The Mark Challenge

We are walking through the gospel of Mark here at Western Hills Church this month. Truth be told, it’s the gospel I’ve read the LEAST. You could probably call it “The Forgotten Gospel” as far as I’m concerned, which I admit is a bit embarrassing. On the other hand, I can explain my obsession with the other gospels. John: the connection to Greek culture and philosophy. Matthew: his obsession with Jewish history and scriptures. Luke: his heart for the outsider and the marginalized.

Mark? Uh… yeah. About Mark.

I know a couple of things about the gospel of Mark. I know it was written by John Mark. I’m mostly convinced it was the first gospel written (around 50 AD). We know it’s basically from the perspective of the apostle Peter. We also know that John Mark was the guy that quit on Paul’s first missionary journey. When Barnabas wanted to take him on the second one, Paul lost his marbles about it and broke up the band because of him. (Eventually, Paul came around.)

What else? I’m not really sure. And that’s where my weekly devo comes back into play!

The plan is fairly straight forward. Every week, I’ll jot down my notes and thoughts as I study through the gospel.

What do I hope to find?

I have no idea… I do know that the Gospels still capture me.

Yes. That’s exactly the word I’m looking for – CAPTURE.

Do you remember the first time you read THAT BOOK? THAT BOOK that opened up a new world to you. That made you hide under the covers with a flashlight because you HAD to know what happened next? That started you on this road of imagination and dreaming? That turned backyard forts and tree houses into castles or dragon lairs? THAT BOOK that would not let go of your heart? That created more questions than answers?

That’s what The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe did for me. It’s what the Gospels still do for me today. The difference now? The Gospels are truth. They bring life and hope. Instead of transforming backyard forts, it changes hard hearts. The dragons may very well be more metaphoric, but they are just as real with just as real flames.

After all these years, I return to the Gospels, and I still wrestle with questions. I’m still in awe of the audacity of whole premise of the story. A Creator who has watched His creation reject Him. A Creator that IS love above all. So instead of a power play of manipulation, He makes a bold move of self-sacrifice.

What do I hope to find? Maybe a better question is… what do I hope finds me?

There’s No Gospel Without the Wilderness

Then the Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted….

At the end of my Army Officer Basic Training, there was a comprehensive final called “Operation Cutthroat.” The final was not a written test but rather a 17-day test of platoon and company sized missions. Seventeen straight days of living in the woods, installing minefields, clearing minefields, blowing up bridges, building floating bridges, and every other skill they had trained us to do over the previous 4 months. We would perform these missions while being attacked by various kinds of opposition forces (OpFors): ambushes, snipers, airstrikes. And most of these missions would be on minimal sleep and food.

After all of the training we had gone through, most of us were not dreading it at all. We’d spent months training for this. The guys (and gals) in my class were very good. We had a great platoon.

It was all going great until 3 minutes after our first formation at 4:00am on Day 1.

It started raining.

Not a late afternoon sprinkle.
Not a 30-minute thunderstorm.
A sheet of continuous water so thick you couldn’t see 6 feet in front of you.
Rain that hit the ground and bounced up.
Rain that soaked through solid steel.
Rain that lasted 7 days.
It was never NOT raining.

Then it stopped. For 27 hours.

Then it rained again for 8 days.

It was beyond any kind of misery I had ever endured. No sleep. Little food. Cold. Wet. Stressed. Angry. Frustrated. We complained. We yelled. We were short-tempered. We were beyond miserable.

But nobody left. Nobody quit.

We volunteered for this. As bad as this was, we all knew that war was worse. Within weeks, each of us would be entrusted with the lives of hundreds of soldiers. It was for the best of us, and for them, to go through this wilderness experience. To avoid the wilderness is to avoid the core reason why we were there in the first place.

________________

Humanity did not need another conquering hero. Humanity did not need a physician to heal every physical ailment. Humanity did not need another religious leader to establish a new religion. Humanity did not need a genie to provide unlimited resources.

Humanity needed a heart transplant. Humanity needed a new heart that was not jaded with self-preservation, nor corrupted by selfish desires, or broken by selfishness. In short, humanity needed a heart that wasn’t consumed by sin.

And there was only one way for that transplant to happen. A Savior with a perfect and pure heart would have to give His away. Not for selfish glory but for self-less, unconditional love. That meant going to the wilderness… and along the way, this selflessness would defeat death.

That may sound like a tragedy, but it’s gospel. It’s GOOD NEWS. The essential thing we need was the essential reason Jesus became flesh. He went to the wilderness. Not just one time in the story… but over and over and over again. Culminating at a cross on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Come take the journey with us through the Gospel of Mark and watch the story unfold. Absorb it. Let it change you. Walk with the Savior who walks into our hurt, our chaos, our despair, our sin, our brokenness to redeem. To make new.

This is the BEST NEWS you’ll ever experience.

Grant

Why You – Yes, You – Ought To Be At LEAD Night

THIS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH | 6:00-7:45PM | WHC GYM

Church Family,

This coming Monday night will be our first LEAD Night. Food starts at 6:00. Sign up for childcare if you need it. I’ve been looking forward to this since this past spring. I really believe that these LEAD Nights (3rd Monday of the Month) have the potential to make Western Hills healthier and more effective in living out the reality of Jesus for our city.

Why do I believe that?

It’s starts with this foundation: Western Hills has GREAT leaders. I’m spoiled rotten. If there is a need, you respond. When an ask is made, you exceed expectations. When I go to a city meeting or event, I constantly hear our community brag on people who go to Western Hills and their impact.

But we can be better…

The harsh reality of churches is that the focus is on running programs and recruiting volunteers to work them. There’s something flawed with that approach over the long haul. It’s task oriented, not relational. It’s more about keeping a program alive, as opposed to effectively engaging our culture. It lends itself to treating leaders like resources, instead of people. I’ve been guilty of those things. If we’re serious about living out the reality of Jesus to every person, in every place, all the time – that mindset MUST change.

We must STOP recruiting people to a program and START developing people for a purpose.

That’s the heartbeat behind LEAD Night – to start developing people for their purpose – to live out the reality of Jesus. Why should you be there?

LEAD Night will grow your relationship with Jesus.

It will make you a better leader not just for the ministry you serve in but all of the places God has put you in.

You will learn spiritual principles that can be immediately applied in your life.

It will put you around the table with other leaders to encourage and inspire you. If you’re curious about serving, then it will give you the backstage pass of our ministries.

Everybody wins when a leader gets better. So this is your official invitation to join us Monday night.

See ya’ soon,

Grant

Anniversaries Should Be About Looking Forward

This weekend we are going to celebrate Western Hills Church’s 30th Anniversary. (Why we call it an anniversary as opposed to a birthday? I have no explanation.) We’re going to serve coffee, latte’s, and all kinds of other coffee deliciousness as well as bagels, donuts, and pastries. There will be pictures worthy of blackmail material and other fun archival things to see, but I hope you find something else.

A Look Forward

Today has been hard. It’s been good. But it’s been hard. Why? It’s Cayden’s 17th birthday.  Seventeen. How in the world can my baby girl be 17?? We celebrated with breakfast waffles, because waffles are the best kind of birthday cake ever.

I remember gobs of pink. I remember her running around the house taking video interviews of everyone. I remember her loving “bas-ghetti” and “Tooper” and “Tammer.” I remember missing teeth and incredible dance parties and concerts during commercial breaks. I remember hikes where her heart was willing, but the little legs were done. I remember kayak time and fishing days, and lots of pictures of sunsets and flowers.

But for all of those memories, I’m really excited about her future. She’s got dreams. She’s got goals, ideas and direction. I’m amped about how God is changing her, molding her. I’m not always happy about the bumps in the road or the obstacles we have to navigate. But it’s helpful to remember that these too are a part of the journey. Even these things that we don’t like are being used by God to form and mold her, as well as me.

Bottom line – she’s not 3 anymore. She’s not 6 or 12 or even 15 anymore. She’s different. She’s changed. She will continue to change. And that’s good. Because if she didn’t change, she wouldn’t be growing.

It’s not all that different when it comes church.

We’re going to have some fun on Sunday taking a glimpse backward, but we’re going to take a good look at what God has put in front of us as well. It’s still about the core of the call of Jesus on His church – to make disciples of all people of all cultures. It’s fundamentally about loving people like Jesus loves people.

The core question that I’m reminded of as we celebrate 30 years is, “How can we get better at loving people like Jesus?” The church was placed and gifted on the earth for that sole purpose. How can we better leverage every single ounce of resources we have to do that?

Dallas Willard wrote this in Regeneration of the Heart, “We also need to keep in mind the multitudes of people (surrounded by churches) who will NOT be in heaven because they have never, to their knowledge, seen the reality of Christ in a living human being.”

Can’t wait for Sunday to unpack this a bit more…

LEAD NIGHT

At the start of the summer, the staff and I realized that we had a significant increase of people involved in ministry this year. This was fantastic news, but it also created a couple of problems.

1. How do we find time to train new leaders?
2. How do we find time to multiply more leaders?
3. How do we find time to continue to develop the leaders we have?
4. How do we stay relationally connected to all of our leaders?
5. How do we do ALL of this in a world where our schedules are already crazy?

Yeah. So after having a panic attack, I got to praying and researching.

Welcome to LEAD NIGHT.

LEAD NIGHT will be the 3rd Monday night of the month, starting September 16th, here at the church. It is for every single leader and volunteer involved at Western Hills:  Children’s, Youth, Men’s, Women’s, Upward, Building, Worship, Tech, Creative, Hospitality, Connect Group. If you serve in any capacity in any area, LEAD NIGHT is for you. If you are INTERESTED in getting involved in any area, LEAD NIGHT is for you. The format is simple:

6:00-6:30pm – FOOD
We will provide sandwiches, chips, and drinks. Come grab some food and hang time.
6:30-7:00pm – TRAINING
Think TED Talk for ministry skills to help you where you serve.

7:00-7:45pm – TEAM

All of our ministry teams will break out to meet for further training or planning.

**Free Childcare will be provided for the night from 6:30-7:45pm. (Kids will eat with their families). Register kids here.

Think about it – one night a month. ONE. And it comes with a meal and free childcare. And you’ll get discipleship training that will deepen your walk with Jesus. AND it will help you where you serve. AND you’ll get to connect with other leaders on the same journey as you.

One of the smartest things a church can do is invest in her leaders. Everybody wins when a leader gets better, and this is what LEAD NIGHT is going to do for all of us at Western Hills – make us better. LEAD NIGHT will not only help us train new leaders and deepen veteran ones, but it will also help us stay focused on living out the reality of Jesus.

See ya’ on the 16th.

Grant

Baptism Sunday – September 8th

It’s my favorite tradition: Baptism Sunday. I love it for so many reasons.
 
I love the depth of meaning of the symbol itself. Initially used in the textile industry, the idea of baptism is simple. Want a red shirt? Baptize that shirt in red dye. The old white shirt no longer exists but rather a ‘new’ red shirt. The old white shirt has been consumed by red dye and has changed what it is. It’s NOW a red shirt. This is what baptism is at its core. I’m not Old Grant. I’m New Grant, consumed by Christ so I no longer live, but He does through me.
 
I love the public celebration that it evokes. Clapping, screaming, yelling, hugging, and even a few tears have been shed. These show what this means in a person’s life. It’s a marker to remind us of how God worked (is working) in our life. It’s an altar of sorts, a place that we recognize God’s specific work, but we also know that it’s not a place to just camp either.
 
I love that this is about obedience. Jesus was baptized, and that fact alone is pretty significant. He was God’s Son, He was God Incarnate, He was the Lamb of God WAY before He was ever baptized. On one hand, Jesus didn’t NEED to be baptized… But then again Jesus Himself said, “This is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). I’m not completely sure I understand fully what this means, but at the very least it means that baptism is vital for the Christ-follower just to show obedience.
 
I love that this is about family. Not just parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It’s about the spiritual family who we can look eye to eye with and know they are on the journey with us. That we have a cheering section. That we aren’t alone.
 
Have you had this experience?
 
If you’re new to following Jesus – This is a great time for you to celebrate this. It frames your journey, it sets a memorable altar in your life, and it will grow in its meaning for you the longer you follow Jesus. You don’t have to have this whole Jesus thing figured out. It’s about being obedient to the next thing Jesus is calling you to.
 
If you’ve been following Jesus for a while but have never gotten around to it – Let me nudge you a bit. Take this step. Why? Because this is how we are supposed to follow Jesus. When He brings stuff into our life that we need to change, that we need to be obedient in, we do it. Could be money, could be serving, could be in the words we say, could be in our attitude, could be a lot of different things. Maybe even be baptism. Obedience leads to deeper places with Him. These deeper places change us to be more like who He has designed for us to be.
 
If you’re thinking about it or have more questions, talk to me. I want you to be a part of an incredible day on September 8th. If you are interested and want to get baptized, shoot us an email and we will follow up.
 
See ya’ soon.
G

A Back To School Blessing

A prayer of blessing for teachers, administrators, and students heading back to school this week. A prayer for those of you who love Jesus and are seeking to live out His love in your life. You are entering the most unreached mission field in the world today, your school. My prayer for you this week is this:

Gathered in these halls are people who are hurting and confused.

Some hide the hurt behind academic achievement.
Others with anger or apathy or sarcasm.
Some will seek hope and healing through athletic greatness,
While others will find their solace in the mixing of paints or notes.

The masks are not all worn by students.
There will be adults who still carry their wounds with them,
Nicely wrapped and hidden in a place where no one can see.

So follower of Jesus, know where you walk today.
Your mission field is littered with lockers, permission slips, and notebook paper.
There will be laughter and tears, success and failures,
All of it not near as important as we are made to believe it is.

So follower of Jesus, walk differently.
Walk without your mask and in the strength of His care.
Walk without your mask and in the hope of His love.
Walk without your mask and the boldness of His truth.
Walk without your mask and in the tenderness of His mercy.
Walk in His grace to be a blessing.
Walk in a way that makes people wonder… What is this hope you hold on to?

Keep walking when it gets hard.
Because He is with you.
Because He’s got a purpose for you.
Because you matter, and He’s not done with you.
Because someone else needs you.

Because you want to see what God does next in this crazy story.

Amen

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes for Children’s Ministry

I guess it’s the kid in me, but I really don’t think it’s right for school to start in August. Ever. It’s supposed to be a Memorial Day to Labor Day break. Am I right? Reality is cold and heartless at times. As in, school starts next week. NEXT WEEK!! It’s not right…but it is reality.
 
In spite of this harsh truth, it’s still a GREAT time to be a kid at Western Hills!
 
Our pre-teen 5th & 6th grade ministry – Giant Slayers – has just EXPLODED. We took our very first pre-teen mission trip this year with 12 kids, 4 adults, and the stories were amazing! The demand for more of this for our pre-teens has been crazy. So we’re expanding it to Wednesday nights starting September 4th! It’s going to be a blast. It’s going to focus on identity and putting faith in action. Just like on Sunday mornings, it’s going to be led by Cathy Terrell (Mama T). If you have a 5th or 6th grader, this is going to be CAN’T MISS discipleship.
 
Our Focus Team has been hard at work investigating potential programs, curriculum, and passionate leaders for Wednesday nights for our preschool thru 4th grade kids. While the team has significantly narrowed the options, they want to see programs in action at other churches before actually trying to pull it off here at Western Hills. That means no Wednesday night activities at the church this fall for pre-school through 4th grade. It’s a wise move, and there are some really interesting possibilities in front of us. Please pray for this!! We will keep you posted.
 
In the meantime, allow me to challenge you parents with a couple of things.
 
First, be on the look out for fun activities this fall that the Children’s Ministry will be hosting. We’ve got a Swim/Sundae Party for Kindergarten – 2nd grade on August 24th. We’ve got a Daughter’s of the King Retreat for our 3rd -6th grade girls on September 6-7, as well as an October campout for the boys in 3rd-6th grade. Sign up for our weekly email to stay informed or check the worship bulletin or website.
 
Second, DADDY/DAUGHTER DATE NIGHTS. Actually, whether you’re a mom or dad, you can do this with either your son or daughter. I did it with all three of my kids – son and daughters. The plan is simple. Use Wednesday nights to get one-on-one time with each of your kids and go through a study together. There are plenty of free options on Right Now Media. Text RIGHTNOW WHC to 41411 if you aren’t signed up for this service already.
 
For my kids, we’d pick a book (or video series). We’d watch it and then go out for ice cream to talk about it. Our job as parents? Ask questions and listen. We don’t have to preach or have all the answers. Just engage in a spiritual conversation with your kid. And do it often. I discovered that discipleship opportunities weren’t these huge ‘a-ha’ moments but rather a bunch of smaller conversations I was having with my kids along the way. It opened the door for so many other conversations as they got older, but that foundation started when they were in elementary school.
 
Third thing, volunteer in your child’s classroom ONE Sunday morning a quarter. That’s one Sunday morning every 3 months. What does that look like? It could look like reading a book during the Sunday School hour with your kid’s class or playing a game or making a craft. It could mean acting silly for an hour with them.
 
Why volunteer once a quarter? It is true that as we’ve grown and expanded our classrooms, we find ourselves needing a helper or substitute every now and then. BUT that’s not the real reason why I think you ought to do this.
 
My greatest fear as a dad was that my kids would hit middle school and high school and tune me completely out. I’d seen it happen so many times, and I didn’t want that to happen to our family. When I looked at dads and moms who had great relationships with their middle schoolers and high schoolers, I discovered a startling truth. They had great relationships with them in elementary school.
 
By volunteering where my kids learned, both at school and at church, I learned better what makes them tick and how to ask them questions they would respond to. It put me in conversation with teachers they loved, and I learned from them how to better engage my kids. I was more aware to pray and offer help to my kids’ teachers. It made me a better parent.
 
And on top of all of that… it was fun! I mean we had some incredible fun with each other.
 
As we start a new school year, yes it’s full of dread and dreariness of a new school year. BUT, it is also a fresh start, full of hope and opportunity for us to deepen our relationships with our kids.  USE IT!  GET INVOLVED!
 
I’m right there with you!
Grant

What a Celebration It Was!

WOW! What a weekend at our church! I truly hope you were able to be on campus this last Sunday. The long anticipated worship service with Antioch blew the roof off the place! It was an amazing celebration of God’s goodness and the challenges He’s put in front of us through Jonah’s story. Who knew this tiny book would be the catalyst for so much growth spiritually and relationally in our community!? All glory to God!

As Grant said the other day, in a time and culture where divisiveness is more prevalent than unity, it was so encouraging to see the Body of Christ link arms with a common goal of lifting high the name of Jesus! We pray that this continues and that it pours out onto the streets of Topeka for years to come. Who knows, maybe God wants to start a nationwide commitment to unity right here in Shawnee County?

Obviously, our biggest thanks go to God for what He did, but we’d be remiss to not thank all of those who volunteered this weekend as well. To everyone who preached, led worship, brought food, smoked meat, served in the children’s ministry, ran the audio/visual equipment, greeted, made coffee, set up tables, cleaned dishes, helped guests to feel welcome, got up early for rehearsal, and stayed late to clean….“Thank you so much!” We couldn’t have done it without you.

All in all, we can’t wait to see what God does next, and we know you’re eagerly anticipating the next service too. However, don’t wait on us to organize the next fellowship experience. Hopefully you started a friendship or two this weekend that you can start cultivating right away! Make a phone call and put a Royals game on the calendar, get lunch, grab coffee, or maybe do a Bible study together. Yes we eventually want to do something big with Antioch again, but the whole point is that you don’t have to wait until then to continue this relationship. As one of our church members said recently, “Maybe the next step isn’t one big one, but a thousand tiny ones.”

Blessings,
Parker