Mendham Hills

It seems that there is an ever-increasing amount of violence in our world. Watching the news, you see the consequences of hate, bigotry and greed. So what do we do when presented with unspeakable evil and violence? Are we always called to "turn the other cheek?" Is there ever a time to stand up? To stand against? Are we allowed to express our frustration and anger? Are we allowed to ask God to era...

The data is in and it is indisputable: we are a people under stress like never before. According to a recent Bloomberg article, we just broke the American Psychological Association’s all-time stress record. Money, work, the economy, and now a political environment like no other have all conspired to put us on edge. You couple these factors with the natural fears of man, including the greatest fear...

"Bad company corrupts good character." How many times have you said this to your children? How many times was this said to you when you were young? It might be one of our favorite verses to quote to kids and teens alike. And while most of us believe this to be true when it comes to our kids, do we believe it's true for us? Maybe it doesn't apply because, "I'm a mature adult - I can handle it." If...

"Bad company corrupts good character." How many times have you said this to your children? How many times was this said to you when you were young? It might be one of our favorite verses to quote to kids and teens alike. And while most of us believe this to be true when it comes to our kids, do we believe it's true for us? Maybe it doesn't apply because, "I'm a mature adult - I can handle it." If...

The brutal honesty of the Psalms continues this week with a sincere inward reflection. We have, as followers of Jesus, been adopted by God, forgiven, restored and renewed. We are "joint heirs" of an unspeakably glorious Kingdom, blessed with an unfathomable inheritance. Many of us know these truths - we can memorize and recite them, right down to the biblical passage from which they are drawn. Yet...

As a culture, we've been educated about things like proper diet and effective exercise, and as a result, we've gotten much better about taking care of ourselves. Many of us have made lifestyle changes with regard to what we eat, and some of us have even joined a gym...all in an attempt to feel better and enjoy a better quality of life. Now, let me ask you a question - how have you educated yoursel...

Inspired by the conflict in Northern Ireland, U2 released one of their iconic recordings - Sunday Bloody Sunday - in 1983. The song lyrically poses a question common to the writers of the Scriptures, "How long, how long must we sing this song?" While spending this week walking in some of the poorest places on earth - dry, hot and broken places - I found myself asking the same question: how long Lo...

When I was a kid, I attended a lot of weddings, participated in a lot of weddings, and loved it all - the food, the music, and the dancing. But until I got married, I didn't realize just how much planning and work it takes to make a wedding happen. Choosing the venue, the caterer, the photographer, the florist, the dress, the tuxes or suits (and on and on it goes) requires a lot of research and in...

The concept of a God for many people, maybe for you, is somewhat abstract. We love the idea of "a God." We certainly hope for a benevolent deity, but in the day-to-day, it sure would be nice to have a more tangible presence. When life gets tough, I would really love to have a "God with skin on" to go to. In the final days of the life of Jesus, we see that God saw fit to provide just what His child...

In what I believe will be one of our more powerful gatherings of the year, this Sunday we take a hard look at what we are ashamed of. Perhaps nothing impacts our own identities more than who it is we "hang out" with. We want to be seen as cool and popular, so we strive to be seen with, well, the cool and popular. Maybe we even have some public friends (the ones we want to be seen with) and some pr...

I lose things - lots of things - all the time. I lose keys and coats, phones and cards. It is so bad that for Christmas, my daughter got me Bluetooth-enabled discs to attach to my keys and wallet. Heck, as I write this, I can't find my new winter jacket. Most of the time I find my stuff, and when I don't. it can be replaced. Have you ever lost something irreplaceable - something you can't simply g...

"I'm bored." Has that thought ever crossed your mind during a conversation with someone? It has for me. And, it has happened during my conversations with God as much as with another person. Does that surprise you? Now, I have listened to preachers tell me all about the benefits of prayer. I have read books that sing of the joys of prayer. And still, as I am praying, that thought can pop into my he...

In 2013, Forbes published an article entitled, "The 35 Questions That Will Change Your Life." There are some pretty good questions on that list: What is your WHY? If you weren't scared, what would you do? Are your "shoulds" getting in the way of your happiness? These are good, deep questions, worthy of reflection. Jesus, as recorded in detail by the physician, Luke, asks THE most profound question...

My wife loves to garden. To me, it seems like hard and dirty work, but she finds it relaxing. To me, the couch is relaxing. To my wife, crawling around in the dirt and breaking up the soil restores her soul. This Mother's Day, after you hit the Mother's Day Photo Booth, listen as Luke relates the story of a gardener, soil, seeds, and souls. Has your heart grown hard? Has your soul grown weary? Was...

I'm not sure how it developed, but there is an age-old question that all of us have been asked, or pondered ourselves: "Would you rather be deaf or blind?" In fact, if you "google it," there are nearly 700,000 responses. This Sunday, we wrestle with the same question. Luke recounts a story of Jesus and offers up a second opinion on what it is we think we see. At one point, Jesus asks a haunting qu...

Luke, the physician and author of the most detailed account of Jesus, continues to offer us a second opinion on life and faith. Ever feel like you have been sold "a bill of goods?" The product you sacrificed to save for and purchased, in retrospect, turned out to be so much less than promised. I have had vacations like this and cars like this - heck, I just got a pair of Groupon shoes like this! T...

Oscar Wilde once quipped, "I can resist anything except temptation." We all know it, we have all felt it, and at one time or another we have given in to it - temptation. This Sunday, we kick off a new series with a focus on lessons we can learn from the book of Luke. Jesus no sooner starts his ministry and He is immediately led into temptation. Can you relate? Wilde would go on to say, "The only w...

In Part Two of our series, "Who Is This Man?" we take a look at a side of Jesus rarely discussed. Was He loving? Of course. Was He kind? Absolutely. Did He ever get angry? He sure did! The centuries have softened our Savior into what some would perceive to be a quiche-eating, sheep-petting lightweight. But, the truth is, being a pushover rarely gets people crucified. This Sunday, we take a look at...

An old saying postulates that "familiarity breeds contempt," the thought being that the more you know someone, the more you see their flaws and imperfections. There is some truth to that with regards to human relationships, but what about familiarity with regards to Jesus? In a culture where Christ saturates our history, is it possible that His ubiquity has bred a loss of reverence? Have we lost o...

God is calling us into a place of uncertainty with this end in mind - it's for the sake of Jesus. It's not for the sake of accomplishing goals or of mission, it's for Him. What do our priorities look like when we filter them through this lens? In Luke 10, we are challenged to go into the world as "sheep among wolves," knowing that God's Kingdom looks upside down many people, and our very lives cou...

Why Am I So Afraid? - When It Comes To Fear, Nike's Right by Sunday Podcast

I recently went to a friends' house to see their new baby. When I arrived, the first thing we talked about was who the baby looked like. We said things like, "He has his nose," and, "He has her eyes." Have you had a similar experience? Parents will even be quick to say, "He got that from me!" But, as babies grow into kids, and then into teenagers, we sometimes quit claiming responsibility. Some of...

Fear is paralyzing. It keeps us in bad jobs, dysfunctional relationships, and firmly affixed to our couches. Trust, on the other hand, is incredibly liberating. Trust is what allows the little girl to jump off the pool ledge and into her daddy's arms. Trust is what undergirds strong marriages. Trust is what allows us to "walk on water." How can we move from fear to trust? Tired of fear keeping you...

It's one thing to be afraid. Heck, some fear is good and for our protection. It's good to fear a pot of boiling water falling from the stove. It's good to fear the bees nest next to the swing set. Anxiety, however, is something quite different. It's like fear on steroids and it's exploding all around us. You may not have tasted it yet, but likely someone you love has. Deep anxiety and paralyzing w...

Philosopher George Santayana penned one of academia's favorite quotes: "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." I know I have used it often when my kids are complaining about why they need to learn about the Whig Party or the Magna Carta. Could this same truth be applied to fear? What if we understood our history with it, where it came from, and what it has done? Could understandi...