Mendham Hills

The brutal honesty of the Psalms continues this week with a sincere inward reflection. We have, as followers of Jesus, been adopted by God, forgiven, restored and renewed. We are "joint heirs" of an unspeakably glorious Kingdom, blessed with an unfathomable inheritance. Many of us know these truths - we can memorize and recite them, right down to the biblical passage from which they are drawn. Yet, and here comes the honesty of the Psalms, why am I still so unfulfilled? The Psalmists, much like each of us, cries out to God, "Why is there so much turmoil in me and why does the mourning just go on and on?" This Sunday at Mendham Hills, come wrestle with God and allow your heart to discover and feel what your head already knows.

As a culture, we've been educated about things like proper diet and effective exercise, and as a result, we've gotten much better about taking care of ourselves. Many of us have made lifestyle changes with regard to what we eat, and some of us have even joined a gym...all in an attempt to feel better and enjoy a better quality of life. Now, let me ask you a question - how have you educated yourself and what have you done to take care of the most important part of your being? I'm talking about your soul - that intangible and mystical part of each of us that represents the very core of our personhood. Did you know that your soul can get tired? Is yours? This Sunday at Mendham Hills as Bono sings Psalm 23 we'll diagnose the problem and look for answers for an epidemic among us: soul fatigue. Are you weary? Come and find rest.

Inspired by the conflict in Northern Ireland, U2 released one of their iconic recordings - Sunday Bloody Sunday - in 1983. The song lyrically poses a question common to the writers of the Scriptures, "How long, how long must we sing this song?" While spending this week walking in some of the poorest places on earth - dry, hot and broken places - I found myself asking the same question: how long Lord, how much longer must we sing this same song? This week as we kick off our new series, "David & Bono | When the Word Sings," we'll take an honest look at the pain in the world, and try to figure out together how to sing a new song.

When I was a kid, I attended a lot of weddings, participated in a lot of weddings, and loved it all - the food, the music, and the dancing. But until I got married, I didn't realize just how much planning and work it takes to make a wedding happen. Choosing the venue, the caterer, the photographer, the florist, the dress, the tuxes or suits (and on and on it goes) requires a lot of research and investigation. A lot of TIME. It's exhausting. Can you imagine doing all that work, investing all that energy into planning the perfect day and then forgetting to invite anyone? All your effort would be wasted. In the Bible, Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a "great banquet" - a perfectly prepared celebration like nothing we've attended before. And guess what? He sent out invitations! "The pleasure of your company is requested" at the celebration at MHCC this Sunday as we look at the power held in a simple invitation - the power to change a life for eternity.

The concept of a God for many people, maybe for you, is somewhat abstract. We love the idea of "a God." We certainly hope for a benevolent deity, but in the day-to-day, it sure would be nice to have a more tangible presence. When life gets tough, I would really love to have a "God with skin on" to go to. In the final days of the life of Jesus, we see that God saw fit to provide just what His children were looking for - a very real and present Father. This Father's Day, we will ask the dads among us to take a note. Our kids need the same thing... "a Father with skin on."

In what I believe will be one of our more powerful gatherings of the year, this Sunday we take a hard look at what we are ashamed of. Perhaps nothing impacts our own identities more than who it is we "hang out" with. We want to be seen as cool and popular, so we strive to be seen with, well, the cool and popular. Maybe we even have some public friends (the ones we want to be seen with) and some private friends (the ones we invite to our homes, but not out for dinner). Who do you want to be identified with? Or identified as? And does it matter? As we prepare for our annual baptism gathering in a couple of weeks, a question echoes across the centuries that each of us must answer: Who do you want to be identified with and who are you ashamed of? It matters...it really matters.

I lose things - lots of things - all the time. I lose keys and coats, phones and cards. It is so bad that for Christmas, my daughter got me Bluetooth-enabled discs to attach to my keys and wallet. Heck, as I write this, I can't find my new winter jacket. Most of the time I find my stuff, and when I don't. it can be replaced. Have you ever lost something irreplaceable - something you can't simply go to the store and buy new? Maybe a parent, a friend, a child? That's a profound level of loss and one worthy of not only mourning, but a search to end all searches. This week, in perhaps the most revealing chapter in his book, Luke proposes that we take a look at things valued and things lost. Search parties and homecoming celebrations - this Sunday at MHCC.

"I'm bored." Has that thought ever crossed your mind during a conversation with someone? It has for me. And, it has happened during my conversations with God as much as with another person. Does that surprise you? Now, I have listened to preachers tell me all about the benefits of prayer. I have read books that sing of the joys of prayer. And still, as I am praying, that thought can pop into my head..."I'm bored." But, prayer isn't boring. So why does it so often seem that way? Come to Mendham Hills this Memorial Day weekend and together, let's find out why.

In 2013, Forbes published an article entitled, "The 35 Questions That Will Change Your Life." There are some pretty good questions on that list: What is your WHY? If you weren't scared, what would you do? Are your "shoulds" getting in the way of your happiness? These are good, deep questions, worthy of reflection. Jesus, as recorded in detail by the physician, Luke, asks THE most profound question of all time. How we answer that question has greater temporal and eternal impact than any question ever asked. How you answer that question has the ability to usher you into the life you have been looking for here on this earth and into the life to come. We all have to answer this one simple question, and the truth is that we have all answered Jesus. So, what's your answer? Are you sure?

My wife loves to garden. To me, it seems like hard and dirty work, but she finds it relaxing. To me, the couch is relaxing. To my wife, crawling around in the dirt and breaking up the soil restores her soul. This Mother's Day, after you hit the Mother's Day Photo Booth, listen as Luke relates the story of a gardener, soil, seeds, and souls. Has your heart grown hard? Has your soul grown weary? Was there a time in your life when passion for today and vision for tomorrow was the norm, and now you are just trying to make it through the day? This Sunday, with a special nod to moms interested in sowing a heart for God in their kids, we take a second look at our soul and the seeds of life that need to be sown and grown.

I'm not sure how it developed, but there is an age-old question that all of us have been asked, or pondered ourselves: "Would you rather be deaf or blind?" In fact, if you "google it," there are nearly 700,000 responses. This Sunday, we wrestle with the same question. Luke recounts a story of Jesus and offers up a second opinion on what it is we think we see. At one point, Jesus asks a haunting question: "Do you see this woman?" I think He is still asking you and me that same question. How well do we see each other? Who do we see when we look in the mirror? This Sunday, we get a second opinion on our eyesight. Maybe, just maybe, you have been looking at things and seeing people - even yourself - incorrectly. May you have eyes to see.

Luke, the physician and author of the most detailed account of Jesus, continues to offer us a second opinion on life and faith. Ever feel like you have been sold "a bill of goods?" The product you sacrificed to save for and purchased, in retrospect, turned out to be so much less than promised. I have had vacations like this and cars like this - heck, I just got a pair of Groupon shoes like this! The product did not live up to the promise. This can be disappointing when it comes to cars, but debilitating when it comes to faith. Has your experience with Christianity not lived up to the promises you felt were made? Were you lied to? Want to know what happened? This Sunday, come and get a second opinion.

Oscar Wilde once quipped, "I can resist anything except temptation." We all know it, we have all felt it, and at one time or another we have given in to it - temptation. This Sunday, we kick off a new series with a focus on lessons we can learn from the book of Luke. Jesus no sooner starts his ministry and He is immediately led into temptation. Can you relate? Wilde would go on to say, "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." Is that true? What do all of our temptations have in common? How did Jesus overcome? How can you? It's time to stand up to temptation before it's too late - let's start together this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

In Part Two of our series, "Who Is This Man?" we take a look at a side of Jesus rarely discussed. Was He loving? Of course. Was He kind? Absolutely. Did He ever get angry? He sure did! The centuries have softened our Savior into what some would perceive to be a quiche-eating, sheep-petting lightweight. But, the truth is, being a pushover rarely gets people crucified. This Sunday, we take a look at what makes this man angry and how His justifiable anger changed the world. Will it change you?

An old saying postulates that "familiarity breeds contempt," the thought being that the more you know someone, the more you see their flaws and imperfections. There is some truth to that with regards to human relationships, but what about familiarity with regards to Jesus? In a culture where Christ saturates our history, is it possible that His ubiquity has bred a loss of reverence? Have we lost our appreciation for who He was, what He did, and what He is doing? This Sunday, we begin to take a fresh look at the inescapable Jesus and His millennials-long impact on our world. The real question is - has He impacted yours?

God is calling us into a place of uncertainty with this end in mind - it's for the sake of Jesus. It's not for the sake of accomplishing goals or of mission, it's for Him. What do our priorities look like when we filter them through this lens? In Luke 10, we are challenged to go into the world as "sheep among wolves," knowing that God's Kingdom looks upside down many people, and our very lives could be threatened. But if it's for the sake of Jesus, there is fulfillment and motivation for the mission, even in an uncertain world. This Sunday, come and hear about how we are a part of a bigger picture and how God is calling leaders here and around the world - for the sake of Jesus.

Why Am I So Afraid? - When It Comes To Fear, Nike's Right by Sunday Podcast

I recently went to a friends' house to see their new baby. When I arrived, the first thing we talked about was who the baby looked like. We said things like, "He has his nose," and, "He has her eyes." Have you had a similar experience? Parents will even be quick to say, "He got that from me!" But, as babies grow into kids, and then into teenagers, we sometimes quit claiming responsibility. Some of the things we have passed on are not what we intended. This concept stretches beyond parent/child relationships and into just about every aspect of our lives. What am I passing on to my spouse, friends, and co-workers? This week at Mendham Hills, we look at the questions - Am I passing on my faith? Or am I passing on my fear?

Fear is paralyzing. It keeps us in bad jobs, dysfunctional relationships, and firmly affixed to our couches. Trust, on the other hand, is incredibly liberating. Trust is what allows the little girl to jump off the pool ledge and into her daddy's arms. Trust is what undergirds strong marriages. Trust is what allows us to "walk on water." How can we move from fear to trust? Tired of fear keeping you stuck? This week at Mendham Hills, it's time to get out of the boat - it's water-walking time.

It's one thing to be afraid. Heck, some fear is good and for our protection. It's good to fear a pot of boiling water falling from the stove. It's good to fear the bees nest next to the swing set. Anxiety, however, is something quite different. It's like fear on steroids and it's exploding all around us. You may not have tasted it yet, but likely someone you love has. Deep anxiety and paralyzing worry are quickly becoming the plague of our day, robbing our children of their dreams and crippling the lives of many of our friends. What turns a healthy alarm into immobilizing anxiety? What is at anxiety's root? Is there something that can be done to put our minds at ease? Taming the beast of worry and anxiety - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.