Sunset over the Hills and Hollers

Sunset over the Hills and Hollers

Monday, May 30, 2016

Relational Integration... again!

Dear Mission Family,
As I sat in my front porch sanctuary this morning, I once again became vividly aware of the change in seasons that is sweeping over us, both in a physical and a spiritual sense.  A few short weeks ago I was able to rest on my swing and view the fractal line of a mountain ridge, a mile in the distance.  Now my physical vision only extends out for thirty yards before colliding with a wall of vegetation.  As syrupy moisture laden air replaces the cool and dry breezes of spring, I know that summer has arrived in the hills and hollers.  Many folks revere this time of year.  I am not counted among those who do.

Another seasonal transformation, for many, is graduation from various levels of schooling.  Next Saturday one of our favorite young men in the area will be walking through the halls of the local high school for his last time as a student.  As James stands with his classmates and tosses his mortarboard high into the air, I will no doubt wonder- as I always do- how many of our graduates are prepared to begin assuming the role of “adult”.  I know that when I received my diploma I had very little vision for my future.  But I did have the benefit of a mother, other relatives and friends, who helped encourage me to grow beyond my current environment, into the concept of “responsibility”.

A few weeks back, I spoke to a group of high-school student leaders.  The meeting was at an off-site location, so I was given the opportunity to challenge my audience in matters of faith without much concern of “offense” (I’m so tired of hearing that word).  My message was one of “integrated responsibility”, and this ahead of any perceived “rights”.  I used the Gospel message of One Body with many parts, and tried to illuminate the vital need in life for each of us to see ourselves as a part of a bigger “whole”, and then to exercise our God-given responsibility within that larger existence.  I advised these future leaders that the Gospel of Christ is not simply a right to be claimed, though it IS the “Ultimate Right”, overcoming the offense of sin.  Using the illustration that the Apostle Paul provides us in 1Corinthians 12, I spoke of our need to seize our responsibility within this Greater Body, living out the Gospel by “one-anothering” as an integrated part of our salvation.

Integration has long been at the heart of Hills and Hollers Ministries.  After all, this concept is what relationship is all about; seeing the interconnectedness of ourselves with another and then exercising our responsibility within that union.  Integration is NOT about using someone else’s resources to benefit our own quest.  It is about recognizing how our personal gifts and talents can build up a needful part of the Body, thus bringing improved health to the Greater Whole!  This is just as true for individual people as it is for businesses and ministry organizations.  By necessity, integration MUST be a “reciprocal” undertaking.  Without that condition developing, the growth of the Body is stunted.  “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part if honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1Cor. 12:26)


As I go about my daily ministry here in the hills and hollers, I am saddened as I see “contribution” being a substitute for real integration.  Opportunities for relationship are often bypassed for the sake of accomplishment of a mission.  Personally, I try to connect at a deeper level with everyone who comes to our ministry center in search of assistance, desiring to discover how our “parts” might draw health from each other.  I pray that each of us look outside of the sphere of our current relationships to draw an appreciation for the Greater Whole… and then discover our responsibility within it!

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