LIFE GROUP LAUNCH
Find connection and community in a Life Group as we kick off our fall session. Rooted grads looking for a Life Group are invited to register online. Visit marinerschurch.org/mvlifegroups
LIFE GROUP LAUNCH
Find connection and community in a Life Group as we kick off our fall session. Rooted grads looking for a Life Group are invited to register online. Visit marinerschurch.org/mvlifegroups
We have many opportunities for you to serve and inspire children to follow Jesus! Helping in the classroom, storytelling, leading a small group, computer check-in and greeting families are just a few of the ways you can jump in. Sign up online or contact Karen with questions, kmeier@marinerschurch.org
Child dedications will take place on Sunday Sep 20. If you would like your son or daughter to be dedicated during one of the services, please email Susan Hulse shulse@marinerschurch.org. The Child Dedication Class must be attended by both parents. For more info or to fill out a dedication request form, click here.
Child Dedication Class
Sunday, Sep 13, 1p
childcare provided
Join us and bring a friend for breakfast as we discuss ways in can grow in our walk with Jesus in the coming year. We are all about building authentic friendships in a fun and relaxed environment. More info and register. Contact Eric Rodriguez, erodriguez32@gmail.com
Sat, Sep 19, 8-10a, $10, lobby
childcare available, $7/child
For more information contact launchpad@teenleadershipfoundation.org
Join us for special night of food, music, games and fun as we kick off our fall session of The Point! Contact Tim, tkeller@marinerschurch.org
YOUNG ADULTS & SINGLES: THE POINT LAUNCH
Thu, Sep 10, 7-9p, Community Center
Get involved with the community here at Mariners HB by serving with our Tech team. If you have an interest in audio engineering, we are looking for an intern this fall. Also consider serving in the production of the services or song words. For more info or to sign up, contact Jeanette, jandrews@marinerschurch.org
Holy Yoga is the intentional practice of connecting our entire being; body, mind and spirit with God. Come experience this incredible time of worship and fellowship. 100% Jesus. 100% Yoga. All levels welcome! Bring your own yoga mat. More info here.
Tuesdays, Sep 15-Oct 27, 7p, Children’s Theater, $5 suggested donation
My prayer for you this week is that you are remembering the hope you have in Jesus – a powerful hope that anchors you in the midst life’s most difficult and treacherous storms. I’ve enjoyed these past few weeks with you all, finishing the summer and our Oh! The Places We’ll Go series. It’s been inspiring and challenging to dive deep into the essential qualities we must walk in to be the people we need to be in order to go wherever God wants us to go. I’m excited to be back with you this weekend to finish the series and talk about our deepest desire, our greatest longing, and the source of so much pain and confusion…love.
Join us this week and invite your friends and family to dive deep with us into the truth and hope we have as followers of Jesus. This is going to be an amazing fall season and I can’t wait to experience it with you, but first, let’s finish the summer well!
Peace,
Kyle
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
– EPHESIANS 2:10
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this picture. I grabbed it from the Reuters website under an article heading: “Selfie madness: too many dying to get the picture.”
Seriously?
The article continues:
“The selfie has also inspired a spate of risk taking and offensive public behavior, pushing the boundaries of safety and decorum, whether by dangling from a skyscraper or posing with live explosives. Several governments and regulatory bodies have now begun treating the selfie as a serious threat to public safety…” (emphasis mine).
Everyone loves the idea of positioning themselves in front of a spectacular background. We’re so vapid by ourselves — our faces aren’t enough. Shouldn’t there be something dangerous or foolish to make our photos “pop?” Shouldn’t there be something to make us, pop? Consider this tidbit from the Reuters article: “In Yellowstone National Park exasperated officials issued warnings after five separate selfie takers were gored this summer while standing too near bison.” How humiliating is that story for the teller? Imagine trying to explain to everyone who asks about the injury you got on vacation whilst photobombing herd animals?
Two things jump out at me. First, this is funny. I mean, it’s tragic. But… Who would ever put themselves in mortal danger to get a little extra attention? Wild animals are wild. They’re dangerous. Everyone knows that. Look at this guy! (Me, in Africa 2013).
Secondly, this might not simply tell a tale of vanity and self-entitlement. At the surface, it certainly feels like the epitome of self-aggrandizing behavior now expected from our world. But, this points to something else within our globally interconnected cyber-culture. All of this selfie-hysteria could indicate a deeper more serious belief about us: a pervasive belief that we’re just not enough on our own. People risking their lives for a picture has a subtext. It’s about them wondering if there were no background, no inherent danger, or wildness, would the picture matter at all?
I guess, it’s what we all wonder in our darkest and stillest moments. “If there were no impressive backdrop to my life, would I be enough?,” we all ask. The Bible says, unequivocally, “yes.” You and I, we are God’s “handiwork” his “masterpiece,” or more tellingly his “poema” (Greek for “creative work”). Jesus’ ministry had this notion firmly planted in the core of his message and his miracles. People are the work of a majestic God, born with the dignity of bearing his image. Jesus would move toward people mired in the fringes of society, longing for meaning and significance. His work was to restore what had been lost — to remind people that they are, indeed, the Father’s masterpiece.
So, while the selfie and its virtually unassailable selfie stick are unlikely to vanish from our world anytime soon, at least we can do our best to remember that we — without any additional adornment, achievement, or accolades — are enough… enough to be loved and cherished.
See you Sunday,
Jeff