G-Harmony.com

Get right with God. Get right with others.

We're kickin' off this fall with our theme, "G-Harmony.com". And we are praying for our singles community here in Austin as we seek to provide a family atmosphere. Welcome!

Large Groups

Austin Pulse - every Thursday night singles in their 30s and 40s gather in the cafe at HCBC-NW to connect with each other and discover what God has to say to us through his word.

Single Purpose - every Sunday morning you can expect some great food and fellowship as well as teaching. This 40-50 something group knows how to cook!

We are grateful these two gatherings are family-friendly, as childcare is available for both.

Small Groups

SiNK - every Sunday night a group of singles without kids gathers at our Sparrow's Nest for "family" dinner together and a time in God's word. We've been talking about our interactions with others in our personal and professional relationships.

Proactive Single Parenting - Sunday mornings provide an opportunity to get together and benefit from others who experience similar challenges as single parents. Childcare is also available during this time.

AXIS - this is a group of 40 somethings that meets on Sunday mornings. Childcare is available.

REALife groups - other adult and child-friendly small groups meet at various times throughout the week.

Wherever you are in life, there is a group just for you!

One-to-one

Real Dealin'. It's one of my most favorite pastimes, especially at my Watercube. We also provide one-on-one man-to-man and mam-to-mam opportunities for mentoring, discipleship and leadership development. From heart change to impact, we believe in the power of God to change lives. And there is nothing more exciting than to walk with someone through that process. Start with your heart and the sky's the limit to your impact for the kingdom! Let God work in your person and He will transform your profession.

Special Events and Activities

We look forward to all sorts of planned adult and child/family-friendly activities designed to reach out to our Austin singles community, like the BBQ Cookout in August and our Sunset Dinner Cruise on Lake Travis last July!

Retreats

It's only a couple of weeks away! We are looking forward to our fall retreat in the Texas Hill Country. Our team is busy planning for an awesome weekend.

Communications

Visit our singles website for information and access to online resources such as iShare and Facebook where you can connect with others and register for special events.

Leadership

We are excited watching our ministry and leadership teams develop via gifts-based ministry. Who will God raise up to own their ministry and join our team? How exciting to be a part of what God has, is and will continue to do through our singles community here in Austin and the surrounding central Texas area.

"Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.' (Nehemiah 1:8-9 NIV)

Pastoral Care

Premarital and Biblical Guidance Counseling

Job Seekers

Divorce Care and Recovery

Celebrate Recovery for our hurts, habits and hang-ups

Financial Peace

Grief Share

Baptism, Membership & Child Dedication

Pastor Tim gave us two fabulous messages this summer. They really show us the difference between sharing our life with someone vs. building a life together. Watch them both! Whether you're single and dating or not, single again due to divorce or being widowed, separated or happily or struggling married, you shouldn't miss this! Here are the links:

Seducer or Committed? (part 1)

Seducer or Committed? (part 2)

We are encouraged to watch some of the fruits of our first three years here in Texas blossom as we transition to Austin singles family ministry. Our REALife groups have multiplied, including our young marrieds quickly turning into young families! Spanish ministries are taking off under their new pastor. The Steiner Ranch video venue launched last fall continues to grow. We've been excited to counsel those pursuing marriage and participate in their big day. Eric has also enjoyed providing biblical guidance, visitation and in some cases, ushering some people into heaven. This just scratches the surface of what God's been busy doing. There's lots happening and we are convinced God will continue to show up wherever we are and whatever we are doing! After all, THAT's our story.

Watch for our next quarterly blog entry!

2011 will be here before we know it.

Many Blessings,

Eric and Caren

The Bird's Nest, Water Cube AND Egg

"The Bird's Nest"... the National Stadium. It's the place where

people globally gathered for the opening and closing of the

Beijing Olympics. We love gathering and nesting here on

Sparrow!

"The Water Cube"... the National Aquatics Centre. In Chinese

culture, water creates a calming atmosphere and inspires

happiness. Living in Texas, "watercubing" has become a way

of life. I love my "bird bath."

"The Egg"... the Grand Theater. A first class art palace.

Opposite the Forbidden City, one of China's architectural

marvels and the country's most revered landmark.

God is The Master Craftsman who has made each one

of us a work of art. We are his masterpiece.

REALife Egg Babies

Remember "egg babies?"

I recall having to carry

around hard boiled eggs

for my high school sophomore

health class. Fortunately

I was paired up with a guy

who loved football and he

was very excited to be paired up with a girl who did too.

So we decided on "twins": Baby Fencik #45 and Baby

Plank #46 of the Chicago Bears. They travelled to youth

group and every place we ventured without getting

damaged or "egg-napped". We were excellent "parents!"

It was only after the project was over someone

grabbed the shoe box nursery in the hallway at school,

removed the eggs and threw Fencik and Plank against

the wall into retirement.

Last year we challenged our young marrieds REALife

group to multiply since we were up to 24 people plus

some kiddos. They took us very seriously. Not only did

the birdies fly the nest to create another group, they are

populating their own: Six babies - 4 of them coming in

December! AND two foster kids. WOW. Coming soon:

Baby Scouten 8/1; Baby Thorpe 12/8; Baby Scharfe

12/15; Baby Gaither 12/19; Baby Marek 12/19; Baby

DeKay 1/15. And "Munchkins on Loan" Babies

Whitson joined our new group in March. After a sad

loss of one of their own in February, our young

marrieds would discover the very next month God was

at work hand-crafting little blessings of new life. Wow.

Helping and Healing Hands

I love painted ponies. I picked this up several years ago

after a trip to Durango, Colorado. I was looking for

something Cherokee since Eric is 1/4 American Indian

and something that represented our ministry to families

over the past couple of decades.

I am grateful to 4 people this

year whose helping and healing

hands have helped me

tremendously: my aquatics

instructor, my yoga teacher, my

chiropractor and my masseuse.

I've had this photo for years.

Only recently did I realize it is a

picture of a baby in the womb

being operated on for

spina bifida. My recent back

x-ray showed in addition to

the scoliosis I've had since birth I had some degenerative

disks in my neck and the mildest form of spina bifida,

occulta. Wow. I am so grateful for people who are

"putting me back together again."

Our newest "baby"... Eric will be moving over to be the

Singles Pastor here in Austin at our church,

Hill Country Bible Church - Northwest, in July (yes,

we can stay married!) Please pray for us and the singles

in the Austin area as we adjust to his new role and leave

behind the ministries we've invested in here for the past

3 years. We are excited about our new adventure!

By the way, Hoehn translates to "chicken farmer." How

appropriate.

"Without God's touch in our lives - His work in us to

will and to do His good pleasure - there is no sparkle

or scant joy. But when we allow Him to work within

us - when we feel His hand upon us - we are no

longer hidden treasures; we become sparkling jewels

that beautify His Kingdom." - from Devotions for a

Sensational Life

more about sparkling jewels later...

"RE-__________"

"A Life Well Lived"

In February, we lost one of our young marrieds. Devin and Mati McGovern were married for 4 years, 4 months and 4 days. Last year I drove to San Antonio for Mati's citizenship ceremony; less than a year later Eric presided over a 37-year-old friend's funeral with his wife and our friend, widowed at age 33.

We miss Devin so much already. He was a wonderful person and can't hardly be forgotten. But "it's not goodbye... it's just see ya later." THAT means there is a reunion to look forward to! I cannot wait to see how God is going to continue to use Mati to minister to and through others as He unfolds her future while healing her broken heart. For God is the Master of transforming broken hearts and shattered dreams. Only He can put us back together again.

"To grow spiritually, our commitment must be reviewed and renewed often. As we rededicate ourselves to God, our lives become altars to Him." - from a stack of handwritten note cards Devin's wife Mati found in his car.

"Some People Change"

We kicked off 2010 with Pastor Tim's new series, Recovering God's Image In Me and took it online via Facebook. Thanks to all those who participated directly and indirectly. I pray you will unearth God's treasure in you and share it with others. And keep the conversations coming. I love connecting with y'all and marvel at what you've faced in life and how you've tried to navigate in order to move forward. Don't give up. Remember... some people change!

"Munchkins on Loan"

Check out our veteran REALife group members' new additions, or "Munchkins On Loan" as they call them! We are so proud of newlyweds Mike and Stephanie Whitson for their leap of faith into instant parenthood. We know God will bless their efforts to re-direct little lives at a time when they need it most. Share in their adventures via their blog: http://www.munchkinsonloan.blogspot.com/

"RE-MEMBERING involves putting ourselves back together, recovering our identity, reclaiming the wholeness of our lives. When we forget who we are we do not merely drop some data. We dis-member ourselves, with unhappy consequences for our work and hearts." - Parker J. Palmer

Deuteronomy 8 (The Message)

1-5 Keep and live out the entire commandment that I'm commanding you today so that you'll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God's mouth. Your clothes didn't wear out and your feet didn't blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child.

6-9 So it's paramount that you keep the commandments of God, your God, walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him. God is about to bring you into a good land, a land with brooks and rivers, springs and lakes, streams out of the hills and through the valleys. It's a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figs and pomegranates, of olives, oil, and honey. It's land where you'll never go hungry—always food on the table and a roof over your head. It's a land where you'll get iron out of rocks and mine copper from the hills.

10 After a meal, satisfied, bless God, your God, for the good land he has given you.

11-16 Make sure you don't forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God, the God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery; the God who led you through that huge and fearsome wilderness, those desolate, arid badlands crawling with fiery snakes and scorpions; the God who gave you water gushing from hard rock; the God who gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never heard of, in order to give you a taste of the hard life, to test you so that you would be prepared to live well in the days ahead of you.

17-18 If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich. It's all mine!"—well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today.

19-20 If you forget, forget God, your God, and start taking up with other gods, serving and worshiping them, I'm on record right now as giving you firm warning: that will be the end of you; I mean it—destruction. You'll go to your doom—the same as the nations God is destroying before you; doom because you wouldn't obey the Voice of God, your God.