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Highland Church of Christ

The True You: The Fall and Redemption Promised (Gen. 3:6-7, 15) Chris Altrock – 5/13/18

This entry is part [part not set] of 7 in the series The True You

Take

Every time I see a bag of nacho cheese flavored Doritos I’m reminded of a central event in my life. That Doritos bag doesn’t just represent a food item. It represents a time when things suddenly went south in my relationship with my parents.

I was about six years old. My brother Craig and I and our best friend Robert were hanging in the hood in Sunspot, NM. The few other kids in Sunspot were still in school in Cloudcroft.They had taken the school bus or had been driven by their parents to the school in Cloudcroft.

It was the afternoon. And we three were hungry. I’d been casing a joint just down from my house. The Dickson’s house. It’s where Dee Dee lived. She was an older woman. Elementary school. Not long ago I’d seen her mom pull out to go pick up Dee Dee at school in Cloudcroft. I knew the house was empty. So, the three of us walked over to the Dickson’s (Sunspot was a verysmall town, hence the reason a trio of six year olds could walk around unsupervised). We pulled open their screen door. It was open. We tried their front door. It was unlocked. Hardly anyone locked their doors in this tiny town.Read More »The True You: The Fall and Redemption Promised (Gen. 3:6-7, 15) Chris Altrock – 5/13/18

The True You: Creation (Gen. 1:27-28, 31) Chris Altrock – 4/29/18

This entry is part [part not set] of 7 in the series The True You

Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yoursis based on the true story of the Memphis-based Tennessee Children’s Home Society. From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, a woman named Georgia Tann stole or purchased children from the poor or from single mothers and then placed them in an orphanage where they were neglected and mistreated. She then sold the children to wealthy families.

Wingate tells the story through the eyes of a fictional woman named Avery Stafford. The Staffords are a wealthy and influential family in South Carolina. Avery has been groomed to serve in high society and to carry on the family legacy. But when her grandmother’s health fails, Avery discovers that her family has a forgotten connection to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Her grandmother was one of those children stolen from a loving family and adopted by another. This new information about her past changes the way Avery sees herself. As she learns this revelation about her past, it alters her perspective on herself and her life in significant ways.

A lot of people these days are digging up information about their past. Many of them are doing this intentionally, not accidentally. We seem to be hungry for more of our story.Read More »The True You: Creation (Gen. 1:27-28, 31) Chris Altrock – 4/29/18

Go Take (Esther 2:5-7) Chris Altrock – 4/15/18

This entry is part [part not set] of 4 in the series Go

The story of Esther is the story of a woman who saved the world. Esther’s ancient world was even more a man’s world than our modern world. Yet the hero of this story is a woman. She is the figure who partners with God to stand against the strongest empire in the ancient world to save the lives of countless Jews.

Yet the book of Esther is the story of a hero who almost wasn’t. Esther herself almost wasn’t. She almost lost the chance to grow into the hero of her story. When she was young, circumstances in her life nearly robbed her of the chance to stand in the gap for her fellow Jews.Read More »Go Take (Esther 2:5-7) Chris Altrock – 4/15/18

Won: The Cross Displayed God’s Glory (Jn. 12) Chris Altrock – 3/18/18

This entry is part [part not set] of 1 in the series Won

Who God is in Dark Times

            How would you complete this sentence?

God is ______________.

How would you especially complete that sentence in dark and disappointing times? Would pain and suffering change the way you finish that sentence?

God is _____________.

Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours tells the true story of how thousands of children belonging to single mothers and poverty stricken families were snatched away by Memphis’ Georgia Tann and then sold to families willing to pay to adopt them through the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. The story begins in the 1930’s with twelve year old Rill Foss. She lives with her mom and dad and and four younger siblings in a shanty boat moored on the shore of the Mississippi River across from Mud Island.Read More »Won: The Cross Displayed God’s Glory (Jn. 12) Chris Altrock – 3/18/18