Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:49:31 -0400WeeblyFri, 04 Sep 2026 22:44:27 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/what-did-god-do-this-summerHey All…
 
It is SO good to be back with you all after our 8-week sabbatical. Thank you so much for your support, care, prayers, and encouragement. We were overwhelmed with joy to see so many of you last Sunday, to enjoy a meal together, and to hear how God has been at work in your lives. I have much to say to you about all of this… shall we talk in Deeper Thoughts below?
 
But first…
 

• Connect NEXT (our Middle School Sunday class) continues!  All 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are welcome—and any of our 5th grade students that would like to join.
  
  
  
• Newcomers: If you have been visiting Mt. Hope in recent weeks, join us for a Newcomer’s Luncheon, 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 13!
  
  
  
• Youth FIRE on Saturday, September 19, at 6 p.m.  Dinner, worship, connection, devotional & discussion. Friends are always welcome. Theme: PURPOSE
  
  
  
• Important Congregational Meeting: Join us to hear all that’s coming and to make decisions for Mt. Hope, Sunday September 20, 11:45 a.m.
  
  
  
• Multi-Cultural Worship Gathering: Sunday, September 20, 5:30-7 p.m. (with a dessert reception afterward) at Columbia Church in Falls Church!  This is another opportunity to worship and connect with the other churches in the NorthStar network like we had last May in Maryland.  It was a powerful and meaningful time—and we’re excited to reunite!
  
  
  
• We have your TSHIRTS!!! Please email Keysha at bballmom725@gmail.com to arrange getting yours if you haven’t, or checking in to see if there are extras in your size!
  
  
  
• There are fresh veggies from our garden available to take in the foyer after church and an overabundance of flowers in the garden for anyone to pick anytime!
  
  
  
• If anyone is interested in using the garden or helping with the property upkeep and landscaping to contact the church through office@mthopeloudoun.org — Att.: Christine Biggs.
  • Also, for all you gardeners, there is fresh shredded mulch/compost next to the trash bin FREE to whoever would like it, courtesy of a local landscaping company. Just in time for augmenting and prepping your Fall garden. Tell your friends and neighbors!

 
Ok, that’s it for you email skimmers as those who hate long ones… BUT….
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
God has been at work in you, and He has been at work in me and Sherri. Profoundly.
 
This Sunday, Sherri and I plan to spend some of our teaching time sharing with you the testimony of how God has led us during these last two months, what He has revealed, and what we sense is coming next for Mt. Hope.
 
As you might expect, mixed in among many unexpected twists to our time away, there is much good that God has led, revealed, and spoken. I am very excited to share it with you this week—to include some scripture and a highlight of where we will be headed in our new Sunday teaching series that will begin NEXT Sunday, September 13.
 
But for THIS Sunday, I would encourage you to once again circle through 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 in advance of our time together. I shared with you at the midpoint of our sabbatical that God was especially speaking to me in this text. It became the anchor point to everything He revealed to me—moving me through section after section of the New Testament that links back to the concepts revealed in this letter from the Apostle Paul. I’ll teach briefly from it this week, and then we’re going to dive into a massive study of the New Testament this fall, discovering through a very fresh lens THE central movement of God that is the entire goal of our faith. Gonna be SO cool!
 
But also… we need to talk about what God did in you.
 
Wow. As Sherri and I began the reconnection process, we have heard many stories of how God has moved in our church. Several are personal stories of breakthroughs, healing, victory and momentum in individual lives. Others are seasons of personal challenge and difficulty, but the Body of Christ in this fantastic little church stepped into your stories with energy, focus, love, and care. It has been SO encouraging to hear these stories and to know that God has anointed and led you through genuine, personal, Spirit-led movements of God. These stories are personal, so we won’t share them from stage; they are the stories of those involved, and theirs to tell as God leads. 
 
But there is another layer to what God has done that we can celebrate from stage this Sunday. It’s the overall working of the Body of Christ—people stepping up not only to do personal one-to-one ministry, fellowship, and encouragement, but also to serve and lead in the day-to-day ministry of service that lays the foundation for the personal work in our church. So many of you stepped into new roles to serve the logistics, systems, and experiences of the church to make it healthy and vibrant for all. I’ll have a bit to say in encouragement and celebration for you on Sunday.
 
During our sabbatical, Sherri and I purposely visited and benchmarked with seven churches in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado. Some were churches pastored by good friends of mine; some were great churches I only knew about but wanted to see. All were unique places where God is moving in beautiful ways. But something struck us at every single one: there are certain powerful dynamics here at Mt. Hope that we saw absolutely nowhere else we visited.
 
This is not to say in any manner that these churches were deficient in any way. Not at all. What God has given them is precise, anointed, powerful, and blessed. But it is to say that there is also a very special thing that God has given to us that is unique and perhaps unseen elsewhere—His unique thumbprint for us that is our special calling. I want to tell you about this and encourage us to double-down on this unique thing that God has given to us as our church’s anointing. We are so blessed, and sometimes it takes being away to recognize this to the full.
 
Finally, there are some very specific things I believe the Lord has spoken somewhat prophetically to me—and likely to many of us—through both circumstances and direct intuition from the Lord. Let’s talk about those on Sunday as well.
 
This will be a very special weekend of joy and celebration, to include Pastor John Zoller leading us through the Lord’s Supper during worship.
 
I hope you’ll be able to join us—I realize it’s a holiday weekend, so if you’re traveling, jump in with us online-live, or make a point to pull it up on YouTube later on demand.
 
So looking forward to Sunday and being back in the saddle with you…
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend
chriseads@mthopeloudoun.org]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 19:45:35 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/before-our-sabbaticalHey, Beloved… The next two months will look a little different around Mt. Hope, but God is at work, and this will be super-valuable to us all. As a part of our Elder Team’s efforts to ensure the highest levels of healthy ministry, connection to God, and sustainable leadership habits, we are incredibly grateful that the Elders are sending Sherri and me on an 8-week sabbatical to begin after THIS Sunday’s worship service. There’s a bit you might want to know and understand about this time. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
But first… a bunch of things to tell you… 
 

• As Sherri and I begin our sabbatical after church this Sunday, one important note is that we will be entirely out of touch—not reachable by email, text, or phone during this important time of unplugging (more on this in Deeper Thoughts below). 

  

• If you have any needs arise during our time away—care needs, prayer needs, encouragement, counseling, or support—our Elders are standing by to connect with you. Contact our Elder Team either by clicking here to send them a group contact, or call/text Kristie Zoller at 703-999-3156 who can coordinate contact with an Elder. Or email office@mthopeloudoun.org.  

 

• Our Summer Teaching Series kicks off this Sunday, and we have an exciting line-up of great teachers who will be leading us through the prophets as we conclude our 70-week study of the Old Testament called “Knowing God.” More on this in Deeper Thoughts below! 

 

• Youth Group after Service, 11:30-1pm 

• Snacks, connection & seeking God together as we process loss. Let Jess know if your student needs a ride home. 

 

• Ladies: Mark your calendars for our annual Women’s Retreat, September 11-12 in Sharpsburg, MD. More details to come! 

 

• And… Don’t forget to use our new Women’s Ministry Facebook page to support relational connection and promote events throughout the summer! 

 

• Awesome stuff in our Kids Connect Ministry! There is a lot going on this summer: 

 

• Kids Camp: Our kids are headed to Furnace Mountain Camp near Lucketts, VA, July 13-17, daily 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. There is still room, so sign up now! Click here to email Alison McLaughlin for more info or to sign up! 

 

• WE NEED YOUR HELP! Join us for an informational luncheon and volunteer meeting on Sunday, July 12, following the service to hear our plans and practices that will make for a great summer and new school year. Whether you are volunteering already or just curious about what’s going on, come from free lunch!! 

 

• Everyone… come hungry on Sunday… We’re having a bake sale right after church to help raise money for kids going to summer camp! Great yummies will be available for cash, checks, or phones ready to donate. Or, if you just want to donate, click here and set the “TO:” pull down menu for the Children’s Ministry fund. 

 

• New Summer model for The Daily Six!! Join us for six minutes each day in your own time alone with God during our three-month production break through September. We will have no new Daily Six videos during this break, but our Daily Six reminder emails and webpage will continue throughout the summer to provide written content and guidance to be in the Word of God together, studying through the Old Testament prophets!  Click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content each Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for email reminders that will go out once a week on Mondays (if you’re not already a Daily Six subscriber!).  

 
OK… that’s it for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails…  
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
A pastoral sabbatical could be misunderstood as a super-long paid vacation. It is much more than that, and the activities of a sabbatical have far more important dimensions for the health of spiritual leadership than just taking extra time off.  
 
Several professional lanes—such as academia, ministry, and some medical, research, or law professions—have practiced sabbaticals for centuries as a means of sharpening their leader’s skills, preparing for seasons of heavy-lift, renewing and refocusing the mind and spiritual habits of the leader, and preventing professional fatigue or burnout. Among many great informational resources out there, click here an excellent article published by Focus on the Family that details the history, purpose, and uniqueness of pastoral sabbaticals.  
 
In our context, Mt. Hope Church has long had periodic pastoral sabbaticals as a part of our organizational by-laws. Benchmarking with several local churches in Northern Virginia and the Northstar Church Network that Mt. Hope is a member of, our Elders have researched and developed with me and Sherri some important goals we would like to share with you. 
 
First, we are breaking our time into three distinct goal-sets. They are: 
 

• Family reconnection and rest—this is the more traditional “vacation” element of our time away. We will be visiting both of our families through an Eads family reunion in Florida, a few days with Sherri’s family in West Virginia, and a trip to visit my ailing father in his nursing home in Colorado.  

 

• Personal spiritual growth and development—we will focus on renewing our minds and spirits, developing enhanced spiritual life habits, intensely studying the scriptures, connecting with God in fresh ways, and hearing fresh words from the Lord for both you and us. We will be investing quality time each day in seeking God not only for His revelation to us, but also for each of you. We will be focusing on developing new rhythms in our marriage that protect against the “occupational hazards” of working in the same ministry or business as a couple, which can often lead to difficulty establishing healthy boundaries between work and marriage. 

 

• Professional development and vision—with the support of Pastor Jeff Good and his wife Cindy (from Acacia Church in Ashburn) who have agreed to serve as “sabbatical coaches,” we will be working an extensive process to develop our professional skillsets and obtain fresh ideas and vision from the Lord. Sherri will be working on completing some professional educational goals. We will be strategically visiting at least three local churches in the D.C. area to benchmark with their staff and leaders. And we will be seeking God for His vision for our next steps in intensive discipleship efforts at Mt. Hope. 

 
Secondly, to properly accomplish the rest, refocus, and development goals of the sabbatical, it is important for us to fully unplug from our ministry, which includes committing to no contact and involvement with our Mt. Hope family during this time. While this will be incredibly difficult for us to be disconnected from you whom we love dearly for this length of time, it will allow us to reset our rhythms and focus all our attention on growth and renewal.   
 

• If you have any needs arise during our time away—care needs, prayer needs, encouragement, counseling, or support—our Elders are standing by to connect with you. Contact our Elder Team either by clicking here to send them a group contact, or call/text Kristie Zoller at 703-999-3156 who can coordinate contact with an Elder. Or email office@mthopeloudoun.org. 

 

• We have a fantastic line up of teaching pastors who will be leading our Sunday services each week that you won’t want to miss. See the details below my signature line. 

 
Finally, we ask you to join with us in prayer for God’s vision, His fresh word in our lives, and clear guidance and wisdom for the next chapter of Mt. Hope’s ministry that we are excited to see unfold this fall. We return to be with you on Sunday, August 30.  
 
I will be teaching THIS Sunday at our 10:00 a.m. worship service and then begin our sabbatical after church. We will continue our study of the prophets with Micah. Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org 

 ​

Mt. Hope Summer 2026: A Ten Week Journey with the Prophets 
 
God’s people had been given a land and a name: “Israel,” which means “Struggles with God.” Century after century, the Israelites struggled to keep their faith and commitment to God. They abandoned the Lord and turned to idols, worldly ideology, and false religion. So, God raised up prophets to call them back to Him. These men of God offered both warning and promise, challenge and blessing. If we will hear their words as the Word of the Lord for us today, we too can receive the promised blessings as we stay faithful to our God! 
 
Our Summer Sundays Teaching Line-up: As Pastor Chris and Sherri Eads are away on sabbatical for rest, renewal, and refocus, we are blessed with a tremendous line-up of gifted teachers who will lead us through the Word of God each Sunday: 

• July 5 – Jonah: teaching by Pastor Will Cravens 

• July 12 – Isaiah: teaching by Elder Jameson Zoller 

• July 19 – Isaiah: teaching by Pastor Samuel Sierra  

• July 26 – Growing in Prayer: by Pastor Chris Campbell 

• August 2 – Growing in Scripture: by Pastor Chris Campbell 

• August 9 – Malachi: teaching by Pastor Phil Holliday 

• August 16 – Jeremiah: teaching by Elder Jameson Zoller 

• August 23 – Jeremiah: teaching by Pastor Samuel Sierra 

• August 30 – Daniel: teaching by Pastor Randy Richardson 

 
Our Summer Teaching Pastors 
 
Pastor Chris Campbell – Born and raised in central West Virginia, Chris Campbell spent several decades as a youth pastor and teaching pastor, to include four years as co-pastor with Chris Eads at CrossCurrent Ministries (now Acacia Church) in Ashburn, Virginia. Today, Chris Campbell serves as a licensed therapist and founder of Resolutions Counseling in his hometown of Bridgeport, West Virginia. 
 
Pastor Will Cravens – For many years, Will Cravens pastored Bridge Community Church in Ashburn, Virginia, before moving to Florida to serve full-time as a missionary and founder of Endurance Leadership. His wife, Sandra, revitalized our Mt. Hope children’s ministry while serving as interim director in 2023.  
 
Pastor Phil Holliday – The Holliday family led our own Pastor Chris Eads to faith in Jesus when he was a teenager in Vienna, Virginia. Phil had a long corporate career as an executive with Mobil Oil before “retiring” to serve as Executive Pastor and leadership consultant to several Northen Virginia churches. 
 
Pastor Randy Richardson – His greatest passion being relationally driven spiritual growth, Randy has served as pastor of small group discipleship and lead pastor for multiple churches in Massachusetts and Virginia. Today, while his vocation is in the corporate cyber security world, he and his wife, Debbie, continue to powerfully lead small groups at Mt. Hope Church and beyond. 
 
Pastor Samuel Sierra – Married to his beloved Evelyn, Samuel Sierra has a powerful story of healing and redemption as he found Christ and overcame profound addictions in his young adult years. Today he serves as an Elder at Mt. Hope and founder of Real Life Counseling, providing pastoral care to scores of individuals seeking a healed life. 
 
Elder Jameson Zoller – Son of our retired Pastor John Zoller, Jameson and his wife Kristie have been pillars of our church for decades, leading in multiple ministries throughout the years such as youth, children, and worship. Jameson is a high school English teacher in Loudoun County and serves as an Elder at Mt. Hope Church. 
]]>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 20:30:02 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/we-want-freedom-we-need-freedomHey there, Beloved… Why is freedom so important to you? Is the impulse you have to both celebrate and defend your freedom simply something political, or does it have roots in your spiritual life as well? I want us to see and know God’s heartbeat on this and how our Christian faith demands something of us in response. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
But first… a few quick notes… 
 

• There will be no Youth group this Sunday—but we will next Sunday, 6/28 after church.  We have a new summer schedule—reach out to Jess Sauder at JessSauder@mthopeloudoun.org for more details! 

 

• Ladies: Mark your calendars for our annual Women’s Retreat, September 11-12!  

 

• We have a new Facebook page called “Mt Hope Church Women’s Ministry”.  Ladies can join here. 

 

• As we prepare for Sherri’s and my upcoming sabbatical, we will share with you this Sunday our exciting plans for rich Bible teaching and personal study resources planned throughout the summer, as well as the professional and spiritual goals we will be pursuing during sabbatical. There is much we can pray together as we all seek God for the fresh anointing, fresh vision, and renewed focus Sherri and I—with the Holy Spirit’s power—will be bringing back this fall. 

 

• LAST WEEK of The Daily Six!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we dig into the Psalms to learn how to pray and cherish scripture. This Friday, we will conclude our current season of The Daily Six, taking a three-month production break through September. Click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 

• And note: Our Daily Six reminder emails and webpage will continue throughout the summer to provide written content and guidance to be in the Word of God together, studying through the whole of the Old Testament prophets this summer! 

 
OK… that’s it for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails…  
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
This is a big year to celebrate freedom. We are within just a couple of weeks of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding upon the principle that all men (and women) were created equal by God, and that the free pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness without the control and coercion of political tyranny is the God-created design of our humanity. 
 
(BTW… Fun note: I am a direct descendant of one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. William Whipple of New Hampshire put his own neck on the line to throw off the tyrannical British monarchy. I have some of his family’s personal books on my shelf at home.) 
 
On the federal holiday of July 4, my wife and I plan to walk down to the city park with our close friends and neighbors to watch the Town of Lovettsville light off some airborne explosives to celebrate our freedom. The fireworks are not just intended to be entertaining, even though they certainly are. I love the bright colors, the thump in my chest as they explode, and the silly “oooohs” and “aaaahs” everyone makes when one of those shells proves to be creative.  
 
The fireworks have a deeper meaning. They are meant to remind us that freedom from tyranny never comes without a struggle. Usually war. Lovettsville’s [insert your town name] explosives are harmless (and pretty) reenactments of the harmful and deadly shells used in the Revolutionary War of the 1780s and the War of 1812 where we painfully fought to gain and maintain human freedom.  
 
Today is another federal holiday, and we would do well to reflect reverently on its meaning, too.  
 
While most signers of our Declaration of Independence believed in their hearts the biblical truth that God has created all men and women with equality—formed in the image of God to bear the likeness and design of the Creator—they also were afraid to let that equality to be enshrined in our original, unamended Constitution, bowing to the pressures of culture to separate out women and slaves as unequal in their human rights. In cowering to political pressure, these Founding Fathers—half of whom had biblical theology degrees or served as pastors—violated the revealed truth of Galatians 3:28: “You are all sons [daughters] of God through faith in Christ Jesus… There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.” 
 
It took another war, and more exploding shells, to force and confirm this God-created freedom. 
 
In 1861, the United States of America and the newly declared Confederate States of America had it out at the expense of 750,000 American deaths to once and for all settle the freedom of our African American brothers and sisters. In 1863, during this horrifically bloody conflict, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to declare this freedom complete. But it was not until June 19th, 1865—some 71 days after the Civil War ended—that this message of freedom reached the slaves of Galveston, Texas. Today, our nation has set aside this day to commemorate the good news of freedom and to honor the sacrifice and struggle necessary to secure it. We should all join in this thankfulness. 
 
There has been yet another war—and this one perhaps the greatest—to bring to you the personal freedom you enjoy. This freedom is in your interior, in your emotions, in your thoughts, in your desires, in your love, and in your spirit. It is, in fact, the source of our Founder’s belief that God has indeed created equality and freedom as a matter of Divine authority, and any man who opposes such freedom should be overthrown—even by war, if necessary. 
 
The war that has been waged against your interior soul has been fought against the greatest tyrannical despot in universal history. His names are many: Satan, the devil, Beelzebub, the Accuser, the evil one.  
 
And much blood was also shed to win this war. This war started not with the blood of 750,000 Americans, but rather the blood of the sovereign Lord of the universe, Jesus the Almighty Christ. And then, over the next 2,000 years, best estimates put the number around 71 million Christ-followers who accepted their death as martyrs to bring news of this freedom to every slave to sin throughout the world. 
 
Would you pause for some gratitude today? Would you be grateful that the foundation of our political freedoms was laid on July 4, 1776? Would you express great thanks that the message of freedom was confirmed for all Americans on June 19, 1865? And would you worship with great joy that freedom for every soul was purchased by Jesus Christ in 33 A.D.? 
 
And what does this call for from you and me? Just like it took the Union Army to enforce the physical freedom already won in Texas, it takes every Christ-follower to enforce by faith in our own lives the spiritual freedom we possess. Stand firm in your resistance to the devil (see Ephesians 6:10-18). Consider yourself no longer a slave to sin (see Romans 6:1-14). And believe and respond to this: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1), not only physical and political freedom from tyranny, but from the spiritual oppression that holds us down when we do not stand by faith in emotional, spiritual, and interior freedom. 
 
Let’s meet at 10:00 a.m. Sunday! We will continue our study of the prophet Hosea. He speaks, too, of a deliverance from evil that we do not want to miss. Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org ​]]>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 22:04:14 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/my-favorite-storyHey everybody… What’s your favorite Bible story? Would we be surprised? Maybe one of the super encouraging miracles? Or a character who did mighty exploits for God? Or one of Jesus’s compassionate encounters with a struggling sinner? I bet you my favorite Bible story will in fact shock you. It’s one of the worst stories in there. But it makes me fall in love with God. Curious? Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
But first… a few quick notes… 
 

• We will have youth group this Sunday from 11:30-1!  Let Jess know if your youth needs a ride home. 

 

• Ladies: Mark your calendars for our annual Women’s Retreat, September 11-12, 2026!  

 

• We have a new Facebook page to support relational connections and promote events for the Women’s Ministry!  Ladies can click here to join!

 

• Women’s Trauma Support Group: We are launching a new and private small group to work together to support and heal personal trauma of all kinds that women have experienced. Date, time, and location will not be publicly published to honor women’s privacy and security. Click here to email Keysha Miller who is facilitating this group for more information and to RSVP. 

 

• Two weeks ago, we had a very special field trip to Landover, MD for a unique experience of multi-cultural unity in worship with the Body of Christ. It was recorded; If you are interested, click here to view the full service (~ 1 hour, 40 minutes), or click here to view the host Pastor John Jenkin’s introduction and the six-pastor panel discussion which I was part of leading (~ 1 hour, 14 minutes). 

 

• LAST TWO WEEKS of The Daily Six!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we dig into the Psalms to learn how to pray scripture. At the end of June, we will conclude our current season of The Daily Six, taking at least a three-month production break to support Chris and Sherri’s sabbatical. Click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 
OK… that’s it for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails…  
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
So, we can all agree that God is into morality, correct? 
 
Would God ever lead us to do something really bad? Something immoral? The Bible is pretty clear on this one: “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” (James 1:13).  
 
But what about God leading us to love someone who is caught in deep immorality? Would He ever do that? 
 
Check this one out: One time, God told a pastor to marry a prostitute.  
 
Yep… you read this right. God led a man of God—a prophet—to marry a woman who openly and publicly sold herself. The preacher was told to build his life with a woman of tremendous unfaithfulness, brokenness, and pain. 
 
“When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous woman and children of unfaithfulness…’” (Hosea 1:2). 
 
So, Hosea married Gomer. (A rather unfortunate name, don’t you think?) And then they had kids. And they weren’t all Hosea’s. And they got unfortunate names too: “Not-Loved” was their second kid’s name—the one who likely came about… well… um… through her day-job. Talk about needing therapy when you grow up… “yeah, my mom and dad named me ‘Not-Loved.’” 
 
Are you mortified right now? First that I am telling this sordid story in the first place, but then secondly that I am telling you this is my favorite Bible story?  
 
“This is all kinds of messed up, Pastor.” 
 
Indeed. But it has a purpose. 
 
God is not into immorality. God is not into ruining preacher’s lives. God is not into affirming self-destructive behavior. 
 
But God is into love. Way into love. 
 
God had a personal problem. He wanted to expose the problem to the people He was having the problem with. So, the Lord asked a preacher to live out a lifelong illustration of both God’s problem and God’s solution. 
 
God’s problem was that He was in love with a very unfaithful people. “When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous woman and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.’” (That’s the rest of Hosea 1:2). 
 
You see, God’s beloved people were selling themselves into great unfaithfulness, chasing after other gods, other ideologies, other pleasures and pursuits, abandoning their one true God in favor of the shallow lovers of worldly idolatry. And yet, God loved these people as His only wife—His beloved for whom He would do absolutely anything. 
 
And before you decide this story is just too gross and click on out of our email, you gotta hear what God… um… I mean what Hosea… I mean what God modeled through Hosea.  
 
When Gomer had thoroughly destroyed the heart of her godly preacher-husband, Hosea relentlessly pursued her to return to him, to stay with him, and to love him. He just would not give up.  
 
And neither will God. 
 
Standing in line at an auction block of slavery where Gomer was being sold by her evil human traffickers, Hosea clung to his thirty pieces of silver and waited patiently for his chance to buy her back [**insert the word “redeem her” here] from her slaveholders so she could be his bride once again. 
 
Oh friends… do you see it? “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). While Gomer was destroying herself and being ravaged by wickedness, Hosea gave up everything he had for her. While we ravage and destroy our hearts by loving worldliness and sin, God gives us everything He has to redeem us back to Him. 
 
God called a preacher to marry a prostitute not because He thought that this would be the model for a healthy marriage. Hosea and Gomer did not go on to lead Old Testament marriage conferences. No, God called a preacher to demonstrate through his undying love for a crooked, wayward woman just how much God loves us—we who are also wayward in our own manner. 
 
This is going to be an amazing Bible study on the limitless love of God and His scandalous grace towards every single human being. Read Hosea chapters 1-3 beforehand and then let’s meet. 10:00 a.m. Sunday! Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org ​]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/god-restores-our-yearsHey friends… Do you know the great and joyful promise that God will work out everything in your life for the better? (Hint: check out Romans 8:28.) This may not square well with our perceived reality. Sometimes hardships last for years and might even get worse as we age. But God is not going to leave us to our suffering without also blessing us greatly. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
But first… a few big things happening… 
 

• Our super-fun annual “Summer Kick-Off” is THIS Sunday, June 7, right after service! Come to church hungry and join us in the pavilion for FREE hot dogs from the grill, chips and veggies, fresh squeezed lemonade, Kona Ice, games, fun and fellowship. It’s a great annual tradition to gather the whole church—young and old—as we launch into summer! 
  
  • There are many opportunities to volunteer… if you’ve not already signed up, click here to ping Chris Bowen and let him know you are available to help!   
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• Mt. Hope T-shirts… THIS Sunday is your last chance to order! We’ll have order forms at church or click here to order online. Cost is $18/adult $15 kids. 

 

• Ladies: We are creating a new Facebook page to support relational connection and promote events. More details to come! 

 

• Women’s Trauma Support Group: We are launching a new and private small group to work together to support and heal personal trauma of all kinds that women have experienced. Date, time, and location will not be publicly published to honor women’s privacy and security. Click here to email Keysha Miller who is facilitating this group for more information and to RSVP. 

 

• Last Sunday morning our Elders shared plans for Pastor Chris and Sherri taking an eight-week Sabbatical starting the first of July. During this time of rest, refocus, and seeking God for fresh vision for their ministry at Mt. Hope Church, an awesome line-up of teaching pastors has been secured. Click here to view the conversation from last Sunday (forward to the 45:40 mark to see this), which includes also sharing a four-month leave of absence for Chris Bowen to be with his wife during her profound medical crisis.  

 

• LAST Sunday night, we had a very special field trip to Landover, MD for a unique experience of racial and ethnic unity in worship. The spirit of worship was strong, the relational experiences incredibly rich, and the honest and raw conversations from a panel of pastors (which I was privileged to serve on) were convicting. Everyone I spoke with who attended was very encouraged. Several folks have asked if it was recorded. It was, and we have a copy of the video. We have received permission to post this on our YouTube channel and will do so sometime next week. Standby for the private link to this recording. 

 

• LAST THREE WEEKS of The Daily Six!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we dig into the Psalms to learn how to pray scripture. At the end of June, we will conclude our current season of The Daily Six, taking at least a three-month production break to support Chris and Sherri’s sabbatical. Click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 
OK… that’s it for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails…  
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
Sometimes pain just happens and God has nothing to do with it.  
 
We live in a “fallen world,” a reality where good and evil, sin and righteousness, free will and all manner of stupidity dwells unabated. In many cases, the sufferings we encounter in life are simply the result of living in this unideal, sinful, broken world.  
 
Illness is most often just our turn with the failing bodies guaranteed to come upon us all. The death rate among humanity is running right at 100% these days, so an illness that captures our end is simply inevitable. When it happens, God is not surprised, as “all the days ordained for me were written in His book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). But this does not mean He arbitrarily “took” us or our loved one in cruelty. 
 
Unemployment or financial hardship is usually just the result of world or local economies. Greed, fear, and politics that manipulate business decisions and market values flow unchecked from the sinful nature of man. God is nowhere in our politics, fear, or greed. 
 
Betrayal from others, interpersonal wounds that sting, and all manner of abuse and atrocity are 100% the free will choice of people who select evil as their course of action. God has nothing to do with these terrible choices. 
 
Tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, and house fires are most often simply corrupt nature doing its thing—a brokenness that beset all of creation when good and evil was introduced outside the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3). While God has control over the forces of nature (see Psalm 135:6-7), in most cases it seems clear that He is letting the broken forces of nature run as they are. God may not be in the storms whatsoever (see 1 Kings 19:11-13). 
 
BUT… sometimes, hardship is indeed a direct intervention of God.  
 
Read Hebrews 12:7-12. The scripture is clear. Sometimes discipline is necessary to lead us to the right relational space with God: living in abundant love as sons and daughters of our loving heavenly Father.  
 
Sometimes our hardships are God’s created reality to lead us to repentance.  
 
When they are, we should repent, not get fussy with God. 
 
I’ve met many a person who acts as if God is to blame—somehow unloving and uncompassionate—for the hardships we encounter. But this simply is not true, and it dishonors everything God has revealed to us in scripture. 
 
In the cases where our troubles are the simple outcomes of our fallen physical bodies, the corrupt choices of evil people, or the autopilot throbbing of a broken planet, God is not to blame. You can thank Adam and Eve for introducing evil into our experience, and you can be deeply angry at the evil choices of your sinful neighbor. 
 
In the cases where God’s discipline is the cause, we can thank ourselves—not blame God—for having an unrepentant heart that leads a loving and merciful God to place some pain upon us to catch our attention and return us to Him. 
 
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate” (Joel 2:12-13). 
 
Did you read that last phrase? “He is gracious and compassionate.” Period. Always. Every time.  
 
The prophet Joel wrote during a season of God’s discipline. A horrific infestation of locusts had beset the land of Israel as a judgment designed to lead a wayward people back to God.  
 
But this was not the end of the story. God promised boldly, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). This is a clear and present promise. God will restore us from the years of pain involved in bringing us back to Him. Every. Single. Time. 
 
Let’s meet… Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… and study the wondrously gracious promise of God to leverage His discipline and restore us to something so much better. Take a little time in advance to read the prophet Joel.   
 
This will be encouraging. And then we’ll party outside for our summer kick-off celebration. Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org ​]]>Fri, 15 May 2026 23:18:32 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/a-really-big-sundaydont-be-lateHey friends… Oh wow… you DON’T want to miss this and you don’t want to be late this Sunday! Church starts at 10:00 a.m. (um… ahem… tap, tap… not 10:05… not 10:10…) and you really want to be in your seats by 9:58. “Why,” you ask? This is going to be exciting: We are building our entire worship experience around ten powerful testimonies of transformed lives, sharing with them in the holy sacrament of baptism and celebrating who Jesus is to each of us. 
 
 A couple things to know about this… 
 

• TEN baptisms and TEN testimonies: Mixed all throughout the service in between worship songs, we will not just baptize people in one large group. One or two will tell us how they have been transformed by Jesus. We’ll worship a bit more, then celebrate the sacrament of baptism with them. Then repeat again and again throughout the morning. Our “teaching” this week will be these personal testimonies of who Jesus is to them and how God’s Word has impacted them! 

 

• We will start right away: This means very early into the service, our first testimonies will occur. This is why we want you here early… so as to not miss these first stories and baptisms. 

• Important Note: We are always SUPER casual at Mt. Hope, come and go, no awkward, no worries… and we always say, “better late than never.” I don’t want anyone to feel like they should stay away if they are running late. So, if you are late, c’mon in! But if you are able to focus on time, this is the week to succeed! 

 

• SPECIAL: The Kids Connect kids will hang with us down front: As long as they are having fun, we plan to have the kids gather with us right down in front by the stage along with our Kids Connect leaders. They can have a “front row seat” to all the action. Whenever their attention span runs out, we’ll take them upstairs for their own activities. 

• Nursery is open all service long as usual. 

 
AND… A few other important things to know: 
 

• Ladies: Join us TOMORROW Saturday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for a women’s Self-Defense and Wellness Seminar led by Pastor Samuel Sierra and others to equip women with practical tools for safety, physical confidence, and whole-body wellness. Click here for details and to RSVP! 

 

• TEENS: Youth Group this Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Connection, snacks, Bible discussion, and a game. Let Jess know if your student needs a ride home. 

 

• Churchwide workday!! Saturday, May 30, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Come join us to help spruce up the campus for the spring and summer… lots of fellowship, fun, and tasks for all skill level, ages, and energy! Contact Kristie Zoller for more info. 

 

• High School and College Graduates will be honored in our Sunday service on May 31. We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone in your life! 

 

• AND… Join us for a very special field trip to Landover, MD for a unique experience of racial and ethnic unity in worship… Sunday night, May 31. Mt. Hope has been invited to a special dinner and worship night with Pastor John Jenkins of Glenarden, MD (a giant in the faith and “bishop” to scores of phenomenal churches in Maryland) and 19 other churches as we seek to experience the culture and stories of our different heritages. Let’s carpool over… click here for details and to RSVP! 

 

• NEW Daily Six content THIS WEEK!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we continue our character-by-character study of how to find the heart of God… click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 
OK… we’re already way too long for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails…  
 
So, with that… C’mon out on Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… This will be one of our most powerful services all year long! Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org ​]]>Fri, 08 May 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/something-to-tell-you-this-sundayHey beloved… I want to tell you about something I recently experienced, and a special invitation to the people of Mt. Hope Church. I’ll give you a quick heads up in Deeper Thoughts below and then share a little more detail on Sunday morning. Also, as you know Sunday is Mother’s Day, and we do plan to honor all of our ladies—whom I think most of us would agree are the “better half” of humanity. And, to cap it all off, we’ll continue to dig into God’s Word in our series “Knowing God.” 
 
 BUT first… a bunch of things happening… 
 

• TEENS: TOMORROW, Saturday, May 9, is FIRE Worship night, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. We’re going deep into what it looks like to have hope in Christ, with Mason Duckworth and Chris Cravens. Dinner, connection, music and discussion. Friends are welcome! 

 

• NO Youth Group this Sunday! 

 

• Ladies: Join us NEXT Saturday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for a women’s Self-Defense and Wellness Seminar led by Pastor Samuel Sierra and others to equip women with practical tools for safety, physical confidence, and whole-body wellness. Click here for details and to RSVP! 

 

• Really big deal BAPTISM Sunday, May 17… join us for an amazing Sunday morning worship service where we will be baptizing possibly 10 new believers at Mt. Hope! This is going to be a phenomenal experience of celebration and worship! 

 

• Churchwide workday!! Saturday, May 30, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Come join us to help spruce up the campus for the spring and summer… lots of fellowship, fun, and tasks for all skill level, ages, and energy! Contact Kristie Zoller for more info. 

 

• High School and College Graduates will be honored in our Sunday service on May 31. We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone in your life! 

 

• AND… mark your calendar for a very special field trip to Landover, MD for a unique experience of racial reconciliation in worship… Sunday night, May 31. More on this in Deeper Thoughts below. Pastor Chris will share specific details with us THIS Sunday morning! 

 

• NEW Daily Six content THIS WEEK!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we continue our character-by-character study of how to find the heart of God… click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 
 
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… 
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
It doesn’t take much effort watching the news to recognize that our nation is profoundly and sharply divided along many important cultural, political, and ideological lines. Some of these divisions are systemic to humanity; some are more immediate conflicts that flow out of short-term political or sociological situations. 
 
Some systemic divisions that are commonplace to all of fallen humanity’s history—a result of the nature of sin inbred within each of us—also find pockets of intensity rising up in the more immediate conflagration of current cultural issues. 
 
One of these matters that bridges both the systemic and the short-term is the often-troubled relationships between various people groups, races, and ethnicities.  
 
Systemic fear, bigotry, racism, and prejudice find its roots in the earliest echoes of Adam and Eve’s knowledge of evil in the Garden of Eden. Read almost any page of the Old Testament with the smallest measure of historical context and you’ll see hatred, fear, discrimination, and prejudice between just about every tribe and people. Spend a little time contemplating the outcomes of the Tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11 and we can see where fear and division got its start as a global human problem. 
 
In Genesis 11, God confused the languages of humanity so that we could no longer unite in horrific humanism and godlessness. But this isn’t where He wants the story to end.  
 
God had a plan all along to reunite us—not in godless humanism, but in the redeemed, healed, and God-empowered baptism of the Holy Spirit. Genesis 11:1-9 tells of our division’s beginning; Acts 2:1-11 tells of the Day of Pentecost’s reuniting of diverse people under the power of the Holy Spirit.  
 
Fast forward to the relatively more “short-term” experiment of the American people. We represent just a handful of centuries among millennia upon millennia of divided, sinful, hate-filled humanity. In our short story, division and oppression between races and ethnicities has been a tremendous theme, as you know. 
 
Great strides were made in the elimination of slavery in the 1800s and the pursuit of Civil Rights in the 1900s. We have much to be thankful for and to celebrate—not the least of which is to recognize that almost all of those advances were led by people who were filled with the same Holy Spirit who poured out on the Day of Pentecost. But any honest glance at our present culture must admit there is a long way to go for every tribe, tongue, race, and ethnicity to be truly honored and united as the Holy Spirit desires. 
 
Enter this unique opportunity I was recently invited into, and another unique invitation that has been extended specifically to the people of Mt. Hope Church. 
 
Six weeks ago, I was invited by the Northstar Church Network—with whom Mt. Hope is deeply connected and I serve on their Board of Directors—to be one of ten white pastors to join ten Black pastors for a two-day intensive retreat exploring what needs to be done to bring greater unity and reconciliation between believers and churches of both races. It was a sacred and special conversation as these 20 shepherds poured out their hearts and experiences as it relates to their story with race and division.  
 
I have much to tell you about what I am learning from these beloved new friends of mine. More on that in the weeks and months to come. 
 
But for now, let me tell you three quick things, and then we’ll talk more.  
 
First, we were each paired one-to-one to build an intentional relationship—one white pastor, one Black pastor. I’ve begun building a wonderful new friendship with Pastor Charles Whitaker who shepherds the River of Life Church in Temple Hills, MD. What a beautiful and godly man. 
 
Secondly, the larger group of 20 pastors have continued to meet. We have planned two joint worship evenings to begin the dialogue—to not only experience each other’s cultures with as many of our people who could attend, but to also share publicly the discussions and learnings we have begun. The first of these nights will be held in Landover, MD, Sunday night, May 31 at 6:00 p.m. More on this to come… but mark your calendar… because… 
 
Finally, Mt. Hope Church has received a personal and specific invitation from Pastor John Jenkins, who is considered by many in the Black community to be the most profound shepherd of our generation—a “bishop” to all of the ten Black pastors who participated in our conversation last month. His church is hosting the first worship night on May 31. 
 
On Wednesday this week, Pastor Jenkins extended a personal invitation to you Mt. Hopers—that for any of our congregation who would make the Sunday night trek to Landover for the worship night, he wants to host us for dinner before the meeting in appreciation that Mt. Hope is the farthest church from the event.  
 
I’ll share more personally with you on Sunday about all this; I have a sense in my spirit that we have a special opportunity to have a seat at an important table of healing in our Nation’s Capital.  
 
So, with that… thanks for reading. C’mon out on Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… We’ll continue digging into the Old Testament, honor our ladies, and seek the face of God for what He is doing among us! Don’t be late… bring your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org ​]]>Fri, 01 May 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/look-back-then-look-forwardHey friends… We have been working our way through the Old Testament for an entire year at Mt. Hope! Can you believe it?? Are you tired of it yet? Has it inspired you? Empowered you? Scared you? Discouraged you? Encouraged you? Let’s take a quick look back and then let’s see what is coming. More on this in Deeper Thoughts below.  
 
 BUT first… a bunch of things happening… 
 

• Please pray for our Elder Team: The six couples of our Elder Team are gathered this weekend for our annual intensive retreat, praying specifically for you, seeking God for the next chapter of our ministry, and mapping out the Holy Spirit’s guidance for the next 12 months at Mt. Hope. We will be home Saturday evening and with you on Sunday; we cherish your prayers for God’s wisdom, revelation, encouragement, and peace.  

• In case you don’t know, our Elder Team is comprised of: 

• Chris and Sherri Eads 

• Ryan and Jessica Sauder 

• Samuel and Evelyn Sierra 

• Randy and Debbie Richardson (exploring eldership; not yet appointed) 

• Al and Leigh Villaflor 

• Jameson and Kristie Zoller 

 

• TEENS: NO Youth Group this Sunday BUT… NEXT Saturday, May 9, is a FIRE Worship night, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Our theme is HOPE and we’ll be exploring what it means to put our hope in Christ. Pizza, connection, music and sharing. Friends are welcome! 

 

• Ladies: Join us Saturday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for a women’s Self-Defense and Wellness Seminar led by Pastor Samuel Sierra and others to equip women with practical tools for safety, physical confidence, and whole-body wellness. Click here for details and to RSVP! 

 

• Really big deal BAPTISM Sunday, May 17… join us for an amazing Sunday morning worship service where we will be baptizing seven new believers at Mt. Hope! This is going to be a phenomenal experience of celebration and worship! 

 

• Churchwide workday!! Saturday, May 30, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Come join us to help spruce up the campus for the spring and summer… lots of fellowship, fun, and tasks for all skill level, ages, and energy! Contact Kristie Zoller for more info. 

 

• High School and College Graduates will be honored in our Sunday service on May 31. We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone in your life! 

 

• NEW Daily Six content THIS WEEK!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we continue our character-by-character study of how to find the heart of God… click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 
 
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… 
 
BUT… 
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts… 
 
Many believers shy away from the Old Testament for a lot of very understandable reasons: 
 

• It is long. Really long. Thirty-nine books long. 

• It is old. Really old. Twenty-five hundred years old. 

• It is hard to understand. Really hard. Like, sometimes I don’t get it at all hard. 

• It is depressing. Often. Lots of people screwing up and God being mad. 

 
Add to these facts that we no longer live under the Old Covenant, and it becomes really easy to assume that it is frankly irrelevant to us. Why spend all the effort to dig through thousands of stories, complicated poetry, cultural history that is lost to us, names that we cannot pronounce or keep track of, and all of God’s yelling if we don’t live with the same God from way back then? 
 
Wait… did you catch it? Is He a different God from then until now? 
 
Because Jesus Christ revealed God in the flesh—a God of absolute grace and mercy that seems so unlike the (seemingly) angry God of the Old Testament—we think that we live with a different God.  
 
But are we sure that’s true? 
 
There is indeed a different relational dynamic with God that we experience in the New Testament. It is awesome. It is SO full of grace, love, intimacy, and power… IF we will live up to the New Covenant’s call to us and opportunity for us.** 
 
** Side note: Something the Elders are significantly praying through this weekend is that for many modern American Christians (and we imagine many in our congregation), we have never been exposed to the “whole counsel of God” that the New Testament reveals. There is so much power revealed for us than many of us have never heard of or seen. Therefore, many modern believers unwittingly live their Christianity more similar to the Old Testament’s call to moral conformity than knowing or living from the power of the Holy Spirit available to us. We are working this weekend to hear from God a blueprint for how to boldly impart to each of you this whole counsel of the New Testament… standby for more news!! 
 
But Jesus was super-clear about the place of the Old Testament in our lives: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets [the Old Testament]. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). The life of Jesus Christ was to accomplish and reveal the end game, the purpose, and the goal of the Old Testament—to restore our lives to God’s fullest desires for us by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
 
The Apostle Paul explained its value for us to understand who God is and how He relates to us: “These things [the Old Testament stories] happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). The patterns, struggles, temptations, and failures of the people of Israel are merely a visual snapshot into our own personal struggles, failures, and impulses. How God responds to them is a revelation of how He feels about all of us. 
 
BUT… as we read the Old Testament carefully and through the lens of God’s ultimate revelation of grace, mercy, and healing that come to us in Jesus Christ, we cannot miss that in every story of failure in the Old Testament, and in every place where God pleads with His people with stark and intense words, He is doing so with their full redemption and healing in mind.  
 
The God of the Old Testament is the same God as the New Testament: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus is all over the Old Testament, from the very first verse to the very last. Though he’s not mentioned by name as his physical birth as a human had not yet occurred, his presence and activity among God’s people as a member of the Trinity is unmistakable. 
 
This Sunday, let’s review everywhere we’ve been so far, and look forward to where we are going next. We’re getting to the best part, where God begins to reveal all the details of His end game—the life and ministry, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit into our hearts.  
 
Do a little advance reading before Sunday if you can: Genesis 2, Deuteronomy 6, and Ezekiel 36. I think these are the most important parts we’ve read thus far. And then let’s dig into what’s next!! 
 
Can’t wait to see you Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org ​]]>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/how-is-your-spirit​Hey friends… Did you know that you have a spirit? Most of us have heard of the “Holy Spirit” (hint: He’s the good guy in the story). Most people have a vague awareness that some “evil spirits” are messing around out there (the bad guys). But what do you know about your spirit? We all have one. Some are dead within us; some are brilliantly alive. But how steadfast and willing is your spirit? Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… 
 
 BUT first… just a couple of notes to know… 
 

• TEENS: Youth Group this Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Snacks, connection and the Word. Plus, snacks, of course! Let Jess know if your student needs a ride home. 

 

• Ladies: Join us NEXT Saturday, April 25 at 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. for breakfast and a prayer walk at Morven Park in Leesburg. Click here for more info and to RSVP!  

 

• Save the date for Saturday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. for a women’s self-defense training led by Pastor Samuel Sierra. More details and RSVP to come!! 

 

• Really big deal BAPTISM Sunday, May 17… join us for an amazing Sunday morning worship service where we will be baptizing seven new believers at Mt. Hope! This is going to be a phenomenal experience of celebration and worship! 

 

• Churchwide workday!! Saturday, May 30, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Come join us to help spruce up the campus for the spring and summer… lots of fellowship, fun, and tasks for all skill level, ages, and energy! Contact Kristie Zoller for questions! 

 

• NEW Daily Six content THIS WEEK!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we continue our character-by-character study of how to find the heart of God… click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 
 
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… 
 
BUT…  
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts 
 
The concept of a “spirit” is a bit vague and mysterious. That’s sort of the point, since a “spirit” is something that operates in dimensions mostly unfamiliar to us. 
 
I just asked Mr. Google “what is the definition of a spirit?” He came back with two things. One matched our topic today; the other was a picture of several bottles of booze. 
 
Human beings have been talking about spirits for as long as history has been recorded. Ancient religions all addressed the presence of spirits, typically with much fear and anxiety. Superstitions abound in various primeval rituals to ward off “evil spirits.” Other religious practices sought to connect us with good spirits who would aid us with the basic necessities of life such as food, water, and warmth. Almost every religion in history has also acknowledged that we all have our own personal spirit within us—a part of us, not something distinctly separate from us. 
 
Here’s how the great Google A.I. Overlord defines it: “A force within a human being thought to give the body life, energy, and power.” 
 
And from the more academically tested Oxford Dictionary: “The non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character.” 
 
The Bible speaks of three different kinds of spirits: The Holy Spirit; evil or “unclean” spirits; and our spirit. I know you’ve heard of the first two, but have you considered lately both the existence and the condition of your spirit?  
 
When King David was in serious trouble, he was keenly aware that the problem might be rooted somewhere deep within his spirit. Even though he was known as “a man after God’s own heart,” (1 Samuel 13:14), David had crossed just about every conceivable moral boundary known to man. He abused his power, took advantage of a married woman, impregnated her, tried to cover it up through complex deception, and finally murdered her husband so he could marry her and dodge political scandal. It all miserably failed.  
 
When confronted by the prophet Nathan about this great evil, the man who had such love for God broke in weeping repentance. He wrote Psalm 51 right in the middle of his crisis.  
 
(Side note: When God uses an adulterous, lying, murderous thug to write the Holy Word of God right smack in the middle of a moral collapse, this should inspire us that His mercy and love can meet us in the middle of whatever problems or sins we are dealing with. No matter how far gone we might think we are, we are never beyond the reach of our holy and loving God to do amazing things within us.) 
 
David instantly knew what he needed God to do for him. He knew where the problem was and therefore knew exactly what needed to be fixed.  
 
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,” he cried out, “and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). 
 
Did you see it? He needed a changed heart and a renewed spirit. His heart needed to be clean; his spirit needed to be steadfast. Oh… and there was one more thing: “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12).  
 
Checklist: 1) Pure heart; 2) renewed spirit; 3) steadfast spirit; 4) willing spirit.  
 
How are those things going in your spirit?  
 
Jesus promised radical help with all four. God Almighty promised the same thing centuries before Jesus. 
 
585 B.C. – God speaking: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put my Spirit within you and move you to follow my decrees…” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). 
 
Pure heart. Renewed spirit. Willing spirit. Check. 
 
33 A.D. – Jesus speaking: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth… [He will] teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you… [and] guide you into all truth” (John 14:17, 26; 16:13).  
 
With us forever = steadfast spirit. Check. 
 
The whole point and the entire promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to place within us a new heart, a new spirit, and the Holy Spirit to be our guide, Counselor, Comforter, Advocate, and friend. David instinctively knew he needed this gift even 1,000 years before Jesus promised and fulfilled this. 
 
So, how is your spirit doing? Is the promise of Jesus being radically fulfilled in you? Or does your spirit need some maintenance?  
 
Let’s talk more about this as we meet for this week’s Resurrection Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org 
]]>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://www.mthopeloudoun.org/blog/whats-next-after-easter​Hey friends… We asked last week on Easter, “So what?” Why is the resurrection of Jesus relevant to you? This Sunday, let’s go a layer deeper. Not only “so what?” but now, “what’s next?” Let’s check in quickly about it in Deeper Thoughts below…  
 BUT first… just a couple of notes to know… 
 

• TEENS: TOMORROW… Saturday, April 11 for FIRE Worship Night, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. – Dinner, worship, connection, and conversation about God’s GRACE! Friends are welcome!! 

 

• Youth Group this Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Snacks, connection and the Word. Joanne Conover will be joining us to share about her faith journey. Let Jess know if your student needs a ride home! 

 

• Ladies: Join us Saturday, April 25 at 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. for breakfast and a prayer walk at Morven Park in Leesburg. Click here for more info and to RSVP!  

 

• Save the date for Saturday, May 16 for a women’s self-defense training led by Pastor Samuel Sierra. More details to come!! 

 

• NEW Daily Six content THIS WEEK!! Join us for six minutes each day, Monday through Friday, as we continue our character-by-character study of how to find the heart of God… click here for our Daily Six webpage to find new content on Monday morning, OR… click here to sign up for our daily email reminders (if you’ve not already done so!).  

 

• We are taking orders for Mt Hope t-shirts!  These are a great way to be unified when we participate in outreach opportunities, have fun, and the proceeds will go to the building fund!  Keysha and Sarah Jane will be passing out order forms tomorrow for the t-shirt they designed! 

 
 
OK… that’s it for today for you email skimmers and those who hate long emails… 
 
BUT…  
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts 
 
I have a scavenger hunt for you to do before Sunday. Jesus said something very relevant, and I wonder if you know about it. Or could find it. 
 
“It’s good for you that I go away,” he said.  
 
Jesus bailing out on us seems like the opposite of what we want. I don’t know about you, but my whole goal of faith is to get closer to Jesus, not farther away. I want Jesus active in my life, helping me, being present with me, relating with me. 
 
You? 
 
So, when he said it’s better that he take off, wha…??? 
 
Scavenger hunt: Can you find where he said this? Google might point you in the right direction if you have no idea. Seriously… can you go look it up?  
 
Scavenger hunt part two: Don’t just read it and be proud you found it (though, great job in getting there!). Now… figure out the context. What is the point and the goal of why he wanted to bail out? What good will it do you? What do you get in return? Why is that relevant to you? 
 
Finally, scavenger hunt part three: Look inside yourself. Do you have what Jesus promised and what Jesus wanted to accomplish thriving within you? Are you uncertain of what it all means? Do you need help figuring it out (which is totally OK, BTW)? 
 
I know I’m leaving you hanging. I’m doing it on purpose. (“Thanks, Chris. You’re my bud.”) 
 
I am SO excited for you to discover what Jesus was up to after the resurrection. As I have been telling you the last couple of Sundays, Holy Week really wasn’t about all that happened on Holy Week. Yes, the cross was important (understatement of the year!), but it wasn’t the end goal. It was just the beginning. The resurrection was monumental. We learned last Sunday it was so that you and I, too, could be resurrected (see Romans 6:4-6 and Colossians 3:1-3). 
 
But wait! There’s even more!! Jesus is bailing out on us in just about 40 days. He will spend some quality time with his disciples for forty days after the resurrection, but then he is out. And he said this is really good. 
 
Let’s do this: You do some digging into when and why Jesus said this. Search out the whole context. Ask the Lord to reveal some stuff to you. Pray for God’s revelation to you. Listen carefully in your spirit. Write down your questions and doubts. Then, we’ll talk more about it as we meet for this week’s Resurrection Sunday, 10:00 a.m. sharp… Don’t be late… bring your your Bible and a pen!! 
 
Much love to you all…  
 
Chris Eads 
Mt. Hope Pastor 
Friend 
ChrisEads@mthopeloudoun.org 
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