Mendham Hills

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...

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...

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 hea...

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, an...

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 fu...

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 cau...

Christmas mornings last a lot longer now that my kids are older. When they were young, it seemed like a month's worth of preparation was over in half a minute. They tore into the presents, barely looking at what they had unwrapped before casting it aside and picking up the next. No reflection, no appreciation, just pure consumption. It was like they felt entitled to all those things and when the l...

I really want to take control of my life. If I had my way, every step on the journey would fall exactly into proper place. Few of them do, though. The reason so many of us feel like our lives are out of control is...they are. Time has taught us a painful truth: there is very little in our lives we can actually command. What if there was one thing we could control that impacted everything we couldn...

One of the things I loved about being a dad was introducing my kids to new experiences - their first ball game, first amusement park, first ride on a plane. Of course, not every first was fun. There were also first shots, first stitches, first funerals. One common question they had that put every fear to rest and built up hope for what was coming was, "Dad, what will it be like?" Jesus proclaimed...

We've spent the winter looking at our Origins; it's time to look at our Destination. Where does our story end? What happens at my end? Our fear of death is supercharged by the fear of the unknown. What if it could be known? What if you knew what it will be already? Despite what you have been told, you are not getting wings, a harp, and going to an eternal church service in the sky. It is so, so mu...

Some of us spend our lives trying to be like someone else. Others of us spend our lives trying to be what someone else told us we should be. Still others wrestle years away trying to "find themselves." Most of us fade into our golden years with regret and wonder - who is the me I was meant to be? Discovering ourselves, this Sunday at Mendham Hills.

Influence - all of us have some and most of us want more. As adults, we fight for it, and as parents, we worry about it. Who are you intentionally influencing? Maybe a more interesting question is who are you unintentionally influencing and how? As we look back at our history, our shared nature, the question arises as to the impact of nurture and influence in our lives. Do I do what I do because t...

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew But through it all, when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out I faced it all and I stood tall And did it my way Frank Sinatra's iconic ballad roars, and our independent, 21st Century hearts soar as we join in the chorus. Yet, if we are honest, doing it "my way" sometimes leads to "my mess." Is there another way?...

This Super Bowl Sunday, the question begs answering again: Does defense really win championships, or is it all about offense? For many of us, life mimics football, offering us the same two choices regarding how we live. Some of us are hard-chargers, modern day warriors grabbing life by the horns. Others of us have been so beat up that it's much more about caution, safety and protection. Should lif...

I can remember one of my first toys being a Noah's Ark play set. Thousands of years post-flood, and Noah and his animals are as ubiquitous as ever. Most of us think we know the story; most of us don't. If we did, if we understood it, it's about the last story we would read at bedtime. The real story of Noah is one replete with death, destruction, family dysfunction, sexual innuendo, generational c...

The word "genesis" and the word "gene" or "genetic" are the same word. Everything in you is determined by your genetic code. So, too, is everything in history - it is merely a playing out of our shared genes, which are exposed so clearly in this book of origins. Ever feel like most of your life, you are just waiting for "the other shoe to drop," or that there is trouble lurking, waiting to pounce...

It's time to tackle the big questions - "Who am I? Why am I here?" In moments of personal reflection, have you ever wondered, "Why do I do what I do?" In moments of relational frustration, have you ever wondered, "Why does he/she do what they do?" During Origins, we will explore our shared beginnings, our humanistic tendencies, our familial issues, and our one communal great hope. It's a lot easie...

Almost everyone makes New Year's resolutions. As resolution, as commonly defined, is a firm decision to stop or start doing something. The problem is, for most of us, that decision turns out to not be all that firm. What if this year, we replace resolutions with a revolution - a literal overthrow and replacement of the "old you." Is that even possible? This New Year's Sunday at Mendham Hills, we w...

The prophet Isaiah foresaw the completed promise of God: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father..." This newborn king would not merely be a reflection of your earthly father, but the revelation of a perfect father. This prophecy carries with it the...

He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God...how mighty? One of the reasons Christmas hope has gone the way of tinsel is that we have lost our sense of awe and wonder! The Bible teaches that in response to what God was up to at Christmas, "even the angels stood amazed as they watched these events unfold." Has the story of Christmas lost its amazement factor for you? Perhaps it's time to st...

Remember Christmas the way it used to be? The lights, the garland, the hope? It seems that hope has gone the way of tinsel...something that used to be a part of Christmas, but today seems kind of outdated. Is it still possible for the reality of Christmas morning to meet the expectations of Christmas Eve? Join us as we launch a Christmas trip through the decades, exploring the promise of Christmas...

Nothing competes with God for our hearts like money. And perhaps no one thing breaks up families and shipwrecks lives more than money. The love of it really is the root of all kinds of evil. This Sunday, we conclude our series, "In God We Trust," with a look at ten biblical principles related to our stuff - five "thou shall" and five "thou shall not" commands related to our finances. Lessons on ma...

How do you measure your life? How do you define it's success? Is life to be measured on a happiness scale? Is it all about relationships or legacies? Jesus literally yelled out to people just like you and me, "Watch out! Be on your guard!" For what? Well, something that we get confused about regarding the purpose of our lives - something for which Jesus saved another exclamation, "You fools!" This...

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Our hearts follow our treasure, and Jesus wants your heart. So, it's incredibly important what we do with our treasure. In light of this foundational truth, the question needs to be asked: What's the plan for your treasure? Do you have one? How can you be sure you are serving God and not money? This Sunday at Mendham Hills, an incredibly...

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Our hearts follow our treasure, and Jesus wants your heart. So, it's incredibly important what we do with our treasure. In light of this foundational truth, the question needs to be asked: What's the plan for your treasure? Do you have one? How can you be sure you are serving God and not money? This Sunday at Mendham Hills, an incredibly...