Starting Mon, Aug 22, Mariners Bookstore will close for new carpet installation. We will reopen, Sat, Aug 27 at 4p. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience. Mariners Café will remain open during this time with regular business hours. Contact Andrea with questions, adevin@marinerschurch.org
Learn how to have more joy and freedom in your relationships by living within your limits! We’ll learn how personal boundaries are formed early in life and how, with God’s help, we can tend and mend these boundaries in community today. Search “Boundaries” or click here to register.
BOUNDARIES AND FREEDOM SEMINAR
Sat, Aug 27, 9a-12p
What a great time we had last weekend coming together for one service. It’s always a big hit when we do Sunday Together. I know it is a bit of an inconvenience, because some of you are uprooted from your Sunday morning seats, but you guys did great and our day was fun with lots of energy.
This Sunday, I’m excited to introduce you to our new Preschool Director, Liz Graham. Our preschool is a wonderful outreach to the community and holds our value for blessing families and pointing kids to Christ. Liz will share her vision for the preschool, and she looks forward to getting to know all of you! One of the best ways we have to let people know about our preschool is you, so please be talking to your friends, family and neighbors.
We’re continuing in our series on James this weekend. We’ll be talking about a topic we like to keep to ourselves, but we realize the only way we can deal with it is if we actually… “deal with it.” I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday.
Have a great rest of your week.
Blessings,
Jeff
I visit Texas every year — usually at the worst time of the year (Summer). I know many of you who have made Mariners MV your church home are aware my relationship to the Lone Star state is spotted at best. I know I do a less than stellar job of diplomatically talking about Texas. In August, Texas is hot, really hot… all the time. It’s like a Finnish sauna. Only, in the case of San Antonio, the heat and crippling humidity is inescapably everywhere. People in a sauna, after too much time, get too hot and leave it. Not so, in the home of the Alamo. But, family does live there. So, we go. And, in going, I am always reminded that despite my overdone cynicism, every visit is far more redemptive than not.
My father-in-law is a quintessential car guy. He knows how to talk about cars with the best of ‘em. He loves to talk about his first few cars with great enthusiasm. They were the good ones. He’s a very practical guy. He talks a lot about “value.” He is neither stingy nor excessive. He’s generous and thoughtful. He makes sensible decisions, especially when it comes to cars…always.
However, in this visit to Texas, there was something new and distinctly car-shaped under a cover in the garage. My mother-in-law’s practical mid-size SUV was parked there next to it. Under that canvas cover was an old memory encased in a shiny silver metallic flake exterior and a red leather interior. Bob pulled back the cover to reveal something that seemed to occupy a space outside the practical universe in which he always dwelled. Bob had acquired a ‘63 corvette. His intent is to fully restore it to its original design. At present, it’s a work, not yet fully completed. Practical Bob has driven practical cars for most of his responsible adult life. He drove back-to-back Buick LeSabres in the early 90’s. He then went crazy and jumped headlong into indulgence with a base model Ford Explorer. After that, two more for the front spots in the outdoor valet rotunda at the pricey hotel parking lots, next to the shiny Italian imports: Chevy Suburbans.
And now… A distinguished fragment from past aspirations — an undeniable classic.
He took me for a ride in it. To ride in a nearly restored classic car is to elicit a different response than merely driving in a “nice” car. I have friends that have taken me for a ride in their expensive imports. It’s fun. But, it’s abundantly clear that riding in the passenger seat of a car that is over 50 years old, tells a different story to people. That story — the story of restoration — is a much more compelling story than the one told by buying something new. We can’t help but connect viscerally to the narrative of something lost and then recovered again.
It’s the same thing we want for ourselves. It’s what we want for the world, our community, our neighborhoods, our jobs, and our families. We can see glimpses of the way things are supposed to be and in so witnessing, we smile, wave, honk our approval, or give a thumbs-up when we pass by. To see things brought back to even a tiny step closer to their intended design, we can’t help but be filled.
This Sunday, will elaborate on God’s restoration project in the world and what it means for people like us as we continue in our JAMES series.
See you soon,
Jeff
“Dad, I’m always on empty, and I don’t like to be on empty.” This quote from Doug Fields during the service last weekend (referring to his son who never has enough gas in his car) really stuck with me. Whether physically, emotionally or spiritually empty, the truth is we can all relate to feeling this way at one time or another and the need to be filled up. As Doug launched us into our new series based upon his book, REFUEL, he also invited us to read it together as a church. I’m so excited that we are creating space for the remainder of summer to spiritually refuel and connect with Jesus who refuels us!
I love the long days of summer, the smell of barbecues, beach days and vacations. And while summertime is winding down, we are cheerfully anticipating fall! Fall is a great season, full of pumpkin lattes, back to school, the return of Kenton, Mariners Church Fall Kick-off, and of course Rooted! As the Rooted Pastor, I have the joy of watching hundreds of people find community while experiencing freedom and healing through Jesus’ transformational power. It’s undeniable that God is radically using Rooted to change lives within our church, throughout our country and now across the world. Just last spring, we saw 400 people experience Rooted, 78 people get baptized and 26 people say “I Believe!” for the first time. How cool is that?!
We are anticipating many more to experience Rooted for the first time this fall. For those of you who are new to our church or those who have called Mariners “home” for some time and have not gone through this 10-week journey, I invite you to experience Rooted. Rooted changes lives. It draws you into community, giving you a clearer picture of His great love and connecting you with your purpose. Rooted is for everyone, so join us and invite your friends and neighbors. And if you are a Rooted grad who feels called into leadership, we ask that you prayerfully consider taking the courageous step to facilitate a Rooted group during our fall session. Groups kick off the second week of September. Facilitating a group gives you a front row seat to how God is moving in our church!
I hope you have a great rest of your summer and I’ll see you on the patio this weekend!
Tim Lukei
I’m so happy to be home and I’m looking forward to being with you this Sunday – 8:30 | 10 | 11:30a | 6p.
Don’t miss these next few weeks as we talk about HOW WE GROW SPIRITUALLY and all you need to know about the future of our church and our move to the Regency Movie Theater.
And mark your calendars now for our church-wide VISION NIGHT to celebrate this season of our church and mark a transition to the future: Saturday, September 24, HB Harbor Yacht Club.
Below is a little sample of what we’ll be talking about this Sunday…
caleb
P.S.: Visit our StepInHB.com website and give toward our church’s future!
P.P.S.: Listen to recent messages here.
“Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting.” Galatians 6:11
That’s such a funny detail for Paul to include in his note to people trying to follow Jesus in Galatia. “Look at my big letters! I’m writing this by hand… and I’m writing like your mom with ALL CAPS to let you know this really matters!!”
“My own handwriting”
Writing by hand suggests that Paul had others write for him most of the time while he dictated. Often, Paul would take the pen and write a few words at the end of his letter in his own hand to authenticate the note. In this case, Paul wrote the entire last paragraph by hand. One scholar suggests, “his hand-writing may reflect the energy and determination of his soul” (Lightfoot).
I wonder if Paul woke up in the middle of the night with a vision of the people of Galatia in his mind. He couldn’t wait until his scribe returned. He just had to get his passion out through his pen. “This is what I really want you to get… Don’t miss this…”
And his main point?
Don’t worry about doing everything right (legalism). Instead, do GOOD! And don’t give up doing good. (See Galatians 6.)
“Large letters”
Paul uses large words in his own hand-writing for the same reason you do – whether in a text or on social media. He wants you to pay extra attention.
“I’ve said a lot of things. All useful, I hope. But here’s what it all comes down to…”
Paul’s large letters in his own hand-writing were written to followers of Jesus in about 50AD but they are every bit as relevant to people trying to follow Jesus in 2016AD. So let’s try this again. This is my interpretation and impression of Paul as both he and I write to encourage you today:
Don’t worry about doing everything right (legalism). Instead, do GOOD! And don’t give up doing good. Even when it’s hard… even when you don’t feel like it… even though it didn’t fix it last time… Even though they don’t deserve it… Even though it requires you to sacrifice… DO GOOD… as you remember JESUS and His GRACE for YOU.
May you continue to do good as you rest in grace today.
Experience a night of worship with Bethel Music as they make Mariners a stop for their West Coast Worship Nights Tour! Encounter God’s presence in a unique and powerful way. Click here to purchase tickets.
BETHEL WORSHIP NIGHT
Sat, Aug 13, 7:15p-10p,
Worship Center
Help Fristers provide the learning materials needed for kids to learn and grow, as they prepare for kindergarten and life! For a list of supplies requested, click here. We would like to collect approximately 10 sets of supplies to support the children. Contact Julia with questions, jhelgeson@marinerschurch.org.
FRISTERS SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
Through Sun, Aug 28
Bring your donations to the foyer by Aug 28
Join us as we do our part to collect back-to-school supplies for ministries and organizations serving under-resourced communities around Orange County. For a list of supplies and to learn more about upcoming Outreach serve opportunities, click here.
SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
Jul 30&31, Aug 6&7, 13&14
Young adults, both single and married, are welcome to join our Huntington Beach campus softball team! Every game will be followed by a brief devotional and a time of prayer. Click here to register or search “softball” on our website
YOUNG ADULTS: SOFTBALL MINISTRY
Tuesdays, Aug 23-Dec 6
Game times: 6:40, 7:50, or 9p