Mendham Hills

You know our reputation, don't you? Not ours at Mendham Hills necessarily, but Christians in general. If I went to the Green in Morristown and asked folks to give me one word to describe Christians, what do you think it would be? Well, as the saying goes - as much as things change, they stay the same. The early church was powerful and beautiful. It was taking Jerusalem by storm and shaking the gates of hell. But then came its first real threat. It did not come from Roman rulers or Temple leaders; it came from within. To this day, there is no force more powerful than the church, yet there is one thing that always threatens its purpose: hypocrites! This Sunday at Mendham Hills - how to handle hypocrisy and actually be who we say we are!

The science seems to have coalesced at this point regarding the key to happiness: Lower your expectations! Sure, there is some truth there that many of us do carry around some unrealistic expectations. Yet, if all we ever do is lower our expectations, then greatness, wonder, healing, achievement, and beauty wind up sacrificed on the altar of "ordinary." You, we, the people of God were created for anything but. We were made extra-ordinary, and maybe, just maybe, it's time to dream big dreams again! This Sunday, we look at the question: If we set our sights too low, do we get only what we expect?

Our whole "Groundwork" series has been based on the Bible's command to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The scripture is clear that in the battle for joy and purpose, the battle is won or lost in our minds. Science and the bible agree; as a man thinketh in his heart, so shall he be. It turns out that your thoughts matter more to your life thank you circumstances. Yet, we spend most of our lives trying to change our circumstances and not our minds. This Sunday, a practical look at how to change - how to renew your mind!

Contemporary studies agree with biblical accounts; there are few things we think about, worry about, and dream about more than money. It is both the leading cause of divorce in our country and the principal focus of most of the teachings of Jesus. Money itself is neither good nor evil, but it has boundless potential for both. There is no way we can work through a series on transforming our lives without looking at our finances. We need a new way to look at our money, and new strategies for preventing it from dominating our lives and impacting our souls. This Sunday at Mendham Hills - a fresh take on financial health!

This week in Groundwork, we try and bring some transformation to an area many of us overlook. "It is not good for man to be alone," is one of the best known lines in scripture, but the truth is that it is also one of the most important. Our culture has sent us two messages: Celebrate the self-made man, and never allow yourself to rely on anyone. Thus, we have moved from being a people deeply entwined in community to a people surrounded by fences, and at deep levels, alone. And that is not good. This week, we look at a key component to the happiness you are pursuing - relationships!

"I just lost it!" or, "I couldn't take it anymore!" Ever begin a story like that? They usually end with, "So I told her to go…" or, "I let him have it!" Now, in hindsight we often wish our "cooler head" had prevailed, but man, when our emotions kick in, there is just no telling where they might lead. As the classic question goes - do you control your emotions or do your emotions control you? This week, we look at how to make advances, how to bring transformation to our emotional lives. Emotions are not the problem, it is losing control over them which has wrecked life after life. This Sunday, how to regain control of the monster of our emotions!

This Sunday we begin our much-anticipated series, "Groundwork." You don't want to miss even one of the next eight weeks if you can help it, as we commit together to making 2015 different in seven vital areas of our lives. This week we hand out the notebooks (yes, notebooks!) and class is in session as we start to put the key structures for change in place. It's January and everyone hopes the new year will bring growth and transformation, but there is one secret that unlocks the key. Paul put it this way - "I run, not being in any doubt as to my goal. I am a boxer who does not inflict blows on the air." Tired of swinging and missing? Time for us to set some goals.

Hopefully after last week, you are convinced of the spiritual necessity of goals. If we are going to start setting them, though, there is no better or more important place to start than with our spiritual health. The Bible instructs us not to take our spiritual lives for granted, but implores us to "test yourselves and see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" So, this week we do just that. There is no neutral in the Christian life; we are either moving towards God or away from Him. This week, we walk the path of a son back to the Father, and focus on key habits for spiritual health. The year 2015 still holds the promise of change. Come and get started with your spiritual life, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

This Sunday we begin our much-anticipated series, "Groundwork." You don't want to miss even one of the next eight weeks if you can help it, as we commit together to making 2015 different in seven vital areas of our lives. This week we hand out the notebooks (yes, notebooks!) and class is in session as we start to put the key structures for change in place. It's January and everyone hopes the new year will bring growth and transformation, but there is one secret that unlocks the key. Paul put it this way - "I run, not being in any doubt as to my goal. I am a boxer who does not inflict blows on the air." Tired of swinging and missing? Time for us to set some goals.

Are You Haunted By What is to Come? Well, it's the final Sunday before Christmas Eve and as we all begin to look forward to that most special of nights, it is also time to turn our attention to the fourth ghost of Christmas - The Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. Scrooge asks that ghost a particularly poignant question: "Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they the shadows of things that may be, only? Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, can the ends change?" And there you have it - the reason for Christmas, the point of the incarnation! All men are on a certain course. Our lives have a trajectory - can it be changed? Christmas reminds us that the answer is still YES!