Brook Hills College – Blog

  1. Prayer Focus

    February 22, 2012 by rachelmnewman

    This past January approximately 20 from BH:College Ministry flew out to the 10/40 Window on Short Term Mission Teams from Brook Hills to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I know I speak for all who were a part of these short-term teams, that we were humbled to engage unreached Muslims as we sought to “glorify God by making disciples of all nations”.

    One thing we all probably came away with was a greater awareness of spiritual warfare and the need to engage in the battle through prayer. Hopefully in the coming days we will post something of a “How To” for college students in Birmingham to engage Muslims with the Gospel. However, I thought we first needed to call everyone to meaningful prayer for the nearly 1.6 billion followers of Islam.

    How can we pray for the people who make up nearly 1 out of every 4 people on the planet…

    First off, Paul says in Colossians…

    At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— (Colossians 4:3)

    Would you pray for opportunities for the Church to share the Gospel with Muslims? Many of the 1.6 billion Muslims live in closed countries. They are not giving out missionary visas for anyone to come share the Gospel and plant churches in most Muslim countries. However, many are in school at universities we attend, live next door to us, work alongside us, possibly even married into our extended families. Let’s pray for God to burden His people and that those in open countries as well as closed would lovingly, humbly and boldly “declare the mystery of Christ” to those who follow Islam.

    Secondly, Paul writes in Romans…

    Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. (Romans 10:1-2)

    Would you pray for the salvation of Muslims? Paul’s “heart’s desire and prayer to God” in Romans 10 was specifically for his fellow Jews, yet the same principle can and should be applied with the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. There is great zeal for Allah (“God” in Arabic) among Muslims, but it is not according to knowledge. Only God can bring death to life and the blind into seeing and embracing Isa al Masih (“Jesus the Messiah” in Arabic) as Lord and Savior. Let’s pray desperately, asking God to do what only He can do, namely reconcile sinners to Himself through His Son, Jesus (Mark 10:26,27).

    Finally, our Lord Jesus said…

    “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”(Matthew 9:37-38)

    Would you pray the Lord would send out more “laborers into His harvest”? At Brook Hills we have seen that the entire church is intended by God to join Him in His mission, making disciples of all nations. The command is universal. However, the calling as to how that specifically plays out in each person’s life is very personal.  Would you pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise up more workers who see their calling to take the Gospel to Muslims?

    Statistics show only 0.05% of Christian workers in the world having Muslims as their focus. That is unbelievable knowing that 1 out of every 4 people in this world are followers of Islam.  The stark reality is that most Muslims will die without ever having someone share with them the Gospel. Let’s pray for more “laborers”.

    Category: Gospel, MissionTags: , , | Comments (0)

  2. It’s 2 years, what are you waiting for?

    February 17, 2012 by rachelmnewman

    This blog post is written by Noah W., Mid/Long Term Mission Coordinator for Brook Hills. 

    Are you between 21-26 years old?  Are you single or married with no children?  Have you completed a bachelor’s degree?  If you said yes to these three questions, have you considered the Journeyman Program with the International Mission Board?

    With a world population of over 7 billion people and over 2 billion people considered “unreached,” why not prayerfully consider this amazing opportunity? Christ, our Lord, has commissioned and commanded us to make disciples of all nations. You have been redeemed, transformed, and saved for a purpose. And Journeyman Program is an excellent avenue for you to give a period of time in your young life to seeing the glory of God made known among those who have not yet heard.

    As college students graduate from school they are almost immediately faced with the temptation to pursue the American dream. The business world is waiting for young people to begin to seek opportunities to climb up the corporate ladder for status and security. The temptation lies in the desire for personal gain.  Do I want to glorify myself or God? One way to combat this temptation is to give a considerable amount of time in a cross-cultural context, working among people with urgent physical and spiritual need. No doubt that this experience would give young adults a needed perspective as they enter into their long-term vocation, whether that is in the business world or some other aspect of society.

    The Journeyman Program is designed for 20 something’s with degrees to go and serve alongside missionaries and local churches around the world in order to seek and save the lost and give God the glory that He is due.  My wife Lindsay and I both served as single Journeyman in unreached Muslim contexts in the Middle East and Central Asia.  We left the comforts we had always known and went and labored in areas of the world where Christ is not known.  We learned a different language, absorbed a different culture, wore different clothes, ate different foods, danced to different music, made different friends, played different games, experienced different challenges and in the process allowed God to use us to help accomplish His plan of reconciling a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to Himself.

    What will it cost you?  Only two years of your life!  If God has saved you and you have made Him Lord of your life, do you not owe Him everything? His plans are to replace your plans. His desires are to replace your desires. His will is to replace your will.  You were created to make much of God and I can think of no better opportunity, than to give 2 years of your life to go to the unreached and to tell them about His saving grace.

    A word of encouragement for those dwelling on the details is that God has provided the necessary resources for you to go. Due to the abundant generosity of Brook Hills and other SBC Churches, you will be fully supported as you go and proclaim the name of Christ among the unreached.

    With almost 1.5 billion Muslims, almost 1 billion Hindus, and almost 620 million Buddhists all on a path that will lead to eternity apart from God, what are you waiting for?

    Contact Paul A. (paula@brookhills.org) today to discuss how God may be leading you or check out more about the Journeyman Program online at http://going.imb.org/2to3yr/journeyman.asp.

    Category: MissionTags: , | Comments (0)

  3. Take the 5 Minute Challenge

    February 9, 2012 by rachelmnewman

    What can you do in 5 minutes?  What if we all took 5 minutes a week committed in prayer for the persecuted church?

    The 5 Minute Challenge

    This website is a great resource for small groups and individuals to focus in prayer for a specific country each week.  You are able to explore information and learn about the people in the country.  Let us all commit to prayer once a week for the persecuted church.

    Category: MissionTags: , | Comments (0)

  4. Tebow Mic’d Up

    December 19, 2011 by Britten Taylor

    Am I on the Tebow bandwagon? Easy answer, YES!

    But, I must say that I am on any bandwagon of an individual who is seeking to glorify God through their vocation.

    I am on the “college student” bandwagon that is seeking to extend the grace of God on their campus.  I am on the “stay-at-home mom” bandwagon that is seeking to platform the Gospel in her God-given role.  I am on the “church planter among the unreached” and the “local business man” bandwagon, as well as the “retired professional” bandwagon, as long as they looking to make disciples of all nations right where God in his sovereign will has placed them.

    However, rarely do we get a local business man or a college student on campus “mic’d up”!

    From the Gospel Coalition Blog entitled, “Tebow, Calvin, and the Hand of God in Sports“…

    Every Christian exists for the praise of God. Every Christian draws breath because God gives it. Every Christian serves God as a priest, offering acceptable service in the kingdom of his gospel through the power of his Spirit (1 Pet. 2:9). As with every other believer, God’s hand is leading Tebow’s life, blessing him as he applies Christian character to the task before him. God moves in mysterious ways. As previously stated, I do not have biblical grounds for seeing Tebow’s fourth-quarter heroics as an outworking of God’s direct causation. But I do know that God often delights to spurn the wisdom of the world by the efforts of his people (1 Cor. 1:20).

    Category: Mission Comments (0)

  5. Multiply Small Groups – “Why”: Part 1

    December 1, 2011 by Britten Taylor

    Patric Brasher, the author of this series of blog posts, is a senior at UAB and has led a college disciple-making small group through Brook Hills for the past 2+yrs. He and his crew have, in many ways, led an exemplary small group that is both inwardly focused (growing in the gospel together) as well as outwardly focused (extending the gospel to others).  This is the second post in a series entitled, “Multiply Small Groups.”

    So I have a confession to make. The hypothetical situation I laid out in the last post was actually not so hypothetical. As a small group leader I was actually thrust into an eerily similar situation. So I, along with 5 other influencers/ leaders from the small group, decided that the best option was for us to multiply from one massive 25 person co-ed community group into 3 gender specific small groups of 6-10 people. But why?

    Well I think 3 big reasons come to mind, the first of which I will divulge in this post.

    Reason number 1:

     We want people to know and be known.

    With massive amounts of people coming in and out of a gathering its so easy for them to come in, participate in some worship, hear a bible study, and leave without ever showing their hearts or seeking out people to help bear their burdens. They could be going through the most unbelievable struggle of their life but because the group is so big they may never be put in a situation where they would be comfortable with sharing such intimate information.

    Unfortunately, in big groups it’s very easy to be and remain virtually anonymous.

    This hit me hard during a particular night when the Lord brought 30 people together for one of our “small” group gatherings. It hit me so hard because I realized that in the midst of this huge gathering that there were some guys who had been coming for 2 or 3 weeks now and I didn’t really know who they were. Because there were so many people, I hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to them about their lives and what led to this moment. Even though these people were apart of our group they were still, as I like to call it, functionally alone. They were falling through the cracks and that had to stop.

    A text that helped us form this conviction was in Hebrews 10:24-25. It says:

    And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not 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.

    Basically, this text is not encouraging us to show up somewhere so that we can hear worship and a guy talk.  But instead it is to encourage and to stir up individuals to love and good works. And it is my belief that it’s hard to stir someone up if you have a hard time remembering their name.

    Even within the Gospel, personal acknowledgement is a major theme. The God of the universe doesn’t just have us on a corporate payroll but instead He calls us by our names, and these names are written in His Kingdom. And for this fact Jesus tells us to rejoice.

    Luke 10:20 “Rejoice not that the demons are under your authority but instead rejoice that your names are written in Heaven”

    How beautiful the reality that we worship a God who cares for individuals with real problems, real cares, and real names. We worship one who took on complete loneliness on the Cross so that we may never have to be truly lonely.

    Therefore we should model this beautiful reality by setting up life-giving small groups of people that meet with one another for the purposes of encouragement and spurring on in the mission of  the Church. This vision of knowing and being known must be set because that is what it truly means to be the body to one another.

    (If you still need some convincing, reason number 2 for the why of small group multiplication is needed will follow shortly.)

    Category: Church, MissionTags: , , , , | Comments (0)

  6. We Need Gospel Reminders

    November 14, 2011 by Britten Taylor

    If I had the authority, I would make Tullian Tchividjian’s post, “Reminders Are More Effective Than Rebukes,” mandatory reading for all involved in our college ministry…well, in every ministry.

    However, since I do not have that ability, I will post a “must read” paragraph from Tullian’s post.  And I will just sit back trusting that as you read what is below it will leave you wanting more, which you can have by clicking HERE.

    Our calling is not to fix one another! So stop trying! You stop trying to fix me, and I’ll stop trying to fix you. Instead, why don’t we “stir one another up to love and good deeds” by daily reminding one another, in humble love, of the riches we already possess in Christ. All the “good stuff” that is ours already in Christ settles at the bottom when we focus on ourselves more than Jesus (after all, Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on his performance). John Owen said, “Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing, and realizing of the gospel in our souls.” And what is the gospel? Not my work for Jesus, but Jesus’ work for me. In other words, holiness happens, not by looking at ourselves but by looking at Jesus. Therefore, it takes the loving act of our Christian brothers and sisters to remind us everyday of the  gospel–that everything we need, and look for in things smaller than Jesus, are already ours “in Christ.” When this happens, the “good stuff” rises to the top.

    Category: Church, Gospel, MissionTags: , , , | Comments (0)

  7. Go Global

    by Ashley Chesnut

    As you watch this video, you hear John Piper say that the “unwasted life is the life that puts Christ on display.” Putting Christ on display – sharing the Word with others both explicitly and through the way that you live – can be done here where you live or there, whether that is a different city, state, or continent.

    Making disciples both here and there are needed, and if you are considering making disciples in a different context and are wanting to connect through Brook Hills in 2012, here’s what you can be doing over Christmas break.

    1. Diligently pray asking God to send laborers to the harvest field (Lk. 10:2), and seek the Lord as to where He specifically wants you to serve this next year and if He wants you to go short-term (1-2 weeks) or mid-term (anywhere from 2 months – 2 years).
    2. Visit our church’s Global Website and peruse the list of trips planned for May 2012, Summer 2012, and January 2013. Keep visiting the site because trips will continue to be added.
    3. Current short-term opportunities for May 2012 include: Macedonia, East Asia, and India. Applications and initial deposits for Macedonia and East Asia are due on January 26. Applications and deposits for India are due on January 12. Applications and the initial deposit must be paid in order for you to be signed up for the trip. Because air plane tickets must be purchased and visas obtained, items must be turned in on time! You will not be eligible for the trip if you do not turn the application and the deposit in on time.
    4. Begin talking to your parents now about short-term and mid-term opportunities.
    5. Don’t wait to start raising support for these trips. With Christmas approaching, you could even have people chip in to pay for your mission trip instead of buying you gifts. Know that all Brook Hills college students will have half of their trip paid for international mission trips, but this amount is not applied until after you pay your half of the money.

    If you have any questions about short-term trips, you can direct those to Ashley, and if you would like to discuss serving mid-term, contact Paul.

    “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” -Romans 10:13-14

    Category: MissionTags: , , , , , , | Comments (0)

  8. Multiply Small Groups – Intro

    November 10, 2011 by Britten Taylor

    Patric Brasher, the author of this series of blog posts, is a senior at UAB and has led a college disciple making small group through Brook Hills for the past 2+yrs. He and his crew have, in many ways, led an exemplary small group that is both inwardly focused (growing in the gospel together) as well as outwardly focused (extending the gospel to others).  This is the introductory blog post in a series entitled, “Multiply Small Groups.”

    O Multiplication, Where is Thy Sting?

    I love hypothetical situations. While they can be a bit over done, they can also sometimes be a quite helpful tool in the field of mental preparation. So in light of this fact, I invite you to step into a hypothetical situation with me for a moment that could be really helpful for you if you’re leading or could potentially lead a small group of people under the banner of Jesus Christ.

    Let’s say perchance that you are leading a thriving small group within the context of your local church. It’s been just 8 months since you’ve started but in that short amount of time your group members have really connected with each other and are starting to flourish. You guys are “tearing it up” during your meeting times via a healthy diet of the Word, worship, and prayer. Your group is involved in the community and is intentional about inviting and welcoming outsiders. You guys even hang out together on the weekends, invite outsiders into those hang out times, and regularly get lunch and coffee with one another throughout the week as well. Community.

    But there’s one problem. Because your group is so stinkin’ awesome, the Lord is really starting to use the people within it to draw more people to it. And because of the life-giving relationships and attractive model of Biblical community that it provides, regular attendance is now creeping up to 15-20 members. As a result of this new found “problem,” your group now resembles more of an upstart church plant than a traditional small group. So what to do? Easy, multiply.

    “But wait a minute,” you might be thinking. “So what if there’s a lot of people? Why multiply?” If you really see the Lord is using your community to be a light to the community, growing individuals, and is a place where people feel loved and comforted, why throw a wrench in the whole operation by proposing some people leave and some people stay so you can “multiply”?

    Well I think this is one of those situations where the question is not “is what we are doing good?” This is a situation where the question is instead “ what is best?” So I would like to propose my thesis. As small group leaders one of the major purposes of doing small group is to eventually multiply at WHATEVER cost. If you are confused or disagree stick with me, my explanation is soon to follow.

    (In my next post I will uncover the why of small group multiplication)

     

    Category: MissionTags: | Comments (0)

  9. College Football and King Jesus

    November 8, 2011 by Britten Taylor

     

    This post is to serve as a reality check for all the Alabama fans who are devastated today in light of the loss this weekend, and for the LSU fans who think the world is a better place today because of the victory. It was given the title “Game of the Century,” and according to the news reports, it lived up to every ounce of the hype.

    It was a great game. Really, really impressive teams. Star-studded defenses. Many, many first round NFL draft picks on the field. Legendary coaches. Players had biceps that were bigger than my waist. Hits were given that would have left me decapitated.

    Great game. LSU edged out the win.

    But it was just a ball game. And to remind us all that this is just a game, I point you to a journal entry from Jim Elliot regarding a “game of the century” back in the 1950′s between Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

    October 7 – I have just come from the O.U. (Oklahoma University) and Texas A&M football game, one of the best, I suppose, I shall ever see. A&M led out, and the score record read 7-0, 7-7, 14-7, 14-14, 21-14, 21-21, 28-21 until the third quarter. Then O.U failed the conversaion which put the score at 28-27 with 1:55 to go. Within one minute of the end of the game, O.U. produced a touchdown, setting the final score at 28-34. Crowd reaction was interesting to watch.

    Ah, what will it be when, not 40,000 but myriad people rivet their excited attentions upon the Son of God. No need for the cheerleaders and coaxing, no need for telling people to stand, for all shall mourn over Him, bowing in one stroke to His sway. Wonderful day! O Jesus, Master and Center and End of all, how long before that glory is Thine which has so long waited Thee. Now there is no thought of Thee among men, then there shall be thought for nothing else. now other men are praised, then none shall care for any other’s merits. Hasten, hasten, Glory of Heavens, take Thy crown, subdue Thy Kingdom, enthrall Thy creatures.

    College football makes for a great game to be enjoyed…but it’s a lousy god to exalt!

    Category: MissionTags: , , | Comments (0)

  10. What’s Your Response to Kisses from Katie?

    October 20, 2011 by Ashley Chesnut

    Video Promo of Kisses from Katie

    “You are to love the Lord with all your heart, and you’re to love your neighbor as yourself. And my self does’t want to be starving, so I don’t want other people in the world to be starving,” states Katie Davis, a 22 year-old Tennessee native who now lives in Uganda where she has adopted 13 daughters and founded Amazima Ministries.

    After hearing Katie Davis share at our worship gatherings this past Sunday, comments after the service ranged from “I need to drop everything here and move to Uganda” to “I could never do something as radical as that.”

    Caring for the poor is not an option but a requirement according to Scripture. But how this is done looks different for each person. For Katie, it involved foregoing college in order to move to Uganda, to adopt children, and to start a child sponsorship program, a feeding program, and vocational projects for Masese women. Her call from God required her to be radical there.

    Is this God’s call for you?

    Maybe. But His call might be for you to be radical here.

    So how do you know?

    First of all, calling is not based on subjective feelings. My heart was burdened by the great need that Katie shared about, but feelings of compassion alone are not a reason to move to another continent. Feelings change, and God’s call on your life is not based on how you feel today.

    Are you consistently studying the Word and praying? Most of what God desires for you to do with your life is already explicit in Scripture. Are you being obedient right here, right now? If you’re not living missionally here, then what makes you think that you would live missionally somewhere else? How are you being radical where God has you right now? How are you caring for the poor, the widows, the orphans, the oppressed, and the immigrants around you? How are you making disciples of the people that God has already placed in your path? Are you living to the glory of God right now?

    If you are questioning whether or not God is calling you to live and to minister in another zip code, country, or continent, here are some questions that can help guide you.

    • Have believers and leaders in the context of a local church affirmed your calling and recognized spiritual gifts that are in place in your life?
    • Have you discussed this possible calling with your parents? If so, what is their response? God instruct us to honor our parents, and their counsel should not be taken lightly.
    • How diligent have you been in praying about whether or not this is what God is leading you to? Have you fasted and prayed specifically regarding this issue?
    • Are you consistently studying Scripture (and not just flipping to random passages but systematically studying it)? What has God been communicating through His Word? Your service for God should overflow from your relationship with God and your time with Him.
    • Are you being obedient to Scripture in the place where God currently has you?

    Calling is not something determined by the believer alone. Accountability and instruction is essential for every believer, and if you sense that God is calling you into some sort of ministry, such mentoring in the context of your local faith family is even more crucial. While another person cannot tell you what God specifically wants you to do with your life, believers can speak into what they discern regarding how the Holy Spirit has gifted you for service.

    At the end of the worship gathering, Pastor David asked Katie if she thought that what she was doing was radical. Her response? “No. It’s abnormal, but it’s not radical.” Her abnormal might not be your calling, but how are you being obedient to the instructions of Scripture where God has you? How are you being faithful right now?

    If you missed hearing Katie Davis share at our worship gatherings this past Sunday, you can listen to the podcast by visiting this site.

    Category: Church, College Life, MissionTags: , , , , , | Comments (1)