Mendham Hills

He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God...how mighty? One of the reasons Christmas hope has gone the way of tinsel is that we have lost our sense of awe and wonder! The Bible teaches that in response to what God was up to at Christmas, "even the angels stood amazed as they watched these events unfold." Has the story of Christmas lost its amazement factor for you? Perhaps it's time to stand in awe again. This Sunday at Mendham Hills, join us as we discover just how great, just how awesome, just how mighty this infant lying in a manger really is and why His promise can still change your world.

Remember Christmas the way it used to be? The lights, the garland, the hope? It seems that hope has gone the way of tinsel...something that used to be a part of Christmas, but today seems kind of outdated. Is it still possible for the reality of Christmas morning to meet the expectations of Christmas Eve? Join us as we launch a Christmas trip through the decades, exploring the promise of Christmas. His name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Nothing competes with God for our hearts like money. And perhaps no one thing breaks up families and shipwrecks lives more than money. The love of it really is the root of all kinds of evil. This Sunday, we conclude our series, "In God We Trust," with a look at ten biblical principles related to our stuff - five "thou shall" and five "thou shall not" commands related to our finances. Lessons on maintaining balance in life, achieving financial freedom, living on purpose, and the use of money as a tool instead of an end-goal, as we learn to live like it really is, "In God We Trust."

How do you measure your life? How do you define it's success? Is life to be measured on a happiness scale? Is it all about relationships or legacies? Jesus literally yelled out to people just like you and me, "Watch out! Be on your guard!" For what? Well, something that we get confused about regarding the purpose of our lives - something for which Jesus saved another exclamation, "You fools!" This Sunday at Mendham Hills, a lesson on what life must not consist of.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Our hearts follow our treasure, and Jesus wants your heart. So, it's incredibly important what we do with our treasure. In light of this foundational truth, the question needs to be asked: What's the plan for your treasure? Do you have one? How can you be sure you are serving God and not money? This Sunday at Mendham Hills, an incredibly practical discussion and guide to serving the right master. Having your financial house in order has more implications to this life - and the next - than you would think.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Our hearts follow our treasure, and Jesus wants your heart. So, it's incredibly important what we do with our treasure. In light of this foundational truth, the question needs to be asked: What's the plan for your treasure? Do you have one? How can you be sure you are serving God and not money? This Sunday at Mendham Hills, an incredibly practical discussion and guide to serving the right master. Having your financial house in order has more implications to this life - and the next - than you would think.

“In God We Trust.” Really? For most of us, it’s more like, “In God We Wish,” or, “In God We Have a Backup Plan.” Have you ever noticed how easy it is to trust God with things you can’t control (where, really, you have no choice anyway…) or with the things that cost you little? Perhaps there is no greater irony than printing “In God We Trust” on our money because the truth is that our money is so often where we place our greatest trust. The Bible speaks of prayer approximately 500 times. There are less than 500 verses on faith. Money, however, is referenced over 2,000 times. In fact, 15% of the recorded words of Jesus are about money. Why? Because there is no greater suitor for your heart or threat to your soul than money. So, in whom or in what do you trust? Time to discover where our treasure really is (and our hearts) as we take a very practical look at what Jesus would not ignore - our money.

This Sunday, as we wrap up our series on God's great self-revelation statement, we get to the question you have all been asking: "What's up with the ending?" "He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation." (Exodus 34:7) Yahweh is compassionate, gracious, and maintains love to thousands, but he punishes innocent children? Well, not exactly. Yet, He is serious about the plague of generational sin. A message every parent needs to hear about Yahweh, the baggage we pass down to our kids, and finally being set free from generations of brokenness - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

We leave. Things get tough, touchy, boring, dry, or someone does something or says something that offends us and we bolt. We are outta here! We leave jobs, cities, churches, friendships and marriages. We just cut ties and move on. Yahweh, He is different. Yahweh, He stays. You see, Yahweh has a deal with you - a covenant, a promise. It's probably not what you think, but there is one thing you should know: He will suffer any hardship and pay any price to keep it. This Sunday at Mendham Hills, we discover a God "abounding in love and faithfulness," a God who keeps His promises, a God who never leaves.

God is love (at least according to the Bible). We love this attribute of God - we lean into it, we celebrate it, we highlight it to our friends. Yet, what do we do with all those stories and scriptures about His anger or His wrath? Is an angry God compatible with a loving God? If God is angry, what does that mean for me? What makes Him angry? Do I? This God - who insists we call Him Yahweh, the One who is compassionate, gracious, and abounding in love - also reveals Himself as one who, although slow to it, gets angry. Understanding a God slow to anger - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

We all know someone like this - no matter how good the situation is, how well things have worked out, or how many blessings they have, they still feel cheated. Their baseline or default emotion is anger and they are always upset about something. Yet, most of us also know someone who, no matter the challenge, the hardship or the curse, remain happy and optimistic. Their default emotion is joy. Have you ever paused in life to reflect on your own baseline emotion? How you ever wondered about God's? What is God's default feeling and position towards you, and if you really understood that and believed it, what could that change in your life? Your destiny? Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

So, God has a name and it is not God, it is Yahweh. That's what He wanted to be called. Why? Practically, what does it mean for how we relate to Him? For example, when I pray, does it really matter? Is God's mind made up already, or can it be changed? Is God unchanging or not? If He is unchanging, why would it matter if I pray? If He can be changed, well then, how should I pray? Once we begin to realize that God has a name and a person-hood, it sure does raise a lot of questions. Come get some answers - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Yahweh makes some pretty stunning claims. He refers to Himself as The Creator God, The Everlasting God and The All-Knowing God. Yet, perhaps the boldest and most startling claim is the He is "El Elyon" - The God Most High. He is The God above all the other gods. Other gods? Are there other, lesser gods? Yahweh says He is jealous over you, so are there others vying for your affections? What would that mean? How much could that explain? Starting to wonder if everything you see is not all that there is? There is an eternal battle raging, and your heart is the prize. Yahweh amongst the gods - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

So, God has a name and it is not God, it is Yahweh. That's what He wanted to be called. Why? Practically, what does it mean for how we relate to Him? For example, when I pray, does it really matter? Is God's mind made up already, or can it be changed? Is God unchanging or not? If He is unchanging, why would it matter if I pray? If He can be changed, well then, how should I pray? Once we begin to realize that God has a name and a person-hood, it sure does raise a lot of questions. Come get some answers - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Did you know God has a name - and it's not God? Does it matter that God has a name and why should anyone care? What if in revealing His name, He also revealed who He is, who is God? While the vast majority of people still believe in God, this "God" is often just a projection of their own values, morals, and ideas. The current state and history of our world attests to that danger. Together, let's discover what God has said about himself - who He says He is. His true identity and character are both far different and far better than we could ever imagine.

What a "Welcome Back" we have on tap at Mendham Hills this Sunday - it's Kickoff 2017! Come hungry for food, friends and fun, with all kinds of new surprises in store for the coming church year. This is truly a Sunday you can't afford to miss! We launch into a new season of ministry together with an introspective and inspirational look at ourselves. Who are we as a people, a community, and why do we do what we do? What's our point, our purpose, our plan? It's the perfect week to invite a friend as each and every ministry will be on display, and together we focus on squad goals for a new church year. Come and find your place!

It seems that there is an ever-increasing amount of violence in our world. Watching the news, you see the consequences of hate, bigotry and greed. So what do we do when presented with unspeakable evil and violence? Are we always called to "turn the other cheek?" Is there ever a time to stand up? To stand against? Are we allowed to express our frustration and anger? Are we allowed to ask God to eradicate evil and those propagating violence? We wrap up our summer series, David & Bono, with a look at a Psalm that is so honest and raw, it leaves us wondering - "Am I allowed to say that?"

The data is in and it is indisputable: we are a people under stress like never before. According to a recent Bloomberg article, we just broke the American Psychological Association’s all-time stress record. Money, work, the economy, and now a political environment like no other have all conspired to put us on edge. You couple these factors with the natural fears of man, including the greatest fears of all – sickness and death – and we become a people in search of some relief. Yet, the places we seek to find it often lead to dead ends, addictions, disappointments, or worse. This Sunday, David, Bono, and the Psalms teach on fear…and its relief.

"Bad company corrupts good character." How many times have you said this to your children? How many times was this said to you when you were young? It might be one of our favorite verses to quote to kids and teens alike. And while most of us believe this to be true when it comes to our kids, do we believe it's true for us? Maybe it doesn't apply because, "I'm a mature adult - I can handle it." If we want to be able to stand firm and solid in faith, the very first Psalm gives us direction on the kind of people we should surround ourselves with. Join us as we continue our summer series on the Psalms - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

"Bad company corrupts good character." How many times have you said this to your children? How many times was this said to you when you were young? It might be one of our favorite verses to quote to kids and teens alike. And while most of us believe this to be true when it comes to our kids, do we believe it's true for us? Maybe it doesn't apply because, "I'm a mature adult - I can handle it." If we want to be able to stand firm and solid in faith, the very first Psalm gives us direction on the kind of people we should surround ourselves with. Join us as we continue our summer series on the Psalms - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.