Nearly 150 people (and LOTS of children) were in attendance and the movie was GREAT! As a grandfather, several things touched my heart and being pastor I nearly always see spiritual connections to what I see in life.

Ella’s mother told her to “have courage and be kind”. Even her name “Cinderella” comes from being made fun of by her step-sisters, tagging her with the name “Cinder” (from the black cinders that got on her face from sleeping near the hearth) + “Ella”. Near the end of the movie, Ella looks at her evil step-mother and says “I forgive you.”

The bible teaches that all of us have a cinder problem. We’re born with a cinder problem. The cinder and sin needs a redeemer! Now, it’s a stretch of the metaphor to say that the Prince in the movie represents Christ – but it’s certainly true that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords took care of the cinder and sin problem and we’ll celebrate THAT love story on Easter Sunday.

The tutu? Lots of the little girls wore their Frozen and princess outfits. My treasurer made me an Ohio State tutu to wear to the movie. Alas, she was sick and didn’t get it to me in time. Sadness.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. 20% or more of the child population in 37 states and D.C. lived in food-insecure households in 2012, according to the most recent data available. New Mexico (29%) and Mississippi (29%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food. Ohio is doing a little better with 1 of 6 (instead of 1 in 5) in this situation.

The reason I’m sharing this is simple – this coming weekend is a great youth conference called Converge. Buck Sutton and the Lima region Teens For Christ ministry are instrumental in bringing this to Lima. One of the components of the Converge is food distribution to those 1 out of 6 families who don’t have reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food. While it’s true there are many food programs to help people in need, there are lots of people in our area who have food insecurity.

Our youth pastor came to our most recent deacon board meeting and shared that we could participate in the food distribution and for $1,000 we could help TFC purchase 10,000 lbs. of food! We are all in!

I know TFC still has financial needs for this conference and if you would like to send a financial blessing their way, check out their website.

http://teens-for-christ.com/

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

A man from Michigan visited our church last Sunday and as I shook his hand at the end of the service I took a closer look at the shirt he was wearing.

The graphic was an outline of the state of Michigan but the inside was filled with Ohio State logos!  I think he’s a brave soul if he wears it where he lives!

I am fairly certain Jesus never saw a shirt like this one – or did He?

He often taught about the ceremonial religion of the Pharisees.  Jesus said “On the outside (like a freshly cleaned mausoleum) you look beautiful, but your inside is full of dead men’s bones.” In essence He was telling them that God desired a personal and intimate relationship, but their primary focus was the outline and what people saw.

The outline or the outside (what people see) matters. But if the inside is clean it will be seen on the outside (Matthew 23:26).

I wonder what it would look like if each of us wore a shirt with an outline filled with pictures of what’s in our hearts and minds, our attitudes and the private stuff (good or bad).

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

You probably have memorized the 10 commandments found in Ex. 20.  I was thinking that we should add an 11^th commandment – ‘Thou shalt serve the Lord in your local church at least 2 hours per week.”

Can you think of a specific place where God commands us to serve Him?

I can’t.  Did Jesus tell us to serve Him?  We are called to be like Jesus and He took the nature of a servant.  Jesus did quote Deut. 6:13 when he said “worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”  However, the word “serve” is used as ‘worship’ or ‘reverence’ not in an act of service.  But is this why we serve?  I don’t think it should be.

We should serve out of our love for God.  I love my kids.  How do I show that?  One way is by serving them, putting them before myself.  I usually let them pick the family movie.

God doesn’t want to force us to serve Him.  He wants us to serve because we love Him.

A devotional I read said it this way: “The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way.  My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him.  The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature.”  God loves us; we love Him; my service to Him is the way I show Him my love.

I think it is important to serve God in some capacity.  Some are expressing their love to God in foreign countries or full-time ministry.  Some are expressing their love by helping/volunteering for a Christian organization (Teens for Christ, WTGN, etc.).  Others are sharing their love by serving in the church – nursery, teaching, leading, on a board, etc.  If you aren’t serving outside the church, then serve inside the church.  Serving inside the church is a safe place to test out your talents, interests, & passions.

My favorite colors are bright green, orange, yellow, and red.

When I shop for groceries I find my eyes are drawn to packaging with these colors – though I only buy the items on the list Dinah gives me (usually, sometimes), regardless of package colors!  Still, colors matter.  Some attract and delight us, others are just OK. But I think most would agree that how something is presented or packaged can make a big difference.

Case in point: Last Sunday the church parking lot had been plowed and sidewalks shoveled, but it was snowing hard enough that the trustee’s good work was nearly negated.  Attendance would be down.  Some leaders wouldn’t make it.  And to top it off, my guest speaker cancelled an hour before the early service due to illness – leaving me with no sermon.

I was holding the door for folks as they came into church last Sunday. As the beautiful snow descended quietly, I greeted each one with “It’s great to see you today!  What a beautiful day!”  I really meant it.

When it’s authentic and from the heart, packaging and presentation makes a BIG difference!

Try it this week!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

Tina and I have been searching for a home.  It is hard to believe that we have been in the parsonage for over 10 years.  There are some differences or advantages to both renting & buying as well as some disadvantages.

You get the idea.  I have had a pretty nice deal, low rent and the church has made updates.

How do you see Union Chapel?  Are you a renter or owner?  Think about it.  Is this your church home or just a place you attend?  There is a difference.  You see, if you are a renter, you are just putting in the time until something better comes along.  If you are a part owner here, you see the eternal investments and want to partner with those endeavors.  You are willing to put the effort into the areas that need help or that you want to ‘upgrade’ because this is your place of worship and you are proud of it.

The church (Body of Believers) talked about in Acts, met together regularly, shared everything, broke bread together and learned about the Gospel together.  Look at the church of Antioch in Acts 11:19ff.  This church was large and people ‘owned’ it.  Vs. 29 – “the disciples, according to his ability, decided to provide for the brothers living in Judea…”

In the words of Pastor Mark (listen to this week’s sermon), they were “ALL IN”.  They weren’t renting.  They invested in Church Ownership.

Are you renting or part-owners in the church at Union Chapel?  Is this your church and are you willing to do your part to make it succeed?  Are you investing in the Kingdom work through this place?

**Owning the church doesn’t mean you can be the church boss (dictator) – that everything has to be ‘your way or the highway’.  We are part owners in that we must compromise with many things – carpet color, sanctuary design, worship style, which Bible study is used by the women’s group, etc.  However, we don’t compromise the Gospel!

Chronos and Kairos are two Greek words for our English word time.

Chronos (like a watch, timepiece, or chronograph) measures “sequential” time, like hours in a day. It’s also successive time, like a timeline.  One example is: The Civil War ended in 1865 and it’s been 150 years since the end of the war.

Kairos is also time, but a place on that timeline.  It can also be an event or opportunity.

So our lives are lived out a day at a time (chronos) but they are defined by the events or opportunities that intersect that line (kairos).

For those who put their trust in God, kairos is super important because that’s where He interrupts our chronos through events and opportunities. We have to be careful to not miss these special moments (and they’re not always blaring noises and strobe lights!) because it’s in these kairos moments that God reveals Himself!

Sometimes kairos is a great victory or success and sometimes it’s loss and pain – but either way, the spiritual adventures God wants for us aren’t usually sequential or successive, they’re divine interruptions where we are supernaturally engaged with the holy God of the universe!

Can anyone tell me the time?

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

A good friend of mine and his wife recently celebrated 25 years of marriage and he shared some great thoughts in a recent blog:

Marriage, grace, and old dogs learning new tricks: How to grow your marriage.

He went on to say: “With a woman like Sandi as my wife, I believe our best days are yet to come.  In a couple of short years we will be empty nesters, and someday grandparents – and she will make all of that so much sweeter.  I don’t look forward to growing old with Sandi, I look forward to growing bold together as we live, love, and hopefully laugh.”

Beautiful. The way marriage was designed by God to be lived and celebrated.

In so many ways, this is exactly how I feel about the church I service – Union Chapel Missionary Church. On Sunday, March 1^st I will begin my 18^th year as senior pastor. Dinah and I are empty nesters with only one real goal in life – to spoil our four grandchildren. And, like Tom, I don’t look forward to getting older with my church family because I’ve already buried too many of my friends. But I DO look forward to growing bold together – bold in defense of the Gospel and of each other!

No marriage is perfect. No pastor-church family relationship is perfect, but as we’ve grown together it IS sweet!

And, perhaps most importantly, I believe our best days are yet to come!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

I don’t remember who originated the statement of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory”, but that’s what happened at Super Bowl 49 last Sunday night!

My team, the Seattle Seahawks, was going to win.  The ‘Hawks had several downs to cross the stripe and they had one of the best running backs in the NFL.  Hand him the ball and the trophy belongs to Seattle.

But that’s NOT what happened.  Seattle opts for a pass play on the goal line and the ball is intercepted by the football deflating New England Patriots – end of game and end of story.

I wouldn’t want to be in the head coach’s shoes today.  Or, in the offensive coordinator’s shoes.  Or, in the quarterback’s cleats. Or, own a Seattle Seahawks jersey. Or, live in Seattle.

My takeaway is that things or situations that LOOK like they’re a sure thing often aren’t.

That’s another reason why I’ve put my trust in God – I don’t need to know all that’s going on, I just need to know He knows!

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

While returning from our Florida vacation we drove through Williston, Florida.  There was a large sign in the town square that said “Williston – the birthplace of Foolish Pleasure.  What an odd sign! What did it mean?  Being a pastor guy, my first thought was what a great sermon title this is!

Is it possible this little Florida town was, in fact, the birthplace of foolish pleasure?

The broken lives of individuals, families, and nations would be well served to go back to the starting place of foolish pleasure that leaves so much pain in its wake. An alcoholic doesn’t start life with addiction as their goal.  When a man or woman says “I do” they don’t plan to break their marriage covenant and their spouse’s heart.  The list is endless – but the starting place is the same: foolish pleasure.

If you know someone who has been to this town (symbolically speaking), pray they will find God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation!  Friends, where we start is so important – but where we finish is immeasurably more important!

By the way, the Foolish Pleasure of Williston, Florida was a race horse and among the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark