Surprise Visit

Last night as I came down the hall carrying Cutter, Aloha grabbed me and said, "There is someone you have got to meet, John Roberts." For those who may not know, John Roberts is a former minister of Western Hills, now serving in Memphis. He, his wife and son were traveling and made sure to stop by and see friends at Western Hills.

This was my first opportunity to meet John. He struck me as a humble and sincere man with a deep faith in God. I was also struck by how many from this church threw their arms around him and his family. He literally could not walk down the hall without a sea of hugs and handshakes.

Again, I was reminded how much love Western Hills has to share. We continue to be a CONNECTING and CARING place almost by nature. Jesus says the world will be able to recognize my followers...Not by their doctrine...Not by their logo...Not by their clothes...But by their LOVE. It was amazing to see just a small taste last night. I continue to be grateful to serve in a church as caring as Western Hills.

Because of the CROSS
Scott

Build and Bring!

We are off and running with the Mythbuster Series. Many of you have encouraged me with how much you are looking forward to the series. Thanks! Encouraging words are always a blessing. What is even more encouraging is the number of people I am meeting every Sunday morning. God is bringing a tremendous amount of new people through our doors. When I ask a few questions I inevitably find out that all of these people are coming because YOU are inviting them.

That is the simple idea behind BUILD & BRING. You are building relationships with people God has ALREADY placed in your world. After investing in a relationship you bring them to church. This is our ongoing evangelistic strategy. That's it. We trust that God will cause the seed planted to grow.

You are in my prayers as you minister in the world.

See you on Sunday,
Scott

PS - Myth #2: God wants me to be HAPPY.

MythBusters

Raise your hand if you have seen this show? Ok, many of you have. If you are in the few that have not let me explain. The show is hosted by 2 balding and goateed guys who have an insatiable desire for truth, science and blowing things up. The premise of the show is to take a widely held belief, urban legend, or myth and try to recreate it in "the laboratory".

Well on Sunday, Toby Wilson (preacher for the Belton Church of Christ) and I will attempt to be Mythbusters! We will challenge some widely held beliefs by finding out what God has to say about that. So just like the show we will attempt to bust myths minus the goatees and the explosions.

This Sunday's myth is ALL ROADS LEAD TO HEAVEN!

See You on Sunday,
Scott M.

NEW CREW TIME

Last night Crew Time made its move to a new night and a new location. Our new Crew Time room is awesome! (Thanks to Patty Thomas, several teens and the Band of Brothers for helping transform the room.)

For those who don't know, Crew Time is a high-energy, active time of worship and learning for our 2 year olds through 5th Graders. Our Crew Time staff of teens and adults lead our kids in worship & interactive learning.

Crew Time has also added a new friend. Last night we met Dennis the Crew Time Carpenter. With Dennis' help, the kids learn about God, Jesus and many other things.

The room was packed with kids & energy as we learned about and participated in WORSHIP!

Be sure to stop by at 6:30 pm on Wednesdays to see Crew Time in action.

Wayman Manor

Last night the teens of Western Hills hosted their second Sidewalk Sunday School on the playground of Wayman Manor. In a word it was AWESOME. Our teens (and teens from Ave. T) prove that Jesus is bigger than any racial, social, or economic barrier or difference. Armed with kickballs, bubbles, frisbees and fingernail polish these students went to work playing with and loving on the children of Wayman Manor.

I am excited to be a part of a church that is committed to getting out of its building and going where Jesus would go. Keep our students in our prayers and keep Wayman Manor in your prayers. If this effort is part of the mission God has for Western Hills then the possibilities are far more than anything we can ask or even imagine!

A Church on Target

Our Elders have called this church to a new vision. Well actually they have reminded us of what our vision has always been. There is a saying that says, "The MAIN thing is to keep the MAIN thing the MAIN thing." Keeping the main thing the main thing is what our elders are helong us to do. SO in case you have missed it the vision/mission of the Western Hills Church of Christ is...

to Connect the Unnconnected

to Care for our People

to Change lives for God

Now the EASY part is to come up with the statement. The HARD part is to LIVE it out.
I want to invite eveyone who is a part of this church to begin praying about what God will do wiht us and through us in the immediate future. I believe he has BIG dreams and I can't wait to see them come to life.

End of the Spear

Fifty years ago this month, five men were martyred in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador and their story changed lives around the world. This month, the rest of the story will be told in a powerful motion picture coming to theaters called End of the Spear. Come and experience this unbelievable true story on opening weekend Jan. 20-22 and your view of missions will never be the same. This is a full Hollywood production that displays (in a postive way) the power of the Gospel message to change the culture of an entire people.

Upward Basketball Begins

Last Saturday, January 14th, we had our first day of Upward Basketball Games at Western Hills.

The Kindergarten teams started the day with excitement and energy! The 4th through 6th Grade Boys teams ended the day with heavy-duty action. In between, the day was filled with some great plays, awesome shots, loud cheering and a whole lot of fun.

Our coaches did a great job helping their kids do their best. Our referees did a great job teaching the kids the basics of the game with patience and love. Our concessions stand volunteers served up hotdogs, nachos and sodas with smiles. Our devotional speakers inspired and challenged the half-time audience. Our other volunteers did what was needed to make the day a success. (Thanks Kim Stern for hours of time keeping!)

All of these people made it possible to tell

a bunch of kids and their parents about Jesus!

It was a great day! There are 3 more game days at Western Hills.

• January 28th
• February 12th
• February 26

Come and join us for a game or two (or the whole day).

Or better yet...

If you are interested in helping serve in the Concession Stand, contact Matt & Heather Stephen.

If you are interested in helping with Refereeing a game or 2, contact Robert Moore.

If you are interested in giving a short half-time devotional, contact Marie Matthews.

If you want to help in any way needed (as Jesus would!), contact Scott Seela.

BUILD & BRING

These are two words you are going to hear me say often. Why? Because I believe in them. This is our strategy for reaching the lost of Central Texas. Sounds too simple, right? I know strategies for reaching the lost and bringing people to Jesus have been made complicated and intimidating.

So what is BUILD and BRING? It is simply this...prayerfully consider the people God has already placed in your circle of influence. This includes co workers, fellow students, friends, members of your bowling team, other soccer moms, your next door neighbor, guys at the gym...get the picture? You pray about God using you to be a missionary to those people. Don't get intimidated yet! Your job is to BUILD your relationship with them and then BRING them to Western Hills. Now that's not so scary is it? Another way to say this is with the words INVEST and INVITE. You invest in their lives and then invite them to join you for worship. I have a passionate belief that folks who come into our worship will encounter a living God. They might not understand everything or be able to put their experience into words, but they will NOT leave unaffected.

So there it is. The grand strategy in two words...BUILD and BRING. I wish I could take credit for this but Jesus beat me to it years ago.

God will do amazing things in 2006. I am praying for you and look forward to meeting the person/persons you bring to Jesus this year.

See you on Sunday,
Scott M.

Christmas Presents for Meadow Village

What a blessing this church has been to the kids in Meadow Village!

Western Hills, along with Canyon Creek, took on the challenge to help the kids living there have a good Christmas by providing gifts to 164 kids. On Saturday, December 17th we had the opportunity to pass out presents in the Meadow Village Apartment Complex in Temple. It was a great time! Some people were expecting us. Some were not. As each door opened and gifts were handed off, the Love of Jesus was truly shared. Everyone was extremely grateful. The smiles and thank yous were heartfelt.

I want to say Thank You to this church for taking on the challenge to share the love of Jesus through this ministry project. The generosity of Western Hills continues to impress me!

For those who took a name or two, I encourage you to keep those kids in your prayers. The ministry at Meadow Village continues to make an impact. Pray for our teens and others who regularly go there to minister to kids.

Thanks again for being living examples of what it means to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus.

God's Blessings.
-Scott Seela

Sweet Week Grand Openings!

This could possibly one of the best weeks ever. WHY? Because of the grand openings...First The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe opened. I have not seen it yet (and with twins it is doubtful I will see it anytime soon) but the early reviews are telling me it is INCREDIBLE. I am most encouraged by many telling me the Christian elements and themes are not diminished at all. Second grand opening this week: KING KONG. This is the movie that Peter Jackson (director of the Lord of the Rings) has wanted to make all of his life. And again the early reviews tell me it is an amazing movie. (Again with the twins not sure when I will see it, but I can hope). And finally the last grand opening is today. The Chick-fil-a across from our church building is open for business! I may not make it to Chronicles or Kong as fast as I would like but I will be feasting on the perfection that is a Chick-fil-a sandwich. In honor of the new store I wanted to share this post with you from another minister, Perry Noble. He writes about some of the lessons a church can learn from Chick-fil-a.

Enjoy!

Scott M.

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Lessons the Church can learn from a Chick-fil-a

#1 - They Keep Things Simple What is Chic-fil-a known for? Uh, one guess...think about it...did you say CHICKEN? Ding ding ding--we have a winner! You can't go to Chic-fil-a if you want a hot dog...well, I guess technically you COULD...but you would leave disappointed. They don't have a very large menu selection, which enables them to do a few things well instead of trying to be "everything to everyone." The church should apply the same. I believe there are many churches trying to maintain programs that at one time WERE very affective--many lives WERE changed--BUT what may have worked 30 years ago may not work today. However, the mistake that many of us make as church leaders is that instead of getting rid of things we add to our plate--and our "ministry menu" looks so large--and we are doing a lot of things--but really doing none of them well. One of the things we are striving for here at NewSpring is the simplicity of ministry. We KNOW that we cannot do everything well--and so we say no a lot more than we say yes to certain programs and/or ideas...and not because we don't care--but because we do care and it is our desire to honor Jesus Christ in the best way possible by providing an excellent ministry environment.

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#2 - They Stick To Their Convictions You know what I love...AND HATE...about Chic-fil-a? They are not open on Sunday! (Just being honest!) There are Sunday's when I long for a chicken sandwich from there--but I can't get one, not until Monday. I remember hearing the story of when Chic-fil-a was negotiating with shopping malls to open up within the mall and one of the stipulations was that they had to be open on Sunday. The leadership didn't really have a decision to make--they had convictions...and were willing to walk away from the opportunity that the malls were giving them because it would have meant going against what they felt was right. The malls realized they needed Chic-fil-a and backed down...and so we can now shop till we drop and refresh ourselves at the little sample stand outside of the restaurant. (Come on, you know you've snatched a nugget or two!) If a church is going to be able to maintain ministry in today's society then the leadership is going to have to have a clear vision of what the church will and will not do--and be able to stick by that vision--no matter what. It is my conviction that God's word never changes...and I have an incredible high view of Scripture...but the methods used to communicate His word often change. We will never compromise Scripture here--that is one of our core values--but we will always be willing to use whatever methods it takes to reach people. One note on this before moving on...Chic-fil-a has often received criticism about this aspect of the way they operate--but it has not deterred them at all. You cannot let criticism derail your vision--ask God to light your heart on fire--to fill you with His vision...and stick to it no matter what.

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#3 - Things Are Always Very Clean I never NEVER been into a nasty Chic-fil-a--EVER. The restrooms are always nice--the floors always look like they have just been mopped--despite the tons of traffic they get...they manage to keep things nice and neat. We can REALLY use this lesson! I have this deal on Sunday's that when I am walking into the building we are renting and I see a piece of paper on the ground--I pick it up. When I go to the restroom and I see a paper towel on the floor--I pick it up. People, especially the unchurched, want to come into a clean environment. At NewSpring we have an incredible team of people who show up early each and every Sunday to sweep, to mop, to vacuum--to make sure that the worship environment is as clean as possible...and it does make a difference. And let me say this before moving on...at Chic-fil-a I have NEVER seen a dirty area for kids--it's always clean--and that matters. It breaks my heart when I hear of churches who place their children in some damp, dirty room with people who are there because someone made them feel guilty about not working with kids (and we wonder why many kids hate church.)If a church is serious about reaching the lost and unchurched--one of the BEST things they can do is make sure the children's area is both clean and safe. The only people who will tolerate less than perfect conditions for their children are parents who grew up in those same conditions and are completely unaware that other options exist.

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#4 - The People Are Always Friendly Maybe you have had a different experience...but I don't think I have ever met a rude person at Chic-fil-a. From what I have seen--they always have a smile on their face--and say "thank you." I always tell churches that one of the best things you can have for your church is have a team of people who great others on Sunday's. Who stand outside--even when it is cold and rainy--and say things like, "good morning," and, "good to see you!" Trust me--this makes a difference. I remember visiting a church once and this little old dude sort of shoving a worship guide in my hands and not smiling at me...I actually said "good morning" to him...and he gave me a dirty look! I thought, "if I were unchurched--THAT would be the ONLY excuse I needed to not come back here." And those who are interested in reaching the unchurched--you know that is the way they think.

Mexican Food and Evangelism

Ok! I thought I knew about every hole-in-the-wall-dive-Mexican-food restaurant in Temple/Belton. One of the reasons I love living here is there is an abundance of GREAT Mexican food places -- and I have dined at all of them...or so I thought. On Sunday afternoon, our own Lurry Leavelle (doctor extraordinaire!) and his wonderful wife Donna invited Erica and me to join them for lunch at a Mexican food place. It was one I had never been to nor even heard about. The name: "Fruteria Ruby Tacos del Sur y Pollos del Norte." I am NOT making that up. (I will just refer to it as Tacos del Sur for short.) Immediately I was intrigued. Could there possibly be a decent Mexican place in Temple I have not heard of?

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Tacos del Sur is located on East Ave. G. It is actually one of three places of business owned by a family (restaurant, store, and nursery). What we experienced there was nothing short of south-of-the-border nirvana. I am high on the place for these reasons...The salsa was great (always important when sizing up a Mexican food place), the food was authentic, the portions where large, the prices small, and the place was spotlessly clean! If you are are a Mexican food lover...And who isn't? Then you have got to try Tacos del Sur.
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So what does all of this have to to with evangelism? Simply this...I heard about Tacos del Sur because Lurry cared enough to invite us. Because of his invitation I had a tremendous experience and now I am telling YOU about it. The advertising world for years has said there is no better advertising than "word of mouth." So why not for the church? You tell a couple of friends about Western Hills and then invite them. It's that simple. For too long the church has said that evangelism is the best done by setting up Bible studies with people you hardly know. While studying the Bible will always be a good thing, most people I know are not gifted to lead a Bible study. But everyone can invite friends and neighbors. Right?! To expect everyone to do evangelism by leading a Bible study would be like expecting Lurry to have cooked the Mexican food himself. He didn't do that, instead he took us to where the great feast awaited.

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So what is holding you back? Be praying now for the people in your circle of influence you need to invite to Western Hills. When you do that, congratulations you have just become an evangelist. I will see you (and your invitee) on Sunday.

Want to meet for lunch afterward? Dare you to try the salsa verde!

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Adios Amigos

Scott M.

Sharing God's Story

In our current sermon series titled "Coming Home for Christmas," Scott Meyer has led us in re-examining the account of the first Christmas as told in the Gospel of Luke to prepare us for Christmas. We believe we must prepare our lives, not just our houses, for Christmas. That is to say we need to prepare our lives for the coming of the Christ.

Last night, we continued this preparation by looking back over the incredible story of God caring for and leading His people. The story of God can be told either in terms of the main characters of the story, or of pivotal events that helped shape and define the people's journey of faith. To do this, we focused on 5 key characters/events:

• Creation, Adam & Eve, Sin (Genesis 1-4)
• God calling Abraham (Genesis 15)
• The Exodus from Egypt (Exodus)
• God choosing David as King (1 Samuel 16)
• The Angel Gabriel's Announcements (Luke 1)

We gathered as families and friends around tables in the fellowship room to create "ornaments" that symbolized each of these characters/events. The ornaments are to be visual reminders of the Story of God Redeeming His People.

As we made each ornament, each table recounted the story that went with it. From our young children to our adults, the stories of God's working were shared. The young taught the old. The old taught the young. The church was blessed.

I encourage you to continue telling The Story as we prepare for Christmas.

God's Blessings.

-Scott Seela

Coming Home for Christmas

Christmas Season is HERE! I am excited about this season for many reasons.

1. It will be the first Christmas for Cutter & Cooper (our twins).
2. Our Christmas lights are already up!
3. I am grateful for all God is doing through Western Hills right now.

We are in a series I am calling "Coming Home for Christmas." We all spend lots of time preparing ourselves for Christmas: shopping, decorating, cards, lights, cooking, etc...All of this to celebrate the coming of the Christ. Well I believe we must prepare our lives, not just our houses, for Christmas. That is to say we need to prepare our lives for the coming of the Christ. Be sure to invite a friend to join us each Sunday in December as we look at the preparations made for the very first Christmas.

Love Ya Much
Scott M.

Mistakes and Church

This post is from another minister, Perry Noble, who preaches at the NewSpring Church. I found his words to be very insightful. Hope you are challenged and encouraged by them.

#1 - If You Are Not Making Mistakes Then You Are Not Trying!I can say that our mistakes here at NewSpring have came from people who love Jesus, love the church, love people--and are really trying to do what they think is right. In doing that we will drop the ball from time to time. However, that is OK--the church has played it safe for way too long.

#2 - Do Not Try To Hide The Mistake!If you make a mistake then address it. We don't do this many times in the church world, we "pray about it" and expect God to handle it. (Does it seem that at times we over spiritualize everything?) But the best thing to do when making a mistake is to address it!

#3 - Do Not Fear The Outcome When you make a mistake you can count on the fact that your approval rating will drop in the public polls. Our job, however, is not to worship people--but to worship Jesus--to do what is right before doing what is easy...and trusting in a Sovereign God to take control.

#4 - The Only Bad Mistakes Are The Ones You Do Not Learn FromUh, enough said, right? I can't wait to see what the next five years of ministry looks like here at NewSpring. God is blessing us so much...and we are going to continue to strive to be excellent in all that we do--to be creative--to be relevant--and to teach the truth in an uncompromising way. However, we are not perfect--and we will make mistakes--but that's a lot better than playing it safe!

God Bless

Love Ya Much

Scott M.

Thankful for Western Hills

In this season of thanksgiving I want to make it known that I am grateful for what God is doing with and through Western Hills. Every week He is bringing new people through our doors and giving us an opportunity to reach them for Jesus. I am grateful for all of the folks who serve to make the Sunday morning experience a authentic encounter with a living God. Thanks to everyone who serves on the praise team, runs audio/video equipment, cleans the pews, hands out bulletins, greets newcomers, and on the list goes. To each I am thankful.

I want to call each of you to be in prayer for those God will bring our way during this holiday season. Be on your knees in prayer and on you toes to respond to the opportunities God has for us.

Love Ya Much,
Scott M.

Chuck Fortenberry Honored

Chuck Fortneberry's life and sacrifice will be honored through the naming of the new Physical Fitness Center at Fort Rucker after him. Cynthia and the boys will participating in the dedication cermonies scheduled for December 9, 2005.

Chuck was a loving dad, gracious husband, and outstanding Soldier.

Continue to keep the Fortenberry's in your prayers.

Love Ya Much
Scott

Update from Jorge Quijano

"The good news over here is taking place in Blanca Flor, even though it has been raining almost 3 of 7 days every week. The foundation of the new [church] building is almost done. Brother Pedro and the men are taking this project very seriously. The brothers from Chetumal are considering the possibility of helping with labor, along with 2 or 3 from Sac Xan. I have been blessed beyond my own understanding being with these people.

"The churches [in the region] have been keeping up the good work and remaining faithful to the Lord. It has been difficult due to Hurricane Wilma, as the amount of damage has been enormous, but thankfully few lives have been lost. At church in Bacalar, I tried to have the church to consider other losses beside the material ones. We are so focused on material things, even myself, that we are able to number them so quickly and easily. But the church is totally ignorant about spiritual wealth. When the church cannot value it's relationship with God, any inconvenience makes it easy to leave and not come back. We are trying to make a list of our spiritual wealth, qualities found only in the church.

"This coming month (November) is the Ladies Meeting and then a big fellowship at the end of the year. This would have been a good time to have had the Medical Mission Campaign due to Wilma causing a lot of people to get sick. We pray for Western Hills; may God bless you and all there".

Jorge Quijano

What a Party!!

It happened again! God took the simple event of a "Jesus Party" at Meadow Village and turned it into something incredible.

Those of you who were out at Meadow Village experienced the excitement and energy first hand. Kids and families were everywhere having a great time at the creative activities that were sponsored in love.

Lots of love, candy, prizes, candy, hugs, candy, hotdogs, candy, cookies, candy, balloon animals, candy, donuts (and did I mention candy?) were distributed to the Meadow Village community.

Thank you to all who helped make this happen. Thanks for the mass amounts of candy donated and for the excitement you brought to each and every activity.

The Light of Jesus truly shined at Meadow Village! Praise God for His working through His people.

God Bless.

-Scott Seela

Get Ready to Party!

WOW! The response to the Carnival @ Meadow Village is amazing. This church is going crazy to put on the best Jesus party ever. Here is just a small sampling of the creative booths and events we will be hosting...

Fire Truck
Pig Races (don't ask I don't know either)
Fire Safety House
Hanging Donuts
Photo Booth
Barrel Train Ride
Face Painting
and much, much, much, more!

Remember...All of the booths need to be set up and running by 3pm on Sunday. We will have the limited edition Western Hills T-Shirts available Sunday morning in the foyer for $5. Buy one to wear during carnival. The weather forecast is for a great day.

See you on Sunday!

Scott M.