Brook Hills College – Blog

  1. Gate City – Rock the Block

    June 30, 2010 by Britten Taylor

    Rock the Block is a unique opportunity for our local church to take the Gospel to the streets of Birmingham. The week of July 12th our church is hosting Back Yard Bible Clubs in the housing authority in Gate City. This is an area of our city that is stricken with poverty and is in many ways one of the most needy areas in all of Birmingham.

    Did you know that…

    * 73% of Gate City family households with kids are led by a single adult
    * 34% of Households make less than $20,000 a year (15% less than $10,000)
    * 93% of all students in Gate City qualify for federal discount/free lunch program
    * 62% of grandparents are responsible for grandchildren in East Lake
    * 41% of men are unemployed
    * 51% of women are unemployed

    Our hope is to mobilize the body of Christ (in particular College Students) to go and serve the people of Gate City. We are partnering with an area local church to provide the kids in the housing authority an opportunity to hear and see the Good News of Jesus Christ. If you desire to share with children truths such as, “It is an undeserved privilege to be a child of God” and “Jesus is the most valuable Treasure of all”, then you should commit to 1 night of training next Wednesday Night and make plans to join us July 12th-16th.

    The Young Singles Ministry and the College Ministry are going to partner together next Wednesday night for 1 night of training to prepare for a week of ministry! You need to make plans to join us there and get ready to share and show Jesus to a slew of kids in Gate City!

    Sign up for Gate City-Rock the Block Training here!
    

    Category: Mission, Uncategorized Comments (0)

  2. The really, really good gift of…Marriage

    June 29, 2010 by Britten Taylor

    The 2nd most important decision you will make in your life is who you will enter into the covenant of marriage with. Think about it, outside of turning from your sin and trusting in Christ, what is more important? This one single decision of who you will marry will impact the remaining days of your life!

    Seven years ago this week I married Angelia Brook Sisson.  You can now call her Brook Sisson Taylor.

    By God’s grace, these have been seven incredible years.  Things have not always been easy. They have not always been fun. Our marriage has had its ups and its downs. But through it all, God has continued to pour out His grace in our lives through our relationship together and I can honestly say that I am convinced my wife is “more precious than jewels” (Prov. 31:10)

    Tragically, society portrays marriage as  a second class lifestyle that should only be pursued after one sucks all the fun out of singleness. With divorce rates skyrocketing and “shacking up” becoming more and more socially acceptable (sometimes even in the church), it is no doubt that marriage is being devalued in our day. I say this is tragic because I firmly believe one of God’s amazing gifts of grace is experienced in the context of marriage.I see this in Scripture and I see it in my own life.

    Most would point to three primary purposes for marriage in Scripture…

    • Procreation: In other words, babies are to be conceived, birthed, reared, and unleashed into the world through the marriage covenant. Remember, the first command from God came to the first married couple, “be fruitful and multiply.”
    • Sanctification: Simply put, God’s purpose for marriage is not necessarily to make you happy, but to make you holy! One of the greatest lessons I have learned through marriage is that the covenant of marriage is God’s laboratory for my sanctification.
    • Illustration: Let me explain, one of the clearest ways to demonstrate the Gospel to the watching world is for two Christ-followers to get married and embrace God’s counsel in Ephesians 5! That is exactly what Paul is referring to in Ephesians 5:32.

    Now for all you single college students, I hear the question now…what about sex? Is sex not one of the purposes of marriage? Well, the answer is yes. We need to save this one for another blog post at another time, but I see the gift of sex in all three of these biblical purposes for marriage. For more on this pretty incredible gift from God (ie, sex) watch our Pastor, David Platt, preach on the book of Song of Solomon from a few weeks ago (video below)

    So, what can you do now.

    I would urge you to begin to prepare yourself to be an excellent spouse. I agree wholeheartedly with Kevin Deyoung that too many young people are praying for 17 things they want in a spouse, and not 17 things they want to be as a spouse. I would recommend THIS book for guys, and THIS book for ladies! Also, I heard someone tell me that in preparation for marriage, they are stalking other godly spouses to help equip them. I would do that, only to the extent that the law allows though (don’t want to encourage you right into jail!)

    Also, final point and I am done, be wise in your decision. What I am trying to say is, dont go at this alone! Wisdom is in a multitude of counselors (Prov. 11:14). In other words, dont seek out a spouse (or be sought out by someone to be a spouse) in isolation. Lean heavily on your parents, pastors, and godly friends for guidance and accountability. Sadly many young people are blinded by lust and are unable to discern between a godly spouse and a fake. Dont be that person…proceed with Godly counsel.

    Category: Gospel, Uncategorized Comments (0)

  3. Small Groups…John Wesley Style!

    June 21, 2010 by Britten Taylor

    There are few people who challenge me more in my pursuit of Christ than John Wesley. If you have never read of his life then I beg you to pick up a Wesley biography.  His devotion to Christ and desire to walk in a manner worthy of Him will convict and inspire you greatly.  It will pretty much ‘rock your world’ (yes, I am aware that is a phrase straight out of the 80′s).

    When Wesley was at Oxford he got a few of his closest buddies and formed a small group called the “Holy Club”.  The group had a few other studs, namely George Whitfield and Charles Wesley. The goal was for these guys to grow in their faith daily through biblical community.  They desired to encourage and spur one-another on in their faith and to not allow any one of them to drift into apathy toward Christ.

    Within the group they came up with the following questions meant to be used for daily personal reflection.  Each one was to utilize these questions daily in their private devotions.

    1. Am I creating the impression that I am better than I am?
    2. Am I honest in all my acts and words?
    3. Do I break confidence — tell others’ secrets?
    4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, habits?
    5. Can I be trusted?
    6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
    7. Did God’s Word live in me today?
    8. Am I enjoying my prayer time?
    9. When was the last time I shared my faith?
    10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
    11. Do I go to bed on time and get up on time?
    12. Do I disobey God in anything?
    13. Do I have an uneasy conscience?
    14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
    15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, touchy, irritible, or distrustful?
    16. Am I proud?
    17. How do I spend my spare time?
    18. Do I thank God that I am not like others?
    19. Is there anyone I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, disregard or resent?
    20. Do I grumble and complain?
    21. Is Christ real to me?

    So, I encourage you to do two things…

    • Commit your life to Biblical Community: You need it. Others need you. Enough said. Getting your life involved with others to that level will no doubt be difficult and time consuming. But it is  biblical community that is the context where personal change takes place. God models community for us (ie, Trinity). Jesus’ life set the precedent for us (ie, 12 Disciples). The early church practiced it continually (ie, the entire book of Acts). And you desperately need it. Next step? If you are not connected already, go here to connect to a College Small Group!
    • Begin to implement some sort of accountability into your Group: Whether is it the 21 questions from Wesley, or some other form of accountability, have a built in component of accountability to your biblical community.  Don’t just study the Word together, allow your lives to be studied in light of the Word. Regularly have those in your life asking the difficult questions concerning your walk with Christ.  Then allow your successes to be opportunities to praise God for His Gospel AND your failures to be opportunities to grow deeper in your dependence of His Gospel.

    Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25

    Category: College Life, Uncategorized Comments (0)

  4. What is God’s will for my life?

    June 10, 2010 by Britten Taylor

    What is God’s will for my life?  Now that is a big question. And most Christ-following college students are right smack dab in the middle of wrestling with that question. Whether it is a particular major or a certain person of the opposite sex…What’s God’s will? A certain career track or even deciding between a few churches…What is God’s will?  If we could bottle up all the energy that has been spent on seeking to figure out the answer to that question then we would be in good shape.

    In my conversations with college students regarding this question I have come to believe that many are freaking out over this because they realize that there is only 1 shot at this life…there are no mulligans when it is over. So, we better get it right the first time. Although this is true, that there is only one shot at this life, this type of thinking is leading many to be consumed with worry and even worst paralyzed by indecision.

    Do I go to India or Inner-city Birmingham? Should I pursue this God-fearing young lady or that one? Do I take the job in Charlotte or sell it all and move to the 10/40 window? Grad school or no more school?

    If you think about it, the answers that college students come up with to these questions literally impact the remaining years of life! (Which is why all of these decisions should be made under the oversight of Godly parents, pastors, and mentors, but I digress.)

    I can personally attest to the fact that the decision on which partner you will have in marriage will impact the remaining years of your life probably more than any other decision (outside of the decision to trust Christ). Choosing to pursue this major or that major could very well impact the next 20 to 30 years of  life! These are not decisions to be made lightly. We need Christ to be central in all of them!

    So how do we discern God’s will for our lives? Great question.

    Kevin Deyoung has written an excellent little book entitled, “Just Do Something: A Liberating approach to finding God’s Will”. I cannot recommend this book enough to you! In it I think he gives the best little summary statement regarding God’s Will. It is short, sweet and PACKED with Biblical insight!

    Because we have confidence in God’s Will of Decree, we can radically commit to God’s Will of Desire WITHOUT fretting over a hidden Will of Direction. In other words, God doesn’t take risks, so we can.

    If Christian college students could only see the Biblical insight jam-packed into this statement!

    God’s Will of Decree. This refers to what God has ordained…

    Ephesians 1:11 “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of His will”

    Isaiah 46:9-10- 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

    God’s Will of Desire. This refers to what God has commanded…

    1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

    Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

    Now, let’s get back to the quote from DeYoung.

    Because we have confidence in God’s Will of Decree, we can radically commit to God’s Will of Desire WITHOUT fretting over a hidden Will of Direction. In other words, God doesn’t take risks, so we can.

    In your life, do you have a strong trust that all that takes place in this world (which includes your life) is sifted through an all-good, all-powerful God? That is God’s Will of Decree.

    Also, in your life, do you have a relentless commitment to obey all that God has commanded by God’s grace? That is God’s Will of Desire.

    If both of these are realities in your life- then you are freed from endless hours of worry to take great risks for His glory!

    The final paragraph of the book is worth the price of the entire book….

    So the end of the matter is this: Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, with whomever you like, wherever you like, and you’ll be walking in the will of God.

    Category: College Life, Uncategorized Comments (1)

  5. The Gospel moves us to serve the Poor

    June 7, 2010 by Britten Taylor

    “Serving the poor”, “social justice”, “lifting people out of poverty” and a few hundred more sayings have become pretty trendy among college student circles. Now, before you get all bent out of shape, I do believe caring for the poor is essential. It is evidence of our salvation. I am for ministering to the poor because God clearly commands in His Word that the Church is to be about ministering to the poor!

    So, in no way do I want to lower the value of ministering to those who are gripped by poverty.  If anything we need to sound the alarm to awaken many in the Body of Christ who have for so long thought of it as an optional program. However, the problem I have noticed, especially among college students, is that some are taking a biblical command (ministering to the poor) and using unbiblical motivations (ie, I need to save them from their poverty) and often times unbiblical practices (ie, serving the impoverished without any intention to declaring the Gospel).

    Enter our faith family (The Church at Brook Hills)…There are reports that as many as 40 families are currently in the works to uproot their life from a nice, safe, well-manicured, suburban neighborhood in Birmingham and replant it into poverty stricken, drug-infested, gang-ridden, inner-city Birmingham. Below is a blog post from Ben Deloach, who is the appointed leader of the pack, describing the radical move. See if you can find in blog post the command behind the decision, his motivations that led him to do this, and the practices he intends on implementing.  I hope and pray we can gain wisdom from real life examples of our faith family serving the poor and are spurred on to deeper devotion to Christ and a more radical commitment to love this lost and dying world.

    East Lake Move

    So why would anyone want to move to East Lake?  To be part of the community revitalization?  To get a good deal on a historic home?  To rebel against middle class social structures and stereotypes?  Maybe those are reasons for some, but for me and my family, and many others with which we are united in Christ, we are moving to East Lake because we are followers of Christ that have been led by God to do so!  We want to be obedient to our Lord and engage people with the gospel in one of the poorest areas of our city.

    19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. -Colossians 1:19-20

    God is reconciling, that is restoring and making good that which is evil, ALL THINGS to Himself through Christ!  That includes individuals but it also includes worldly systems and cultures.  Poverty is about broken relationships between God and people, people and people, and people and world systems.  That means the solution to poverty is found only in the power of Christ’s death and resurrection to restore those relationships.

    That is why we desire to move into an area where poverty is experienced on every level.  We will be bearers of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for His glory through the redemption and reconciliation of people to God and then for the restoration of the community.

    You can track all of the action with the Deloach family and their move to the inner-city here. Also, I would highly recommend an article I read some time ago by Tim Keller entitled “The Gospel and the Poor“.

    Category: Mission, Uncategorized Comments (0)

  6. College Mixer (FREE Lunch)

    June 3, 2010 by Britten Taylor

    College Students are invited to join us for a FREE Lunch!

    (notice the date change)
    DATE: Sunday, June 13th
    TIME: 12:30pm (after 11am Worship)
    LOCATION: Student Building

    Each semester we begin with a what we call College Mixer (Free Lunch).  And the Summer semester is no different. We do this for several reasons.

    First, we want to begin by getting as many of our college students in one place to enjoy a meal together, hang-out, and share some one-another time.  At Brook Hills our focus is on weekly Worship Gatherings (Sunday AM/PM) and weekly Small Groups, but for college students there is always value in getting a slew of students together in one place just to hang.

    Second, we want to be able to cast vision to our students. We are well aware that Brook Hills College Ministry is one voice of many, so our hope during College Mixer is to take a few minutes and update each of you about what all will take place throughout the semester and encourage as many as possible to get plugged in.  Just a side note, our mission is this- “Glorify God by making disciples of all nations”. Therefore, our desire is for everything we  do to be aimed at encouraging and equipping students to embrace and devote their lives to this mission.

    Third, we want to get as many college students connected into College Small Groups as possible.  I have said it before, and I will probably say it again, discipleship happens in relationship. Therefore our hope in College Small Groups is to see God form biblical community among students that is marked by great mercy for each other, for people in Birmingham, and all nations.  Connecting to a small group gives students the opportunity to grow inwardly thorugh Christ-centered relationships and grow outwardly through Gospel-centered ministry both locally and globally.

    I hope to see you June 13th after our 11am Worship Gathering.

    Category: College Life, Uncategorized Comments (0)