Terence Hagans | Blog

Take the Challenge

2011-07-23T15:43:00.001-07:00

Option #1 (Beginners):
Visit a homeless worship service and share a conversation and prayer with a participant.
Where to Do It: (1) MontroseStreetReach.org or (2) 1000Hills.org

Option #2 (Intermediate):
Walk the streets with a backpack full of sack lunches or snack kits, offer them to a homeless person, and share a conversation, prayer and even a meal if they'll let you. (Rule of Thumb: Do this before 10pm, in groups of 2-4 (with at least one guy), and avoid large crowds of homeless people (shoot for 1 or 2))
Where to Do It: (1) Downtown Houston or (2) Hermann Park

Option #3 (Advanced)
Commit to a regular (i.e. weekly, etc.) form of service (i.e. mentoring or tutoring a child, etc.) with an inner-city ministry.
Where to Do It: GenerationOne.org (Houston's Third Ward)

Visiting Today's Jericho Road

2011-03-20T03:37:00.001-07:00

Complete Trip Directions from TWUMC

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

No Words...

2011-01-04T08:33:00.001-08:00

Breaking Fangs

2010-01-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

"Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth."

Job 29:11-17

Rescue

2009-10-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

Proverbs 24:11-12

The Cripple Run

2009-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

"Raise me up from this grave
Touch my tongue and then I'll sing
Heal my limbs then joyfully I'll run to You."

"How you shine so the blind can see
And how you call out, you beckon me
The deaf hear the voice of love
You bid me come and the cripple run
You're the one."

David Crowder, You're Everything

"Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel."

Matthew 15:30-31

Get Back Up Again

2009-09-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

"Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man's house, do not raid his dwelling place; for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

- Proverbs 24:15-16

"We fall down, but we get up. For a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up. No matter where you are, no matter what you've done, you can get back up again. No matter how far you fall. He is waiting on you, with arms open wide. Run to his arms. Run to his arms. It's not too late. You can get back up again. No condemnation. For a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up."

- Donnie McClurkin

Something from Nothing

2009-08-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

Mark 12:41-44

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/244/story/68456.html

Trash

2009-07-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire." But Abraham replied, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us."

He answered, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." "No, father Abraham," he said, "but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." He said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."

- Luke 16:19-31

You Found Me

2009-05-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

Luke 15:4-7

"Lost and insecure, You found me, you found me
Lyin' on the floor, Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late, You found me, you found me"

The Fray, You Found Me

Sober

2009-03-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

"The Lord reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me."

Psalm 18:16-19

"Aahh, the sun is blinding
I stayed up again
Oohh, I am finding
That's not the way I want my story to end

Aahh, the night is calling
And it whispers to me softly, 'come and play'
Oohh, I am falling
And if I let myself go, I'm the only one to blame

When it's good, then it's good, it's so good, 'till it goes bad
Till you're trying to find the you that you once had
I have heard myself cry
Never again, Broken down in agony
And just trying to find a friend

I'm safe, Up high
Nothing can touch me
But why do I feel this party's over?
No pain, Inside
You're like perfection
But how do I feel this good sober?"

Pink, Sober

Dead and Gone

2009-02-24T16:22:00.000-08:00

No more stray, now I'm straight, now I get it, now I take
Time to think, before I make mistakes just for my family’s sake
That part of me left yesterday the heart of me is strong today
No regrets im blessed to say the old me dead and gone away.

I turn my head to the east… I don’t see nobody by my side
I turn my head to the west… still nobody in sight
So I turn my head to the north, swallow that pill that they call pride
The old me is dead and gone, the new me will be alright

Oh, I've been travelin' on this road too long
Just trying to find my way back home
The old me is dead and gone… dead and gone

TI, Dead and Gone

Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Jesus, John 3:3-9

T.I. - New Music - More Music Videos

Gaza

2009-01-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

"Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed—and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors—and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun."
(Ecclesiastes 4:1-3)

If I Were a Boy?

2008-12-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

Beyonce:

"If I were a boy, I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl, I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her, Cause I know how it hurts,
When you lose the one you wanted,
Cause he’s taken you for granted,
And everything you had got destroyed."

Paul of Tarsus:

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25)

Effective Outreach :-)

2008-12-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

"Then Jesus came to his disciples and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.'" (Matthew 28:16-20)

I don't think this is what he had in mind:

Healed

2008-12-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

"O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me."
(Psalm 30:2)

Getting Out of the Pigpen

2008-11-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on . Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:17-24)

Former Stripper, Prostitute and Porn Star Shelley Lubben comes home:

I'm Yours

2008-11-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

At the intersection of Solomon and Mraz:

"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher..."all is vanity."
(Ecclesiastes 1:2)

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
(Proverbs 22:1)

"I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue"
(Jason Mraz, I'm Yours)

Loving when it Hurts

2008-11-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

Jesus once said, “I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:27-36)

I know that “love your enemies” is one of those basic, entry-level descriptions of what it means to be a Christian. But no matter how far I’ve progressed in my spiritual journey, this is one of those commands that still hurts to obey.

So I got to thinking, love hurts. Love is pain. But whenever you keep on loving, the end result is always good, and right, and true, and wholesome and beautiful, at least in the final analysis. So why is this the case?

Well, I think it all goes back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, sin and death entered the world, and as a result every good thing that was once easily obtained, can now only be achieved through pain and hardship. God said to Eve, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.” (Genesis 3:16) And then he said to Adam, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

The beauty of childbirth must be preceded by painful labor and delivery. To enjoy the fruit of the earth, one must first endure back-breaking labor. And so it is with love. To find true friendship, closeness, intimacy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing necessarily means that there will first be, that there must first be, pain. Hebrews 9:22 puts it like this: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” If God himself, in all his infinite wisdom and power, couldn’t find a way to reconcile us to him, to draw us close to him, to truly demonstrate his love for us and enable us to love him, without first submitting himself the pain of death, then I suppose we should just expect that for us, too, the first step toward love, and each step deeper into love, starts with, is initiated by, a sacrificial offering of pain and hurt. Ouch.

The God of Jacob

2008-11-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry... The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD." (Psalm 146:5-10)

Stop Wavering

2008-10-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

In 1 Kings 18:21, "Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.'"

Here is some inspiration from Katy Perry to help you make up your mind :-)

"Cause you're hot then you're cold, You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out, You're up and you're down
You're wrong when it's right, It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up, We kiss, we make up"

"Live Your Life" (T.I. & Rihanna)

2008-10-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

Jesus told his followers: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Here's a nugget of truth embedded in T.I. & Rihanna's "Live Your Life":

"The hooting and the hollering, back and forth with the arguing
Where you from, who you know,
what you make and what kind of car you in
Seems as though you lost sight of what's important when depositing
Them checks into your bank account and you up out of poverty

Your values is in disarray, prioritizing horribly
Unhappy with the riches 'cause you piss poor morally
Ignoring all prior advice and fore warning
And we mighty full of ourselves all of a sudden, aren't we?"

The Bradley Effect

2008-10-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

In Matthew 5:37, Jesus tells his followers to "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Take a look at this video and let me know what you think...

Authentic, Genuine, Real

2008-08-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

My buddy Adam Bock pointed me to this article written by Paul Baloche about what it is that twentysomethings really want when it comes to church. Take a look at the article and let me know what you think... is he hitting the nail on the head or missing the mark?

Link: Missing a Beat

Journey

2008-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Oooh...This one too!

Finding Yourself

2008-03-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

I think I actually kinda like these United Methodist Church commercials...

New Church Leadership Institute 2008

2008-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

An adventure in church planting...