Mendham Hills

Kickoff 2018 is here! Are you old enough to remember the classic and oft-repeated line that came over the public address system after every Elvis concert? That's right! "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building." Elvis stole that line. It was God's first. He used it a long time ago. Yet, we keep forgetting that God is not in a box - God has left the building. Try as we might, He just won't stay put. This Kickoff Sunday, invite a friend along for the fun, food and message - church re-explained!

"Time rolls by the clock don't stop / I wish I had a few more drops of the good stuff, the good times / Oh, but they just keep on flying right on by like it ain't nothing / Wish I had me a pause button / Moments like those, Lord knows I'd hit it and give myself five more minutes." Found myself singing this song a lot this week as summer faded into fall and the kids went back to school. Time is going by so fast - I wish I could just pause it or at least slow it down. How about you? One day, my kids were young - and now, they are almost grown and gone! This week at Mendham Hills - how to buy yourself five more minutes (and how to spend them!).

This Sunday we wrap up our summer-long look at Jesus' directive to "pray this way." What if I told you the ending you know and love and sing of "The Lord's Prayer" isn't really the ending? Would it matter? Should it matter? The truth is Jesus actually ends His model prayer with a story about unlocking the power of prayer. Ever feel like you pray so much and see so little? The often-untold story of the Lord's Prayer...the story that doesn't end the way you think it does...this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Life is complex. There are things that happen to us that can shatter our world. In the midst of our hurts and hurried lives, how can we stay focused and follow where Jesus leads? In our series on The Lord's Prayer, we reach a place where it is asked, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." So we are asking God to help us avoid some things, but where do we GO? The disciples followed Jesus up on a mountain where he told them the places that they are truly led. Join us Sunday at Mendham Hills to find out where Jesus wants to lead you and me.

As Blondie sings on their 1978 single, “One way, or another / I'm gonna find ya' / I'm gonna get ya', get ya', get ya'." What do you do when someone gets you? You get even. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. We sing about it and watch movies about it. We love the taste of revenge. But Jesus teaches something quite different - almost unthinkable. Find out why prayer is at the heart of one of Jesus' most upside-down teachings, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Growing up, many of the arguments between my siblings and I were ended with one of my parents yelling out, "Enough is enough already!" Turns out that was some of the best advice I was ever given. In fact, in His model prayer, Jesus encourages us to pray for simply that - enough. There are real dangers attached to believing in a world of scarcity and praying for more. What happens when we believe in a world of abundance and begin to pray for just enough? "Give us this day our daily bread," Sunday at Mendham Hills.

If you have taken an international flight, you've seen the sign that says something like, "U.S. Border," and an immigration agent will ask to see your passport. If you're a citizen, they let you through with very little trouble. But if you are a foreigner, they might have a few questions about the nature of your visit. Airports are one of the places where the divisions between the various geographical areas that make up our world are the most visible. Jesus himself talked about a kingdom over which He is the King. Come out this Sunday to find out how His Kingdom looks different than what you might think, and how it affects the way you pray.

How would you rate your sense of direction? When you're driving, do you always seem to know where to go? Or do you get lost going one town over? Remember the days of before GPS, when you would have to stop and ask for directions? Those were the worst. Now, thanks to my iPhone, I'm never lost. I might not know where I am, but with a few words ("Siri get directions for...") I'll be all set and back on course. For many of us, we wish we had a GPS for life. At times, we find our lives heading in a completely different direction then what we thought. We find ourselves asking the question, "How did I get here and where I am going?" Join us this Sunday at MHCC as we look to a God who is always directing and guiding, even when we are lost and unsure of the path to take.

As Shakespeare's Juliet once posed, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." And that might be true, but make no mistake about it, names matter. Some recent research suggests that names can influence choice of profession, where we live, who we marry, the grades we earn, the stocks we invest in, whether we’re accepted to a school or are hired for a particular job, and the quality of our work. Maybe that's why Jesus prioritized a prayer about God's name. Have you lived your life wanting and hoping to make something of your name? Here's your chance - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

At the beach this week with my five year old nephew, I noticed something he has said just about every day. When his older cousins were riding the waves, he would watch how they did it, how far they rode them, and then ask, "Can you teach me?" We were flying kites, making them dive towards the ground and soar back up, and again came the question, "Can you teach me?" He wanted to have the same fun and the same results we were having, and he knew doing it his way just wouldn't cut it. So, with child-like humility, he simply asked, "Can you teach me?" It was the same desire and humility that had an early follower of Jesus questioning Him about prayer. They saw how powerfully He did it, and the incredible results, and simply asked, "Can you teach me?" And He did. This summer, in very real and practical ways, along with some child-like humility, we will learn to pray like Jesus prayed. Pray This Way - a summer-long look at The Lord's Prayer.

What impact am I making with my life? Am I making any difference in this world? What is my legacy? Legacy is not something we look at too often. But if we did, would it make a difference in the way we live our lives? Building our legacy means to live intentionally, seeking to make the most of every opportunity. This Sunday, we look at the life of Esther and take away some powerful and practical lessons of how we can make the most of every opportunity in our world.

As we conclude our series on Jesus's invitation to follow, we look at the power of godly leaders. Who is the leader of your pack...the one who sets the direction, pace, and destination? With a nod towards fathers, we examine the power of parents - specifically dads when it comes to the direction of future generations. In many ways, the direction Dad takes is the directions kids follow. If you follow often, so will they, and potentially generations to come. This Sunday, it's Fathers' Day and decision day at Mendham Hills. Who will you follow and who will you lead?

One of the followers of Jesus, a disciple named Thomas, asked Him a pretty big question - one that anyone following someone would want to know. "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" It's a pretty common question, maybe humanity's most asked: "How do you get to heaven?" And when it comes to questions like this, they inevitably lead to more questions like, "Have I been good enough? Have I done enough? Have I given enough to get there? Are there many paths and ways to heaven? Do all roads lead to the same place?" This Sunday, as we look at the call of Jesus to follow, we discover how to get there from here.

Follow - Follow by Sunday Podcast

This Memorial Day weekend, we wrap up our Attitude Adjustment series with a look at what happens when our attitudes go unchecked and unchanged. Narcissism is the place where all bad attitudes eventually lead. Paul, an apostle of Jesus, told his "son in the faith," Timothy, "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves." In a culture hyper-focused on ME, how do we take our eyes - our thoughts - off of ourselves long enough to really love another? This Sunday at Mendham Hills, it turns out it really is not all about you.

As the great philosopher Taylor Swift sang, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate." That's just what they do. Unfortunately, there is just a little bit of "hater" in all of us. We have a propensity towards critical spirits and judgmental attitudes. Why do we judge so quickly and harshly? We are commanded to have the attitude of Jesus and He has a pretty famous saying about judging. Does that mean we don't judge anything or anyone...ever? This Sunday, we take the logs out of our own eyes and the splinters out of others', as we adjust our judgmental attitudes.

This Mothers' Day Sunday, we take a pause from our attitude adjusting to focus on the women in our lives. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, championed the cause and value of women like no other. In fact, I would argue that in many ways, our culture is now just catching up. Yet, is it possible that in correcting one societal ill, we have created another? Jesus said, "Come ...all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you...and you will find rest for your souls." Wouldn't it be wonderful if we fully applied this truth to the women in our lives amidst what has become a culture replete with unrealistic expectations, allowing them some rest for their souls? Destroying the myth of "Superwoman," this Mothers' Day at Mendham Hills.

Have you ever tried to use a fancy word and have it backfire? I have. It was pretty embarrassing. I thought I knew what it meant, but I was awkwardly and painfully wrong. In fact, I hurt someone's feelings and left some "carnage in my wake" all because I though I knew something I didn't. Turns out, the older I get, the more aware I am of my propensity to think I know things that I really don't, and carnage results. I just thought I knew how to love God, love my wife, or parent my kids. Turns out, I didn't know as much as I thought. My attitude was, "I knew it all." Turns out, I didn't and I don't. So, how do I learn...change? This week at Mendham Hills, we embrace a bit of ignorance and learn what it means to be imitators. Oh, and a surprise guests helps me. You don't want to miss this!

Christianity remains the dominant religion in our country with about 75% of people polled identifying themselves as adherents. I would counter that there appears to be a more dominant faith amongst us. The religion of our day, which almost all of us seem to be following at one level or another, is cynicism. Cynicism is, in many ways, the complete opposite of faith or belief. It crushes hope and fuels apathy, distrust, depression and disdain. If everyone has an agenda or an ulterior motive, who can I trust? Is there anything or anyone I can actually believe in? Why am I so cynical? Conquering the sin of cynicism – this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

All of us, in one way or another, are in need of an attitude adjustment - but where do we begin? How about with the worst kind of attitude? The one attitude that all of us share, the one we hate in others but refuse to see in ourselves. There is no attitude that makes one more unpopular, and the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. It is, as C.S. Lewis wrote, "the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began and leads to every other vice." Yeah, lets start with changing that one - this Sunday at Mendham Hills.