Ghosts, Grinches and Finding Christmas

Well, Christmas is here, and as many of you well know, it is my favorite holiday. 

Okay. I was WAY too cool about that. 

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!!!! FINALLLYYYY!!!!! Get the picture? I love this holiday! I love the lights, carolers, presents, candle-light service at church. I love it all. 

Now as much as this is a perfectly good blog so far, we all know people on the other end of the spectrum that, for them, Christmas is a less than enjoyable time that may be tolerated at best. Christmas means forced time with family you aren’t close to, shopping around other people that can and WILL kill you if you get in their way, and worst of all, an empty feeling at the end of the day that makes you wonder: “Why all the commotion? Why can’t I just go on with my life?”
This whole Christmas theme idea had me thinking about why my favorite Christmas stories are “The Grinch” and “A Christmas Carol”. This is strange even to me, because usually The Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge are the mascots for those bitter against Christmas. I mean, these characters HATED Christmas…everything about it. Both had some rough childhood upbringings…but that’s a different blog. The point is, they were hopeless. 

The problem, whether you love Christmas or hate it, is that usually our opinion of it is based on our personal experiences. I had a loving family that kept Christmas well. It isn’t difficult to get all warm and fuzzy thinking about it. On the other hand, many of us came from situations where Christmas was always split between one parent or another because of divorce. Maybe you see the commercialization of the season and feel that it has been completely stripped of all the meaning that it may have once had. For whatever reason, you have walked away disappointed, and Christmas is something you want no part in. 

This leads me to our Christmas theme this year at The Market Church. We’re calling it “Finding Christmas”. The basic premise is that for some of the people involved in the Christmas story, like Mary or the shepherds, Christmas happened to them; angels and all. For others, like the wise men, they were simply looking for something, and then they saw a star. Many of us have found hope and joy in this season; many are also hoping that there is more to be found. Maybe some feel it is beyond hope. 
And then something happened. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, very unexpectedly, they got it. 

Christmas has nothing to do with what I bring to it. Christmas is, and always will be about what God brought to us. When the angel said “Peace on Earth and goodwill to all men” it was literally the first time God had communicated anything like that for longer than anyone could remember. And the craziest thing is that God wasn’t “cool” about it, like I tried to be earlier in this blog. He was so excited about the opportunity to bring peace to us, that he sent a choir of angels to announce it. He sent a star to lead the wise men to it. 

I’m going to be honest about an aspect of finding Christmas: it’s not always easy. Scrooge had to face his past, present, and future. The Grinch had to realize it couldn’t be bought. But when they got it (ya know, that “ah-ha” moment?) it was life changing.  

Let’s find the true meaning of Christmas together this season. The REAL Christmas is worth finding.

“And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!

 - Dr. Suess

About Emotions

I'm always probably revealing more than I should about what goes on inside my head, but here goes again! I have been really down the last month or so. It is one of those issues that I have dealt with for a good portion of my life, so it has become more of an issue like poor eyesight: I just accept it and deal with it. That said, as I sat down to write this blog, I realized that others might be dealing with similar issues and I thought that maybe I could give some encouragement.

The first thing I'd like to point out is that everyone has emotional struggles from time to time. I write that not to diminish the significance of things, but rather to normalize them. Sometimes we can use the feeling of isolation and uniqueness to fuel further lonely feelings and depression. When we recognize that while we are unique and special to God as people, but all of our emotional states are not that new or unique we can deal with even depression in a much more balanced way. 

Right along with this, I want to let you know that some of the greatest people in history are known to have dealt with deep and reoccurring bouts of depression. Job was overcome with his circumstances, Moses questioned his ability to lead, David broke over his own sin, Solomon wrote, "With much knowledge comes much sorrow," Jeremiah wrote and entire book called Lamentations, Martin Luther was known to drop into deep bouts of darkness, Charles Spurgeon struggled, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and even Mother Teresa are also known to have dealt with what we might see as unexplainable trials of depression. I point this out in an effort to show that how you feel about things, especially in the moment, often does not point to the reality of our impact in and around the world.

That written, I hope that you can now see the possibility that our emotions are rarely reliable sources for drawing conclusions about the world and our state in it. Basically, our emotions, while they should be used and one of the pieces of the life puzzle, they should not be solely used as the filter through which we view ourselves or the world. The truth is that we have the ability to feel something that completely disagrees with truth while at other times how we feel can completely line up with truth. We must add in other issues, other facts in an effort to discern whether or not our emotions are correct or not in each given case. 

Now, you should feel normal and accepted and more reasonable, but none of this information will help you deal with most forms of depression, so what should you do? First believe. Believe. Believe that God has you and that your trust in Him is more important than how you feel about anything. This, especially if you are depressed, will be very difficult. Much of depression is VERY selfish and if not fundamentally selfish it at least leads to selfish actions, responses, and reactions. What I mean is that depression makes us want to protect ourselves and makes us feel like victims. We MUST disagree with those feelings and BELIEVE that God has us, hat He still is caring for us. 

Second, recognize that how you feel is often temporary. It is not who you are but rather how you feel. How you feel can change. If you make this "Who you are" you are making a decision to believe that God's plan for you is hopeless. The TRUTH is that God made us with reason and purpose. We each have our struggles but that is all they are; struggles. The struggles are not who we are, they are what we are challenged by. Who we are is shown and often refined by the struggles. The struggles are often temporary, even if they return. I have been dealing with depression for a very long time. It is a product of my childhood, my style of thinking, my choices, sometimes my current circumstances, and many other things. It is something that I fight from time to time, but it is NOT who I am. Neither is it who you are! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! That is the TRUTH. How you feel will pass.

Finally, hope. Hope with all that you have. Hope is closely related to belief and you can often recognize when your belief in Jesus is waning by seeing that your hope has lost its significance. Jesus has a plan and purpose for you and you can ALWAYS believe in Him and therefore have hope in where you are going. 

Today, however you feel or wherever you are at, reaffirm your trust in Jesus and therefore in the Father. Admit to Him how you feel and that sometimes you struggle. Bring to Him your best and your worst. Then trust Him. Especially when you don't believe in anything else, believe in Him. He is trustworthy. Depression is a formidable challenge but many have been here and made it! God is faithful! You can absolutely trust Him!

-Pastor Greg

Think Outside The Basement

It’s a common mistake. We as humans tend to spend a disproportionate amount of our time trying to perfect our outward appearance or admiring someone else’s. The church has a similar issue. Pastors typically spend 99% of their energy focusing on the 1% of the week that is the Sunday Service. But just as the outward appearance does not encapsulate the totality of a person,  (character, emotions, and soul), so the Sunday Service should not represent the complete picture of what it means to be a part of the church; at least not the thriving, empowered, world transforming church that we are truly called to be by Jesus himself. 

Don’t get me wrong…as a worship leader, I LOVE Sunday mornings at TMC. We have been meeting in the downstairs portion of a building on Jones Street that has all the features of a modern church; brick walls and coffee bar included.  Our Sunday service is honestly one of the highlights of my week. But sometimes, when I stop and think about it, I realize that I have limited my thinking to what happens in the basement; albeit a very nicely renovated one.

It is critical that we elevate our thinking. 

When Jesus said, “Make a very attractive gathering and website, that ALL the world may come to you and be saved…”

…oh wait… He didn’t say that? 

We know this, yet our practice at times says we don’t.  If we misinterpret our purpose and mission as a church and as individuals, we are missing out on an EXTREMELY large percentage of who we are to be as well as what we are supposed to do every day. 

What did He actually say?

Matthew 28 (msg)

“…Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

So at TMC we choose to think outside the basement. 

“Think outside the basement” means that we actively engage our community on a daily basis. “Think outside the basement” means that we realize TMC isn’t just for us. It means that even when I am enjoying the 1% of my week that I get to celebrate Christ with my church family on a Sunday, I realize it is more important to be gearing up for the 99% of the week when I am called to go out and BE the Church. We have to stop ourselves from flipping the switch that puts our purpose on the back burner, and realize that we weren’t actually given that as an option. The challenge is to live in purpose every day. It won’t be perfect. It will take effort. God promises He WILL be with you, and that’s the definition of true beauty.

What are some practical ways we can “think outside the basement” this week? Looking forward to your thoughts and comments!

- Pastor Adam

The Inaugural Post

Wow! The inaugural post of the TMC blog! I'm so nervous! What if I'm just a pretty voice and I no write goodly? Nah! I is smart. Good will I do.
Anyway, new cool website, new cool logo, new cool videos, new cool way to give (you can give online through PayPal now). We must be becoming one of those cool new churches. The pastors wear jeans, they use iPads (writing this on mine), we meet at coffee shops, and we talk about leadership and marketing strategies.

I think I am old school enough to wonder if in our newness are we keeping anything? In our coolness and efforts to be relevant to a larger population, is there stuff that doesn't change?
The quick answer is yes. Done right, and I hope we are doing things right, we change what needs to be changed and will change and adapt in the future, but there is a message that TMC had always been about that will not change. Our passion to be real, to be genuine stays. Our desire to build a community in Omaha that loves Jesus and people will never falter or adjust. Our drive to help people reconcile with the God who loves them will always be key. Our hunger for deep, meaningful worship and for the Truth revealed within the pages of the Bible will continue to be our inspiration.
So, yes, many things do and will change, but we must and will keep the core of what TMC is built on solid and unchanging. Websites, logos, videos, and even blogs are so, so important in our culture, but only if they are clear on why they are being done.

All of that said, I see this blog as a place to process some stuff as a community. Please comment and subscribe and get involved in some discussions. I truly welcome your thoughts. 
Until next time, 
Let us Follow Our Shepherd Together
P. Greg