His life for us. He took upon Himself all of our sin: our pride, our demands, our anger, our manipulation, our shortcomings and He bore it all upon that cross.
Dwelling upon the power of the cross, discuss one area of your life that you are grateful that the cross has paid for and conquered.
Today, as it is Easter, we start this devotion by asking ourselves why Jesus endured the ‘cost of the cross.’ As Carrie and I were talking about the book of Hebrews, which I am reading through right now, she reminded me of a passage that explains why Jesus endured the high, high cost of the cross. You’ll find the passage in Hebrews 12. It reads:
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured the cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”
There it is: Jesus endured the price of the cross because of the joy laid before Him. Jesus pressed into submission and obedience, even to the point of death on a cross, for the joy of glorifying His Father in heaven and imparting salvation to those who repent and submit to His Lordship. In His name, our debt of sin is paid and our shame is removed. It was His greatest joy to restore the relationship that had been severed by sin, and to bring us unbroken fellowship with His Father.
Being someone who wrestled for years with personal shame because of my sin and disobedience, I (Rob) greatly rejoice that Jesus has delivered me from my feelings of shame and given me a restored relationship with my God. As I turn my eyes more and more from my shame and keep my eyes more and more on Jesus, I now live in freedom from shame, and in unbroken fellowship with the One who knows every part of me, and still chooses to show me abundant, unwaivering compassion. It was the beauty of Christ that surpassed and conquered the ugliness of my shame, and it was the joy of Christ to endure the cross that restored my relationship to the Father. All praise to the One who paid it all!
What have you wrestled with that, at times, causes you to feel like you cannot belong to God or that He would not want you because of your sin?
2. When you repent, do you believe that Jesus offers you abundant compassion?
3. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, do you believe that God does love you?
David writes: “Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin” - (Psalm 51:1-2).
Stop & pray: Offer the Lord gratitude in your hearts and homes that the cross of Christ removes the stain of sin from our lives and offers us unbroken fellowship with our Father.
Highland, I want us be able to delight in both the beauty and cost of the cross, because we understand that it leads to a resurrecting-power in our lives. The sins that once so easily entangled us, no longer have command over us. Easter causes us to rejoice in the cross because the cross leads to the resurrection! Without the sacrifice of the cross, there is no joy. Without the letting go of our rights, there is no receiving the fullest pleasures of God. It is my desire that each of us would see that the beauty and cost of the cross is far superior to any fleeting feeling sin could offer us. It is also my desire that each of us would run with endurance the race set before us because we are confident of the victory that is ours in the end.
Returning to the the top of this passage in Hebrews, understand that you and I are an extension of that ‘great cloud of witnesses’ - meaning that we are to encourage those around us to let go of the sin that so easily entangles, and to press on for something far greater. We are to press on to know Christ and the power of His resurrection! In our pressing on, we are called to love one another, hold one another accountable, speak courage into one another, and offer our strength to others who are weak and are failing. We set every sin and temptation aside and we fix our gaze solely on Jesus, so that we can know Jesus and the power of His resurrection! To do so, renders glory to the name of Jesus, leads to His rightful worship, and offers good to those in our lives!
In closing, let us ask ourselves these questions and then discuss as needed?
Are you keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus in this season of uncertainty?
Are you choosing to flee from the temptation of sin because you find greater delight in your relationship with Jesus?
3. What is an area in your life where you have experienced Christ’s resurrecting power? This could be a relationship or circumstance or desire in your life that was dead, waste, and/or ruined, and Christ brought it back to life through His power.
Kids, this 30 minute show helps to teach you all about the events leading up to Jesus being crucified and His resurrection. Superbook videos are some of Luke and Jude’s favorite.
*Sourced by: Superbook
We love you, Highland.
Rob & Carrie
Highland, for our Midweek Devotion this week, Jesse Shelby reads from Galatians and sings for us a song of his entitled: “New Day Comin’”. The song calls us to realize that there is a season for everything and to ‘not grow weary in doing good’ in this strange season - cause there is a new day comin’! So now, let us reap what is good in the eyes of the Lord, so, in that new day to come, we may harvest glory for our Lord and good for one another.
Following him leading us through a devotion, he and many Highland-Tribe members recently took part in the Shelby Brothers’ Silvan Session Live Recording. In this recording, you’ll be rewarded with a set of ear-pleasing Gospel-standards. I hope you enjoy!
Midweek Devotion: April 8th, 2020
Put together by Jesse Shelby
“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Highland, everyday afternoon at 3pm, I have a cup of coffee. I want to invite you to join me for: Coffee & Conversation. We will do a conference call using Google Meet this Friday afternoon, at 3pm. To join the call, please enter your email address into the form below. Once you sign up, then I will send you an invitation to the call that will include the code you need to use to join the conversation. You will either need to be at your computer or on your phone at that time to join the conversation. I am looking forward to being together!
- Rob
Carrie has written a blog for our women, since our women are unable to meet tonight. Check out the post below:
Highland, I am reading through Hebrews right now. Consider cracking open your Bibles and reading along with me. I see us in this book at a time in the future. Know that I miss you and that I rejoice over having you in my life.
Rob
