Living in faith, hope and Love

Stereotypes.

They’re often based on partial truths.

So it is with this week’s conversation.

“Healing in the church.”

(pause while memories flood back in, and some choose to click, “Delete”)

It’s the wheat and the weeds.  (see Jesus’ story from Matthew 13 here.)

You can’t pull up the weeds without destroying the crop.

Pulling them up is the same as tossing them out.

We tend to pull up the “weed” healers and toss them out.

And we lose the crop.

But…Jesus was serious about healing.

He healed the sick and the lame.

He healed those afflicted with spiritual maladies.

He healed those who were wounded by a cruel culture.

He healed those who couldn’t see.

He healed those who didn’t expect it or deserve it.

Because he came to heal and restore all of God’s world.

That’s good news.

That’s literally what “gospel” means.

(pause)

We need healing.

Our spirits are wounded.

Our relationships are poisoned.

Our bodies are breaking down.

Our minds are afflicted with lies.

Our emotions are inflamed.

Our finances are riddled with disease.

(pause for honest reflection)

We need the real crop.

We need the healing power of the gospel of Jesus.

So does every person you meet this week.

That’s why we’re committed to igniting the H.O.P.E. of the gospel.

It’s not just a doctrine…it’s a revolution of life.

It’s real hope.

-Pastor Mark

P.S.  If you have a story of healing thru the gospel, please consider sharing it below.

When I was growing up I learned to say, “It’s good enough for government work.”  IOW, do the job in a haphazard way, then move on.  Now that I live in the DC area and have many friends who work for the government, I’ve stricken that phrase from my vocabulary.  But that dangerous syndrome is not limited to one sector.

It happens in almost every arena of life. Class assignments, business presentations, home projects, volunteer responsibilities, and even relationship conversations.  It’s the “good-enough” syndrome.  And it can infect like a virus, with dangerous consequence.

The “good-enough” syndrome is the antithesis of the fruitless search for perfection.  Neither are healthy. But one place where the “good-enough” syndrome can rear it’s ugly head is in our church.  In particular, in our Unleash campaign.  Let me explain.

We know that the children and students here at Seneca Creek have had to deal with makeshift and sometimes bizarre accommodations when they meet on Sundays.  They’ve done this for over five years, while the adults have had the comfort of the auditorium which took the lions’ share of the budget during our initial construction in 2010.  Because of this we realized the need to create space for children and students that said, “You matter to us!”  So for the past two and a half years we’ve pulled together and made financial sacrifices to accomplish the goal of “Unleashing new ministry space for generations to come.”

As of this moment, we’re REAL CLOSE.  (We have $1.1M of the $1.3M goal!) Some might even be tempted to say, “Close enough…good enough.”  And when the constructions starts in the next few weeks, that temptation will grow even stronger.

I’m asking you to resist that temptation.  Resist the “good-enough” syndrome.  Because it’s a lie.  Our project goal is $1.3 million.  And if we stop at $1.1M, or $1.2M, or even $1.25M, we will not be able to do each of the important things that we set out to do.  It’s not that we’ll have plastic seats instead of leather (as an example).  It’s that we won’t be able to get the “seats” at all.

So as you prayerfully consider what God may be calling you to do in regard to the Unleash campaign, I urge you to resist the “good-enough” syndrome.  Instead, join with me in saying, “we will finish what we started, and settle for nothing less!”

Thank you again for your faithful support in every way.  We’ll have more details about the construction phase very soon.  I look forward to how God is going to use this space for his purposes!

-Pastor Mark

Two weeks ago I wrote on this blog that we would begin to explore the phrase, “Ignite H.O.P.E.”  But I can’t. Because there’s something else that demands center stage this week.  I can’t NOT write about it.

It’s about a life well-lived, and a man we’ll never forget who is gone too soon.  Yes, I’m referring to Mario Ortiz.  His body was laid to rest earlier this week, but his memories are everywhere, and his influence is deeper and wider than almost anyone realized.

I’ve listened to and read many stories in the last week and a half.  Stories of how one man touched so many lives.  It was my privilege to know Mario, and to serve alongside him at Seneca Creek for many years.  And like so many others, I’m tempted to think, “there will never be anyone who can replace him.”  But then I started to ask myself, “Why is that?”

What I’ve come to believe is that Mario had the impact on people (and churches) that he did for one simple reason: He lived the life that Jesus calls his followers to live.

• He loved God, as evident in his time spent in prayer, Bible study, and worship.
• And he loved people, as evident in his generous, gracious, humble service to everyone he met. (You can’t love someone without serving them.)  And as evident by his desire to introduce them to Jesus so they could experience the same life that he had found in Christ.

It wasn’t any more complicated than that.  Which makes me stop and ask, “Why aren’t there more people just like Mario?”  We can’t replace him, but why can’t we “join him” in living that kind of life?  And the answer is, because too often we choose not to live the life that Jesus called us to live.  Our love for God, and our love for people gets squeezed out and crowded out.  It happens to all of us.  Including me.

So here’s my challenge to all of us.  Let’s learn a powerful lesson together.  And as the sobering reality of a church without Mario sinks in, let’s choose to step up.  Not to imitate Mario, but to imitate Christ.  Because that’s what we saw in him.  That’s what we miss in him.  And that’s what we can all become if we will do the simple things that Mario did.  Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  And love others as we love ourselves.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

-Pastor Mark

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

NOTE: If you landed on this page looking for the article about the most important thing you’ve lost, please click here and you’ll be directed to the appropriate blog entry.  Apologies for the confusion.  -Mark T.

Last week my computer started behaving badly.  Apparently it picked up a nasty virus somewhere, and I spent the better part of a morning trying to get everything functioning normally.  A computer virus is a first world problem.  A life-virus is a more serious problem.

Computer viruses (virii?) are instructions that govern your computer’s operation in unhealthy ways.  Too often we have “life-viruses” that govern our life’s operating system in unhealthy ways.  Here are some of the more prevalent viruses:

• We believe that our value is based on our performance
• We believe that life is better if we trust no one
• We believe that we should conceal our weaknesses in order to stay strong
• We believe that Jesus is only interested in the life after this life
• We believe that having more stuff is the pathway to happiness
• We believe that God only cares about certain kinds of people

These little “operating instructions” get into our lives and begin to do their nasty work.

• They mess up our relationships.
• They drive us into debt or workaholism.
• They prevent us from being who we really are.
• They lead to chronic loneliness.
• And they cut us off from the life Jesus calls us to.

It’s considered foolish to operate a computer without any antivirus protection.  So what about running life without antivirus protection?

The best antivirus for life is the truth about who God is, who we are, and why we’re here.  You won’t find that on the evening news, or on Facebook or Pinterest or Instagram.  You’ll find it in God’s revelation about himself.  Beginning with the Bible.

And if you’d like help understanding what that is, be sure to join us every Sunday at 8:30, 10:00, or 11:30.  Together we’ll root out the nasty viruses that the Enemy keeps trying to sneak into our lives.  Think of it as running a weekly antivirus scan on your life.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. If you missed last Sunday (and the Baptism Celebration), we looked at reasons to believe that the Bible actually IS God’s revelation to us.  You can check it out here.

The light turned green, and the car in front of me didn’t move. Knowing it was a short light, and knowing there were other cars behind me, I tapped the horn.  Nothing.  Then I tapped it longer.  WHOA!

I got the proverbial finger from the driver who was clearly doing something other than paying attention.  I’m thinking, “Seriously, dude?  You’re playing on your phone when you should be driving, and your response to me is flipping me the bird?”  Here’s his license plate number… (HAH…I’m not that kinda pastor!)

But this guy’s not alone.  Not by a long shot.  Increasingly our response to those who point out something we don’t like who represent something we disagree with is to react with hostility, anger, or worse.  In short, we retreat into an “us vs. them” mentality.  The other person becomes the enemy of whatever I’m engaged with.

• It could be a political enemy (too many examples to cite)
• A cultural enemy (i.e. someone who doesn’t share my culture)
• A racial enemy
• An economic enemy (the haves vs. the have nots)
• A gender enemy (“figures it would be a man/woman/teen/etc.”)

You pick.  But the root issue here is that we end up treating the other person as our enemy.  And in reality, they’re not.  At most, they’re victims of the real Enemy.  The phrase I often repeat to myself goes like this: There IS an enemy, and YOU’RE not him.”  Because we can be easily fooled.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Ephesians 4:26-27

So the next time you’re tempted to demonize or dismiss or degrade or dehumanize someone for their position, their rank, their status, their skin color, their political view, their orientation, or their faith (or lack thereof), let me urge you to stop and consider who the real enemy is.  And refuse to fall for his tricks.  That other person, regardless of their background, is an image bearer of God.  And if we choose to treat them as anything less we will diminish them, diminish ourselves, and delight the real Enemy.  Let your motto be this: disagree with dignity

Disagree with dignity.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. Don’t miss our new series, “Really, God?” that continues this Sunday.  Bonus this week: Baptism Celebration!

Despite our best efforts, the problem is not going away.  The events in the news don’t inspire a great deal of confidence in our ability to deal with the very real problems facing our world.

• Terrorism threatens even people who thought they lived in peaceful democracies.
• Refugees stream from their homelands in a desperate desire to survive.
• Nuclear saber-rattling by unstable governments threatens millions more.
• Corruption and greed keep untold millions in abject poverty while piling up unspendable riches in the hands of a tiny minority.
• Name-calling and fear-mongering are the relentless tactics of those vying for power and votes.
• And fear, anger and bitterness create a toxic brew of tribalism and racism that erupt in seemingly random acts of violence.
• To say nothing of the endless ways in which we attempt to manipulate others in order to get what we really want. Or the ways in which we hide our true selves in fear that others will reject us if they only knew…

It’s clear to even the most distracted observer that something is seriously wrong with our world.  With our institutions.  And with us.

Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but violence, sophisticated weaponry, isolation, legislation, and angry rhetoric are not solving the troubles that afflict our world.  Or our personal lives.

And this is exactly why Easter matters.  Good Friday, the cross, the horror, the darkness, and of course, Resurrection Sunday.  It’s not just a “church story” or a religious thing.  It’s the absolutely essential answer to the problems that won’t seem to go away.

Don’t miss out this year.

Good Friday – 6:30 and 8:00 pm

Easter Sunday – 8:00, 9:15, 10:30 and 11:45 am

See you there.

-Pastor Mark

The church, and much of the Western world, celebrates the arrival of a baby boy in the Middle East.  We call it Christmas, and it is an event worth celebrating.  But maybe we’ve got it mixed up…

Maybe we should be celebrating more at this time of the year than we do at Christmas.  Because as remarkable as Christmas is, it pales in comparison to the season that’s right in front of us.  The Advent (or arrival) of God’s Son is only the warm-up for what he would go on to accomplish 30 some years later.  At Easter we remember Jesus’ sacrificial, substitutionary death on our behalf, and his triumphant resurrection and victory over the power of death.

To put it in comparison, it would be like looking at someone’s baby picture on Facebook, and then comparing it to their LinkedIn profile.  The first one is memorable (and maybe even cute), the second one is how they’ve impacted the world, and possibly our own lives.

Now before you fire up your keyboard and comment on the significance of Jesus’ birth, let me say this: I’m not dismissing the significance of his arrival.  It was the fulfillment of prophecy, the implementation of God’s plan for restoration, the demonstration of the Father’s love for his creation, and on and on.  That’s why the angels announced it and sang, “Glory to God in the highest…”  When he arrived, it was, quite literally, “God with us.”  Emmanuel.  That’s something worth celebrating and remembering!

But if it ended there it would be a very different story.

Instead, we can look past the baby picture, examine the LinkedIn profile, and see what Jesus accomplished.

• He grew up in a forgettable village
• He lived a remarkable life as a young adult
• He cultivated a revolutionary community of love
• He spoke truth to power in a power-hungry and power-abusive environment
• He took on himself the weight of all our sin.
• He carried it to the grave, and conquered sin, death, and fear
• He rose again and invited any and all to a new kind of life

And that is what makes all the difference.  For me.  For you.  For anyone who will follow him.

So no matter how cute the baby picture is, it’s the LinkedIn profile that changed my life.  And maybe yours.  Which brings me back to the celebration.  Maybe we should be exchanging gifts at Easter.  Because that’s the event that we must not ever forget.

This year, maybe the best Easter gift you can give is to invite someone to hear the story of Jesus and the offer he makes.  Who will you invite this year?

– Pastor Mark

P.S. If you’re not sure who to invite, or how to do that, why not pray and ask God to show you.  I’m pretty sure he has some ideas, and I KNOW he is capable of communicating to any of us.

Sam (not his real name) had a “bad day.” Despite his impressive resume, doctoral degree, successful career and financial security, he snapped and killed his wife.

His life sentence appeared to be a dead-end for his life purpose.  All that talent, education and opportunity flushed down the toilet of regret.

And yet, God is in the restoration business.

Sam had the privilege of meeting a jail ministry volunteer named Rosco (yes, that Rosco…OUR Rosco).  Rosco shared the good news, the HOPE of Christ.  The message of the God of restoration.  And God began to work.

Sam was relocated to a maximum security prison to serve out his sentence.  Rosco continued to encourage him to discover God’s purpose despite his situation.  And recently he reached out to Rosco to share the following:

“I’ve been on a spiritual journey…now I know God’s purpose for my life.  Now I understand the big picture and how all the pieces fit together.  This has eliminated my stress…and increased my contentment.

I pray that everyone experiences the same sense of hope and joy that comes from discovering what God has put them on this earth to do.  God would not give us abilities, interest, talents, gifts, personality and life experiences unless He intended to use them for his glory.  We were born by his purpose and for his purpose!

I understand that God…wants us to be transformed individuals with renewed minds, living to obey him, glorifying his name, magnifying his honor, and praising his power.  Because he wants only what is best for us and he gave his Son to make our new lives possible, we should joyfully give entirely of ourselves as living sacrifices for his service.

We were created to serve God; we were saved to serve God; we were called to serve God; and we were commanded to serve God.  And we serve God by serving others with love and unselfishness.  (emphasis added)

He goes on to thank Rosco for his support and encouragement, recognizing that Rosco was sent by God at the moment he needed him most.

Can God restore a life after a colossal failure?  Sam would say, “absolutely…just look at me.”  Can God still accomplish his purposes after we’ve drifted, wandered, ignored and squandered?  Absolutely.  All that’s required is that we turn and walk back toward God.  And he’ll help us see the big picture, understand our purpose, and live a rewarding life as part of his incredible plan.  As the Bishop reminded us last Sunday, God’s promise still stands:

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.  Jeremiah 33:4

God is in the restoration business.  Let him restore your life for his great purposes.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. If you’d like a jump start in discovering your purpose, I urge you to register for the Spring session of “Rooted.”  For ten amazing weeks we’ll discover how to connect with God, with his church, and with our purpose.  Click here to register. (See more at: http://senecacreek.org/happenings.html#sthash.3Sp8f6KX.dpuf )

First, this is NOT an attempt to bash the person who made the honest comment.  Second, most of us THINK that way at times, but don’t bother to say anything…or don’t have the courage to say it.

I read the comments that are turned in each week.  Usually they’re quite encouraging.  Sometimes they’re thought provoking.  And then there are comments that help me realize that we’re all on a journey, and we’re not there yet.

Last week one of the comments went something like this, “I liked the dance…but not the reggae version of Never Let Go.”  (I couldn’t agree more about the dance, by the way.  It was powerful!)  Again, I’m not trying to bash whoever made the comment.  But when I read it, I couldn’t help think of what I saw happening as that song started last Sunday.  I saw a couple people who are from “the islands” immediately engage.  I even leaned over and pointed them out to my wife.  It was as though they could suddenly connect in a vibrant expression of worship!  And I thought at the time, “That’s so awesome that they can connect like that here in Gaithersburg, thousands of miles away from the islands.”  So when I read the comment from the Connection Card, I realized that what one person doesn’t appreciate can absolutely overwhelm the person sitting next to them.

It’s not about me.  Or you.

It’s about the God we worship.

Confession: I don’t always like the songs we do, either.  Even though I appreciate a broad diversity of styles, there are some that don’t do much for me.  (Those closest to me know what those styles are.  I won’t tell the rest of you.)  And while I could “pull rank” and banish those songs, I won’t.  Because, well, it’s not about me.  (More confession: On rare occasions I’ve asked Dave to retire a song, but only because it was just plain bad…not because of it’s style.)

In a church that is reaching a variety of cultures, we will have a growing variety of cultural expressions like music.  The goal is not to try to offend any of us…or all of us.  The goal is to become a multi-cultural expression of praise to the God who made us.

So the next time you find yourself wanting to “check out” because the music isn’t one of your favorites (and we’ve all been there), I encourage you to look around.  Find someone who is “checking in” at that moment.  And celebrate together with them that they’re able to express their gratitude and worship to the God who made us…with unimaginable diversity!

-Pastor Mark