Mendham Hills

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?