Weekly Update

Sunday School Sessions Start This Sunday

Sunday School Sessions begin this Sunday, 9am. Let us continue to deepen our commitment to serve together and to study together. To do results in an ever-deepening love for Scripture and for one another, Highland. This is our main roadway to going deeper.

As I mentioned Sunday, Cathy Crowder is leading our Women’s Bible Study. I actually forgot to read aloud her statement regarding her class. So, allow me to share with you now:

In 2025 our pastor has challenged us to go deeper with God. We do that every Sunday by gathering together in this place to worship Him! We also do that during the week by going to Him in prayer and in reading our Bibles each day! Some Christians call this their daily “quiet time” or their daily “devotions” or their “prayer time” or their “Bible time”! Whatever we call it, the point is that we WANT to meet with our God, to spend time with Him, to hear from Him, and to grow closer to Him! Oftentimes we find that this is not easy to do, and we struggle with our daily time with Him! In this class we are going to study practical ways to do that! We are going to look at the life of Jesus and see how He stayed connected to His Father while He was on the earth. No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, I believe this study can help us all to grow deeper with our Lord. The title of the book is: “A Place of Quiet Rest – Finding Intimacy with God through a Daily Devotional Life”, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Ladies, I am so excited to learn and grow with you this semester!

— Cathy Crowder


How Cool is This Pic?!? — Mike’s class will take place here.

Mike Hare will also be teaching a class on theological positions. He presented to you his class-plan Sunday. He will hold class in our red-brick Sanctuary. As far as the rest of the classes, here’s our schedule and class locations:

Sunday Morning Schedule

  • 8am: Doors open

  • 8:30–10:00: Coffee & Conversation & Devotion in our Dining Facility

  • 9am-10am: Sunday School Semester – runs through March 30th

  • 10am: Sunday Morning Service in our sanctuary (which is our gym)

class locations

  • Classroom 1: 0-2 year olds: Church Nursery

  • Classroom 2: 3 and 4 year olds: First Green Room

  • Classroom 3: Kindergarten-Second Grade Class: Second Green Room

  • Classroom 4: Third-Fifth Grade Class: Yellow Room

  • Classroom 5: Tweens & Teen Boys: Red Room

  • Classroom 6: Women’s Bible Study: Second Orange Room

  • Classroom 7: Men’s Bible Study (Ongoing throughout the year): First Orange Room

  • Classroom 8: Tweens & Teen Girls: Blue Room

  • Red-brick Sanctuary: The Theology Program

  • Dining Facility: Life Class Devotion (Ongoing throughout the year)


We’re in Matthew 5 this Sunday — The Sermon on the Mount

our series through matthew

We begin the Sermon on the Mount this Sunday, Highland. In coming to know Christ many years ago, this passage of Scripture pierced my calloused-heart, causing it to live, to feel, to long for the Lord to change my heart. Oh, Highland, may we cherish these words together this Sunday, as we open together the Sermon on the Mount.


kingdom sports update — games start saturday!

More information is available about Kingdom Sports on our site. Check it out by hovering over the “Kingdom Sports” tab. One key piece of information is how you can volunteer. Click the button below so sign up. This is going to be a lot of fun, Highland! Grateful for you, Wright Family!


Mailing Address Update

Our P.O. Box is now closed. Please send all mail to 3408 5th Ave. Columbus, GA. 31904

I love you,

Rob

Weekly Update

baffled by my own blunder


Highland,

What a blunder! Last Sunday’s sermon was clearly going so well (in my mind)! My glaring typo in the slide defining the gospel was evident to everyone but to me! How did I miss it?!? Mistyped and misread – oh, the misrepresentation led me to wincing when I learned about it! Clearly, these sermons are not A.I. generated. They are written with a humble heart, a hunger for righteousness, to include human error.

Ah, though, the grace found in “the recap” to flawed preachers like myself tastes like sweet redemption right now as I write to you. As many of you know, though, Madison Montgomery creates our slide deck for worship each week – she does a great job! She does not do sermon slides. However, during the service, she was attempting to make the edit for me, mid-service! Madison, you’re so thoughtful and sharp! Thanks for being there and for coming to my rescue.

What I intended to say is that, when we are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, our hearts experience acceptance in the arms of our Heavenly Father. This new identity we have in Christ compels us to obey! We are made new according to the holiness of God and our hearts are delighted to willingly share in His holy nature! More to come on this point Sunday.


our series through matthew

As we continue through our series this Sunday, we will be in the latter half of chapter four. Jesus now proceeds into ministry displaying authority over heaven and earth. Bearing Heaven’s acceptance, Jesus has come through the waters of baptism. Encountering the tempter in the wilderness, Jesus is not dismayed. He walks through the valley of the shadow of death in an emboldened obedience!

Now, fortified in His God-given identity, He declares the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven is near! What does that mean? How should we understand this declaration and how should we respond? These are some of the questions we will tackle this week.


our SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE

  • 8am: Doors open

  • 8:30–10:00: Coffee & Conversation & Devotion in our Dining Facility

  • 10am: Sunday Morning Service in our sanctuary (which is our gym).


sunday school starts january 26th, 9am

Our Sunday School Class Schedule will begin January 26th. We will run classes ten weeks. First, to those who are leading, thank you! How grateful I am for your willingness to serve one another, as we study God’s Word together! This Sunday, you will have the opportunity to learn more about some of our adult classes. Mike Hare and Cathy Crowder will be leading a class this semester. You will hear from them. You will also be afforded the opportunity to sign up to attend or to serve this go-round.


kingdom sports update

More information is available about Kingdom Sports on our site. Check it out by hovering over the “Kingdom Sports” tab. One key piece of information is how you can volunteer. Click the button below so sign up. This is going to be a lot of fun, Highland! Grateful for you, Wright Family!


Mailing Address Update

Our P.O. Box is now closed. Please send all mail to 3408 5th Ave. Columbus, GA. 31904

I love you,

Rob

Weekly Update

A Theme Song for Our Series.

Our series through matthew

Highland,

We took another lap through the Gospel of Matthew last Sunday, Highland! We completed chapter three together! As we see John the Baptist reverently accept the request of Jesus to baptize Him, we behold a moment to savor! Sheer obedience, forsaking all personal glory, Jesus and John seeking the glory of the Lord, in unity!

The theme of our series through Matthew is: The Beauty of the Heart of Christ! Perhaps, The Beauty of the Heart of Christ should serve as our theme song throughout the series (see post to view video of song if you’re reading our email)? In this moment, the first attribute of the beauty of the heart of Christ is revealed: submission.

Seeing Submission in Matthew Three

Notice that John does not exert himself, nor bear a feigned-humility – he reveres Jesus in yielding to His request. As Jesus yields to His Father’s will, submitting to the waters of baptism, going under reflects submerging himself to the wrath of God. In rising, Jesus foretells the overcoming of sin and death to come!

How submission reveals the beauty of the heart of Christ

understanding submission

We then glanced at how submission reveals the beauty of the heart of Christ in our hearts and in our relationships. Click here to listen to last week’s sermon.


Chloe, Ethan & Hannah — Family Dedication Service, 2024

our SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE

  • 8am: Doors open

  • 8:30–10:00: Coffee & Conversation & Devotion in our Dining Facility

  • 10am: Sunday Morning Service in our sanctuary (which is our gym).


kingdom sports update

More information is available about Kingdom Sports on our site. Check it out by hovering over the “Kingdom Sports” tab. One key piece of information is how you can volunteer. Click the button below so sign up. This is going to be a lot of fun, Highland! Grateful for you, Wright Family!


Mailing Address Update

Our P.O. Box is now closed. Please send all mail to 3408 5th Ave. Columbus, GA. 31904

I love you,

Rob

Weekly Update

A Theme Song for Our Series?

the beauty of the heart of christ

Highland,

Entering 2025, let’s confidently display the “beauty of the heart of Christ” – as we sang Sunday. With our hearts ever-humbled, let us lift high the holy name of Jesus together - in everything that we do.

As I laid before you Sunday, this passage serves as a navigational tool that directs us toward going deeper. Here’s the passage that we reflected upon Sunday:

“I want their {our} hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they {we} may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery — Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. I am saying this so that no one will deceive you {us} with persuasive arguments. For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you {we} are and the strength of your {our} faith in Christ. Therefore, as you {we} have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude” (Colossians 2:2-7).


spent new year’s morning with Spurgeon

Overflowing with gratitude, even through the mess, let our hearts be knit together, Highland, as a banner that boldly displays the beauty (‘all the riches’; ‘treasures of wisdom’) of the heart of Christ. As I welcomed 2025 the morning of January 1st, I grabbed a book off of our bookshelf. I was up before anyone else and, with anticipation in my heart, wanted to start the year with our Lord! I grabbed a book by Charles Spurgeon; an author I read seasonally. It’s a collection of his written prayers. From the first sentence, I was celebrating the beauty of the heart of Christ, while, in my spirit, thanking the Lord for directing my steps to grab this book! Tempted to type the entire first chapter, I will just offer you this line:

“Lord Jesus, take from us now everything that would hinder the closest communion with God. Any wish or desire that might hamper us in prayer, remove, we pray Thee. Any memory of either sorrow or care that might hinder the fixing of our affection wholly on our God, take it away now. What have we to do with idols any more? Thou hast seen us and observed us. Thou knoweest where the difficulty lies. Help us against it, and may we now come boldly, not into the Holy place alone, but into the Holiest of all, where we should not dare to come if our great Lord had not rent the veil, sprinkled the mercy seat with His own blood, and bidden us enter.”

Wow! In our celebration of Jesus, let’s ask that the life of Highland put on display the beauty of the heart of Christ! I love you, Highland. Honored to serve you entering this new year. I continually ask the Lord to help me serve you, for His name, honorably. May this song above capture the essence of 2025 for us, Highland.


Our Current Series

this sunday

This Sunday, we pick up with our series through Matthew. David did such a tremendous job working through the first two chapters of Matthew through December! He put us on the scene of the birth of Christ. We felt what it was like to deal with the mess of human-sin during the dawn of redeeming grace. All of his sermons are now available on our website. Simply check out our audio page. We now pick up the series in chapter three. Join us as we continue to journey through the Gospel of Matthew together. I will also be facilitating corporate worship this Sunday — how I enjoy having the chance to worship with you, Highland.


Coffee & Conversation

our SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE

  • 8am: Doors open

  • 8:30–10:00: Coffee & Conversation & Devotion in our Dining Facility

  • 10am: Sunday Morning Service in our sanctuary (which is our gym).


kingdom sports update

More information is available about Kingdom Sports on our site. Check it out by hovering over the “Kingdom Sports” tab. One key piece of information is how you can volunteer. Click the button below so sign up. This is going to be a lot of fun, Highland! Grateful for you, Wright Family!


Mailing Address Update

Our P.O. Box is now closed. Please send all mail to 3408 5th Ave. Columbus, GA. 31904

I love you,

Rob

Weekly Update

Our Beloved Ms. Patti

Highland,

Here are ways to honor the life of our cherished Patti Clark. Let’s rally around her family and celebrate her life, which was hidden in Christ.


Caught a selfie with a few shoppers. :)

North Highland Christmas Store

To those who supported the North Highland Christmas Store, thank you! So many families came through to shop, resulting in the support of Truth Spring Trade School! Literally, this store is neighbors loving neighbors, in honor of our Lord!


christmas & the mess

David continues with our series: Christmas & The Mess this Sunday. As I mentioned Sunday, David is literally weaving the entire Bible together alongside the account of the birth of Christ. I was able to capture last Sunday’s message; it is available online on audio page. Nourish your heart by listening to last week’s sermon.


our SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE

  • 8am: Doors open

  • 8:30–10:00: Coffee & Conversation & Devotion in our Dining Facility

  • 10am: Sunday Morning Service in our sanctuary (which is our gym).


kingdom sports update

More information is available about Kingdom Sports on our site. Check it out by hovering over the “Kingdom Sports” tab. One key piece of information is how you can volunteer. Click the button below so sign up. This is going to be a lot of fun, Highland! Grateful for you, Wright Family!


the Behold the Lamb of God musical was outstanding!

The Behold The Lamb of God Christmas Musical was absolutely captivating! I sat and savored ALL Christ Jesus has done to make us right with our Lord. To those who toiled to put on this tremendous performance, thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed the Musical! Those who attended I know did as well!


Boxes of Love this saturday

Saving the best for last — this Saturday, we hold Boxes of Love. Calling all the Highland Tribe to join the force for good, all for the name of Christ Jesus! Come, let’s carry out the resounding truth Scripture holds – it’s more blessed to give than to receive!

Volunteers are essential! Please see the Sign Up Genius below and jump in. Also, please note:

***Boxes-of-Love Needs: Dish Soap & Dollies to load boxes the day of BOL.

Sign ups begin after Thanksgiving.

Such a joyous event!


Mailing Address Update

Our P.O. Box is now closed. Please send all mail to 3408 5th Ave. Columbus, GA. 31904


I love you,

Rob