Sharing our stories isn't only powerful—it's essential.
In Acts, Jesus sends his followers out into the world to bear witness to the ways in which they’ve seen God at work both in their lives and in the world around them. They aren’t asked to be persuasive or compelling. Instead, God simply asks them to go tell the stories of what they’ve seen and experienced. And as they do, incredible things begin to happen. One story leads to another and another—opening up a world of endless possibility.
So what’s your story? How have you seen the power of the resurrection at work in your life?
“Mom”, my son said to me, “is dad going to sacrifice me like Abraham was going to do to Issac?” I wasn’t expecting that question. It was the ultimate deer in a headlight feeling. I knew the answer “no” was not going to suffice. I tried it anyway. It didn’t work. He continued to say, “if God has the capability to talk to all humans and if we can’t predict what God will ask us to do in our lives then how do we know for sure that God wont ask that of dad at some point”. It seems way too complex for a 5-year-old to think. But other than “trust me” I didn’t know what to say.
After that incident I was very close to finding the Bible a new home—in the back of a closet. I was frustrated and knew that this was just the beginning of questions to come that I didn’t have the answers to. Something wouldn’t let me do that and I reached out to one of the pastors at Mars Hill. I would like to share part of his reply:
“There’s a difference between faith and knowing “for sure”. Abraham had faith. He didn’t know for sure. In Genesis 12 and 22 God tells him to “go forth to a land/place that I will show you.” God tells him to go without specifying the destination. Abraham goes without knowing for sure. I read somewhere recently that “faith is the breakthrough to that deep realm of the soul which accepts paradox with humility.”
But faith isn’t really a noun. It’s more a verb, it’s a dynamic process of going forth and trusting even though you don’t know. And in that way, faith-ing is really a better word. So for us, we watch for those moments when we don’t have the answers and then try to be as honest as we can about what we don’t know (sometimes ‘I don’t know’ is a holy, holy answer to a question).”
I read his response and it was like a light bulb turned on. I felt a sense of renewal. It’s OK not to always have the answers. What’s important is actually reading the Bible and learning together.
Some questions will have answers and others may not. An “I don’t know” doesn’t seem quite as scary anymore. And that in itself might be one of the bigger lessons. I never considered including my son in the pursuit of these questions but the more I think about it, having him learn hands-on versus lecture does seem more fun. It’s also quite possible that the joint pursuit of our questions is exactly what God was calling us to do all along.
One of the things that most frightens me about being a pastor is the experience of teaching on a subject that for all intents and purposes I have no business teaching on.
I’ll never forget administering ashes at our first Ash Wednesday service. People shuffled forward and knelt at the bench, and I’d make the sign of the cross on their foreheads and say, “Remember, from ashes you came to ashes you’ll return.” Many of them wept, being sure to look you in the eyes and say, “Thank you” with such sincerity that it would bring tears to your own eyes.
With every sign of the cross I felt my own inadequacy and need, and then out of the mass of people in line a man stepped forward and knelt at the bench. When he lifted his head up to be “ashed,” I came face to face with my former employer. I hadn’t left on good terms, and the moment took us both by surprise. There was nowhere for either of us to run, no way to avoid the moment, and as I spoke the words and marked the sign of the cross on his forehead I had the overwhelming sense that God was saying to me, “Do you see how serious I am about repentance?” I knew that putting ashes on his head would mean letting go of the grudge I’d been holding against him.
It seems odd administering the medicine you need so badly yourself.
I have to share as I thought this was kind of neat. I serve as a Mentor in the Mars Hill Mentor Program. On Wednesday I was having one of those days where you question everything you do, and don’t feel great about where you are in life.
Well, on my mentoring day my mentee, Kyle says “I’m going to surprise you with a game and book”. So he went off and came back with a book called “Don’t feed the monster on Tuesday”. As he was reading to me, it turned out that the entire book was on self esteem and how others can be not so nice, so be sure to tell yourself good things about yourself. OH MY LANTA! I almost cried when he was reading. Obviously God knew just what I needed. And it just goes to show how much mentoring is a two-way street — give and receive.
I was born and raised in a wonderfull Christian family…in 1980 I met my wife kelly….we have been married for 31 years…we have three children and three grandchildren….I have attended Mars Hill for eleven years….it has been a great blessing….since coming here I have learned what living for G_D really means…I always thought I was doing ok ,but this place has showed me so much more….I hope to be here many more years, and Lord willing I will be…but I do know that this church has helped me take my walk withh G_d to the next level…thnk you and shalom dave vk…
I listen to the Sunday message from Mars Hill each week on my iPod as I clean offices at night, being self-employed. I can’t wait until Wednesday when the message is available on-line for download. The message Rob Bell gave on “Grace” recently has been such a blessing to me. I’ve listened to it numerous times and have also given copies of the message to many others in order to minister to them. I really believe that when we can grasp how all encompassing God’s grace and forgiveness is in our own lives, it will then truly set us free to love and forgive others unconditionally. Also motivating us to serve God and others out of love, rather then duty, obligation, fear, or guilt. Thanks Mar Hill for being a bright light that shines across the cosmos!
My husband and I adopted a son about 6 months ago. I was expecting some challenges, but I didn’t know how hard the” wind” would be “knocked out of me”. I am a new mom and the mom of a 2 year old at the same time.
Raising a child has brought out some of the darker sides of me and struggles that I thought we’re in the past. I started getting angrier easier and easier, loosing my temper and I started spanking the precious little boy that I longed for, for years. I was such a wreck the morning of the healing service. During Shane’s sermon that morning, he mentioned anger specifically 3 times. It was one of those sermon’s where I wondered, “Did he write this sermon only for me?” My husband went forward with me for healing during the prayer time.
Over the next week, to refer to Shane’s recent sermon again, it was like I was able to start breathing again. God filled my My husband with wisdom and he had some great ideas to minimize stress and encourage me. Throughout the week, the anger started loosing its grip. I felt
more enjoyment of our son and I am feeling hopeful. The next Sunday’s sermon was a great follow up. I’m glad Shane reminded us that whether the bubbles are ugly or beautiful, we need to turn and focus on the bubble maker. Anger has a way of hogging all of my focus and I want
to change that.
Thanks Shane. Thanks Mars.
Hello my name is Gabrielle Bonner and I attend Troy University in Tory,Al.I am also connected with Momentum Ministry.I would like to take this time and minister to some souls through my testimony.When I was a little girl I was molested by men and women.They would perform sexual acts on me and taught me how to do them to them as well.This would always happen at nighttime.Then when the morning came they would dress me up like nothing ever happened to me.My mom was working a couple of jobs and would leave me with different people to watch me.But she did not find out about all this until I was 27 years old!She was very heart broken and couldn’t understand why God let this happen to me.But I encouraged her that God is Sovereign and thats part of my ministry.I also reminded her that we must all go through some things in life to get to souls and understand them.And if we don’t go through some mess in our lives we won’t have a message for souls who are bound.I will be getting women of all ages set free and delivered in every area hurt and pain that I went through also.I have no aught or grudge towards these people who did these things to me.However I pray for them,forgave them,and willingly let God deliver me from it all.I refused to hold on to all that hurt,pain,and bitterness.I even told the devil he messed up when he let me go free,because I’m coming after souls and they’re going to be set free and delivered;and the devil is going to be exposed for the liar and snake that he is! Hallelujah God Bless!!
the last few years have been really difficult for me and i have felt depressed and very lost. i have been trying to find my way back to God. lonely. struggling. i found a cd buried in a box of stuff. it had been given to me by an elder of a church i went to in chicago, that i loved. i felt like i couldn’t connect with christians and i didn’t know how to find life anymore. the cd had two rob bell sermons on it about loving yourself. they just hit the nail on the head and covered absolutely everything i needed to hear. they were my saving grace this year. i listened to them over and over again about 15-20 times i think and from that, have found my way back again to the Source. i gave away mars hill sermon cds to everyone i know for christmas this year and am slowly finding truth and joy again. thank you.
I was born in Mexico, in one of the poorest areas in the state of Oaxaca. Like millions of Mexican children, I didn’t have the opportunity to get an education, until a good Samaritan brought me to the US. Subsequently, I attended college, got a great job and retired from the field of Education. I have the opportunities to do volunteer work, but have not enough, but I will try to do more in the future.
I have come to know the love of God through his redemptive love, but the reality of his grace has been clarified through a book called Urantia. I hope that this letter will caused others to read it, specially Part III and know the real purpose of Christ, the manifestation of God.
I am typing this at my desk. I honestly have my ultimate dream job. I get to love others. I get to serve others. I get to make things happen so others are blessed. I cannot believe that I get to do this.
But this was not my story 12 weeks ago. My life was mostly consumed with panic, fear, despair and scrambling. I had NO IDEA how I going to pay rent for my daughter and I (much less pay our overdue utilities and buy my daughter new shoes for school).
I am a single mother, seeking my bachelors degree full time—and until recently—unemployed and not receiving unemployment benefits. I had a bridge card—and I was selling my plasma twice a week to just put gas in my car. I had reached such a low place. You really do end up doing “whatever it takes” to put food on the table for your child at this point. I had run out of money. I did not know what I was going to do. So—I did the thing I wanted to do LEAST. I called church.
I needed help. My greatest need at that time was rent. We could not move forward in our lives if we were homeless—and we were literally one step away. I was sitting in the parking lot at the Department of Human Resources (not even sure how or what they could help me with—I had nowhere else to go) when I got a phone call from one of the Mars Hill benevolence team members. He asked me a number of great questions—including what my next plan was if Mars Hill DID help me with rent. I said “I have this job possibility. I have not even had an interview yet—but I just believe this job was created for me and I am getting it”. He was kind and did not laugh—but also made sure I had a backup plan to that (which I didn’t—but he got me thinking).
Mars Hill most graciously paid my rent that month and gave us a few local grocery store gift cards to get us though. It was the most humbling experience of my life—to ask—and then to receive. We got through July. And I received my dream job offer the first week of August. With my first paycheck, I took my daughter school shopping for new clothes. I did not tell her no to one item. This had never happened before, it was always “no honey, not now”. And then it hit me in the dressing room at Target with her trying on a darling little dress—God wants to give good gifts to us—just like we do with our children—and this gift from Mars Hill was one of his many good gifts to us. And we could not be more grateful.