Ask a Pastor 2.0

As you may already know, we recently wrapped up a two-week series at The Market Church called "Ask a Pastor." For weeks prior to the series, we received dozens of questions of all kinds, and unfortunately, we just didn't have enough time to answer every question on a Sunday morning. Thus, 2.0 has been born. What I mean is, we'd like to continue the Ask a Pastor discussion here on the blog. 

Here are a few REALLY great questions that didn't make it into a Sunday morning message, but definitely deserve to be answered:

1. How do I hope for the future and not fear it when God doesn't promise ease/safety or even a good ending? Even Revelation is full of suffering for believers. How do I live and prepare for that along w/ those I love?

There are some valid concerns here. As a Christian,  you aren't promised or guaranteed a pain-free life. In fact, Jesus told his followers to expect hardship. There are places in the world today where Christians, in particular, are persecuted. Closer to home, loved ones have died too young. Family members have lost their jobs. It seems like you can find a negative news story more easily than a positive one. A lot seems wrong with the world.

Even though there isn't a guarantee that everything in life will be pain-free, the Bible tells us that God hasn't given us a Spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline (1 Tim 1:7). Romans 12:12 says to rejoice in our confident hope. So you can see, God has made a way for us to be confident and hopeful even in difficult situations.

2. If God turned his back on Jesus when he was on the cross because he took on mankind's sin, why would he not do the same with me?

The simple answer is that God doesn't have to turn His back on you because Jesus has already paid the full price for our short-comings. It was a "once and for all time" type of thing He did for us (1 Peter 3:18). This is hard to accept because we often feel the need to pay for our own sins. Sometimes in those moments of failure, we feel distant from God. Let me assure you that this isn't God turning His back. Jesus actually describes Him as a Father who, when seeing us approaching from a distance, comes running joyfully to us. He's not thinking about your sin. He's thinking about how much He loves you.

3. Words are important, words have meaning. I want to trust that every word in the bible is intentional, but at the very least there are translation issues. Specifically, Matthew 12:1 in the King James Version says Jesus and his disciples ate corn. Corn didn't exist in that region at that time! The New International Version calls it grain, which makes more sense.

You nailed it on the head. Translation issues.

Though the King James Version is very popular, it was written in Old English and didn't have the same quality of sources used by more recent English translations. If you look at some of the translations which are more faithful to the original Greek, you'll find they use the English words "grain" or "grain fields" in Matthew 12 instead of "corn."

As a side note: A lot of the typical rhetoric against the integrity of the Bible is based on false assumptions or bad information. One argument I hear a lot is that the Bible is a translation upon translation; so the original meaning is lost. We can see, however, that post-King James Versions of the Bible such as the very literal NASV, or the more flowing NIV, use modern language and have better source material.


I genuinely hope this series has been engaging and challenging for you. Please feel free to leave a comment, or even ask another question. Let's continue the conversation!

- Pastor Adam

The Market Church Community

Walking through the Old Market for the first time was like walking straight through my dreams. I had been a bit terrified, to say the least, about moving half way across the country to a place I had never even visited. Although my hometown was not much smaller than Omaha, the city seemed huge to me and I was afraid I would be lost among its many residents. And then my husband brought me to the Old Market.

It was like an escape to the small town life I craved, without losing the appeal of civilization my husband had deemed a necessity. As I meandered through the quirky shops and art galleries full of locally made items, the sense of community overwhelmed me. For the first time I felt that Omaha could truly be my home.

The Old Market prides itself on attracting all sorts of people and enabling them to be themselves. The Market Church sincerely shares this desire and that is why we choose to exist in such a vibrant and exciting community. But it goes beyond existing. What I dream about is for TMC to come alongside the already thriving Old Market community and become a heartbeat for the neighborhood.

My hope is that every person who visits not only the Old Market, but TMC as well, finds their family as I did. That no matter where they came from or where they are headed, we can become home. I dream of a church that is truly a helping hand to its neighbors; the hand that provides warmth from the cold winter storm for the homeless on our doorstep or simply a hot meal for brand new parents so there is one less thing to think about.

Community is not something I can ignore. It is not just a check in the box or a scratch off the list. It is in me. At TMC I have found dozens of others who share a deep desire to care for others in their needs and times of desperation. That is my hope for anyone who comes through our doors, that they will find a home.


Natalie Wallace

More info about TMC can be found here

TMC Creative Spotlight #1

As Easter weekend approaches, we sat down with our Media Director, Danny Bligh, to talk about his inspiration for creativity at The Market Church. Danny comes to The Market Church from Sioux City, Iowa where he grew up playing guitar in local bands and studying creative arts, communications, and media. 

How did you get in to graphic design, photography, and media?

I’ve been into art in some form or another as far back into my life as I can remember. It started when I was a kid in grade school, I used to draw little pictures of things for my classmates and charge them a premium of a quarter or fifty cents I think. That naturally progressed into graphic design when I was a teenager and Photoshop started hitting the mainstream. I wanted to make logos for the bands I was in - so that started happening in Photoshop. I got into photography as a hobby when I was around 22 or so - but never took it really seriously at all up until about 5 years ago or so.

How does what you do creatively incorporate into a church? 

I think it’s important not to separate general creative work with “church” creative work. I like to design things for the church exactly as I would for anything else. I think it becomes an issue when you get into the mindset of “oh it’s just for the church, so it doesn’t matter all that much” - I totally disagree with that statement. I think we’re called to always offer our very best - so a website or poster for the church shouldn’t be any different. As far as the actual creative process, it’s made pretty easy at The Market Church because our pastors (Greg and Adam) really just let me go with whatever I think is right for any given project. Having that level of creative control really allows me to play and come up with some stuff that we’re really happy with!

Where do you get your inspiration when creating a design like "PHENOM” ?

As far as designing for TMC, I’ve kind of taken a different approach with each year, going back to when I started creating all of their media a few years ago. The first year was the year of really minimal, simple lines and type. The 2nd year was the year of big, bold text and images. I think 2014 is going to be (from a creative standpoint) the year of very bold colors. So I knew right away that I wanted it to have really strong pastels. I started with a design that was heavy on Photoshop paintbrushes that I found, and incorporated big colors and paint splatters all over the place. The concept was right but I just couldn’t get there with these digital brushes (they always looked just a little too digital and not “rough” enough to me) so I ended up just throwing some water color paints down on a canvas and it turned out to be just right! Once I had that painting the rest came really easy!

Imagery for The Market Church Phenom Easter Service

What is your advice for someone who might want to pursue a career in graphic design or other Creative Arts? 

Great question! As far as simple pointers - I would say learn as much as you possibly can about all of the design and creative software that’s out there like Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, etc. Just mess around in those programs! Take a poster or album cover or something you like and try to make it yourself in Photoshop for fun. See how close you can get. That’s a great way to learn the tools and software that are available.  One potential issue is that Photoshop is so big, it can be approached in completely different ways as a photographer, designer or illustrator - so it might help to focus in on your one key area as you’re just getting started. I’d say this is similar for photography. It’s really crucial to know what the key components of your camera will do. ISO, shutter speed and f-stop. Learn those settings at a minimum and learn how they interact with each other. Just practice a ton! I feel like “practice” is the boring answer but it’s really true!

Marketing

"Marketing is too important to be left to he marketing department" - David Packard

“Marketing.” Or, “the sweet science,” as I like to call it. This wonderful world of research, and trial, and error, and error, and success…and error! However, what does this word mean to the vast world of “normals?”{Otherwise known as, “the consumer” [suckers] (kidding)} Is it Guy Fieri, telling us we will be “Rock Star” (not “Rock Stars.” Rock Star…) if we purchase his new line of flip-flop shaped, hot rod colored spatulas? Is it a cardboard cutout of Oscar the Grouch eating Miracle Whip, by itself? Is it your cousin Carl telling you that you really should try Taco Bell’s new BACON BLASTED Doritos Locos Tacos with Cotton Candy Fire sauze (the way Taco Bell imagines “sauce” is spelled in Spanish)? AH! It must be killing you to know the truth!
And the truth is…it’s all of those things. And So. Much. More.
This stuff is great for getting college students, and “post-teens” to buy your food…at four o’clock in the morning. However, how does “marketing” apply to the Market Church?
This is the best thing about our TMC marketing…IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! (The way marketing should be)
Our leaders, our pastor, our congregation – are our marketers! And this has essentially been our “marketing strategy,” for a lack of better term. We are not looking for people to simply buy what we are selling, to invest in us. We want you to “proverbially” buy into what we are selling, and in turn, invest in you!

We are not concerning ourselves with spreadsheets, or perfect formulas, or test groups. It is all about human capital! Making it known, to everyone, that if you are willing to invest your time in us, we will invest our time and love in you. We will grow you, and grow with you, in hopes that you will spread the love around. Marketing! The sweetest science! And what an adventure to share it with our awesome Old Market community? Right?!
Right.

So, I hope this helps to show that you are more than just consumers to us on the Marketing Team (and to TMC, in general). We need all of you. Thank you for being the “sauze” to our BACON BLASTED Tacos. You are family, and you are awesome, and that’s not the “marketing” talking.

If you're interested in helping with with the Marketing Team or monthly fliering at TMC, please e-mail Zach at zachisshort@gmail.com

Love,
Zach Short
TMC Marketing Team

"Believe"

One Christmas, when I was a boy, my twin brother and I got a hot wheels play set. IT WAS AMAZING! This thing looped, it curved, and it even went backwards. As a child I couldn’t think of anything better to get. It was THE thing I wanted, which solidified that I believed Santa was real. It also confirmed that I must have been a good boy that year to receive such an amazing gift for him.

Later in the afternoon, as my brother and I were playing in the basement, we came across a very large box in the storage closet. Strangely, it was the box to our hot wheels track. “Why would Santa leave the box here?”, we wondered.  As we tried to understand Old St. Nick’s odd decision, it dawned on my brother first: “Aeric”, he said, ”I think mom and Dad bought this for us.” I was stunned for a second. How could this be? There were no presents under the tree Christmas Eve, and then the presents appeared! When would my parents have had the time to not only wrap up all of our presents, but stuff the stockings AND put together a race car track? There must be a logical explanation. 

We ran upstairs to confront our parents about the mystery of the hot wheels box.  I think it’s safe to say that we all know what happened next. That day, we had the fateful Santa talk. Now, from what I remember, we took the truth pretty well. Heck, we still had the race cars! But despite my happiness with the presents, I think this experience created a slight shift for me as a kid. That day, an idea began to form: you have to see something to believe in it. 

Ironically, in the middle of the word “believe” is the word “lie.” Many of us approach the idea of belief with this kind of a mentality. We have this suspicion that a lie may be the center of the things we can’t see, instead of centering our belief in truth which is sometimes unseen. To complicate things further, we are bombarded with lies like, “God doesn’t love you”, “God doesn’t have a purpose for you”, “you are alone”, when the truth is that God loves you unconditionally. God in fact made you for a very special purpose. This season I choose to remember that God believes in me so much, that he gave THE ultimate gift. 

Aeric Wallace

Production Director – The Market Church

Join us December 22^nd, 2013 for Christmas at The Market Church: “Believe”.  

More information at www.TheMarketChurch.com

Life is Best Done Together: A Look at this Fall at TMC

Summer is a really busy time of year with vacations and family activities. Then, after a few blissful months of traveling, camping, and swimming pools, Fall rolls around, school starts, and everyone generally gets into a routine through the end of the year. 

Just like you, we here at The Market Church have been busy this Summer, planning for an amazing end to the 2013 year, as well as an even greater 2014.  Here are a couple of examples of the opportunities that we have coming up:

Fall Life Groups

If you’re new to TMC within the last few months or have only hung out with us on a Sunday, the easiest way to get to know more people is to join a Life Group. 

This fall, The Market Church is taking the challenge to read the entire New Testament in 63 days! Sound impossible? It’s not! By reading less than 15 minutes a day, you can read all 27 books in the New Testament and gain a greater understanding of who Jesus is and how His Word gives us purpose and direction in our daily lives. Our 3 Life Groups will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights through the Fall semester.

Volunteer

So maybe you meet with us regularly on Sundays and you are planning to attend a Life Group, but you’re looking for that next step? This Fall, there are going to be some amazing opportunities to serve at TMC as a volunteer.  Whether your gift is a friendly smile, musical ability, or even leading a Life Group, we want you to have the opportunity to get involved. 

E-mail us for more details: info@themarketchurch.com

Life is Best Done Together

These are just a few of the ways that you can take your experience at TMC to the next level. Why should you sign up for a Life Group or serve as a volunteer? Because, at The Market Church, we believe that life is best done together! We look forward to all that God has for TMC this Fall and we hope you want to be a part of it with us!

Did you like our blog? Don’t forget to “like” TMC on Facebook!

A Love of Books

I love books. I’d say that I love to read but its more that I love books. I think its that I love information and new experiences. I absolutely love encountering new ideas and ways of approaching life. I am enthralled by what is pretentiously called “the human experience.” The fictional descriptions of how life rises and falls for the characters of Hemingway, Potok, Steinbeck, King, etc just mesmerize me. Set these along side the true retellings of life by Weisel, Durant, Frankl, Capote, etc. where I find myself learning about the choices that have been made and the propensity for those choices to be repeated. Add in the mass of literature that aims to help, encourage, and challenge by such writers as Chapman, Lewis, Yancey, etc that has done more for my personal growth than I can even describe. This isn’t even counting the numerous “children’s books” by Seuss, Sendak, Silverstein, Bloom, etc that make my heart just happy. I love books and what they have done for me.

Let me try to encourage you some here because someone is saying that they don’t like to read. Honestly and truly, I understand. The reason I understand is that I have two obstacles to reading; first is that I am a VERY slow reader, second is that I am or have ADD (a therapist once told me that I could be the poster child for adult ADD). These two issues work together to make it VERY difficult for me to actually sit down to read. My brain is running much, much faster than the speed at which I am able to read (scientifically this is true for everyone, its why you can be reading and suddenly realize that you’ve gone through paragraphs or even pages and not know what you’ve “read”). Now include the ADD, which for me, results in everything being a distraction and reading is VERY difficult. Why then do I love to read? Because it is where I can get everything that my manic brain wants to know. In the end, I want or need whatever is in the books and the only way to get it is to read. Therefore I have come up with strategies that help me read. Here are some that make it possible with my challenges:

1.      I read alone.

I have to. No choice. No music, nothing. For me its home, alone, very few interruptions.

2.      I typically read a chapter and no more

I am so hyper that I have to set a goal or I will quit when I get bored, and I ALWAYS get bored or at least distracted. (Video games and TV are the only things I can really do without distraction)

3.      I very often read multiple books at the same time.

This allows me to read more with less boredom

Now, should you do these steps? Probably not, unless you deal with ADD. My main point is if you will choose that reading is important and then think about what your challenges are, you can come up with solutions also.

Here are some random examples of possible solutions:

1.      Read a fiction series            Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, etc

2.      Read blogs in an area that you are interested           Guarantee that there are thousands no matter what you like

3.      Read something with a friend

4.      Read for a time period        30 minutes

5.      Listen to audiobooks on your way to work and back

www.audible.com                     THE BEST!!!  Subscription based. I pay like $22 a month for two books. I download them and I own them.

www.omahapubliclibrary.org    FREE FREE FREE FREEEEEE!!!!!!  You can borrow library books and download them!!!  I just listened to a retelling of Robin Hood and then to Stephen Colbert’s book for FREE!

All that said, I want to encourage you to read. Read something. Read anything. Read. Read. Read.

Read something about leadership by John Maxwell and think about how you can influence others.

Read The Velveteen Rabbit and reconnect with what it is to feel and to be real.

Read The Hobbit and realize that the movie is different and figure out if you like the changes.

Read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and then read Mere Christianity and be amazed that they came from the same person.

My Favorite Books:

            Anything by CS Lewis

            The Chosen – Chaim Potok

            All of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

            What’s So Amazing About Grace – Phillip Yancey

            The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

            Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak

Feedback:

What are your favorites?

What are your reading strategies?         

 -Pastor Greg