How often do we live our lives wanting, grasping, looking for more? Join us for a new weekend series about everyday obsessions like time, money and self, and how we can refocus on what matters most.

During the weekend service
Sundays at 9 & 11a
directions and info

God’s in charge—always.  Psalm 146:10 [MSG]

Last Friday, a friend of ours celebrated her 40th birthday. Amanda helped to decorate the party. She themed it around two seminal decades of our youth: the 70’s and the 80’s. There were hits from the BeeGee’s and KC and the Sunshine Band in one room. In another room, classics from Duran Duran and the Psychedelic Furs took us back to big hair, leg warmers, and Michael Knight. We made fun of ourselves. We also lamented a new reality: that the classic oldies radio station to which our parents listened when we were kids – that station playing tired songs from before we existed; that station that featured songs that made our eyes roll into the back of our heads –  is now playing the songs from OUR own childhood.

Of course the challenge for us who as we listened to the songs that defined us (I’m not sure, exactly, how the song “Funky Town” by Lipps Inc. did much defining. But, that isn’t really the point.) is trying to remember the lyrics with confidence. We would all look at each other with great enthusiasm attempting to recall the words that meant so much to us from so long ago. Yet, at least for me, I really only remember the chorus and a few lines in between. I can tell you specific memories about where I was when “King of Pain” by the Police came on the radio. But, basically all I remember of the song lyrics, other than the chorus, is: “There’s a little black spot on the sun today…” After that, I’m making it up, counting on my super-rad dance moves to be a distraction from what I clearly can’t recall.

Consider this question: What is the central, dominating lyric of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament: the only Bible Jesus ever read)? If you could only recall one thing – that “hook” in the chorus that made it stick – what would it be? The answer, I think, looks something like: “God’s in charge – always” or “The Lord reigns forever” (NIV). It is in that statement that we’re confronted by a reality that may enable us to experience great hope and concurrently cause us some degree of lament:

There is a God. I’m not Him.

Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, OBSESSED. Doug Fields will be back again, teaching here at Mariners MV. Be sure to invite someone who, among other things, hasn’t smiled at a church service in a long time.

See you Sunday,
Jeff

Come hang out with other Mariners MV students. It’s church made just for you!

Thursdays, 5:30-8:30p, Lobby
Sundays, 11a, front left of room 2

Keep up with HSM, text MVHSM to 99000. Contact Jordan with questions.

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life. – PSALM 139:23-24

Halloween is over. It was fun. We’re throwing out all our candy remnants tomorrow. Sorry kids. We’re looking at pictures and sharing stories. But, as we start the month of November, I feel like a sprinter in a starting block. I’m tense. My blood is coursing with adrenaline. I’m focused on steadying my breathing. Suddenly, I’m at odds with the world. It almost feels like people next to me are hoping to instigate a false start, enabling them to find some kind of unseen advantage in an unwelcome race in which we’re all expected to be psyching ourselves up.

I saw an ad today (from what is clearly a “race sponsor”) who mentioned that we ought to “Beat the holiday crowds for the pre-Black Friday sales.” Oh no. Has the race started? Did we not hear the starter’s pistol? With messages like this, a looming feeling of being somehow behind the proverbial pack starts sneaking up on all of us. What we discover during these months isn’t really all that surprising anymore: there’s only a limited amount of stuff out there and an army of people with endless appetite for acquiring it. So, we better start running. Right?

Let’s consider a shocking thought: this material race to better and greater stuff IS NOT a corrupting factor in us. You read that right. The constant bombardment of advertising and price-slashing deals that are “going fast” is NOT the issue. What if all of that nonsense is merely a litmus test for what’s already within us? How much anxiety we feel, how much money we’re willing to spend, how many people we’re willing to trample — all of that stuff — is already within us. Which means: WE might be the issue we’re trying to solve. Our culture is one blinded by an obsession with, as one scholar described it, “acquisitiveness.” Ask anyone and they’ll tell you: this isn’t the kind of life they intended to live, nor, the kind of person they ever intended to be.

People are looking for a different kind of life than the one that can be bought in a holiday rush. They want a life where they’re able to give ample time to the people they love. They want to live generously. They want to move from selfishness to selflessness. But, as a people, we don’t really know (or we often forget) how.  This Sunday, Doug Fields will start us off on a new series called, OBSESSED. It will be a great series to invite friends who are looking, like all of us, for how to make sense of a world gone crazy with it’s obsessions.

See you Sunday,
Jeff

When a crisis strikes, many of us rely on relatives and friends for support. But for some families, there is no safety net. Join us in response to our Outreach Weekend ask for you learn more about becoming a Host Family or Family Friend (providing support for a Host Family) and how to get your Live Scan completed. For more info, contact Maher.

Sunday, November 9, 12:45-2p, Upper Room, Lunch provided

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

My youngest son is learning to comb his own hair. He’s insistent that he do it himself. Sometimes he opts for a slicked back semi-Pacino. Other times he mats all of his hair down over the front of his forehead, then enhances it with enough gel to insulate a spacecraft on re-entry. Whatever kind of hair shape he chooses, he’s always proud to show it off. He has (brilliantly) mistaken the word “handsome” for the word “famous.” So, he’ll often tell me, as he’s getting ready for kindergarten, that he’s decided “to look famous today.” He does. He loves to show it off. Personally, I’m a bit wounded by all his hair. Perhaps, it’s because I’m experiencing the increased insecurity that comes with a rapidly receding hairline. We send him to school —  proudly his own man with a ton of hair to show-and-tell.

What is it that a church ought to show off? (I realize, I have to tread lightly here. Arrogant pride has a way of cannibalizing the people who employ it.). To put it another way: What is it that ought to “shine before others?” Putting good deeds on display — showing them off — works when it is not for our sake, but for God’s: to “glorify your Father in heaven.” This Sunday is one of my favorite of the whole year. It is a perfect opportunity to put on display what God has been doing in our midst — through us. We’ll talk about Mariners’ on-going ministry to the poor, the disenfranchised, the abandoned, the forgotten (That ministry is called Outreach). It’s a time unleash courageous generosity above and beyond what we already give.

If you ask non-church people what the church should be concerned with, they’ll tell you: care for the poor. If you’ve ever thought about bringing someone skeptical about church, this is the Sunday to include them. This is the clearest expression of how Jesus’ life and ministry continually intersects with the plight of the poor and those forgotten by the world. It is very easy to get excited about a God who moves people to courageous acts of generosity and compassion.

See you Sunday,
Jeff

We talk a lot about inviting people to our church. We believe that part of our being in the community for the community means that, at a minimum, people ought to be included in what’s going on at Mariners Mission Viejo. I love meeting the friends you’ve invited. Generally, they’re surprised by two things: the wall (obviously) and the fact that they actually enjoyed being here: the music, the laughter, the coffee, the kids ministry, an honest depiction of Jesus, and the people (you!). There is a very real sense among people from our community that being here is where they belong.

Tomorrow night (October 24th from 4:30-7:30p) we’re throwing a neighborhood-sized party at nearby Viejo Elementary School (26782 Via Grande Mission Viejo, 92691) — our first ever HARVEST CARNIVAL. This will be a great expression of the church and the love we have for the community in which God has placed us. The event will be a blast. We’ve got our band performing live music, authentic Mexican food, a maze, face painting, game booths, and absurd amounts of candy (our candy donation bin is overflowing).

If your kids want to wear a costume, that’d be awesome. If you want to wear a costume — even better. Admission is free. Attraction wristbands are $5 for kids under five and $8 for kids older than six (cash only). Anything you spend goes to support the school. Don’t miss it. Invite your friends and neighbors. Show them how you and your church LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE.

See you Friday,
Jeff