Stone The Preacher -

Get Free Stuff!

Jul 17, 2019Steve Sanchez1 CommentPastor's P.O.V.coffee cup, free gift

“The best things in life are free—and $19.95!” –Billy Mays, famous television pitchman

I WENT TO A NEW DENTIST and was impressed by what I received after my initial visit, apart from the good news that I had no new cavities or tooth problems. They gave me a gift bag with all sorts of cool stuff in it: toothbrush, toothpaste, a custom coffee cup and a few more items. When was the last time you got a gift bag from your dentist, optometrist or proctologist? Bet ya never. I was so impressed with that token of appreciation—for my first-time visit—that I asked our Elder Board if we could do the same when guests visit www.communitychurchofthehills.org.

They said yes.

Everyone loves free stuff, that’s why you will get a little something with every point of contact when you check out our church. The first thing you will get are free smiles and, if you aren’t too much of a rough and tumble Texan, a hug. Then we give you the gift bag. Inside, there is a one-of-kind coffee cup with our name and logo, worth at least ninety-nine bucks on Ebay, and a pass to see six free movies along with a unique pressed penny and some Test-a-mints. Yes, actual Christian breath mints, like Jesus and the Apostles chewed!

Does this sound like pandering or overkill? I thought the same thing too, at first, but people are extremely valuable to us here. We want you to know how much we love and appreciate you in the very first few minutes you arrive, and if this helps to convey a sense of caring, well, we spare no expense.

Fathers, Tell ‘Em About Jesus!

Jun 16, 2019Steve SanchezPastor's P.O.V., Special DaysChristian homes, dads, male leadership

HEY, FATHERS! DO YOUR KIDS KNOW THE LORD?

Do you have the assurance that they will stand for Jesus in this crazy world that calls evil good, and good evil; that puts darkness for light, and light for darkness?

More importantly, do you have the assurance that they will go to Heaven and not to Hell, should they—God forbid—die prematurely?

Many parents expect their church to do the work of training up their children in the way they should go, and that it’s the pastor’s responsibility to make sure that every kid knows and obeys Christ.

Not true!

The Worst Neighbor in the World

Jun 11, 2019Steve SanchezPastor's P.O.V.bad neighbor, pastor steve testimony

THE HARDEST COMMAND IN THE BIBLE is “Love your enemy.” Another tough one is “Love your neighbor.” But what happens if your enemy and your neighbor are one and the same?

In the state where I’m from, there was no shortage of bad neighbors; I used to be one of them. But before I was a bad neighbor, I was a bad son which got me kicked out of my home at nineteen. On my own, nobody mattered but me: my place, my comfort, my peace. One night I threw all the patio furniture into the swimming pool after the apartment manager told me to get rid of my waterbed (which wasn’t allowed in the first place). My next-door neighbor ratted me out, so I bent all her BBQ utensils into U-shapes. No one ever figured it was me, but surely, they suspected. Instead of getting rid of the waterbed, by the way, I hooked a garden hose to my kitchen faucet, turned it on, and let the water “drain” out my bedroom window onto the driveway below for eight hours. I still slept soundly that night.

What Will Happen to the Class of 2019?

Jun 5, 2019Steve Sanchez1 CommentPastor's P.O.V.2019 graduates, LBJ High School

SOME MAY DIE. Most won’t. Some will drop out or change their minds about college, while others will train for a trade. Others may shack up or get married, while the majority, unfortunately, will get their hearts broken. Disease. Setbacks. Disappointments. Freedom and not knowing what to do with it. These are the challenges facing the graduating class of 2019. The same challenges the class of 2018 faced. And 2017. 2016…and every class previous.

It’s called life.

It’s taken 18 years for high school grads to get to this point. They’ve been in school for 2,160 days, spending 12,960 hours in classes which translates into 777,600 minutes. If one was a Frequent Flyer in Detention, then add a few more hours—or days. Each student has existed about 216 months, taking up space for 9,434,880 minutes, sleeping 52,500 hours, watching some sort of screen for 12,173 hours and spending 7,488 hours eating, mostly pizza and Mexican food.

Many will look back at their days in high school as the best ever. That was the easy part of life; it’s all uphill from here:. THE REAL WORLD AWAITS.

MAKE YOUR BED!

Jun 5, 2019Steve Sanchez1 CommentPastor's P.O.V.McRaven

Admiral William H. McRaven, a 40 year Navy Seal, gave some solid advice when it came to being successful in life: “It may seem like a very mundane and insignificant task. But, if you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and will encourage you to do another task. Then another, and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed will turn into many tasks completed.

Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made. A bed you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow can be better. So, if you want to change the world,” McRaven concluded, “start off by making your bed.”