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

God Hardening Pharaoh's Heart

I said that I would write a blog about the idea of God “hardening” Pharaoh’s heart in the biblical story of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, so here ya go.

The question that I can see is why? Why harden his heart?

Honest answer—I don’t know

I will give you my thoughts about it though. My goal then is not to answer the question but rather just cause an opening of thought about the situation.

First the situation of Pharaoh and the Israelites in slavery.

Pharaoh was more than king. He was THE god-king. He was raised knowing that he would be THE god-king and now was living as THE god-king. I write THE because this was not a relativistic culture that had discussions and opinions about this situation. It was a fact of facts. What Pharaoh said was and what Pharaoh willed happened.

The Israelites on the other hand were the lowest of Egyptian society. They had been invited into Egypt about 400 years prior to Moses birth by the Pharaoh whom a hero named Joseph served. They had been invited with hospitality and honor, but over the centuries their acceptance had completely eroded. Their refusal to integrate into Egyptian society and especially the Egyptian religious life had kept them isolated from any form of potential acceptance. In addition to these factors the Israelites were essentially shepherds. This doesn’t mean much to us but for Egyptian society, shepherds were absolutely one of the lower rungs on the societal ladder. As with many powerless outcasts the Israelites were seen as scarcely more than livestock. They were forced into forced labor and slavery. Essentially, what the Pharaoh willed, happened by the sweat of the Israelites.

So, here we are. THE god-king being confronted by the slaves, the outcasts, the livestock.

There is literally no reason at all that Pharaoh should ever in any way even consider the wants, desires, much less rights of the things that were demanding to have the freedom to stop slaving and go to worship some God that he did not know or acknowledge.

All that to say, I am not sure that God needed to do much work in the “heart hardening” area.

It still remains though, that God hardened Pharaohs heart.

My opinion is that Pharaoh became the instrument of God’s deliverance. As I said during a Sunday message, it is very easy to remove a person or group from captivity, but it is almost impossible to remove captivity from the person or group. The entire nation of Israel had been in this slavery for hundreds of years. They were born into it. They were raised in it. They built their lives around and within its constrictions. They were not simply nominally (being named) slaves. They were slaves. It wasn’t just the Egyptians that thought they were slaves. The Israelites thought they were slaves.

Now I ask, what kind of radical therapy is needed to change the identity of a person or especially a people?

What kind of aggressive treatment is necessary to rename and reclaim the soul of people?

Could the plagues make sense?

What is the only thing that could mess up this plan?

From this point of view, only Pharaoh not quite being stubborn enough to make it through the literal destruction of all his gods could mess this up.

God might have needed Pharaoh to be more Pharaoh. More arrogant. More stubborn.

Just an opinion though.

What do you think?

A Question - Why Does TMC Exist?

So I’ve been battling with a question.

Why does TMC exist?

We’ve been working as a church for 4 years now and I think I mostly know the answer to this, but I want it clear.

Our purpose statement says: “The Market Church (TMC) exists to connect people in a growing relationship with Jesus and into community with other followers of Jesus"

I have to be honest here though, while I think we are actually doing that, it doesn’t inspire me to get up and go. I think it is something that we weren’t doing and now we are in fact doing, but it really is more a statement of what we do rather than why we do it.

SOOOO…Why does TMC exist?

Here is where I want some help. Can we make this a conversation?

If so, here is the question again:  Why does TMC exist?

Now let me clarify the question. Lets move past what churches do or should do. Lets ignore what you and I might think ideally all churches should do. What about TMC actually makes you want to not just come, but be a part? What is important about TMC that must get out? Why do we do the things we do? Why are we TMC?

I genuinely think that there is something that is TMC and I have some ideas about what that is, but I am asking for some input so that I can really, really clarify it. See, if we are just another church then we are siphoning resources away from other churches that are probably doing the “church” part of church better and I desperately do not want to be another church. Honestly I don’t believe in another church and there is no need for another church.

Somewhere deep inside though I think and feel that there is a need for TMC.

So why?

Tell me your thoughts.

What is TMC to you?

-Pastor Greg

Thoughts From A Mother...

Our daughter is 20 months old and we are weaning her off of the pacifier; it’s been a difficult few weeks. One night was especially rough and she had been crying for over an hour with no consolation. I was getting so frustrated, trying to explain to her that she is getting older and it’s time to let go of the pacifier. She’s getting teeth that we need to protect and we want to keep her from getting infections. Explaining that to a toddler is impossible. They just know that they want something and you’re not giving in.
I really felt the LORD saying to me “Jess, this is how I feel about you sometimes. I know what is best for you. I have a plan for you. But you don’t see that. You just want what you want; you have to trust me and let go.” There are many things in our lives that we really want and we beg and plead with GOD for. It can be a new job or a new house, maybe a relationship that we want to hold onto or it could be a habit or almost anything, really, that we just have to have. We don’t understand why a GOD that is so wonderful and loves us so much would ever tell us “No”. Why would HE deny us???
As parents, we often get pushed to the edge and finally give up: giving the toy or the pacifier and say “Here! Here’s the toy or the pacifier or whatever you want. Now just be quiet!” But what does that teach them? How does that help them learn? How does that benefit us in any way? GOD loves us so much and wants to bless us. HE wants to teach us patience and faith and if HE always gave us everything we wanted, would we really need HIM anymore? 
GOD loves us, HE wants to bless us. Just like we love our children and want to bless them and make them happy and see them laugh and smile. GOD wants to give us the desires of our hearts but often the timing is just off. We never know if we are meant to be in a specific job for some reason, or maybe the car that we want so badly is actually a lemon that will cause us more grief in the end. Or maybe that relationship will end up leading us away from GOD. We don’t always see the whole picture and that’s why we MUST trust HIM. Maybe HE is not going to heal our friend who was battling cancer so bravely. Maybe HE planned to take her home to finally end her pain and maybe her nurses will come to know Christ through this. We don’t know why HE may not be answering right away but if we just stop crying and listen for a moment, maybe we’ll hear HIM. 
So that night, after fighting endlessly and trying to explain repeatedly that she would not get her “paci” I finally changed my approach and told her that I loved her so much and asked her to trust me. I asked her to let me help her become a big girl and just kept saying that I loved her, over and over. Within a few minutes she was asleep. If we can stop our fussing and stop our crying long enough to listen, maybe we’ll get a glimpse of the big picture. Maybe we can trust HIM enough and we'll finally see all that HE has for us and how wonderfully HE really does love us.

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