Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon. Psalm 31:24

This weekend, across all Mariners’ campuses, we’ll familiarize ourselves with a phrase that has become one of our rally cries: BE FEARLESS.

That idea is somewhat unconventional in a world governed by fearfulness. Corporations spend exorbitant amounts of money to artificially create fears that can be (for a small price) alleviated by the purchase of the goods they sell. The statistics on the use of anti-anxiety medication are quite telling – up 30% from a decade ago. People generally resign themselves to a life that is, at least somewhat, centered on coping with fear. Foremost of the anxiety creating factors in peoples’ lives: money. People talk often about how money-issues create a kind of captivity that feels virtually inescapable. School loans, car loans, mortgages, saving for the future, keeping a roof over our heads, and an occasional Starbucks all add up. We find ourselves fearful that we’ll never be able to get out from underneath it all.

While the issue of money is a broad conversation, with a multitude of implications, one of the most compelling remedies for the grip money (or, the stuff we’ve accumulated with it) has on our lives, is learning to release our control over it by taking courageous steps toward generosity. This Sunday, we’ll take those steps together. We’ll look into the face of the needs surrounding our church community – big needs like: feeding and clothing at-risk families and children, education programs for the underprivileged, extending basic medical care here and abroad, job training and literacy classes, homeless shelter renovations, and improving the living conditions of kids in foster care among others.

Perhaps you’ve heard us use the phrase: “The beauty of our church is always best expressed outside the walls of the worship center.” We believe in it wholeheartedly. This weekend, we’ll put that idea into practice. We’ll raise money and keep NONE of it for our interior church needs. The church never looks more beautiful than when it’s generous. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we bravely live out generosity

See you Sunday,

Jeff