Scars: a story of despair

Sermon audio and video testimony online NOW!

Here's a link to download or listen to the most recent sermon.

Here's the video for the video trailer that introduced the sermon. Tough, messy scar story, but if you listen to the sermon you'll discover how God can bring people THROUGH seasons of despair, depression, and anguish.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! (gotta watch the video)

Big HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Just a little jig to say, "You're awesome!"

Daylight Savings and Baptism THIS SUNDAY

Daylight Savings Time begins THIS Sunday, March 14th, so move your clocks FORWARD one hour THIS Saturday Night and pass on this video to other forgetful friends...



Baptism in Water is a significant step in the journey of a Jesus-follower, and if you or someone you know has not been baptized in water, take advantage of this special Baptism Ceremony held at Leitersburg Cinemas!

For more information- check out our event page here.

Is TRUE LOVE only in fairy tales?

ALL sermons for "is TRUE LOVE only in fairy tales?" series are up here. See the previous post for the trailer for the series. I'm strongly encouraging you to download the mp3 files and SHARE them. Get your kids to listen to them, pass them on to your friends, classmates, or secretly load them onto someone's iPod.

We took a lot of time on this series, and I addressed some tough, but very relevant issues, as we walked through the Song of Songs. These messages are straight from the Bible with no fluff, just honest, timeless truth that will profoundly impact the lives of those who will live them.

Really preached my heart and guts out on this series. Hope you enjoy and are impacted for eternity!

We'll also have the whole set on CD available on this Sunday, March 14th.

INVITE your FRIENDS to Lifehouse to Church on Valentine's Day

A reminder that tomorrow is Valentine's Day and FRIEND DAY! Invite your FRIENDS! We would strongly encourage you to invite them to either 9am or 10:30, but really want to encourage stronger attendance in the 9am service.

Here's our video to promote this FRIEND DAY and the Kick-off of "Is true love only in fairy tales?"

If you're wondering, graphics and video were taken from a series down by Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Always nice when we don't have to spend 80 hours creating designs and videos from scratch.

Everyone wants a miracle BUT...

few want to be in a miracle- requiring situation. We like miraculous healing, provision, protection, wisdom, and strength. But how many of us are willing to allow God to place us in situations of that require such miraculous breakthrough.

We read the Bible with the end of the story in mind, but for those who lived it, they were desperate and in need of God's power. Put yourself in these situations, could you have handled them as these biblical heroes did?

• Moses and Israelites were cornered between the Red Sea and the charging Egyptian army BEFORE the Sea was parted (Exodus 14),
• Israelites were wandering in the desert, Elijah was enduring a famine, a widow was about to eat her last meal, and 5000 men were hungry BEFORE God supplied an abundance of food (Exodus 16; 1 Kings 17; Matthew 14)
• Daniel broke the law against prayer, was thrown into a den of lions BEFORE he saw God's protection (Daniel 6),
• Gideon has challenged by God to narrow his vastly outnumbered army down to 300 men against the Midianites that were as vast as locust over the valley BEFORE God used them to deliver Israel from their siege (Judges 6),
• Elisha and Gehazi were surrounded by a vast army of Arameans BEFORE God sent chariots of fire to destroy the opposing army (2 Kings 7),
• Early Jesus-followers endured persecution, beatings, martyrdome, running for their lives BEFORE the gospel spread throughout all the regions surrounding Jerusalem and Asia Minor (Acts 8:1-8).

Curious as to why you might be in a difficult situation, enduring hardship, suffering?

• For Israel in Judges 7:1-4, God "stacked the deck" against them so that they wouldn't take credit for the victory but so that God would get ALL the glory. Are we giving glory to God in our situations and with our victories?
• In 2 Kings 7:15-17, Elisha prayed that Gehazi's eyes would be opened to see spiritually that "those who were with us are more than those who are with them". Maybe God wants you to see with spiritual eyes rather than with eyes of doubt and fear?
• In Acts 8:1-8, the persecution and suffering was necessary to scatter the believers and spread the God News of the Gospel to the "ends of the Earth". How can we grow through hard times?

In each situation, obedience is required before the miracle comes. And always, God wants the Glory for His miraculous power.

Thanks to all for a great time at Lifehouse on Sunday

Great to see so many brave Lifehousers and guests out at Lifehouse for our 10:30 service. It was a wild weekend with anywhere from 18-30+ inches of snow around the region. Wow!

Grateful for all who pitched in to make our service possible- Bill Anderson for plowing and getting the parking lot ready (did you even go to sleep on Saturday night?), Simanes for having coffee & cafe ready when everyone arrived (we all were in desperate need of a cup o' Joe), to the guys that were willing to walk people safely from the parking lot into the theater, and all the volunteers and staff that improvised, served, and worshiped together. What a way to SHARE LIFE TOGETHER.

Here's a picture I took when I went out to check out the roads early Sunday morning. Couldn't help but pull over and enjoy the moment!

SHINE Sermons are available at www.lifehousechurcheast.org.

10:30am service ONLY on Sunday, February 7th

Lifehouse Church East will have 10:30am services ONLY on Sunday, February 7th.

For those of you who are volunteering, serving, and leading tomorrow, you may want to arrive between 9-9:30, depending on how much time you need to prep.

Please be careful and safe.

After being snowbound since Friday, I'm sure most of you are ready to get out anyway, and I've got a sermon I'm ready to preach. I spent the bulk of the day digging out as I'm sure you did. Here's a pic of my girls enjoying our giant mound of snow outside our door.

Enjoy your evening and we look forward to seeing you at 10:30AM.

DON'T FORGET, NEXT SUNDAY is FRIEND DAY!! So, invite your friends!!

SHINE sermon series

Just a heads up that recent sermons are up on our website here.

Here's the trailer for SHINE as a teaser. Check them out and listen, be challenged, glorify God.

The Invitation series from Christmas is also up.

LISTEN. DOWNLOAD. LINK. TWEET. Whatever you do, SHARE.

Stay Humble, by Mark Batterson

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." I Peter 5:5

This is a re-post from www.evotional.com by Mark Batterson. Just thought it was an excellent post and great insight. I completely agree.

Let me make a confession: our family watches American Idol. I watch it for my kids, of course! Here's an observation I've made during the try outs to get on the show. The judges almost always react negatively to contestants who are cocky. It turns them off. It's almost like they naturally oppose them. But the judges seem to love contestants who have a quiet confidence or don't know how good they are. In a sense, pride and humility have almost as much to do with the contestants making the show as their voice quality.

Pride is a turn off isn't it? It invites opposition. But humility is endearing. It invites grace. And it's not just true in the natural realm. That is a reflection of the spiritual realm.

If I had one piece of advice for leaders I think it might be this: stay humble. If you have pride in your heart, God will oppose you and it's awfully hard to do the work of God when God Himself is opposing you! Stay humble in the way you treat others. Treat them as more important than yourself. And stay humble toward God. Keep giving credit where credit is due. And make sure you spend time on your knees kneeling before Him. The leaders that God uses the most have well worn knees.

Stand Firm: concluding 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting

Our focus in prayer today is for fruitfulness and faithfulness. Read John 15:1-11 as a reference point, and let's pray for "much fruit" through pruning, so that we are able to see increased impact in our community, many transformed lives, changed hearts, saved souls- all to the Father's Glory!!

When we are fruitful and faithful, the enemy will attack to discourage us, frustrate us, and lead us to believe that we should quite. But that is no time to quite. Instead,

"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9.

Here's a very encouraging letter written by an anonymous pastor from the jungles of New Guinea explaining His situation to the preacher John Yates:

"Man, it's great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old Devil's heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease! He doesn't waste time. He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him.

You can always measure the effectiveness of your work, by how hard Satan hits back. When you're on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up and some don't bother to answer your letters, is that the time to bail out?

"No Sir! That's the time to pull out the stops and shout hallelujah! Satan’s really getting it and he’s launching an all out attack. And all of heaven is watching and asking: 'Will he stick it out?'

And they see who is with us…and they see around us the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, and they see the impossibility of failure with God on our side…how sad the angels must be when we run away from hard times. Glory to God! We're not going to run away. We're going to stand."

So, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, BE ENCOURAGED, STAND FIRM, NEVER GIVE UP to the GLORY of GOD!

Help hold up the arms of those on the front lines

The prayer focus for today (day 19) is for our missionaries and those ministries on the "front lines" of spreading the gospel to the furthest reaches of our world. Here's a brief list, pray for:

• safety, generous provision to the missionaries and humanitarian workers in Haiti.
• our missionaries serving everywhere from US university campuses to Belgium, Central Asia, Japan, and beyond.
• other missionaries that come to mind and those that you are familiar with.
• the work of these missionaries, for fruitful ministry, protection, and great impact in make disciples of all nations,
• financial provision for missionaries, especially since the economy is rough and many people are pulling back in their support,
• renewed strength since ministry can be very tiring and spiritually exhausting, and that they would not "grow weary in doing well".

A great passage to read and use as a guide when praying for our missionaries and church leaders on the front lines of the Kingdom: Exodus 18:8-15 especially,

"When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword."

Personal Thoughts on Haiti

We've all seen the unbelievable devastation and heartache in photos and news feed out of Haiti. Like me, your heart breaks and you wonder what you can do. On that later this week! For a moment, allow me to pour out my heart and reflections from Scripture as I've processed this great tragedy in Haiti.

First, our American perspective is so limited. There are 10's of millions of people all over the world deeply suffering, without clean water, bathrooms, food, shelter from cold or heat, no medical help, and on and on. We have it SO good, yet we complain to God over our "suffering" when we do without the most lavish of luxuries. This season of fasting reminds of how much I DON'T need!

Second, the biblical perspective on gratitude and provision. I modified my prayers with my daughters over the last few days. I always emphasize our need for GRATITUDE and GENEROSITY! We take time to thank Jesus for our food, home, stuff, and his faithful provision. However, recently, I started leading them in a prayer that went more like this,

"Jesus, thank you for your lavish blessings of food. You amaze us with your daily provisions of food to eat, water to drink, and a home to live in. Together, we are not only grateful, but also want to say that we are thankful, not because you always give us what we want or even need, but we are thankful for YOU, for salvation, and for the promise of heaven. Even if we had nothing, we would still love you and be thankful."

I'm reminded that Christians throughout history, and currently throughout the world suffer immeasurable persecution, devastation, and tragedy. While we are spared from so much of that in America, we must be mindful that we are not promised to be spared, but just the opposite,

Paul wrote to the Philippian Church, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him..." Philippians 1:29
Paul reminded other believers, "To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly." 1 Corinthians 4:11-13
And a thorough summation of many Jesus-followers pain, suffering, and willingness to endure hardship laid out in Hebrews 11: 32-40. Here's the highlight reel,

"Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground."

These verses (and hundreds that I didn't include for sake of brevity) make it so clear that suffering, hardship, and even tragedy are not marks of a lack of faith but of true Jesus-followers.

This isn't an exhaustive statement of my thoughts as I reflect personally, and I'll try to continue to blog those for you.

Our hearts, prayers, and soon (our generosity) are with those in Haiti.

What lessons are you learning as you observe the news of the devastation in Haiti?

Praying BIG prayers

Let's pray BIG prayers! Prayers that scare us and shape history. Prayers that require faith and please God. Prayers that match our inability with God's omnipotence. Let's pray believing that our prayers spoke in agreement with God's Word and by faith are heard by the Creator and Master Architect of Life.

Prayer focus for Day 11 of 21 days of fasting and prayer:

Pray for:

• God's favor, blessing, protection, and provision over all ministries and para-church organizations that serve the community and the needy.
• strength over those who serve our neighbors and communities and for sustained passion and vision to continue to impact our communities.
• boldness and focus for all ministry leaders and volunteers to serve the community and needy, not out of social justice, but to share and show the message of the Gospel, and that they would be willing to speak up and present those they serve with the great message of salvation through Jesus,
• financial blessing over all these service-oriented ministries that present Christ during this challenging economic season,
• NEW ministries and organizations and efforts to be initiated in 2010 with the purpose of serving people and meeting needs to show and share God's love and the message of Jesus to a world desperately in need,
• Hagerstown Convoy of Hope and that we'll reach many thousands more people, have sufficient funding, and tons of volunteers to reach broken, hurting people in this surrounding region. Also, remember those in Convoy (and other organizations) serving in Haiti right now- for safety, boldness, strength, and provisions. Sign up to help on Facebook here.

A few passages of Scripture to meditate on today as we pray for the service of the Church and all Jesus-followers to SHINE in 2010:

• 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
• Luke 4:16-19, especially: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, especially: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

Praying to the all- powerful God

Sunrise this morning was a great reminder that God's powerful and in charge. That's an especially necessary thought when things seem out-of-control or profoundly tragic. This is critical now both, personally and globally.

I imagine that those who have family and friends in Haiti are praying most passionately for those they love and for the rescue/ humanitarian efforts. Let's pray with that same level of fervency, urgency, and conviction that we would if our loved one was unreachable in Haiti. Let's cry out to God for people's lives to be spared, safety for humanitarian workers and efforts, and for an open door of the Gospel to penetrate a spiritual dark and antagonistic nation. Pray that many people would discover Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through this devastating, tragic earthquake.

Our prayer focus today, as part of our topical approach during these 21 days of fasting and prayer, is from Matthew 9:35-38. Read the challenge from Jesus,

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV).

Pray:

• those who attend the Church (not just Lifehouse but we're praying for transformation in the whole Church) would become fully devoted Christ-followers,
• Jesus-followers would obey Him through service and ministry, both in the local church but also to the needs and needy in their community,
• that God would stir the hearts of people so that they would be Spirit-prompted to serve, give, lead rather than need to be compelled by leaders in the Church.
• for many servant-minded people to step up to volunteer, serve, and minister,
• that ministries would be fully staffed and that new ministries would be launched through people passionate to begin living their service to Christ.

"Pray like everything depends on God". -Martin Luther

Prayer focus for day 9 of our 21 days of prayer

Join us in praying for the leadership of Lifehouse and the Church! Read over Ephesians 4:11-16 to get insight into God's call for pastors, elders, and ministry leaders.

Pray for encouragement, renewed strength, wisdom in decision-making, anointing in speaking/ teaching/ leading, protection over their families and from temptation and the enemies strategies, and fresh vision and passion to fulfill God's purposes for His Kingdom in 2010.

2 services and other updates

First, I really enjoyed leading our 2 services and preaching twice yesterday. It fired me up, and that's after not eating for a week, since we're in 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer.

Secondly, please be patient with us as we work out some kinks in the services and the building. I know it was still cold in the lobby. We're working aggressively on it!

In leading both services, there are things I really like about both of them. I can see why some of you said that you wanted to attend both, just to see what they'd be like. Hopefully, you enjoyed which ever service you participated in and were impacted and changed by God's presence.

Third, join us at 6am and 6pm Mon - Fri at the theater for 1 hr of prayer. There is a different focus each day, and it'd be great to have a group of people to rally in prayer and truly cry out to God for our community and church.

Finally, don't forget that we have a very important "business" meeting this Saturday starting at 8am. If you're a ministry partner at LHE, we need you there, since you'll be deciding whether to approve the decision to move forward to purchase the theater or not. Once we meet, we will break into groups and begin renovations.

If you are planning on joining a renovation team, please let us know ASAP, since we'll need you to be ready to work and bring tools depending on which team you serve on.

Thanks for reading and let's walk with the confidence that our lives and invest of time, energy, and money is making a huge difference for God's Kingdom and eternity!

Don't Miss THIS Sunday. Bring a Friend.

We're launching 2 (that's two) services TODAY! They're at 9am and 10:30am. Both have same service and ministry opportunities. There are a few different life groups available during each service.

This morning I'm kicking off our theme for 2010 and our latest sermon series called "SHINE". Come discover who your life can become vibrant and full. Live a life that others notice and wish for.

You don't want to miss THIS Sunday AND Bring a Friend!!

Hagerstown topping the charts! Everyone link this video

Great music video by A-list, top talents from our very own Lifehouse music industries. Putting Hagerstown, MD on the map.

If you love it, like it, then link it, Facebook it, blog it, tweet it, spread it.

The Invitation part 3- sermon notes

On our summer trip to the aquarium, I strongly encouraged my daughters to touch the stingrays in the pool. Carissa was very reluctant, so like any loving father, I "helped" her touch them. After she finished crying, she did eventually touch them willingly. I challenged her to get “uncomfortably close” and go beyond her comfort zone.

I have my own moments of getting uncomfortably close- when I went surfing near sea turtles, standing ready to bungee jump, tip-toeing to a very high cliff edge. All these experiences forced me to go beyond my comfort zone. The turtles got IN my personal space and I didn't like it. The heights were a "little too close".

The point: few experiences are worth resisting innate inhibitions and boundaries.

We spend most of life compartmentalized into convenient categories. These compartments allow us to keep things from spilling over into other areas, and keep people comfortably distant from our darkest secrets, deepest hurts.

However, there is a tension of keeping our personal space and boundaries. We develop compartments in life to protect ourselves, but struggle to balance compartments of life. That'w where spill over happens. You know, the frustrations at work that are carried home, the argument last night that we brought to work. Depleted checkbooks that rob our Christmas cheer. We try hard to guard our fragile compartments. To keep a avoid getting uncomfortably close to things that scare us or allowing the "unknown" into our personal space.

We do the same with God, keeping Him at a safe distance. We have a compartment for God- Sundays before noon, grace before diner, in moments of crisis, an occasional prayer after we hit a golf ball or while struck in traffic. God has His place in our life, church fits into our boundaries, where we keep things from getting too uncomfortably close.

We certainly don’t let Go IN our whole world, rock our status quo, or give him the keys to every door and closet in our home.

Read Luke 1:26-38, NIV. This event is known theologically as the “virgin birth”. It sounds so pious, sterile. But for Mary, God interrupted her normal? Disrupted her with an invitation to become uncomfortably close and intimate with the Christmas experience. Her life would be profoundly altered.

Mary sets amazing example and provides incredible challenge to us?

Big Idea: Allow Christ IN Every Part of Life

More than Christmas story. This is The Invitation of God to us. Mary is an example of how incredibly close Jesus wants to come to you.

While we have compartments, boundaries, and comfort zones. Mary story is the example.
What does God want in my life?

Read Luke 1:26, 34-35 again.

Lord was WITH Mary, but now He wanted to be IN Mary.

Throughout Old Testament, God was with lots of people.
God was with Adam and Eve, walking with them in the cool of the evening. God was with Abraham, even calling “friend”. God was with Moses and the children of Israel in the fire by night and cloud by day. They were confident that God was with them. Through Jesus, God was with the disciples- eating, sleeping, teaching. Immanuel “God WITH us”. (paraphrase of Max Lucado's: Next Door Savior, 2003, p. 91)

But know an invitation to be IN Mary- “Holy Spirit will come upon you” and “overshadow”
These words invoke a picture of enveloping, like Mt. Sinai enveloped in the cloud of God’s presence.

God invites us to tear down our inhibitions, step beyond our comfort zone, welcomes our intimacy, and gets close enough to be known, not just with us, but in us.

To his disciples, Christ declared, “I am in you” John 14:20 NCV.
Paul prayed, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” Ephesians 3:17, NIV.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27, NIV.
“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them”1 John 3:24, NIV.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” Revelation 3:20, NIV.

How does God come IN my life?

God enveloped Mary, and Mary’s common life was transformed. At first, only physically, hormonally, privately. But over time, the in-dwelling of God in her life transformed everything about Mary. It became obvious to everyone that God was IN her.

What part did Mary have in this conception and pregnancy? She willingly submitted.

See Luke 1:38, NIV. Mary made herself completely available to God. Much like the way a wife makes herself completely available to her husband.

We want to be in control, manage our compartments, but God simply invited Mary to allow Him into her life, beyond her inhibitions, comfort zone, status quo. Not just a part of her life, but ALL of her, IN her.

Transformed from just learning of God to intimately knowing God.
Mary intimately knew God- understood His will and willingly obeyed His plan for her life.

What’s our part? To make our life completely available to God and accept His invitation to dwell IN us, IN every intimate detail and compartment of our life.

We neither resist or assist. Mary couldn’t guide, advise, or assist God in the process. She didn’t volunteer for this role. She only responded willingly and completely, then offered herself in full service.

Are there areas in your life that you’ve tried to do God-size things on your own? Quit a life-controlling habit or addiction, overcome past hurts, forgive the abuser, heal the marriage, conquer a fear, defeat the worry? We can’t do it on our own.

We can only surrender, willingly allow Christ in every part of life.

Like Mary to be so pregnant with the life of Christ that He lives through us.

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20, NIV.