Forgiveness

A lot of Christians respond to forgiveness along these lines...

"Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day. My sins are forgiven. I got it! Can we move on?"

My response to that usually is, "Really? Do you really get it?"

I mean if we really got it, then why are so many of us broken by bitterness and anger? Why do we struggle with letting go? Why do those sickening emotions well up inside of us each and every time we hear that person's name or see them at those annual holiday gatherings?

This weekend at City on a Hill Church, we'll be talking about forgiveness. Forgiveness is too great an issue for us to stop talking about it. There's too much that God wants to say to us about it. Trust me. You haven't heard it all.

Please join us on Sunday @ 11am.

Love & Intimacy

The Love & Intimacy Conference on Saturday, March 20 is the answer to a lot of prayers. Since we launched City on a Hill Church, we've been faced with all kinds of questions and issues within marriage. We've watched marriages struggle as the husband and wife don't know how to effectively communicate about some of the more important but embarrassing issues of intimacy. Everyone knows that money is the biggest reason for marriage problems and the #1 cause of divorce in America. There are some great programs already in place in Culpeper to assist those folks. We're going to tackle some of the issues that are not talked about as much in public, but are just as important.

Put it on your calendar folks. It's Saturday, March 20 from 2pm to 4pm. Registration is only $5/person or $10/couple. It's an investment you won't regret!

Weekend Reflections

Lots of people missed the Sunday service at City on a Hill Church because they were sick. We'll have the sermon up on the website by midday Tuesday. We had some technical difficulties with the previous few weeks, so the end of the Chase the Goose series and Tim's message from last weekend won't get posted.

We had a slew of first-time visitors with us on Sunday. What a great feeling that always gives me. God prompts those He knows needs to encounter Him each week. That's always something we pray about before each and every service. The message wasn't one of our ordinary messages, but it was great to remind everyone who we are, where we're going and how we're going to get there. We've entered a new season at COAHC, and we all need to be ready for it with firm commitment.

Best of all, several people responded to give their lives to Christ!

Carrie and I like to spend time together each week watching American Idol (real spiritual stuff there!). Last week, they selected their final 24 out of hundreds of thousands who auditioned. Watching the reactions of those who made the final cut as they walk through the door is always inspiring. Honestly, that's how I feel every time I walk through the doors into our church building. I mean, really. I get to do this? I get to pastor this Church? Are you kidding me? What a great life God has blessed me with!!

Saved AND Called

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
2 Timothy 1:8-9 NIV

As I was reading this passage this morning, the Lord reminded me that each and every one of us is not only saved, but also called. Too many Christians live their lives under the umbrella of the former and forget about the latter.

If you've been in Christian circles for anytime at all, you've probably heard the following at least half a dozen times:

"God has a special plan for your life."

It's said so much, it's almost become cliche in Christianese. However, no matter how redundant it becomes in your life, it's still true. Perhaps the reason why we hear it so much is because it's not yet been lived out in our lives.

"... called us to a holy life..."

The word holy (hagios in the Greek) means "set apart for a purpose." In other words, Paul is telling us that God has called us to a life that has been set apart for a specific purpose. For some, that means vocational ministry. For most, it simply means that God has designed you uniquely with specific gifts and talents to serve the Body of Christ and glorify Him. Whether serving in ministry vocationally or not, let it be a calling in your life. Let it be taken seriously enough that you invest yourself in it. Grow in it. Learn from it. Let God shape you and transform you in it while blessing others through it.

Full Calendar

The website for City on a Hill Church was updated yesterday to include the full calendar for the next couple of months. As I was reviewing March, it really hit me.

Wow, we have a lot going on!

I'm truly glad that not only are we doing a lot for our COAHC family, we're also not forgetting about reaching our community as well. In busy times, it's so important that we remain deliberate and intentional about fulfilling our vision and be who God has called us to be. It's too easy to get distracted by a lot of fun or new events or programs.

Just a few highlights...
-New Life Groups launching
-Community Love & Intimacy Conference
-Overseeing the Culpeper Warming Shelter
-TriBE Membership Class
-Quarterly Ministry Leaders' Meeting
-Community Lenten Service
-Monthly Prayer Service

The UnChurched Talking About Church

Take a few minutes and watch (but listen more carefully) to this video. It's an interesting take on the contemporary evangelical Church from an unChurched opinion.

I think I'll start calling our Worship Team our "Hallelujah Band."

Love & Intimacy Conference

Mark your calendars now!

Saturday, March 20 @ City on a Hill Church

We're going to be hosting our first Love & Intimacy Conference. Over the last several weeks, I can't tell you how many times the issue of love and intimacy has come up in conversation. So many questions... So much confusion...

If your marriage is lacking the spark it needs...
If you need some help understanding your spouse...
If you're confused about what's appropriate in the bedroom...
If you're not even married, but want to proactively prepare for marriage...

Then this conference is for you.

More details to come soon...

Name That Tune

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3 NIV

If you're as old as I am, you may remember a game show that used to be on television called "Name That Tune." Contestants would try and guess the title of a song by hearing as few notes as possible. Reading Psalm 40 this morning reminded me of that game show.

I wonder what song you're singing this morning? Many of us in the Mid-Atlantic are probably singing a song requesting some Spring-like weather. David was going through his own problems when he wrote this psalm. Instead of dwelling on the problems at hand, David suggests that the Lord has encouraged him to sing a song of praise.

The song of praise in spite of our circumstances isn't just for our own benefit (even though it definitely helps get us out of a funk). It's for the benefit of those hearing it. David tells us that many will put their trust in the Lord as a result of hearing our song of praise while knowing our circumstances.

We read the New Testament account of putting this into practice in Acts 16. The Apostle Paul and Silas are singing praise songs to God immediately after having been beaten and imprisoned. The other prisoners were listening to them. I can only imagine what was going through their minds!

You and I need to sing a song of praise each and every day regardless of our circumstances. Our song is seen not only in our words, but also in our attitude, behavior and body language. When we can praise God in all these things in spite of our circumstances, many will thirst after what you have and create opportunities for sharing the Good News that trumps any bad news. No one will have to guess the song you're singing. It will be easy to name that tune!

Radicalis

Saddleback Church (Rick Warren) is hosting Radicalis for pastors/leaders. Today and Friday (Wed and Thur maybe too) are being webcast for free. I listened to Rick Warren, Perry Noble and Andy Stanley for several hours today - sometimes uninterrupted listening and sometimes just in the background. I have to confess that I haven't been fed like that in a long time.

Rick Warren opened up by explaining his philosophy on how we, as Christians, need to be more rooted. Radicalis is the word that means "root." In other words, we've got to be rooted in the Lord. This hit home so hard for me as I believe we need to be more rooted in the Lord via more connected to the Body of Christ. Too many of us think we can be rooted in Christ without being connected and committed to the Church. Sorry, it doesn't work!

Perry Noble continued by talking about being more rooted in our devotion to the Lord. Andy Stanley wrapped up the day by teaching how to preach in a more rooted way.

I have so many ideas for future sermons right now, it isn't even funny!

Mockers Schmockers

“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Proverbs 9:7-8 NIV

I can remember a time in my life when I was looking for opportunities to correct people - especially those who mocked the Lord. Regardless of the situation, it always ended the same way: the person would laugh at me, ridicule me and mock the Lord and me even more still.

Reading this passage this morning, I was reminded how God warns us about trying to correct someone who isn't interested in being corrected. It ends badly. It ends with frustration and hurt. Nothing good comes from it. And yet, many of us still think to ourselves, "Well, I can set that person straight. What I have to say will make a difference to them."

Yea, right.

Why do we want so badly to waste our time with people who aren't interested in growing and learning from God while we neglect those who desire to grow and learn? As the Church, we need to do a much better job at discerning between those who need the Lord and those who want the Lord. All of us need the Lord, but far fewer really want Him.

"So we should ignore those in the world who don't know Christ and just focus on those inside the Church?"
Absolutely, unequivocally "NO!"

That flies in the face of our vision at City on a Hill Church and what I believe God has commanded the Church. What I am saying is that we need to not waste so much of our time on people who will suck the very life out of us without ever growing an inch in their relationship with Jesus. Too many are standing by asking for our attention and wanting our attention - those who will grow by leaps and bounds if we simply invest in them.

Lord, may we have the discernment to recognize those who desire to be more like You. May we invest ourselves in them. May we not waste our time trying to correct those who mock you in word and in deed. Amen!

Living Dangerously

This weekend was great. City on a Hill Church hosted its first service via teleconference and web conference. It wasn't exactly what we had planned or ever wanted to do; but out of necessity due to the weather, we gave our community an option to worship God and study God's Word via technology when most every church service was canceled in our region.

We wrapped up our Chase the Goose series with a sermon on breaking out of the cage of fear. The consistent theme over this six-week series has been living dangerously for God. As I watched the Superbowl last night, I could not help but see some parallels in the Saints' playcalling to what we've been talking about in our series.

The New Orleans Saints took risks and lived dangerously in the game last night. From going for it on fourth and goal to the onside kick, Sean Peyton led that team with a dangerous attitude that seemed to say, "Nothing's going to stop us!"

Some of the risks didn't always pan out the way the coach wanted. That's just like living dangerously for God. There are instances when our plans aren't fulfilled in that instance. But we don't give up. We don't get conservative. We don't play it safe. We keep on living dangerously and allowing God to work in and through us in miraculous ways.

I, for one, am happy to see the Saints win their first Superbowl. I'm even happier to see them win in the fashion they did. May we all live dangerously for God!

A Different Kind of Sunday Service

Due to weather, our service this morning is being hosted via free web conference and free audio conference @ 11am.

Click here to register in advance for the web conference.

To dial into the audio portion, please call toll free 1-888-350-0075 and enter conference room # 4974494.

Sunday Service vs. Snow

This weekend, the two toughest teams in the NFL face off head-to-head for the Superbowl. In a similar battle for the ages, the wintry weather is squaring off against our local church services. Unfortunately, this is pretty much a one-sided battle. The snow's going to cancel most, if not all, services in the Culpeper area on Sunday morning for the third time this winter season.

City on a Hill Church is doing what it can to keep our local body connected with one another. When the normal routine doesn't work, think outside the box! We're considering the possibility of hosting church service over a web/telephone conference.

As a consultant in the pharmaceutical research industry, I utilize these meetings all the time for my job - at least monthly. People can hear one another over the telephone and those with internet access can also see slides or even video. It doesn't matter where you are. If you have access to a telephone line and/or internet connection, then you have access!

When you can use technology to bridge the gaps of distance between people, it helps tremendously. So, why not use it for the Church? I'm definitely not suggesting we use this technology on a regular basis as a substitute for meeting together live and in person; but when we can't get together due to weather, let's get creative and stay connected!

If the weather prevents us from meeting this weekend, expect an alternative like this to be offered. Check our website for details as we get closer to Sunday.

Staying Connected

With all this wintry weather that's beautiful to look at (but destructive to schedules, plans and driving), how in the world does a church family stay connected?

Our leadership team is brain storming and trying to come up with some creative ways to stay connected. With advanced technology, we can use video conferencing and the internet. The problem is that not everyone has web access. Another option would be teleconferencing.

How is your church body staying connected?

Snow Days

Last weekend, we got hit with another snow storm. Most churches canceled services on Sunday. Fortunately, we were blessed with the flexibility to postpone our Sunday service a few hours, let the roads clear a bit and host our service in the afternoon. What a great service it was, too! We served a home-cooked meal afterward and had some great fellowship with our church family.

We're expecting more snow this week. I've heard that another major storm is supposed to hit us sometime this month. Who knows? God does!

Regardless, we'll do everything we can to open our doors and host service each and every weekend. We may have to be creative in our timing, but that's okay by me. Having said all of this, our church family's health and safety is of the utmost importance. We aren't going to endanger lives for the sake of having a service. Church isn't defined by our building and it isn't our Sunday service. Church is defined as you and me. Where 2 or more are gathered, there will He be in the midst. With today's technology, we can experience God's presence for a weekend over the internet or television. Of course, we can't forsake gathering together, but a weekend here and there isn't going to do damage to anyone's spiritual life.

Let's commit to continue praying for one another and look savor each and every opportunity to gather together in fellowship and worship of our Lord Jesus Christ!