I left the house the other day without my smart phone.  Not a smart move.  Half the things on my list couldn’t be done easily without the phone.  Even accessing my list of things to do was impossible!

It’s easy to forget important things.  Here’s another painful example.  Many of you remember our year-long challenge (called the “celebration challenge”) to memorize 25 verses of the Bible.  It was a way to celebrate 25 years of God’s faithfulness to us as a church.  It’s only been six months since we concluded that challenge.

How many of those 25 verses can you remember?  (Hint: click here to see them all again.)

What about when you forget where you’re going?  That’s pretty important, right?  Without that info, you can wander aimlessly and even get yourself into dangerous situations.

Several years ago we selected a phrase, put it on T-shirts, made banners, etc.  It was a phrase that captured our vision as a church.  A phrase that described where we wanted to go as a church.  A phrase that captured our imagination and our hearts.  It’s a phrase we still use to this day.  But I wonder how many of us have forgotten what it means.  I wonder how many of us have gotten caught up in the day to day routines, the weekly responsibilities, and the annual cycles of seasons…and yet have forgotten the real power of this important phrase.  The phrase is simple: Ignite H.O.P.E.

But what does that mean?  Besides the fact that everyone wants hope.  Why is it an acronym?  What do the letters stand for?  More importantly, how do they guide our lives and our church?  The short answer is this:

• Heal the whole person
• Offer to serve
• Promote reconciliation
• Empower others for a purpose

But what does that mean for us?  For you?  Have we forgotten?  Over the next few weeks I want to revisit this important phrase in these blog posts.  And I’d like your help.  If you have examples, stories, questions, etc. about any of the four key components, please send those along to me.  You can use the comment section below, or email me or send it via Facebook message.

Because it’s too easy to forget important things.  Like where we’re headed together as a church.

-Pastor Mark