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.

"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.

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.