Bands playing are : The Weight of Glory / My Red & Blue / Bayland / Cautioners / The Skeleton at the Feast
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2012-02-18

But here is what I did not always make that list: my relationship with the Lord, and being involved in church. I got caught in the trap that the ministry work I did, was my time with the Lord. If I led a small group that day then I could check “God time” off the list. If I went to a worship gathering for college students? God time, check. If I had an RA event and I talked with my residents? Well, I was doing some sort of ministry work, so I can totally call that God time. Let’s be honest though, none of those are real substitutions for my personal time with the Lord.  I could hardly do these same things to a friend, and expect our relationship to be good. I, we, surrounded ourselves with good things. We need to make school a priority as students. Building relationships is essential. But if Jesus is not our number one priority, then everything else suffers as a result.

One other quick thing I wish to share with you. I went to church every Sunday. I went to church, but I never got involved. And I used my other priorities as reasons why I could not join a community group or serve in the children’s ministry. In college, you live in a unique world where you are surrounded by people who are in the same place in life, same age, and all seeking to find themselves. But I forgot, I need the church and the church needs me. We all need people that have a little bit more life experience to learn from and also those that are a little younger to pour into. We need each other. Being a part of the body of Christ should have been one of my priorities. I can see that now.

What is important in your life? What are your priorities? Do they need to change?

This year at Passion our eyes were opened to the evil and horror of human trafficking and slavery all across the world. We learned about a woman who was forced into sex trafficking in Greece and a man born into slavery, who worked in a rice mill in India. And for those few stories we heard about, we learned that 27 million other people lived every day of their life in slavery. The organizers of Passion set a goal for these college students to raise one million dollars for foundations whose purpose was to get people out of slavery and help them find restoration. At the end of those four days over three million dollars had been sacrificially given by these college students. It opened my eyes to see that we all need to do something. But not just something about slavery, but to do something in our own communities. To be a part of Saturday Serve, to educate ourselves on the issues facing our city, and to give. Where this starts, a passion to love and serve others comes from first knowing the Lord and studying his word. His heart is to see the lost come to know him, to see injustice fought, and for his people to live out what he has called us to. We have a lot of work to do; the point is not to live comfortably. Christine Cain, a speaker at Passion who runs a foundation of her own, spoke these words, “Since when has the point ever been to arrive at death safely?” So what are you and I doing to live life fearlessly? Are you and I everyday passionately reading the word of God and using the most powerful weapon at our disposal, prayer, for those in need? Will you do something now?

During the month of January, we are going to try something a little different for College Bible Study. Normally we meet in a large group, and then break into small groups for the last 10-15 minutes to finish our discussion and take prayer requests. During the four weeks of January however, we are going to split up into guy and girl small groups. This means when you show up on Sunday morning is January; there will be no large group, but instead a time for guys and girls to have some quality time, authentic, and vulnerable conversation with those of the same gender. We hope during this month, that the guys and girls will grow together and find a new level of depth in the study we’re going through. Which brings me to my next bit of information, though we have separate groups, we will both be doing the same study, called Darkest Hour.

Here is a description of the study:

“Life’s not easy. Period. Sure, there are a lot of great and wonderful and happy times in life, but there are also a lot of not-so-cheery times. Sometimes, our day to day can seem downright terrible. And here’s the tough part: It gets worse. No matter if we’re struggling because of bad choices, indecision, unfulfilled hopes and dreams… or maybe a broken heart… Life has a way of beating you when you’re down. Grief, fear, guilt… It’s relentless! So what do you do? Where do you turn? How in the world are you gong to get this train back on the tracks? The Darkest Hours: Seeking God in Desperation is a revealing, four-week look into the lives of Samson, Ruth, Hannah and Hezekiah and the real-life struggles they all faced: shame, grief, loneliness and fear. We are reminded that even the strongest people in life will face tough times… Sometimes, even when they are seeking God’s will.”

We hope you all will join us, starting back on January 8^th for College Bible Study!

Person #1: “I have no self-confidence…”

Person #2: “If you’ll turn to Psalm 139 with me…”

Person #1: “Who am I?!”

Person #2: “Funny you should ask, I was just reading in Psalm 139 this morning…”

Person #1: “What verses should I use at the baby dedication?”

Person #2: “Psalm 139, duh”

I have read Psalm 139 many times in my life. I have read it when I’m sad, when I’ve felt lost, and even during times of praise. Psalm 139 is one of those passages that we hear over and over again, and if we let it, it begins to lose its meaning. I’ve done it before, read through scriptures by myself or in a group setting and not spent time reflecting on the power of those words. This Sunday though while our college group discussed these verses I saw something new for the first time. The Lord knows me. He knows when I sit, what I will say, when I rest; He follows me everywhere I go. The Lord created me. He formed who I am. He created the color of my eyes, the sound of my voice, each unique fingerprint, my laugh, and my personality. He knows absolutely everything about me. I cannot hide any little detail from him.

So I began to think about my life currently. I have, over the past two months, struggled with something that has gotten progressively harder to deal with. I have prayed, sought the Lord, talked with friends, and tried to deal with hurt that was not going away. A few nights ago I was driving by myself and shouted at the Lord, “I cannot do this! I cannot handle this anymore!” over and over again. So on this day, when I read Psalm 139, the Lord said this to me: “You can handle this because I know you. I created you. I’ve watched everything that has happened in your life. I know what you can handle. And I know that right now, what you’re going through is meant to refine your character. This hurt is meant for you to see me just a little clearer. This is something you have to learn to prepare you for what is to come. But most importantly, I know who I Am, and I’ve got this.”

What truths has the Lord shown you from His word lately?

At the beginning of my freshman year, despite my fear, I jumped. I joined a ministry that ministered to people around the Phoenix area on Saturday afternoons, got involved with a Bible study on my hall, attended any and every event my school put on, went to a Tuesday night worship gathering, and found an older female student who became a mentor. Deanne was her name, and it was the first time in my life I felt like I could tell someone anything and everything, and she would not judge me. She came alongside me, encouraged me, loved me, and shared scripture and her life experiences with me. It was so wonderful to just be accepted for who I was. Freshman year was good but the next three years in school after that only got better. I still struggled with caring about what people thought of me, but it was in college the Lord began to show me that ultimately the only opinion of me I should be concerned with was His. He created me, He knows me completely, and He loves me in a way that no human’s love could compare to. I began to know the Lord in a deeper way through living in community and in being mentored.

If you’re a college student reading this be encouraged to be a part of a community of believers who you can have fun with, but will also be there to encourage you, and keep you accountable. And find a mentor because you need someone who is older, who has experienced more, and who will build you up in your walk with the Lord. College is a challenging, difficult, awesome, fun, and crazy adventure, make the most of it.

Our Fall Retreat is just around the corner and we hope that you can make it!  Join us September 9th & 10th as we get together to learn more about this whole idea of COMMUNITY.

We all really like to hang out but is that really COMMUNITY?  We all like to grab coffee with someone but is that really COMMUNITY?  We all sit in classes with other people day after day but is that really COMMUNITY?  We all live down the hall or street from someone else but is that really COMMUNITY?  The idea of COMMUNITY is an important one when it comes to our Christ-focused walk…one that Jesus established from the beginning of his ministry.

We’ll start at 6pm on Friday at Horton Haven Christian Camp.  Make your way down to camp and we’ll have a great night of worship with The Weight Of Glory leading us in music.  Allow this time to help you refocus as a busy semester kicks up.  Saturday will be a day of connecting, learning, playing, and growing together as we tackle the idea of COMMUNITY even more.

The cost of the retreat is only $39 if you register by Tuesday, September 6th ($49 after).  You can get more information about the retreat by clicking here.  The cost gets you a place to sleep overnight, snacks on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday.  You are responsible for getting yourself to Horton Haven Christian Camp.  Carpool with someone else going.  If you can’t find a ride then email me so we can make sure you get there.  It’s going to be a great time!

REGISTER NOW

Hey everyone!

My name is Jenny Doane and I am the new college intern here at Rolling Hills Community Church. I am so excited to get to know all of you, plan some fun events, and serve the people of Nashville together. Some things you should know about me, I grew up in Phoenix, AZ (which means I do not like sweet tea!), Disneyland is my favorite place to be, I think Friends is the greatest show of all time, I love the Arizona Diamondbacks, Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, and John Mayer are my favorite musicians to listen to, and I really want to go skydiving (which is interesting as I also have a fear of flying).

Most importantly, I want you all to know that I am here for you and want to serve you in what ever way possible whether that is through prayer, just listening, talking through things, encouraging you, or just hanging out! I am so excited to see what God has in store for our college ministry this year!

If you have questions or just want to say hi then email me!

If you are interested in being a part of our 2nd Annual College Mystery Night then you’ve come to the right place!  It’s going to be a night of intrigue, thrills, old world sleuthing, and fun!  Will you be the one to solve the murder?

All you need to do is to follow the “Register Now” link below to sign up.  Once you sign up and your payment is received you will be sent information about your character and any other tidbits that you may need to know for the night.  Here is the important information:

Date:  Friday, October 29th

Time:  6pm – 9pm

Location:  Rolling Hills Community Church

Cost:  $5 per person

REGISTER NOW

Help is still needed as the waters recede.  Please take some time and volunteer!  If you’re interested in helping in Franklin on Wednesday, May 5th then please come to RHCC at 9:30am.  We’ll be sending a team out around 10am to help in the area with more flood relief.  Email me or call 615.830.8101 for more information!