The Hills Church, Fort Worth, Texas

Clarity and alignment are absolutely critical for any church. No amount of effort can overcome a lack of clarity.

In the beginning, God was personally present with the people He created. The rest of the story of God and His people carries the theme of presence, from the tabernacle to the temple to Jesus and now to the church. The question is, where is God personally present now?

Fire is a consistent sign of God's presence in the Old Testament. The burning bush. The fire on Mt. Sinai. The fire of the Lord on Mt. Carmel. And then on the day of Pentecost, tongues of fire symbolizing the presence of God's Spirit.

At the Feast of Tabernacles, water was ceremonially poured out in remembrance of God's faithfulness and in expectation of His Spirit bringing renewal to Israel. That is the very moment Jesus chooses to make an open invitation and a bold claim.

The Hebrew word ruach can be translated "spirit, breath or wind". And throughout the Old Testament ruach is used for all three. God's Spirit inspired (which, by the way, means breathed life into) the Scriptures to make a connection between the Spirit of God and the very breath we need to live.

The Holy Spirit can be hard to understand. So when the Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible, He included self-portraits - visual portrayals of the invisible Spirit of God. Understanding these visuals - a dove, water, fire and others -can provide insight into how God's Spirits works in and transforms Christians today.

The Old Testament tells more stories on David than any other character, and it doesn't skip any pages. His wins and his losses are all recorded, which must have created a stimulation debate when he was eligible for the faith hall of fame.

SAMSON AND GRACE

How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and all the prophets!

History has a way of repeating itself. God knows this, so in His Word we can find repeated failures right alongside his repeated faithfulness. Numbers chapter 20 includes a prime example.

From the very beginning the Bible establishes the need for epic grace. And that is especially clear in the account of Judah's failure resume.

In this series Rick explores some of the values in our culture that compete for the place only God deserves. You will be challenged to ask if you are truly seeking first His Kingdom.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

Luke's Gospel contains a number of unique stories of Jesus with stunningly surprising endings. These parables include characters that may not be as they first appear. This series will warn you against making rash judgments and challenge you to take a hard look at your own life.

God has a specific plan for how economics works in His kingdom. It is accomplished by "consuming less". Support local and global ministries working to make the world a better place in the name of Jesus. Consider how you might give generously as every dollar given to the general fund on Renew Weekend goes to support The Hills Renew Partners.

Everything about Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth seems upside-down. Maybe, though, what Christmas is really doing is turning things right-side up. This series will explore how Advent reverses the way we look at everything.

Everything about Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth seems upside-down. Maybe, though, what Christmas is really doing is turning things right-side up. This series will explore how Advent reverses the way we look at everything.

Everything about Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth seems upside-down. Maybe, though, what Christmas is really doing is turning things right-side up. This series will explore how Advent reverses the way we look at everything.

Everything about Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth seems upside-down. Maybe, though, what Christmas is really doing is turning things right-side up. This series will explore how Advent reverses the way we look at everything.

The primary aim of this series is to encourage people to embrace Jesus' conviction that the coming of the Holy Spirit (His parting gift to us) is for our good. We should welcome the coming of the Spirit with great expectation, for Jesus is sending Him to help us. These lessons will mainly focus on Jesus's words in John 14-16.