Pastors Message July 2023
Dear Friends and Family of HBC,
Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a conference presented by one of my favorite organizations called
“Renovare.” If you are unfamiliar with this organization, I recommend you look them up. They have several good
resources for a deeper life with God.
While at the conference I attended a seminar called “What’s Going On When Nothing Seems to be Happening: The
Life of Lilias Trotter.” If you are unfamiliar with the name “Lilias Trotter” don’t be discouraged, I had never heard
of her either.
Although her entire story is fascinating, let me give you an abridged version. She was born in 1853 and died in 1928.
She was a woman of faith who had a strong desire to help others. She started a ministry of reaching out to prostitutes
because of a burden she had to show them the love of Jesus and help them out of their profession.
She was also a very talented artist. Her artwork captured the attention of John Ruskin, one of the most famous artists
at the time. He told Lillias she had a rare talent and with proper training, she could become one of England’s greatest
artists. He was willing to be her tutor, on one condition…. She had to give up her ministry pursuits and focus solely
on her artwork.
She agonized for days over this decision, knowing the success she would achieve as an artist. However, she also real-
ized she had to choose either her art or her ministry. Finally, she came to a decision and she wrote this in a journal “I
see clear as daylight now, I cannot give myself to painting in the way he means and continue to seek first the Kingdom
of God and His Righteousness.” She turned down Mr. Ruskin’s offer.
Several years later she heard a speaker talking about mission work in Algeria and she sensed God was calling her to
go. She spent the rest of her life In Algeria and often felt she wasn’t accomplishing very much. This was a discour-
agement for her.
Each day she wrote in her journal and continued to paint what she saw around her. For Lillias, God often “spoke” to
her through everyday events. One day she watched a bee go from flower to flower and she painted it. She realized
that the bee was pollinating the flowers and in its own little way, the bee was helping to bring forth the new life of
Spring. The bee was simply doing what it was meant to do, with very little awareness of its impact.
Lillias felt this was a message for her. She was to keep doing what she was meant to do and leave the results to God.
I share this long story with you for a simple reason: Where is God calling you to follow Him, do the work
you are supposed to do and leave the results to Him?
With you in Christ, Dan