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Hey friends…
Do you ever feel like you just don’t get it? Like the spiritual life is hard and complex, and you aren’t sure you’ve got it all figured out? Why can’t God make this more plain? Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… there is a LOT going on the next couple of weeks: · Major update on our facility expansion with a “3-D renderings reveal,” THIS Sunday, March 2 during service. We will also update you on the timeline of major decisions we need to make over the next few weeks! · Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. will be upstairs. Kristie Zoller will be sharing how she has seen God at work in her life. Lunch and games too! Contact Jess if your teen needs a ride home. · NEWCOMERS Lunch, THIS Sunday, March 2, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Get to know Mt. Hope as we get to know you… Click here to email Sherri to RSVP! · Memorial service for our beloved Frank Finnern is THIS Sunday, March 2—viewing at 3:30 p.m., memorial at 4:00 p.m. All are welcome. · Memorial service for Mary Ellen Motz, the mother of Pastor Chris, will be NEXT Saturday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome. · Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, NEXT Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! And if you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here for a link to The Daily Six each morning! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who simply don’t care to “get it.” BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… Do you ever feel like you just don’t understand? Like there is really no way you’ll ever get it all figured out? You’re not alone. Like really not alone. Mark 8 is all about perception—seeing who Jesus is and what he is up to. And more generally, it is about everyone—including the good guys—completely missing it. It was exhausting to Jesus that no matter how many miracles he performed, the Pharisees demanded more before they would put their faith in him (Mark 8:11). He was amazed that his disciples continued to doubt how he could provide the resources they needed even though he had performed multiple miracles of provision (Mark 8:17-21). When Jesus plainly shared the coming crucifixion, Peter would have none of it (Mark 8:32). That last biff got Peter labeled as Satan himself. Ouch. Not exactly the affirmation from God-incarnate I would be looking for. The problem Jesus exposed for each of these doubters was their minds being set in the natural realms, not the spiritual realms--not having “in mind the things of God, but [rather] the things of man” (Mark 8:33). We need to learn how to see and think through spiritual eyes and not natural, to see things how God sees them and not how we naturally do. Our natural minds are… well… natural. It comes very naturally to us to think along these lines. We assess reality through our natural impulses and instincts. We follow our natural desires towards what we think is the ultimate goal: Natural happiness. But the spiritual mind is different. It understands reality on the basis of faith, not sight. It believes reality, not sees reality. The spiritual mind believes in a reality based on God’s revelation where spiritual realms and supernatural realities exist beyond our frame of reference. The spiritual mind will even set aside the supposed goal of natural happiness to achieve something far greater—a deep-seated joy and hope transcendent of personal circumstances that settles into the soul of the one who will live by faith and not by the flesh. Have you noticed all the trauma and confusion in our society these days? People by the millions are struggling with identity crises, depression, despair, suicidal ideation, anger, divisiveness, political anxiety, the vilification and demonization of people with different ideas, fear, hatred, jealousy, and worry. And in many cases--if not most—the people suffering these things are the same people demanding we abandon God and embrace, affirm, and celebrate ideologies that are contrary to God’s Word. Those in the deepest despair in our world are often the same people who have decided that God’s revelation is outdated and oppressive to truly abundant life. It is an irony, isn’t it? And one that Jesus promised we would experience if we cling to life through the lens of the natural mind. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35). In context, of course, Jesus was preparing his disciples for coming physical persecution where many of them would indeed lose their physical lives. But there is a broader truth that extends into our everyday lives: “The mind of sinful man [Greek wording here: “the natural mind”] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful [“natural”] mind is hostile towards God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:6-7). The irony of our society is that many believe they have found true life by demanding the normalcy of whatever fleshly, natural impulse occurs to them. Unbeknownst to them, a subtle death has set in upon their souls as they simply cannot be satisfied by the happiness of the flesh. The ups and downs of the natural realm still define their enjoyment of life because it is the only realm in which they live. But the person who will choose to shift their mind away from the flesh will discover a life filled with the Holy Spirit that transcends our circumstances. Hope, joy, peace, and love blossom outside of the weight of natural situations because we know that the natural realm is not the only place in which we presently exist. Does this sound really foreign to you? Way too lofty? Too abstract? Unachievable? Do you feel like you really don’t get this? You’re not alone. Like really not alone. Take a moment of solace that Peter, James, and John were just like you. They even had Jesus right in front of them in the natural realm. And they still didn’t get it. SO… instead of beating yourself up on this one, how about we meet on Sunday and look carefully at how these fellas learned to break free of their natural minds. It didn’t come quickly, and it didn’t come easily. But as their eyes began to open, their entire lives were made different. I wonder if the same could happen to us? Can’t wait to see you all… let’s get Jesus for who he really is!! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend
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Hey friends…
What the what? Did Jesus just call that woman a dog? Look… I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to relationships, but even I know that’s a red line that should never be crossed. There must be something more to the story. There is. When Jesus called her a dog, it exposed something about our rudeness, not his. Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below. But first… a bunch important reminders: · TOMORROW, Saturday, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.: “Parents Night Out / Kids Night In” (Pre-K through 6th grade). Snacks, crafts, games, movies, and baking goodies for the next morning’s summer camp Bake Sale! Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Yummy Bake Sale THIS Sunday morning, February 23, to support our kid’s summer camp! · Facility expansion “3-D renderings reveal,” Sunday, March 2 during service. · NEWCOMERS Lunch, Sunday, March 2, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Get to know Mt. Hope as we get to know you… Click here to email Sherri to RSVP! · Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Teens: NO Youth Group this Sunday, but consider helping with our Kids Night In or the Bake Sale… Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! And if you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here for a link to The Daily Six each morning! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who are helplessly ill-mannered. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… It had to have been stunning, to say the least. “It is not right for me to help you,” Jesus said. “Because you are a dog.” Wait… what? Yep. He just said that. Out loud. OK, here’s the more technical translation straight from the Greek scholars: “It is not right for me to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Mark 7:27). Let’s back up for some context. This came after three failed attempts for Jesus and his disciples to get away for a much-needed vacation. They were absolutely exhausted. Their first try was thwarted by a flash mob that tracked their escape and surrounded them, begging Jesus for his attention. Rather than drawing tight boundaries for his team to get the time off they needed--like any good executive leader would do for his staff—Jesus spontaneously ramped up the ministry schedule and gave the crowd the entire day, depriving his team not only of rest, but also of food. All day. Not only that, but he also gave them responsibility for feeding nearly 20,000 people without warning or a plan. (Mark 6:30-44). We taught on this last Sunday… if you missed it, it’s worth clicking here to catch up. Then, Jesus lacked all managerial finesse as he immediately sent them on ahead while he himself got some rest up on the mountain. Having worked all day with only one miraculous late-day meal, the disciples were sent across the lake in the middle of the night, physically rowing against an insurmountable headwind. When Jesus finally had the presence of mind to go investigate his group’s situation, he planned to just walk past—not to actually join them in their miserable task (Mark 6:48). As dawn broke on the weary men who’d been awake for at least 24 hours now, they landed on the remote seashore hoping to just sit on the beach and chill. But nope… the crowds recognized them, sent word all over the region, and mobbed them once more. Boundary-less Jesus couldn’t resist, and the vacation turned once again into a region-wide ministry festival (Mark 6:53-56). Try number three. This time let’s go 30 miles away—which back then, without cars, planes, or trains, would take about as long as you and I driving to Chicago. Surely no one would know them up there along the coastline of modern Lebanon. Enter the desperate woman. The one he called a dog. Her daughter was possessed by a demon. She fell at Jesus’ feet, begging him to drive the torturous devil away. Finally, it seems Jesus recognized what his men needed. “First I need to feed my kids,” he said. He should have stopped there. He didn’t. “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take their children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Mark 6:27). At this point, I would be stunned. The woman was undeterred. Without missing a beat, she pushed back that “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mark 6:28). Jesus was impressed by her pragmatic argument. She got her daughter’s healing. But why did Jesus have to be so rude about it? To understand what was really happening, we need to grab Matthew’s account of this awkward conversation. He was there when it happened. He may have even felt the embarrassment of the trap Jesus sprung on his disciples, flipping the tables on them to expose the issue of their own rude and calloused heart. Matthew: The woman comes and begs Jesus. “Jesus did not answer a word.” Awkward pause. Everyone is looking at him. Someone—maybe even Matthew—finally spoke up about what they all were thinking. “His disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying after us’” (Matthew 15:23). That’s when Jesus called her a dog. That’s when she said she didn’t care and would take whatever she could get. That’s when Jesus exploded with joy at her faith and sent her healing throughout the spiritual realms. Friends, Jesus never saw this woman as a dog. He saw her just like he saw every needy person he encountered—like “sheep without a shepherd” and worthy of his intentional compassion (see Mark 6:34). It was the disciples who saw her as a dog—perhaps, in part, because of their terribly depleted exhaustion, but more likely because of a lifetime of Jewish prejudice towards the Greeks. He exposed the absurdity of their selfish hearts by being absurd himself. The woman saw through the ruse and graciously offered to lick the floor if she had to. Anything for her desperate daughter. We learned last Sunday that Jesus called his disciples to engage a heart of unlimited generosity regardless of how depleted and under-resourced they felt. We faced the “So what?” decision of whether a life of intentional generosity could compel us to trust God for strength, resource, and provision even when it seems impossible. In our weekly Elder meeting last night, one of the fellas reflected on what God had shown him on Sunday. “We should get t-shirts that read: ‘Depleted. Ill-equipped. Ready to serve.’” When we develop a heart of unlimited and unfettered generosity, we step into a fuller aspect of our discipleship in Jesus. The scripture challenges us to discover this: “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). This Sunday, let’s widen the circle to understand what living in the grace of giving our all really looks like. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 and see if you can find the link to last week’s Mark 6:30-44 and this Sunday’s Mark 7:24-30! Can’t wait to see you all… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hello, dear Beloved…
Most people I know underestimate themselves, and in so doing, often underestimate God. Let’s talk about it in Deeper Thoughts below… plus, I’ll share an important personal note about the Eads family and its potential impact to our teaching this Sunday. But first… a TON of important dates to put on your calendar: · NEXT Saturday, February 22, “Parents Night Out / Kids Night In” (Pre-K through 6th grade) from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Snacks, crafts, games, movies, and baking goodies for the next morning’s summer camp Bake Sale! Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Yummy Bake Sale NEXT Sunday morning, February 23, to support our kid’s summer camp! · Facility expansion “3-D renderings reveal,” Sunday, March 2 during service. · NEWCOMERS Lunch, Sunday, March 2, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Get to know Mt. Hope as we get to know you! · Covenant Partners orientation class and luncheon, Sunday, March 9, 11:45 – 1:00 p.m. Learn about how to become an official member of our church partnership team! · Final business meeting and open discussion regarding facility expansion, Sunday, March 23, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. All are invited to discuss the details of what’s next! · Teens: Youth Group THIS Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m: lunch, games, and a testimony. Contact Jess if you need a ride home! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! And if you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here for a link to The Daily Six each morning! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who never underestimate the Lord. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… First, on a personal note, an important update on our family: Many of you have been praying for my mother, Mary Ellen, who has battled late-stage Alzheimer’s disease for many months. Mom passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus early this afternoon after a week-long vigil, surrounded by her family, as her perishable body failed. We were praying and reading scripture over her as we saw her breathe her last. Mom had confessed her faith in Jesus; we were asking Him to return for her quickly. As she entered eternity, My sister Beth, Sherri, and I all acknowledged we perceived the precise moment her spirit departed and was committed into the hands of the Lord. We are so very grateful for your many prayers and words of encouragement throughout this week. Plans for a memorial service at Mt. Hope, to which you will all be invited, are forthcoming. Our Deeper Thoughts below were pre-written some time ago. While we may yet make some adjustments to our plans for Sunday based on where our emotions are this weekend, you’ll see these thoughts are actually quite relevant to our present situation. I believe it is valuable to share with you this evening what the Lord put on my heart well in advance of this week. Here goes: On the one hand, underestimating oneself can be a sure path to spiritual health: “Do not think more of yourself more highly than you ought…” (Romans 12:3). But on the other hand, it can also underestimate God and stop Him dead in His tracks: “My power is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we think too highly of ourselves, we put chains on God. He is limited by us. We think we can manage whatever challenges we face. And so... we do. We grab the reins, take control of our circumstances, and work in our own strength for the best outcome we can achieve. We’ve just boxed God out. He can do little with our circumstances because we told Him to butt out. But the other hand can even be worse. When we underestimate both ourselves and God, that’s a toxic mix that will stop both of us in our tracks. This poisonous idea suggests that not only are we weak, but so is God. We see our own weaknesses and inabilities with crystal clarity. And then we assume God can’t do anything with them. When we think like this, we are blind to the scriptural revelation that our weaknesses are the specific condition in which God’s supernatural power is most poised to do something huge. When we think too highly of ourselves, we box God out by doing it all ourselves. When we think too lowly of ourselves, we box God out by withholding ourselves from His power. Jesus put his disciples to the test on this. They didn’t know it was an exam. Here’s the setting: They were all tired. Even Jesus. It had been a grueling season of fast-paced, high-intensity ministry. Healings, teachings, conflicts, demonic deliverances—all wildly challenging encounters that would drain the energy out of the most vigorous among us, to include the divine Son of God. When they tried to take a couple of days off to get some rest, a flash mob found where they were hiding and pounced. They needed more attention. More help. More healings. More ministry. It just wouldn’t stop. When I am that drained and the phone rings one more time, my reaction is to get angry. Jesus’ reaction was compassion. He sat them down and began to minister yet again… for the entire day. Night was coming quickly. Peter pulled up alongside Jesus and whispered in his ear: “No one has eaten anything all day. Maybe we should wrap this up and send folks home?” Did I mention the disciples were wiped out before this day had even started? Add to it zero food. Low blood sugar. And Jesus just won’t quit. (“Hangry” is the word that comes to my mind.) Jesus quickly dashed the disciples’ hope for an early dismissal. “You give them something to eat,” he quipped. He returned his attention to the crowd. I spent nearly a decade of my career leading a fantastic team that produced large-scale public events in the aviation sector—airshows, fly-ins, and the like. We would gather 3, 4, or 5,000 aviators on airport tarmacs, even in a few cases more than 10,000 attendees, baking them all day long in the hot sun. How to feed everyone was always one of our most challenging--and expensive—logistical operations. We spent months organizing the food service plan and securing the right catering. A quick, over-the-shoulder instruction to “get these folks something to eat” is not how it works for a crowd this size. At all. The disciples were stunned. “Um… boss… there’s no Costco around. There are no restaurants in the neighborhood. Not to mention the size of this crowd. Do you know how much this would cost?” In today’s Ashburn dollars, they estimated it would take $46,210 to feed everybody. It’s all right there in Mark 6:37. Check it out. “How much food do you have?” Jesus asked. “Um…,” they replied awkwardly, “not much. Five loaves of bread and two stinky fish that John caught last night.” “That’ll do,” Jesus said. “Get everyone organized. We’ll serve them in groups.” I remember those meetings with our aviation event planning team. Hours of discussion of how many catering lines, the server counts, time per consumer through the lines, quantities per plate. It’s quite the operation to figure out. It’s even worse when the food supply will run out right around the 12th customer with still another 5,000 people in line. Friends, put yourself right there in that moment with the disciples. Don’t you feel paralyzed? There is no way the feeble resources they possessed could come anywhere close to solving the problem. Their supply was not even in the same universe as the need. But Jesus demanded they take action. That moment of paralysis is exactly where God needs us. If we will not underestimate Him. You’ll have to read Mark 6:30-44 to see how it all turned out. This Sunday let’s explore together this very key discipleship point. We cannot grow to where Jesus wants us until we recognize two things: 1) The absolute power of God to leverage our weakest parts and our most under-resourced realities for the specific outcome He desires; 2) Our responsibility to step up, regardless of our frailties, to serve and give as if God had already provided a supernatural solution. Prepare to be empowered. God has a plan for you that is supernaturally strong. Don’t underestimate Him. Perhaps you can see the relevance to what the Eads are working through today. Let’s meet on Sunday… 10:00 a.m. Seeing you all will do our hearts good… Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend Hey Friends…
Let’s be honest. Faith can seem quite silly, especially to those looking in from the outside. I don’t blame them. Do you? It’s not hard to see how our supernatural Jesus might look more like an imaginary friend than an actual, natural, physical reality. So, they laugh at us. But let me ask you (and be honest!): Do we sometimes secretly laugh at Jesus too? Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below… But first… today’s reminders are all about kids and us!! · KIDS / Middle Schoolers: We are going to summer camp!! For rising 1st through 8th graders this summer, come with us to a weeklong day camp divided into age-appropriate programs at the Furnace Mountain Camp outside of Leesburg, VA. There are several dates to pick from and we need your help to identify the best week for Mt. Hope to attend. Click here to email Chris Bowen for details! · Parents: Saturday, February 22, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., drop your Pre-K through 6th graders at the church and go out for a special “Parents Night Out / Kids Night In.” We will have snacks, crafts, games, and movies your kids will love. As a part of the evening, the kids will make goodies for the next morning’s summer camp Bake Sale! Click here to RSVP with Chris Bowen! · Everyone: Come with a sweet tooth and a fat wallet to Sunday morning, February 23, for our Bake Sale to support our summer camp. Gorge yourself on yummies the kids baked the night before and be crazy generous with your donations to help our kids get to camp! · Teens: NO Youth Group this Sunday, but join us NEXT Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., for lunch, games, and more! · Don’t forget our “Daily Six” video series, six-minutes every weekday to read along with me as we study through the Gospel of Mark. Click here to jump in! And if you’d like to receive daily email reminders, click here for a link to The Daily Six each morning! OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and those who think Jesus is imaginary. BUT… Some Deeper Thoughts… Let me tell you about Bunny and Blue Dog. They were very important friends of mine at a very formative age. Bunny was orange. And you guessed it. He was a bunny. The fact that he was filled with cotton ball stuffing is irrelevant to his profound importance in my life. The photographic evidence my mother has of how Bunny comforted me as I lay sleeping in my crib is matched by vivid memories of many joyful antics Bunny and I shared during those pre-school years. Oh, and Blue Dog? Can you guess? Yep. He was a dog. He was blue. Please don’t judge my name selection creativity. I had just learned how to speak. These stuffed critters were my buddies. We had many important conversations as I explored reality and grew up past two feet tall. They soothed me when I was terrified in the middle of the night. They accompanied me to many a Matchbox car race across the living room floor. They participated in the construction of massive Lego cities—and then of course their swift destruction. (Remember, I was a boy. Breaking things was essential.) Bunny and Blue Dog offered me a mountain of counsel, hope, and comfort in a world that was often confusing, scary, and daunting. But as I grew past three feet and headed off to kindergarten, I slowly began to realize something. Bunny and Blue Dog couldn’t actually talk. They couldn’t think. They were not really my friends. Their closeness and intimacy were… well… imaginary. I still have them. In a box somewhere. Maybe I’ll dig them out for show and tell this Sunday. Bunny and Blue Dog once occupied a predominant place in my life. They were an important tool that psychologists call “self-soothing,” which according to Mr. Google is “a technique that is used to manage and regulate one’s emotions and create a sense of calm and comfort.” Self-soothing isn’t bad. In fact, it might be downright necessary. For a three-year-old, a stuffed bunny will do just fine. In adulthood, the bunny belongs in a cardboard box while we turn ourselves to more refined self-soothing techniques: positive self-talk, deep breathing exercises, taking time for self, pampering, mediation, fishing, or a trip to the gym. And sometimes Jesus. Tragically for many people, Jesus is no more real than an imaginary friend who offers a self-soothing path to hope. He is an idea, a figure, a promise. But not someone real. Let’s own it. The assertions of the New Testament are irrational. The Jesus we interact with is invisible. He is accessed only by a choice of faith that Jesus is more than an imaginary friend, but rather a very real spiritual entity with a very real presence and a very real power. I wonder if this is how Jairus’ family saw Jesus when he made an incredibly irrational--and wildly inappropriate—claim. I wonder if they saw his words as nothing more than imaginary. Jesus arrived not long after Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter had died. The house was engulfed in gut-wrenching commotion, grieving, wailing. Some men met Jesus a few blocks away and begged him not to come. “She has died,” they said. “It is better for you not to come.” He ignored their concerns. When he entered the house, he “saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep’” (Mark 6:38-39). Don’t try this at home. This is NOT the right thing to say to a grieving family who can plainly see with their very own eyes that the little girl is dead. So, “they laughed at him” (Mark 6:40). To those who do not understand Jesus by a choice of faith, the words of Jesus will be irrational and nothing short of imaginary. But then let’s also understand what this choice of faith is: a choice to not base our entire worldview on what we can see with our natural eyes. “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Even science will admit that we cannot see everything that exists. Spend just a few minutes reading about quantum physics and you’ll get it. Not everything that is real can be seen. And not everything that is invisible is imaginary. If our reality is defined only by what we see in our natural-realm present, we will miss all that God intends to do in our lives. God has a vision for us that is much greater than the vision we have for ourselves. But that vision cannot be fulfilled if we don’t choose to move into a position of faith that sees reality with spiritual eyes, not just natural. God is not an orange stuffed bunny. He is not an imaginary, self-soothing idea. But to see that, we must make a choice of faith. This Sunday let’s explore this together. We’ll see what happened with Jairus’ daughter. And we’ll see what God can do in us. Dig around Mark 5 in advance. Choose faith. Can’t wait… we love each and every one of you. Let’s meet… Sunday… 10:00 a.m.! Chris Eads Mt. Hope Pastor Friend |
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Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Matt. 22:37-39
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