Published by Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian ChurchDecember 2012 Issue 11

The Focal PointI remember the first time I

walked into a church servicelike it was yesterday. Choir inrobes up front, preacher in abig black robe on the stage,flowers and candles on the ta-ble. People all seated nicely.The choir sang, the preacherpreached, the flowers werepretty and the candles burnedslowly. The people were polite,reserved and nice. The whole

church experience was “nice.” Iimagine that many of you asyou read this can rememberyour first time walking into achurch service. It is one ofthose moments that seems tostick.

I also remember the first timeI ever really worshiped God

and it was nothing like what Ijust described above. It wassandy, there was no preacher, I

was cold and the seating wasawful. On the beaches of Cat-alina Island I found myself fullycoming to terms with a Godwho loved me relentlessly inspite of my ongoing sin. I re-sponded to his unmerited graceand love with uncontrollabletears. Our response to God isour act of worship. Worship isnot the mechanics of a Sundaymorning worship hour—worship

We pray you'll discover many beautiful new reasons to praise God during thisholy season. Merry Christmas from the SHPC staff!

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Worship 1-2Invite & Connect 3Serve 3-5Grow: Children 6, 11Grow: Adult 8-12Grow: Student 7,12Faith for the Future 12Concerns & Calendar 13-14

Sermons for December

AdventDec 2 Hebrews 1

And Angels Sang

Dec 9 & 16SPECIAL CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Bluegrass Sunday Hebrews 2When God Pitches a Tent

Cantata SundayCelebrate the Season

Dec 23 Hebrews 4Who Made You High Priest?

Dec 30The Glory of God

SHPC Staff Guide

Larry Coulter Senior PastorMike Killeen Associate PastorBritta Dukes Associate PastorTed Thulin Associate PastorSherry Smith Adult MinistryChris Gordon Children’s MinistryZack Uzzle Music MinistryBeth Watson Music MinistryPattie Lawrence Director of PreschoolBelva Koerth Office ManagerGreg Merrell Business ManagerKimbol Soques Communications

Subscribe to this news-letter online:tinyurl.com/shpc-nl

is the focus of our lives(or at least it shouldbe). Following thetears, I sang like I havenever sung before and Ikept on singing. He hadplaced a new song onmy lips. The term“drunk in spirit” wouldhave applied to methat night.

Worship is a hottopic in every

church because everyperson who’s come tochurch more than oncehas an opinion as towhat “good worship”should looks like and“good worship” shouldsounds like. How manysongs, how many hymnsand how long thepreacher should preach— we all are semi-pro-

fessional worship crit-ics when it comes towhat happens on a Sun-day morning. I thinkthat is part of our in-ternal brokenness. Wefocus on the HOW in-stead of the WHO inWorship. My responseto the “how” of wor-ship will always be crit-ical. The “hows” arethe tangible things thatwe all have complaints

about, that could bedone better. It is theunderstanding andbelief that you willnever ever find a bet-ter WHO that shouldbegin to drive yourreal worship experi-ence. Worship is a giftwe present to God. Godis the focal point. HearPsalm 96 and bemoved:

Sing God a brand-newsong!

Earth and everyone init, sing!

Sing to God—worshipGod!

Shout the news of hisvictory from sea to sea,

Take the news of hisglory to the lost,

News of his wonders toone and all!

For God is great, andworth a thousand Hal-

lelujahs.His terrible beautymakes the gods look

cheap;Pagan gods are mere

tatters and rags.

God made the heav-ens—

Royal splendor radiatesfrom him,

A powerful beauty setshim apart.

Bravo, God, Bravo!Everyone join in thegreat shout: Encore!In awe before the

beauty, in awe beforethe might.

Bring gifts and cele-brate,

Bow before the beautyof God,

Then to your knees—everyone worship!

Get out the message—God Rules!

He put the world on a

firm foundation;He treats everyone fair

and square.

Let’s hear it from Sky,With Earth joining in,And a huge round ofapplause from Sea.

Let Wilderness turncartwheels,

Animals, come dance,Put every tree of theforest in the choir—

An extravaganza beforeGod as he comes,

As he comes to set ev-erything right on earth,

Set everything right,treat everyone fair.

Psalm 96The Message

A God who met mewhere I was and

invited me to followhim to better place, aplace of real relation-ship. So on that beach Iresponded in my firstreal act of worship ev-er—I chose to followrather than lead. Inthat simple moment,God cut the cords that

bound me to my pastand invited me to a fu-ture led by him. My firstreal worship responsewere tears of thanksgiv-ing. After encounteringGod, I presented tears,tears of joy in the midstof many others. Godwas reshaping my heartto be more like his. As Ihave grown older I have

shed many tears of wor-ship. I have raised myvoice and lifted hands. Ihave let go of the HOWwe worship and begunto focus on WHO weworship.

In Christ,

Focus your heart, focus your mind, and even focus your body in worship.

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Children’s Christmas PageantAll members of the congregation, friends &family are invited to join us for this year'sChildren's Christmas Pageant on Sunday,December 2nd at 5:30 p.m. A reception willfollow immediately after the performance.

All elementary-aged actors should arrive,dressed and ready for "showtime," at 4:15p.m. for a quick run-through.

The Sounds of Christmas atSHPC!Bluegrass ChristmasComplete with banjo and harmonica,sing-a-long to Christmas favorites andSHPC originals, Bluegrass style!Dec. 9 — Wm Cannon — 9:30 & 11Dec. 16 — Brodie — 11

Choral CantataExperience worship in music and story as the SHPC Cantata Choirand orchestra perform Celebrate the Season: A Christmas Canta-ta to bring us more deeply into the spirit of Christmas.Dec. 9 — Brodie — 11 ::: Dec. 16 — Wm Cannon — 9:30 & 11

Christmas Carol Sing-a-longJoin your church family for carols, cider and hot chocolate ( andmaybe a Christmas cookie or two!)Dec. 16 — Wm Cannon — 6 p.m.

&

Saturday of Service — December 15th

Come and be one of Santa’s helpers on Saturday,December 15th. Small groups will go out to deliv-er many of the Angel Tree gifts. Contact Gay

Langston, gclangston@gmail.com, orPastor Britta for more details.

Christmas Seasonat SHPC

Advent Events

Christmas PageantDec. 2 at 5:30 p.m.

A Bluegrass ChristmasDec. 9 at 9:30 & 11 a.m.: WmC

Dec. 16 at 11 a.m.: Brodie

Christmas CantataDec. 9 at 11 a.m.: Brodie

Dec. 16 at 9:30 & 11 a.m.: WmC

Caroling at EmeritusDec. 10 at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday of ServiceDec. 16 at 12 p.m.

Christmas Carol Sing-alongDec. 16 at 6 p.m.

Holiday WorshipServices

Christmas Eve – Dec. 24

Christmas Eve Family Serviceat 4 p.m. WmCannon

A contemporary service for the wholefamily. Nursery and child care for ages

0 to 3 is available.

Candlelit Service at 5:15 p.m.WmCannon & Brodie

This contemporary candlelit worshipincludes a children’s message. Nurseryand child care for ages 0 to 3 is avail-

able.

Candlelit Communion Serviceat 6:45 & 8:15 p.m. Wm Cannon

Communion will be served during thistraditional candlelit service.

Between the holidays– Dec. 30

Regular worship service timesresume; no Sunday School

Sing! Sing! Sing!Please join the preschool and elementary-agedchildren of the church as we gather at EmeritusRetirement Community at Beckett Meadows forsome Christmas caroling and sharing of Christ-mas cheer. We will meet at Emeritus at 3:30p.m. on Dec. 10th to sing, visit with the residents, and celebratethe Christmas season. Everyone is invited! (This is a fun, relaxedevent that will take approximately one hour of your afternoon.)For more information, contact Chris Gordon at chris@shpc.org

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Crafts Market: Shop For a CauseThe Guatemalan Crafts Market will becoming to our church for your Christmasshopping. Held on both campuses, Wil-liam Cannon and Brodie, the marketwill be open for two Sundays, Dec. 9th

and Dec. 16th, before and after 9:30 and 11a.m. services. SHPC has been a member of theGuatemalan Partnership for many years and askthat you consider supporting this wonderful min-istry.

The Guatemalan crafts sold by the GuatemalaPartnership Team of Mission Presbytery are ob-tained from two fair-trade organizations in Gua-temala—UPAVIM, which translates to "United fora Better Life," and MAYAN HANDS. UPAVIM is acooperative of about 60 women who live in slum

conditions in Guatemala City. Throughthese crafts, these women have done

remarkable things to help themselvesand their families—establishing a medi-cal and a dental clinic, a growth pro-gram for their children as well as a daycare center. MAYAN HANDS was orga-nized about 1989 when a woman from

Albany, New York was doing field studies in Gua-temala as part of her Ph.D. program. She ob-served the beautiful weavings and the low pricesthe weavers received for their efforts. When shereturned to the U.S., she organized MayanHands, hired a field supervisor in Guatemala toprovide quality yarns for the weavers, and thenworked to export their products to the U.S.where their work is in demand.

Our guests are coming!IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network) guests are families with children who, because of a crisis situationin their lives, have lost their homes. The program provides for them to live at Austin area churcheswhile they find housing and get back on their feet.

During the week of December 2nd — 9th, four IHN families will live at our church and will befed and sheltered by volunteers at our church. This is your opportunity to help these familiesthrough this time of crisis. Tasks performed by hosts (SHPC folk and members of Faith Presby-terian Church and Abiding Love Lutheran Church) include:

Young children make excellent hosts, because the guests are mostly young children. Sign up inthe narthex for this volunteer opportunity or contact Stuart McIntire stuart78704@yahoo.com /788-4455 or Lara Manire 922-3615.

Move-in: Sunday 12:30 – move guests’ belongingsand bedding into rooms and set-up

Breakfast Servers: 5:45 a.m. to 7:15 a.m.Dinner Preparers: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Overnight Host: 8:00 p.m. to 7:15 a.m.Evening Host: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday Hosts and lunch: several shiftsSupply Donors: all weekTransportation Volunteers and Linen Washers.Move-out: Sunday 6:30 am – load guests’ belongings

on trailer, clean and straighten up church, trans-port guests to Day Center, and take trailer tonext church

Shepherd of the Hills, Austin, Texas generously donated $5,458 to the University of Livingstonia forstudent scholarships. The Scholarship Committee disbursedthe money to four students: Emmanuel Chakuzika, class of2012; Amos Mumba, graduated October 13, 2012; Clara Mbe-we, now in her fourth year; and Rashid Malanzi, now in histhird year. More details about (and pictures of!) these hard-working students can be found at www.shpc.org/livingstonia-scholarship-2012/. The scholarship money that went for Amosand Emmanuel during the 20011-12 school year will be as-signed to some other needy students during this 2012-13school year. You are the miracle these students are prayingfor. Thank you for sharing what you have earned with the stu-dents here.

Emmanuel Chakuzika receiving his diploma

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STEPHEN MINISTRY: our fre-quently asked question!Can I learn the skills of a Stephen

Minister (i.e. Christian care giving)without being commissioned as one?

Yes! The vision of SHPC is that every one devel-op the skills of Christian care-giving. The Ste-phen Minister training is designed to improvethe quality of all your relationships. It will alsobetter equip you to encourage and provide spiri-tual support to people you know who are goingthrough a difficult time, whether it's a familymember, co-worker or friend. Topics include:listening, feelings, crisis theory, maintainingboundaries, speaking the truth in love, providingChristian care, experiencing Christ in the other,etc. All SHPC members are invited to attend(and commit to) the 50 hours of training,whether they are ready or not to be commis-sioned as an acting Stephen Minister. The nextclass begins Sunday, January 20, 2013 from 6-8:30 p.m. and goes through May 19, 2013. If youthink you might be interested, talk with one ofour Stephen Leaders Julie Demaree (512-695-1544 or juliejulie424@gmail.com) or Laurel Cal-houn (512-892-5530), or Stephen Minister DinahStrayhorn (512-899-0871).

Thank you, IHN Volun-teers!Thanks to our volunteers during the

week of September 30-October 7, 2012! Youhave followed God's command and showncompassion for our brothers and sisters intheir time of crisis. May God's blessings bereturned to you.

We can’t do it without our GREAT volunteers!If we've missed your name or misspelled it,please let us know and we do apologize. Stu-art McIntire stuart78704@yahoo.com / 788-4455.

Thank you to Gabrielle Adams, Denise & Kaylan Berry,Tammy Boehman, Abby & Olivia Brady, Mike & NinaBrauer, Bill Brock, Mike & Jennifer Bullock, RhondaCabello, Todd Calvin, Harriett Cavness, Mike Devlin,Lisa Dillard, Jodie Dunbar-Ray, Carl Floto, Allison Ger-old, Andrea Gerlach, Carol Gilchrist, Laura Gore, Don& Karen Greathouse, Jane Hall, Julie Henderson, Hil-ton family, Holmes family, Marsha Holt, Linda Icenhau-er-Ramirez, Tracy Lord, Suzanne Lunsford, Maclarenfamily, Nicholas & Kaitlyn Manire, Kristen May, Mike &Nancy McDonald, Jennifer Moore, Diane O'Leary, Tom& Mo O'Meara, Stephanie Parker, Angela Peterson, KimSchafer, Kathy Segura, Lori Sonnier, Streits family,Lisa Teeple, Jane Thompson, Venditelli family, Meri-jayne Vladyka, David Wheeler, Tim & Josh Whitten,Chester Wuest, Caren Zysk, true student ministryteens

—working with volunteers from our supporting church-es Faith Presbyterian, Abiding Love Lutheran, & St.Catherine’s

TAMALE TIMEHelp Manos de Cristospread the love inAustin through theirAnnual TamaleSale! The tamalesare a delicious addi-tion to any meal.$12/DOZEN forpork-jalapeño,pork, chicken, &/orbean.

PLACE YOUR ORDERby seeing Laren Schiller in the William Cannonnarthex, Maria Tissing in the Brodie narthex, oremailing lschiller1@austin.rr.com. Please ar-range to pay for your order at the time it isplaced. Orders must be placed by Sunday, De-cember 2nd. Pickup will be the following week,December 9th.

Calling All Who Teach or Want ToYou have a great opportunity to teach churchmembers and families in Guatemala about theimportance of basic sanitation and the benefitsof clean water. The SHPC Living Waters Missionprogram is seeking educational coordinators andwater system installers to participate in a waterinstallation mission effort this summer and tosupport the ongoing effort to keep our previousinstallations sustainable. Interested? Read moreon our website at www.shpc.org/living-waters-teach-others. Formal training will be offeredApril 17 – 21, 2013 in Mississippi. Some scholar-ship support for training and travel costs will beoffered by SHPC. For further information pleasecontact David Parmer at (512)294-3252 ordlparmer@txwinet.com. Don’t let this greatopportunity slip by you.

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COMPASSIONCaring enough to do something about someone else's need

Don't forget! The holidaysbring with them a changeto our Sunday Schoolschedules.

Here's what you need toknow:

● Last Day of Elementary UpStreet & PreschoolARK Sunday School for Fall: December 16th

● Child Care will be provided for Preschoolchildren on December 23rd and 30th

● Elementary-aged children (K - 5th grade) willjoin their families in worship on December23rd and 30th

● First Day of Elementary UpStreet & PreschoolARK Sunday School for Winter: January 6th

submitted by Megan Gibbons

The race was on for the Manos de Cristofood drive! The Lions class won the cannedfood drive bringing in 78 cans of tuna andcorn, and will be enjoying a pizza party af-ter Thanksgiving. We would like to thankeveryone who donated to such a worthycause.

Whether Democrat or Republican, I'm surewe are all relievedto put the electionseason behind us.Our students are along way from vot-ing for their presi-dent; however,they got a taste ofdemocracy by vot-ing here at SHPCPreschool for theirpreferred snack. Itwas a close racebetween Goldfishand Veggie Straws,

but the Veggie Straw option won with 25votes! Parents everywhere are rejoicing!

As November wound down, the studentshosted their annual Thanksgiving Feast. Inthe spirit of giving thanks, each class pre-pared a portion of the meal and performedfor their families.

From everyone at SHPC Preschool, we hopeyou all have a wonderful holiday season!

Children’s Ministry News

The 7th annual "A Future and AHope Adoption and FosterCare Conference" will be Feb-ruary 9, 2013, at Grace Cove-

nant Church in Austin.This conference hasserved around a 1000

singles and couples exploring or in the processof an adoption or foster training, and adop-tive or foster families looking for continuingeducation. We are excited to announce the2013 conference will include a session trackbased on Karyn Purvis' Connected Child strat-egies for families who already have childrenin their homes. Make plans to attend andbring some friends.

Visit www.AFutureAndAHopeAustin.org formore information.

Angel Tree RequestsThe Christmas wish list from Presbyterian Children’s Home had a couple of requests that don't

really meet our criteria for Angel Tree gifts. Do you have a violin or dressmakermannequin in gently used condition? Would you be willing to donate it to

the Angel Tree? If so, please contact Gay Langston at (512) 607-6516or

gclangston @gmail.com.

true SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS STUDENT MINISTRY DECEMBER 2012

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Confirmation ClassRE:FORM 2013

We wanted to create somethingthat was engaging for our teen-agers, but not cheesy when itcame to confirmation. (We lovecheese… but on crackers, not somuch in our churches.) Weknow that students today arefully capable of grappling withthe big issues of faith and the-ology, so we wanted our curric-ulum to give them room for agood wrestling match. That’swhy we developed a curriculumthat lets you get to the heart ofwhat it means to confirm whatit means to say you are a Chris-tian.

So what exactly is RE:FORMconfirmation? In three simplewords, it’s a way for teens to:Encounter. Engage. Respond.

RE:FORM starts at two differenttimes on Sunday January 6th.We have a morning session forall our 8th grade students andolder, starting at 11 a.m. in thestudent lounge. We also areoffering a night version of theclass starting on January 6th at8 p.m. as part of our true DeepStudy.

So you have two choices andboth are awesome! Sundaymorning 11 a.m. or Sundaynight 8 p.m.

Please register your student inadvance at www.iamtrue.org.

(There is a $10 materials feefor this course)

PlanetWisdomThis is your generation, yourtime, and your chance tochange your planet. PlanetWis-dom is an amazing conferenceput on by Youth Specialties, thesame people that put on SLC2012 and the upcoming NYWC.This conference is a real para-digm-shifting event, that takesteens from a High School stu-dent's point of view and getsthem looking at their worldfrom God's perspective. ExpectMark Matlock, The Skit Guys,Crystal Kirgiss and The DigitalAge to rock your faith, andspeak to you in new ways. Theconference takes place in Ir-ving, Texas at the Irving BibleChurch. We'll meet at thechurch on Friday the 22nd at 11am. We will leave no later than12, so don't be late! High Schoolevent only. This event will fillup fast, so make sure you regis-ter online at iamtrue.org!

Hey! Thank YOU!As we reach the end of anotheryear at true, we’d like to takethe time to pause and thank ourwonderful group of student andadult volunteers. We’ve beentruly blessed at true with hugenumbers of students walkingthrough our door. This exponen-tial increase in the number ofstudents attending true Middleand true High School weekly,would be impossible to handlewithout help from our volun-teers. They spend hours of theirown time hanging out withthese students, loving, listen-ing, and sharing their own faith.

Students need adult friendshipsin their lives. When adults thinkback on their time as a tweenor teen, they can always pointto at least one adult that madea difference. At true our focusisn’t attendance, it’s buildinglasting relationships. Significantrelationships don’t happenwithout people who are willingto give their time selflessly.Thanks again to this wonderfulgroup of people who week afterweek demonstrate God’s loveto a broken world.

Winter camps and othercool true newstrue ServeOn Dec 2nd at 12 noon. Join usas we quickly unload the IHNtrailer and set up rooms for ourI.H.N. guests.

Rise of the DarkBanana Night isDec 2nd & 5th 6- 8p.m. $2 + 3 ripeBananas. Dressfor the mess.

NERF WAR attrue Dec 9th & 12th

Pine Cove Winterfest for mid-dle school true — Dec 14th -16th

in Columbus Texas $157

Refocus 24 Hour RetreatJan 18th -19th tween 5th & 6th

grade.

Planet Wisdom RELATE HighSchool Conference in Feb 22nd-24th Irving Texas. ($80 is ourearly bird rate till Dec 16th;

$110 is the regular rate).

Summer camps are coming upand our registrations are openat EARLY BIRD RATES. SummerServe, Great Escape, Fun in theSon, SLC 2013 — dates and infoare all online. iamtrue.org

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The (Sometimes Difficult) Task of Understanding Scripture:Interpretation & Applicationby Donn LeVie Jr.

In last month's article, I wroteabout a few of the difficulties

with understanding some pas-sages of Scripture, and for somefolks this discussion may seemlike creating a tempest in ateapot: "But didn't Jesus say inMatthew 18:3 to 'become likechildren' in our faith? Aren't wegetting too wrapped up in thedetails here?" It can seem thatway at times, but I assure youanyone can improve their inter-pretation and application ofScripture with just a minimalamount of effort. I will returnto this honest and thoughtfulquestion later in this article.

Biblical interpretation (exe-gesis) and application

(hermeneutics) are two sides ofthe same coin and have a me-chanical and spiritual compo-

nent. The mechanical part(interpretation) involves under-standing what a particular bibli-cal passage originally meant atthe time it was written. Biblicalscholars use history, culture,geography, theology, grammar,lexicology (word origins andmeanings), and other fields ofstudy to help them with inter-pretation. Such tools provide uswith higher confidence levelsfor scriptural interpretation aswritten in commentaries in-stead of resorting to blind au-thority, arbitrary interpre-tations, or speculative opinions.

While everyone who readsthe Bible is an exegete

(one who does exegesis) ofsorts, there is good exegesisand there is not-so-good exege-sis. Sometimes we tend to readin our own ideas into a verse or

text, thereby rendering God'sWord something other thanwhat was originally said, writ-ten, and intended, which is toabuse the text. Therefore, thefirst step is to think "back thenand back there." For our inter-pretation, we simply have toask: "What was the point theauthor was trying to make?"

Before we can answer that,we have to look at the sur-

rounding verses rather than us-ing a "selective" approach witha single verse in isolation forour interpretation. This widerview gets us closer to themeaning of a particular versewhen we see it in a larger liter-ary context. Basically, literarycontext means that the wordsonly have meaning in sentenc-es, and that biblical sentencesfor the most part only haveclear meaning in relation topreceding and succeeding sen-tences.

Compounding our understand-ing is the fact that begin-

ning in the 13th century, thebooks of the Bible were dividedinto individual chapters, and inthe mid-16th century, the versenumbers were added (Jewishdivision of Hebrew text differsfrom what we have in the OldTestament). So now, we havechapters and verse numbersthat in some places artificiallybreak up the original train ofthought of some authors, sepa-rating relevant material andcreating unrelated sentence

continued on next page

Calling OurWorking, MarriedMen—Glenn Dukes will lead astudy of 2nd Corinthiansfollowing the 9:30 ser-vice at William Cannoneach Sunday betweenNew Year’s and Easter. Eachweek we will read a chapter ofRay Stedman’s “AuthenticChristianity” (www.raystedman.org/authentic-christiani-ty) and discuss how to live asauthentic Christians both atwork and as the spiritual headsof our households. Ray Sted-man is one of the twentieth

century's foremost pas-tors and biblical exposi-tors. His message ofauthentic Christianity isshaping the lives of indi-viduals and churchesworldwide. “The NewCovenant is at its coreChrist in you, the hope

of glory, Jesus expressing hischaracter through his people.The incarnation, God clothed inhuman flesh, is the inheritanceof his people. It is Christ in youand you in Christ. With ouridentity firmly in Christ, we liveout an authentic Christianity!”Interested in joining us? ContactGlenn at gdukes@synopsys.com

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groupings. We may have to"zoom out" to better grasp thefull context of a passage andthat narrative passage may be-gin with a verse in the middleof a chapter and end some-where in the next. Verse num-bers are like mile markers onthe interstate; sometimes amile marker coincides with anexit ramp or a state line andsometimes it does not.

We can also get help fromvarious commentaries

written by biblical scholars, buteven here we have to be care-ful we don't unwittingly transferthe authority of Scripture totraditional interpretations.

At this point, we may con-template the passage, med-

itate or pray on it to seek thewisdom and guidance of theHoly Spirit to help with our in-terpretation. This is the spiritu-al component of biblicalinterpretation. In our "tool box"we have three passages thatjustify this idea that the Spirithelps us understand the mean-ing of a scriptural text:The person without the Spirit does notaccept the things that come from theSpirit of God but considers them fool-ishness, and cannot understand thembecause they are discerned onlythrough the Spirit. The person withthe Spirit makes judgments about allthings, but such a person is not sub-ject to merely human judgments, (1 Corinthians 2:14-15)

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,whom the Father will send in myname, will teach you all things andwill remind you of everything I havesaid to you. (John 14:26)

As for you, the anointing you receivedfrom him remains in you, and you donot need anyone to teach you. But ashis anointing teaches you about allthings and as that anointing is real,not counterfeit-just as it has taughtyou, remain in him. (1 John 2:27)

We can each learn to per-form good biblical inter-

pretation with this simplemethod, which allows us a moreintelligent reading of the Bible,by reading the text carefully(and at the right "magnifica-tion") and to ask the right ques-tions about the text. One of thebest resources on how you canquickly improve your own Bibli-cal interpretation is Never Reada Bible Verse, by Greg Koukl.You can get a free PDF copy atGreg's Stand to Reason website(www.str.org). It is an enjoy-able and easy read, and willproduce quick results for you.

In our interpretation work, wealso have to consider the in-

fluence of historical context.Over the centuries when theBible was written, these influ-ences include the time and cul-ture of the author and theintended readers (the geogra-phy, religious, social, and polit-ical influences relevant to theauthor's environment); and thecircumstances for the particularbook, psalm, narrative, prophe-sy, parable, or epistle. But thetwo most important factorshave to do with the occasionand the purpose behind the

It's BACK! 4X4Couples DinnerGroupWe're delighted to bestarting up the famous SHPCdinner groups again. Whatused to be called "Dinners for8" will now be called "4X4 Din-ners." If you haven't partici-pated before, or if you haveand can't wait to do it again,now through Dec. 30th is theperfect time to join thegroup and experience greatfood, fun, and fellowship.

4X4 means the same 4 couples(a "couple" is any two adults —child care will NOT be provid-ed) will commit to one dinnera month for 4 consecutivemonths, following the monthlyschedule. The monthly sched-ule means the 4 couples as-signed to a given group

(placed together by lifestages—young, mid-life, retired) willhave an assigned

leader per month whowill contact the other 3 cou-ples to choose a date for thatmonth, volunteer to host attheir house and provide theentree and beverages, witheach of the other couples be-ing assigned to bring a saladand bread, a vegetable, or adessert on a rotating basis.

Theme night? Why not? Ethnic?Always fun! Imagination is en-couraged! There is a ton offun to be had here! To sign up(be sure to include your "lifestage") or to ask questions,please contact Susan Klus-mann at 301-3561 orrsklusmann@earthlink.net

YOU are exactly the peoplewe're looking for! continued on next page

continued from previous page

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Life in the PrimeTime is prettyquiet in December, as we gearup to celebrate Christmas…

Association of RetiredChristian Men (ARCM)The ARCM will meet on Decem-ber 6th, 13th and 20th during thismonth. Our meetings are heldin the William Cannon library at10 a.m., and feature prayer,scripture and a devotional. (Ourmeetings generally conclude at11:30.) During November themeetings focused on the evolu-tion of Protestantism, whichwill culminate on December 6th

with a discussion focusing onJohn Knox and the beginningsof the Presbyterian Church.

As we approach Christmas, ourmeetings on the 13th and 20th of

December will focus on thebirth of the Christ child.

All men of our SHPC family areinvited to come and share a cupof coffee and fellowship. Youdo not have to be retired tocome and relax with yourbrothers in Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!Please remember, Christ is thereason for the season. Let ushonor him in every special waythat we may at this time.

For more information, contactRon Miller, 512-892-1862 orRonald.miller1333@sbcglobal.net .

PT groups through December:Join us for FELLOWSHIP LUNCH

BUNCH, Christmas Edition,on Saturday, December 8th,at Texas Land and Cattle

(Stassney and I-35) at 11:30a.m. We'll have a greatlunch and Christian fellow-ship—and maybe Larry andKim will be able to join us!Reserve your place by phon-ing Annie Ward at 373-8803or ron-annie@att.net byMonday, December 3rd

MARY-MARTHA CIRCLE willmeet on December 6th from10:30 a.m. to 12 in the sanc-tuary for a Christmas lun-cheon and program providedby Karen Adams, pianist.Catered by Beth Watson,lunch will be $8. R.S.V.P. toDiane, 263- 5592

ASSOCIATION OF RETIREDCHRISTIAN MEN meet everyThursday at 10 a.m. in thelibrary at William Cannon.Join us!

writing of each book. A good Bible dictionary,such as the International Standard Bible Encyclo-pedia, New International Bible Dictionary, orEerdmans Dictionary of the Bible would be agreat tool for understanding historical context.

So, we can quickly improve our biblical inter-pretation skills by: (1) asking, "what is the

point the author was trying make?" (the text sur-rounding a particular verse), (2) reading with awider context, (3) using a good Bible dictionaryor encyclopedia, and (4) contemplating the text,which is a spiritual activity that invites the wis-dom of the Holy Spirit.

Returning to the question at the beginning ofthis article, let's approach the matter by

looking at the bigger picture, starting with Mat-thew 18:1-5:At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said,"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"He called achild over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I sayto you, unless you turn and become like children, you willnot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles him-

self like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heav-en. And whoever receives one child such as this in myname receives me.

We now have a different perspective of theverse in isolation as we look at the sur-

rounding text. The setting involves a discussionamong the disciples as to who is the greatest inthe kingdom of heaven. The disciples had beenarguing earlier about their rank or status, so theresponse Jesus gives them in verse 3 is an admo-nition to turn away from their worldly ambitionand coarse selfishness.

To humble one's self is to become small; toascend to the kingdom of heaven is to first

learn to descend; to become great, they mustfirst become little; to rise, they must first sink;to rule, they must first serve. The disciples mustjettison their worldly ambitions in the way achild is free of the knowledge and influence ofthem.

The almighty God humbled himself to walkamong us; he humbled himself in front of his

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disciples when he washed their feet—even thefeet of Judas who shortly thereafter betrayedhim. Yet, here are the very same disciples argu-ing and positioning for being "heaven's favorite."

That's the interpretation (the "exegesis"); nowwhat is the application (the "hermeneutic")

of this interpretation? It is this: Am I usingworldly ambition in my zeal to serve the king-dom of God and Christ? Is my life characterizedby worldly wisdom and worldly ambition? If theanswer is "yes," then, I must "turn back" as Jesustold his disciples.

The ultimate end goal of ALL scriptural inter-pretation is for each of us to live out the

Word of God so as not to be deceived, as Jameswrites in James 1:22-24:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive your-selves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the wordbut does not do what it says is like someone who looks athis face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goesaway and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God's word evenjudges the interpreter:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than anydouble-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing souland spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts andattitudes of the heart.

Classical guitarist and award-winning author Donn LeVieJr. has a Master's Certificate in Christian Apologetics fromBiola University. Donn's latest book, Disputable Matters:Balancing Creative Expression with Artistic Restraint inChristian Worship is being released initially on his blog atdonnleviejr.wordpress.com.

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IT’S GOOD!Huge smiles, lotsof laughter andtons of field goalshigh-lighted thisyear’s All ChurchFamily Camp atJohn Knox RanchOctober 13th &14th. Kids and fam-ilies competed inour makeshift football combine. We tailgated with burgersand dogs and listened to the BIG GAME as well as enjoyedeach others company and became a closer church family. Itwas a great weekend with just enough teaching and free timefor families of all ages to fully enjoy. We hope that you willconsider joining us again our next all-church outing.

true SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS STUDENT MINISTRY DECEMBER 2012

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As mentioned last month, weare in the final stages of ourWm Cannon remodeling activi-ties, so this will be the lastupdate on the project. Thefront doors and monumentsigns are the only significantpieces still in progress and theyare close to being finished.

The most major piece that re-mains is to continue paying forall of the work we've done.Because the campaign pledgesextend through March 2014,we've had to tap into our con-struction line of credit for thework already done and still tobe billed. For those of you whoare keeping current on yourcampaign pledge, we thankyou. For those of you who maybe a little bit behind, we en-courage you to bring it up-to-date soon as we are now payinginterest for the constructionloan. Every dollar we pay forinterest is money not availablefor ministry, and we'd like tominimize that.

It has been a privilege for meto watch over this remodelingproject for you. Thanks for allof your support.

— Greg Merrell

True Parent GatheringsStarting MONDAYJanuary 14th, 7-8:30 p.m.If you’re a parent of kids of anyage, you’ve probably wondereda lot about your children’sfaith. How is their faith shapingtheir life? What will happen totheir faith when they leavehome? Through research-basedinsights and stories from otherparents walking the same roadas you, you can join us at ourTrue Parent Gatherings to learnhow to help develop a faiththat sticks for a lifetime in theheart of your son or daughter.Most parents would give any-thing to anchor their childrenwith a vibrant faith that 'sticks'and continues to mature intoadulthood. Yet, despite thisdeep desire, research indicatesthat approximately 40-50% ofhigh school seniors drift from

theirfaith af-ter grad-uation.At ourtrue Par-ent Gath-erings wewill bewalkingthrough Kara Powell’s StickyFaith Parent Video Curriculumand building on core of being agood parent. Sticky Faith is avideo-based study that camefrom the ground-breaking StickyFaith research and Kara Powell'sdesire to see her own kidsemerge from adolescence withtheir faith intact. Through per-sonal, real-world experiences ofresearch and sharing, the StickyFaith Parent Curriculum enablesparents to instill a deep andlasting faith in their adoles-cents. This video curriculum

presents powerful strategiesand practical ideas to help par-ents encourage their children'sspiritual growth, enabling themto develop a faith that sticks.

Join us on the second Mondayof the month in 2013.

Register online atwww.iamtrue.org.

Chapters from Donn LeVie’s New Book, Disputable Matters,Available on Donn’s Blog

Award-winning author Donn LeVie has been posting chaptersfrom his latest book, Disputable Matters: Balancing CreativeExpression with Artistic Restraint in Christian Worship on his"Musica Maestoso" blog (donnleviejr.wordpress.com). The bookwill be available in softcover and Kindle ebook editions in late2012 or early 2013.

From the time of the early Christian church through the Refor-mation and up to the present day the church has debated —of-ten with significant tension—the many manners by which Godreveals himself to us: through verbal, intellectual rationaliza-tion of Scripture, transcendent knowledge, and by way of non-verbal, even spontaneous avenues such as artistic expression.Some of these expressions have no Scriptural discussion abouttheir inclusion in worship, making them "disputable matters," asthe apostle Paul called practices not critical to salvation. Buteven Paul wrote that some practices are not beneficial and oth-ers are not helpful. Says Donn: "In Disputable Matters, I explorethese concerns through the filter of the doctrine of Scriptureand historic Christian tradition, and raise questions about someof the forces—those inside and outside of the church—pushingthe boundary of disputable matters into dangerous territory."

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ANNIVERSARIES2 Dec Mark & Tracy

Lord5 Dec Steve &

DeborahWagner

9 Dec Jeff & LoriWhitmire

11 Dec Jaco Steynberg & ElnaReinach

13 Dec Matt & Kim Arthur14 Dec John & Sandi Moehlman15 Dec Tim & Summer Whitten18 Dec Nona Jo & Gary May19 Dec Bruce & Maryellen

Albertson20 Dec Steve & Elisa Donnell21 Dec Asa & Donna Sphar,

Phillip & JennyCallahan

23 Dec Mike & Aimee Killeen26 Dec Hal & Sally Jo Elliott27 Dec Dick & Susan Klusmann,

Don & Jody Barrett,Tommy & Stella Warner

30 Dec Beaman & CarlenFloyd, Daryl & AmieChalberg, Mike &Jennifer Bullock

BIRTHDAYS1 Dec Wesley Hack-ett, Kerry Long

2 Dec KellyCoulter, Elna Reinach

3 Dec Clem Hof-mann, Debbi Toh

4 Dec Gina Hauck, Cheryl Ol-son, Taylor Robinson,Anne Streit, SarahWade, Bo Wilkes, CadeWilkins

5 Dec Sarah Lane, TommyWarner

6 Dec Derek Brinks, HannahHerrera, Betty Wil-liams, Curtis Williams

7 Dec Alex Bay, SuzanneLunsford, Jamie May,Holly Spink

8 Dec Sally Jo Elliott, WillNatale, Evelyn Sorrell

9 Dec Cy Albertson, FredRothert

10 Dec Mason Macera, LauraMuñoz

11 Dec Jana Collins, GrahamHutton, Susan Martin,Madison Vela

12 Dec Sam Segura13 Dec Cindy Baschnagel, Eliza-

beth Fisher, AnnabellaSmith

14 Dec Ashley Adams, NickiGell, Colin Lineberry,James Peterson, BenValvano

15 Dec Mario Andrade, AddisonGarcia, Ashley Laird,Cora Lewis, FrankWade, Gene Wright

16 Dec Clint Batte, Doug Frye,Amanda Hyde, GaryMay, Sherry Todd

17 Dec Marilyn Cook18 Dec Matthew Cabello, Darcy

Garrett, Nate Groves,Steve Lenertz, Max Ro-land, John Thomas

19 Dec Billy Baschnagel, Brae-den Long, SebastianSegura

20 Dec Megan Gerold, RadmonRice, Elaina Saul, AzamWaugh

21 Dec Marylou Busch, BrittaDukes, Mary Lynn Sheir-er, Carson Valdes, PatWebb

22 Dec Aimee Kirkconnell, Sta-cie Tracy

23 Dec Aaron Bohl, BrittanyBudd, Kristin Grance,Jim Meador, Maria Tiss-ing

24 Dec Laura Bost, Mary Car-nes, Howard “Porky”Haberman, DeAnnePearson, Emily Pellerin

27 Dec Olivia Brady, ChrisHuntley, Pam Immitt,Brenda Johnson, Ram-say Mudgett, Marc Pa-dovani, Tim Whitten

28 Dec Keira Jordan, SusanKlusmann, MartinRamirez, Lynn Tunison

29 Dec Major Bettridge, KyleParker, Sarah Peters,Frances Tomlinson

30 Dec Nancy Hines, BryanParker

31 Dec Shirley Henry, ChrisLenertz, Sally Schilstra,Lori Whitmire

Welcome, NewSHPC Members!

Carey & Kelly Falk

Slade & Courtney Cooper2905 Cedarview Dr.Austin TX 78704

Shirley, Lino, Julia & Jessica Domicoli3011 Spotted Wolf TrailAustin TX 78734

Olivier & Julie Bigizi107 Sandstone TrailBuda TX 78610

Tim, Summer, Josh & John Whitten7605 Seneca Falls LoopAustin TX 78739

Benjamin May8700 Brodie LnApt 212Austin, TX 78745-7924

Temple & Janet Ingram14512 Friendswood LnAustin TX 78737-9291phone: 512-215-0199

Wilma & Bill VanLandinghamc/o The Heritage at Gaines Ranch4409 Gaines LoopAustin TX 78735phone: 512 721-3100

Kim & Isabella Klotz7501 Shadowridge Run #116Austin TX 78749phone: 512-554-8213

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Joys – Maria Tissing’s sister, Anna, noactive cancer cells in most recent CT scan—Susan & Stan Fields are delighted to

announce the October 30th birth of agrandson, 3 lbs. 2 oz.Sorrows – Jason Kwak's father passed away

peacefully on November 19th, his 75th birthdayThanks – Sally Schilstra thanks the church for their lovingsupport and help during her recent surgery on her hip. Shewrites, “Many thanks for all your prayers and concern. This yearhas been a ‘doozy’! I wouldn’t have made it without your help.”Barbara Whitlock, who served as Election Judge for the precinctmeeting at SHPC on November 6, says, “…It was a pleasurehelping 500 people from our area to vote and (it was) so easy forall the workers. We enjoyed having the kitchen available. I loveour church and staff!”Please pray for— Denise Berry's mother, pneumoniawhile recovering from GI bleeding—Ralph Philips’ mother,Nadean Philips, blood clot in her lung—Rachel Soto’s long-timefriend Joua, in dire need of a kidney transplant—Joy Essary’sgranddaughter, Erin Lugo, has given birth to a beautiful littlegirl; however, Erin was hospitalized with complications —DavidFloto is being stationed at Aviano, Italy with the US Air Force—Andrea Gerlach’s mother-in-law, Jan, small-cell carcinoma—Chester Wuest, recovering from double knee replacement—DebVan Dongen, friend of Deb Ballew, family issues—Donna Sphar’snephew, Rio Cantu, osteosarcoma which has spread to hislungs—Felisha Munthali, wife of Clement, the former pastor ofthe Manyamula congregation, hospitalized for heart trouble—DanLawler’s mother, Mary Lawler, major health concerns—Jim &Martha Meador’s grandson Cassidy, hospitalized again with lungproblems—people harmed by Hurricane Sandy— Gordon Box,upcoming knee surgery—Emily Wolf, friend of Sandra Mann anddaughter of Bobbi Mathews, health concerns—Vickie’s mother,undergoing chemotherapy—Michelle’s husband, undergoingchemotherapy—Dana, coping with rape—Tom Harkness’ cousin,AC Briley, and family —Kim Harkness’ brother-in-law, DaveParr, and family—Jai Leigh Addison, gallbladder surgery—AnnaDill, daughter of Julie Demaree, National Guard boot camp—Austin, the city where we’re planted—Pastor Alfred Mtonga, hisfamily, and Manyamula CCAP Church—Pastor ChimwemweMhango and his family—Pastor Kenneth Muyila and his family—Ronica Ngulube

Please pray for members of the Armed Forces, lovedones, and all world leaders involved in war zone crises

including:David Floto, son of Carl Floto… Robert Beardslee,grandson of Bob & Carolyn Beardslee… Stefan & PatHaag's daughter Felicia Ferguson-Cox… NathanielMiller, son of Fran & Ted Miller… Morales familyneighbor Brian Moran… Jose Fernandez, friend ofGaston & Junie Broyles and graduate of PPAS…Andrew Figer, son of a friend of Bill Brock… JohnWhite, Susan’s husband... Mitch Guile, friend of Eddie& Stacey Reynolds... Teddy Sweredoski, friend ofStan & Jessica Wade... Tyler Moser, son of a friend ofDee & Greg Merrell... Temple & Janet Ingram’sdaughter Kate Ingram... Christopher Lehmann, son ofMark Lehmann... Larry Roberman, brother of LoriWhitmire... Derek & Kristi Fisher's nephew, JohnFisher...

Rooms are at our William Cannon campus (W)or our Brodie campus (B).

For a complete calendar, including updates to rooms and times,visit calendar.shpc.org

1 Saturday9 a.m. Family Gingerbread Craft, W-FMC

4 SundayIHN BEGINS5:30 p.m. Christmas Pageant, W-sanctuary

6 Thursday10 a.m. Mary-Martha Circle, W-sanctuary

8 Saturday11:30 a.m. Fellowship Lunch Bunch

9 SundayIHN ENDS5:30 p.m. FILO Young Adults, W-9JANUARY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

10 Monday3:30 p.m. Caroling at Emeritus

11 Tuesday1:30 p.m. Book Group, W-97 p.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry

12 Wednesday6:15 p.m. KidStuf!, FMC

13 Thursday9:30 a.m. MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)10 a.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry, W-A

15 Saturday Saturday of Service: Santa’s Helpers

16 Sunday6 p.m. Christmas Carol Sing-a-long, W-sanctuary

23 Sunday24 Monday

CHURCH OFFICE CLOSES FOR CHRISTMAS. The officewill reopen, mornings only, Wednesday, December 26th

through 28th. Normal hours will resume Tuesday, January2nd.

CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP TIMES4 p.m. William Cannon5:15 p.m. Brodie & William Cannon6:45 p.m. William Cannon8:15 p.m. William Cannon

Sally Schilstra writes: Helpers needed to performchores in house and outside (includes horse care).

Must have own transportation to/fromBear Creek Oaks (off Hwy 290 near McCoy’s)

Times needed: 8-10 a.m. M, W, Sat & Sun and5:30-6:30 p.m. T, Th, F, Sat., Sun

Hours can be worked by one helper or shared with oth-ers! (Additional hours possible if experienced withhorses.) Wages are negotiable, starting better than

minimum wage.

Call 512-785-6011 or email peppydot@gmail.com