Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. - Matthew 7:24 MPCYouth as just started a new series on what it means to, “Make your faith your own.” For the next four weeks we will be talking about what our lives should look like when you say, “My relationship with Jesus is mine. It is not my parent’s, my church’s, or any church leader.” I’m so excited to start having this conversation because it is the core of why I do what I do. To help teens encounter the resurrected Jesus and have a unique and special relationship with Him. I got to share with them that Jesus is waiting with excitement and anticipation for
Dear Beloved, I write this as I’m preparing for my sabbatical which begins Monday February 4th. What this means for you all is that I will be unavailable for a period of time extending through May 7th. I will not be answering calls, e-mails, or even visits to my home. This will seem shocking to some. As I shared during the sabbatical forums, pastoral ministry has the tendency to be messy. While I’m one of your pastors, I also share in full relationship with many of you. These roles are not divided evenly, if they can be divided at all. Some of you are my closest friends. I am asking that you show me the grace of allowing me to withdraw from our personal relationship, for a season, so
Our All-Church Retreat is coming up in less than a month! From Friday, February 15th until Sunday the 17th, we will be at the Harvey Cedars Bible Conference Center in Harvey Cedars, NJ. Our speaker will be Rev. Tim Doering who will be talking to us about Spiritual Alignment. If you are trying to decide if it will fit your family's schedule, here are 6 Reasons to attend the Spiritual Growth Retreat at Harvey Cedars next Month: 1. FEEL the presence of God. In a post retreat survey, a majority of last year's attendees reported that they FELT the presence of the Holy Spirit during this retreat. 2. to FOCUS on your relationship with God. Most of us are not given many chances to stop and inten
It is a little early, but the words, “L'amour de Dieu est folie!” are actually an Easter Liturgy commonly used in France. From what I have read it was common in France to share it as a greeting with anyone you passed on Easter day. It was also written on buildings, busses and all about town. I stumbled upon these words recently as I was reading through, “The Furious Longing of God” by Brennon Manning. It was such a wonderful reminder that the love God has for us is so vast and crazy. We as humans can only catch glimpses and snatches of the true power, might, and majesty of our Father’s love for us. We get a small picture of what God is doing in 1 Corinthians 1:21, “For since in the wisdom
Happy New Year wonderful folks! I'm so excited to be starting 2019 with you! So, what's in store for us this year? First, Parenting Partners kicks off next Wednesday, Jan. 9th! WOOHOO! We're very excited to bring you this programming. It serves us as parents and caretakers in several ways: 1. it gives us a toolbox and skillset for the important job parents do 2. it includes faith in parenting & leadership along with ethics, boundaries, and healthy communication 3. it helps us focus on BOTH the needs of the kids, AND the needs of parents 4. it demonstrates and gives space to practice valuable parenting qualities, how we recognize and affirm strengths, instill confidence, set healthy boundar