This weekend we begin our annual God & the Movies series.  The first movie we’ll examine is “Dan in Real Life” starring Steve Carell.  Bring a friend this Saturday at 6:00pm or Sunday at 9:15am or 11:00am.
 

NOTE: Because of copyright restrictions, we are unable to reproduce these messages on CD or post them on the Internet.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Psalm 16:8 – I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

As you consider last weekend’s message, I encourage you to begin putting in place practices to keep him always before you.  There are many books I could recommend that might assist you.  However, my favorite book on the spiritual disciplines is John Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted.  Ortberg writes this refreshing and humorous book with a contemporary audience in mind.  I personally owe a great debt to this work for its impact on my spiritual life.  I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you…

When Jesus dwelled among us, one of his favorite ways to communicate his message was through story.  In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke), one third of his recorded words were his parables—short stories designed to capture the attention of his audience and evoke a response.

Stories are a powerful tool for any communicator, because everybody loves a good story.  Definitions are helpful; Explanations are important.  But a story can take a truth and make it more memorable.  A story can give it flesh and bones and make it practical.  A story is like a breath of fresh air.

I see this on your faces every week.  After a while of listening to my voice lulling you into a restful slumber, I’ll interject, “So the other day…” and you come right back to attention.  Stories can be powerful vehicles for truth.

In our culture, movies are one of the most powerful examples of story. Good movies can make two hours feel like twenty minutes, because they tell stories about people with whom we identify, admire or empathize.  The best movies leave us thinking about our own lives.  And that’s where God comes in.

God speaks in many ways.  He speaks through the Bible, through people, through circumstances.  Sometimes he surprises us with his methods.  Once he made a donkey talk to get his point across (Nope, not a reference to Shrek.  Check out Numbers 22.).  So why couldn’t he speak through Hollywood?  Certainly, God doesn’t speak through every film.  But often, filmmakers create characters, crises and comedies that compel us to look inward and upward. 

Starting September 13 & 14, we will fire up the popcorn machine and begin our annual series God & the Movies. In this series, we will look at some of Hollywood’s films to see how God tells his story through their stories.  Bring a friend and come ready to hear from God.

One practical tip: the popcorn tastes better with sweet tea…

NOTE: Because of copyright restrictions, we are unable to reproduce these messages on CD or post them on the Internet.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Life hurls problems at us everyday.  James the brother of Jesus tells us to consider our trials pure bliss (James 1:2-4).  Easier said than done.  However, the best kinds of problems are the ones that arise for all the right reasons.  These are problems for which I have no trouble rolling out the welcome mat.

Most of you are well aware that our Sunday 10:30am service has exceeded capacity—and we’re still in August!  As we enter the fall, families return from vacations and students return to campus.  Our growth problem could quickly turn into a growth catastrophe!

So beginning September 6 & 7, we will launch three weekend services:

            Saturday Café 6pm
            Sunday 9:15am
            Sunday 11:00am 

Our Saturday Café Service takes place in the Capital Café.  You can enjoy the live blues and jazz music as you sip your peppermint latte or sweet iced tea.  Childcare is provided for kids newborn to 3.  Both the 9:15am and the 11:00am Sunday services will have the same worship set and kid’s ministry of our current 10:30am service.  My message remains the same for each service.

We’re excited about these really good problems.  Thanks for celebrating with us.  Just don’t be late (or too early) for church in September…

We need your help!  Launching a new service requires a lot of assistance from volunteers.  If you’re interested in volunteering for kid’s ministry, PowerPoint, greeting, set-up or the Capital Café, please email us at volunteer@capitalchurch.com.   We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about serving opportunities.

I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Maggie Mangeac to the staff of Capital.  Maggie serves as my Executive Assistant and our Capital Kids Ministry Coordinator.

With over 8 years of experience in executive assisting presidents of different companies, she has taken on the full-time task of helping Capital be more accessible to all of your needs.  If you would like questions answered or appointments made, Maggie is the one to assist you with your requests.

A native Romanian, Maggie enjoys spending time with and being serenaded by her husband Matthew, who she met in a car accident (his fault, not hers). She is also grateful that God gave her a love for babies, kids, children and all sorts of little tots. This comes in handy as she is one of seven children and Matthew is one of thirteen children. (They are both known as the  “favorite aunt and uncle”, and have 29 nieces and nephews – and counting!)

With the title of “favorite aunt”, she decided to use her love for kids to the fullest extent.  She is now going on 10 years of children’s ministry teaching and will be putting her organizational ideas to use in the role of Kids Ministry Coordinator.

Maggie is an answer to prayer for the Leadership Team and the church—but especially for me. You’ll see what I mean…

So last weekend, I decided to be helpful.  About twenty minutes before the 10:30am service on Sunday, I stepped back into the café to chat with the baristas.  While discussing life with Katie and Amber, I observed a cup of water left behind by someone from the Saturday Café service.  In my attempt to discard it, the contents of the cup made it neither to the sink nor the trash can.  As if ordained by a higher power, the particles of H2O affixed themselves to my flat front Gap khakis in such a way as to question my continence. 

A couple lessons learned:

1.     Learn to laugh at yourself (Everyone else is laughing at you, so you might as well join in).

2.     There’s a reason the baristas wear aprons.

As our church continues to grow as we approach the fall, we’ll need more help in the Capital Café at all of our services.  If you’re interested in volunteering, please email us at volunteer@capitalchurch.com.

Psalm 19:1-5

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

Did you see him?  This morning, when you drove to the office—did you see him?  While you were mowing your lawn this weekend—did you see him?  Theologians speak of omnipresence: God is everywhere.  But too often, I race through my day distracted by to-do lists, appointments, meetings and messages.  I want to see him.

Psalm 19 gives a voice to creation.  Our planet sings a song about the essence of God.  Every tree, every rock is the ceaseless proclamation of who God is and what he’s doing.  This proclamation transcends language; it transcends dialects.  There is no location on the face of the earth that can escape that cry of the cosmos declaring God is here and God is good.

I want to see him.  If I see him—truly see him—then I cannot help but be changed. I cannot help but be inspired to be a better husband, father, pastor and friend.  So why am I so easily distracted by the mundane?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote:

        Earth’s crammed with heaven,
        And every common bush afire with God;
        And only he who sees takes off his shoes.
        The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries

So may you stop settling for blackberries.  May you take off your shoes and open your eyes to see the glory of God all around you.  May he give you eyes to see and ears to hear that you might discover the presence of God in your life today.
 

Later this summer, we will begin a study of the letters to the seven churches of Asia found in Revelation 2 & 3.  These letters from Christ to his bride—the church—reveal who he wants us to be as we await his return.  Join us each week starting July 12 & 13.

Some of you have asked about the book I recommended at the weekend message.  Boundaries, written by Henry Cloud and John Townsend, has sold over 2 million copies.  If you are struggling with a relationship with a difficult person (and who isn’t?!), I highly recommend this book along with its companions Boundaries in Dating, Boundaries in Marriage, and Boundaries with Kids.  This August, Dr. Cloud will release a new book called The One-Life Solution that covers boundaries in business and leadership.  I received an advance reader copy, and I’ve seen its amazing relevance in my own life.  I highly recommend its purchase upon release.

Today, my wife Suzanne has written a guest post for the blog.  Enjoy!
                     – Troy

Motherhood is not always pretty.  I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror today.  There was spit-up down my sleeve, pale pink rug fuzz covering my shirt, a fine dusting of cinnamon from an Easy Bake Oven concoction and chocolate on my pants (the chocolate was from a Skinny Cow that I was eating in hopes that the few extra pounds from pregnancy would melt away.  All that melted was the chocolate).

I won’t mention my smudgy make-up, my hair that desperately needs a cut and my feet that desperately need a pedicure.  Has motherhood made me frumpy?  Perhaps.  As I looked in the mirror, though, I had another thought.  Maybe this phase of life is not the most glamorous.  It’s certainly not the most restful.  But my days are filled with the most adorable giggles, kisses and all sorts of new discoveries.  They are jam packed with everything pink and sparkly.  And I realized that although I may not look my best, my life is more beautiful than ever before.  I wouldn’t trade a second of it for anything.  Except for maybe a clean outfit…