Beginning August 24, 2009, Pastor Mark Driscoll will be leading a ten-day trip to Greece and Israel. Mars Hill members and attenders are welcome to participate, although the trip is open to anyone who is interested. Activities include walking where Jesus walked, where Paul ministered, where the temple stood, and where the Scriptures were penned.

If enough people attend we have been granted permission to allow one of our worship bands to play a concert in front of the Western Wall. If that happens, we will actually have a Mars Hill indie rock church service at the very wall we have spent nearly a year studying in the Nehemiah series.

How is this a part of Mars Hill’s mission?

Living for Jesus

As a church that focuses on Jesus and trusts the scriptural record of His person and work, the trip will undoubtedly help us to have greater insights into Scripture and a greater understanding of Jesus.

A City within the City

As we visit the cities from which the gospel of Jesus spread throughout the world, we trust God to give us greater insights into His love and mission for us in our own city.

Knowing Culture

One of the great controversies in the earliest days of our faith was what was to be received, rejected, and redeemed from Gentile culture. Much of our New Testament letters were written in large part to wrestle with just such cultural issues. Therefore, as we travel through the places in which Paul ministered and wrote Scripture, we will be growing in our own understanding of the biblical principles that guide our involvement in culture for Christ.

Loving People

The key to loving people is to first comprehend God’s love for us. Scriptures teach us that God’s love was poured out for us in Jesus, who entered into history to live, die in our place for our sins, and rise from the grave to conquer death. Therefore, as we see what it means that God actually entered into human history in a specific time and place, we will grow in our understanding of God’s love for people, which can only increase our love for other people.

Transforming Lives

God is in the business of changing people to reflect His glory. He does this, in large part, through His Spirit, Word, and people. On this trip, it is our prayer that as we learn more of His Word together as His people as led and taught by His Spirit, we would experience life transformation for His glory and our joy.

The total cost for the trip is $3,495 per person (payment plans available) based upon double occupancy in a room. This price includes airfare, hotels, transportation, tour guides, entrance fees, breakfast and dinner daily, and all taxes and fees, along with all gratuities.

Sign up now for the Greece & Israel Trip and take advantage of the early registration discount. Space is limited.

If there is one piece of advice that occurs over and over again in scripture it is to not be fearful or afraid. The word fear or is derivative occurs 260 times in the Bible and in many cases it is an encouragement to not fear. The propensity to fear is one of the experiences we all share in common. 

At the moment I have good reason to let fear grab a hold of me.  On Tuesday, Jan 8th I received a phone call from my urologist telling me that I have prostate cancer. As I put down the receiver, fear was lurking in the shadow of my mind. I very quickly went to a favorite verse of mine; Psalm 112:7 in the old Living Bible, “He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen, for he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him.”

My experience has led me to conclude that I have fears/regrets about the past or live in fear of the future. As it relates to the past, I wish I hadn’t said this or done that and now I’m living in fear of what may result from past folly, sin or mistakes. Or I borrow from the future playing the “what if” game in my mind. What if this happens?  What if that happens? What will I do? How will I cope? Someone remarked, “what do you mean it doesn’t pay to worry. Most of the things I worry about never happen.”

For me, the temptation is to play the “what if” game.  What will I do if the cancer has spread to other parts of my body? What will I do if I get really sick and can’t function normally anymore?  What if they tell me it is really advanced and I have 6 months to live?  What if?  What if? What if? It is so easy to live in the past or borrow from the future and have no energy left to live in the present; in the moment.

A few years ago I came across Matthew 6:34 in The Message. Most people know Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” In fact Matthew 6: 25-34 is, in my thinking, the best passage in the New Testament on not fearing, worrying or be anxious. But Verse 34 is often overlooked, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (The Message). This challenge to live in the moment has been a great help to me in and will be now as I face the unknown.

Through the years I have feared:

1. Rejection
2. Not being successful
3. Not making it financially
4. People’s opinion of me
5. Failure

As I begin my cancer journey, I want to replace potential paralyzing fear with faith in the character and promises of God.

While we’re on the subject of fear, what type of fear is currently gripping your heart and life?  Don’t go to God and tell him how big your problems are, but go to your problems and tell them how big your God is.

The elders at Mars Hill are very serious about encouraging Mars Hill members and attendees to get busy in their community groups with the study and application of the “How People Change” material. What is the big deal about this stuff? After all, are we not already undergoing huge change at Mars Hill? New campuses are springing up. New elders are being added. The member’s website is different.

Not only is “our church” different from what it was a few months ago, but now they want to change ME! What’s up with that? Well, it just so happens that Mike needs to make changes too. I am so grateful that our elders recognized the value of the “How People Change” material, authored by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp. As a Christian of close to 30 years I had become pretty set in my ways (also known as pride). So what, if things were not going so well in my marriage of 31 years. Surely it was her fault, and not mine. I was sure Jesus was on my side. After all, I have a mission to attend to and my wife better get used to it. Right? Well, wrong Mr. Mike.

“How People Change” has opened my eyes to realize that I have made a habit of sinning against my wife for years. Not only that, but I was oblivious to my sin. I had developed a pattern of sin that became habitual (automatic responses to “Heat”) and I was not even aware of my sin. Let’s look at an example: My wife might say, “Mike, you spend too much time involved in Mars Hill ministries. All you care about is making yourself look good and seeking the approval of others.” Wow! That would cause the hair (what little I have left) to raise on the back of my neck. I would respond in one of the following ways: I might argue with her and try to defend myself by selling her on how much I loved Jesus and I just wanted to serve him at Mars Hill. Or, I might get so —–d off that I would go into a retreat and just withdraw from her. Or, I just might get even more involved in Mars Hill ministries to show her how wrong she was. Or……..well, you get the idea.

The “How People Change” material, and the emphasis on bringing Jesus into the situation in order to turn a “Hot” situation into a fruitful situation, has had a tremendous impact on me and my marriage. I now look at the “Heat” from the perspective that my “Thorns” (sin) has much to do in causing my wife to react with “Thorns” (her sin) and the beat goes on. I am learning to recognize the “Heat”, “Thorns”, “Cross” and “Fruit” of daily life. Even at my age (67) I am learning how to better love my Savior and my wife. Thank you Jesus!

I want to encourage all community group coaches and leaders to become enthusiastic about the “How People Change” material, because if taken seriously and applied to each of our lives, the transformation and fruit in our lives will go a very long way in reaching Seattle for Jesus and for causing us to identify with the apostle Paul when he said, “…….I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (Phil. 4:11).

Sweetheart! Are you ready for your back rub?

Photo courtesy of CCCF

As Wendy announced in the opening session, curriculum is available for follow up study in small groups. I’ve included them here and under the curriculum page of Life on Mars.

Women’s Follow-up Study 1

Women’s Follow-up Study 2

Women’s Follow-up Study 3

Women’s Follow-up Study 4

I look forward to seeing you at the February Women’s Retreat: By His Wounds we are Healed at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine WA.

Bonnie and I have been driving over to the Seattle Northgate Mall about 5 out of every 7 days.  The Mall is opened most days at 7:00 (8:30 on Sundays) for those who wish to walk for exercize.  It is exactly 1/2 mile in length so a round trip walk is 1 mile.  It is super to be able to walk on a flat surface without getting rained on or wind blown. 

I began to realize that, during my 20 to 30 minute walk, it would be a great time to pray. I always begin praying for each person in my community group.  We make a list of prayer requests and praises every week and we email the list the following day to all members of our group.  So, it gets easier to remember all the requests.  It dawned on me that almost every person in our group frequently asks for prayer that a friend or relative, especially parents, gets saved and become a member of God’s family (John 1:12). 

The other day as I was praying for Lacey’s mother, my mind began to wander and the thought crossed my mind, “does all this praying for people to get saved do any good?” After all, is it not up to God anyway according to Ephesians 1:5-11?  As soon as that thought crossed my mind I felt somewhat ashamed of it.  I began to think about all the people that were special to me that God has brought into His family.  In each case, they were people that I had prayed for.  In some cases it was just weeks of prayer, in some it was months, and others took several years. There are many that I am still praying for. There must be a tie-in between those that God has chosen (John 15:16) and those His Holy Spirit inspires us to pray for.  I will not dig any deeper theologically, at least in this article, on this subject. It can be a mind bender.

Like most of you, I began praying for others very soon after I became a Christian.  That was almost 30 years ago.  The first one God layed on my heart was my mother.  I presented the Gospel to her but it did not take.  Two years later she got very sick and was prepared for surgery.  I was 400 miles away.  My pastor sent a pastor friend of his to the hospital and that pastor confirmed that my mother accepted Jesus 45 minutes before she died on the operating table. A few years later I began praying for my sister, who lived over 2000 miles away.  She was a practicing Mormon.  We communicated by letter and phone (pre-email days) and eventually she got saved and joined a Southern Baptist church.  Two years later she died of diabetes complications.

Of course, I prayed for my three children.  At one time all three were walking in darkness. I remember kneeling at the foot of my bed with tears in my eyes and I pleaded with God. “Lord, at least give me one of them.”  A short time later my son James went forward at a “Promise Keepers” conference at the King Dome.  I am still praying for the other two.  Another example would be my co-worker friend Lee.  Lee is now an active member of Mars Hill Church.

Perhaps the most miraculous example would be my ex-wife Dorothy.  She and I divorced many years ago before either one of us became Christians.  Bonnie and I began praying for her and she is now a well established follower of Christ and a very good friend of my wife and I.  In fact, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving at her house.  God is so Good!   I have more examples, but I think you get the point. 
 
I just want this article to be an encouragement to anyone who reads this to keep praying for that parent, brother, sister, co-worker, friend, etc.  There is no greater joy than to see someone you have prayed for become a Christian (3rd John 1:4). Maybe that is one reason God inspires us to pray for them.  Do not give up! 

Amen?

Photo courtesy of Katie Tegtmeyer at Flickr.com.

On July 6, 2007 my wife Bonnie received a phone call from the Seattle Police Department. They told her an unidentified man had just been in a severe accident.  He was biking northbound on the West side of the Ballard Bridge when somehow he fell into the oncoming traffic.  He was in critical condition with a severed right arm and considerable head and leg injuries.  The police told Bonnie that the man had a cell phone on his person and that her business number was programmed into the phone.  (She is a hair stylist)  They were hoping she could identify the man.

Our first thought, and a scary one, was that the man could have been our oldest son, who was known to ride around Ballard on a bike.  Since we were unable to reach our son, I had to go to Harborview to try and identify the person.  I was shaking as I entered the emergency room. It turns out that it was not our son, Rob. 

About one week later Bonnie received a phone call from a lady named Lisa and she told Bonnie that her husband was in a terrible accident.  She said her husband, Terry, had been a client of Bonnie’s for several years.  Lisa remembered Terry telling her that his “barber”, Bonnie, was really a woman of God and that God heard her prayers.  Lisa said her husband really needed prayer because he was still in a coma and at that point his life was still in danger.  They believed even if he did wake up he might be a para or quadriplegic. Well, at least that explained why Bonnie’s business number was programmed into Terry’s phone.

Terry has been at Harborview, then U.W. hospital, and now a nursing home in Lynnwood ever since.  Thankfully, he has been recovering well.  At this writing his mind seems to be back to perhaps 80% of what it was (He had taken such a blow to his head that they had to sew his right ear back on).  Of course, he has lost his right arm up to the shoulder, and he has very little use or movement in his right leg.  However, he is now getting around well in a wheel chair and he has been told he can come home (in Magnolia) as soon as a ramp is built to accomodate his getting in and out.  Building that ramp is the next priority of our community group and hopefully it will be built and Terry will be home by the time this article is posted.

We interpreted this entire event as God’s divine appointment for us Mars Hillians to love our city and expecting nothing in return.  So far our CG has donated several hundred dollars, split and stacked a chord of wood, cleaned house, did gardening around the house and now we have a ramp to build.  Also, as God’s providence has been at work there is a Mars Hill attendee that lives on the same block as this family and she has volunteered to host a community group.  Pray that this becomes a reality and that this family of four can come to know our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, so that they can know their suffering had a purpose.  (See Philippians 1:12).

Amen?

I don’t always have all the answers. 

And as the wife of a community group leader, I sometimes find myself in need of a little advice.  No matter how wise my husband is, sometimes it is inappropriate to share the details of situations involving women in our community group with him.  And turning to friends for counsel would often dance very close to the gossip line.  Not to mention, it is always good to have someone available to lovingly point out any of my, ahem, thorns.

Any one out there know the feeling?

Well, go at it alone no more.  During each month’s Sync we are now meeting together as wives to encourage, counsel and pray over the challenges that we encounter in each of our groups.  We have come together twice, and after each meeting I have felt so encouraged by all of the other women and excited about the mission behind our groups.

If you are interested in joining us, the Ballard Sync happens on the third Monday of every month at the Ballard campus.  Or, if you aren’t able to make it on Monday nights, email me at shannon.mead@gmail.com and I will get you connected with everyone else.

A letter is being sent to members and regular attendees of MH that have been assisted financially by MH this year, single parents, and others whom may have unmet financial needs in this season of life. Those recipient families who wish to participate will complete a questionnaire to be mailed to the church office. Each family in need will be paired with a CG or family that wishes to participate in the program. This is a perfect opportunity to lead your Community Group in very practical service to the body at Mars Hill and/or to their own community and experience the wonderful blessing of giving out of what Christ has given you. We don’t want any family to go without this season, so we’ll need lots of Community Groups to get involved.

In addition, if you know of a MH family OR a family in your community, neighborhood or sphere who may be in need this season, please, please send their name and address to Mercy@marshillchurch.org and we will include them in this mailed invite.

How it works:

So to recap those dates:

Confirm by 11/16 that you wish to adopt a family.

You will receive your adoption on or before 12/03

Contact your adoptive family by 12/10 to schedule a delivery day.

Deliver your blessings by 12/20

We thank you for considering participating and look forward to hearing from you!

Mercy Ministry at Mars Hill Church

From Pastor Mark Driscoll(see trailer here)

Jesus was a rebel, outlaw, renegade, and hardcore, sanctified troublemaker. He never sinned, but He lived His life by a set of rules that His culture did not approve of, especially the stuffed-shirt religious types. Examples include healing on the Sabbath, throwing over tables in the temple, eating with godless sinners, and not washing His hands before eating. Clearly, Jesus was no coward who conformed to social pressure.

Jesus was ultimately murdered in an attempt to stop Him from literally turning the world upside down, which was as effective as blowing on the head of a dandelion to exterminate it. Nonetheless, Jesus endured the cross, as Hebrews 12:2 says, “for the joy that was set before him” and never lost His joy even in the midst of betrayal, poverty, injustice, loneliness, pain, suffering, slander, and even death. Jesus was single-minded in His mission to pursue God’s glory in heaven and our salvation on earth. Jesus lived without those things that we would typically associate with joy, such as health, wealth, sex, and comfort, yet He is the freest and happiest person who has ever lived. Jesus is the most joyful person who has ever lived because He was the most obedient, God-glorifying, humble, sacrificial person who has ever lived. Paradoxically, He had joy despite being a “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3).

Following his conversion, Paul patterned his life after Jesus and also lived as a rebel, outlaw, renegade, and hardcore, sanctified troublemaker. He too was single, broke, often homeless, and so hated that he got run out of more than a few towns after taking a good beating. Paul writes Philippians while he is sitting on the floor of a filthy Roman jail (Philippians 1:1317)-a brutal place and nothing like the Paris Hilton Camp Cupcake Clubhouses that we see today. Alone in his jail cell, flat broke, tired, hungry, sick, abandoned, and facing the prospect of a brutal death, Paul sat down to write a letter to his friends in Philippi, who enjoyed one of the few churches written to in the New Testament that did not sound like it had been taken over by drunk carnival workers.

Founded by Paul in roughly 50 AD, the church at Philippi was the first church in Europe. The church began when the team of Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke met with some Jewish women at their place of prayer in Acts 16. Their first converts were a wealthy upper class Asian businesswoman, Lydia, and her family; a demon-possessed lower class Greek slave girl; and a middle class Roman jailer and his family. Despite racial, economic, gender, and political differences, the church grew to be very healthy and filled with joy as they grew together in their love for and service of Jesus Christ.

(more…)