Recent Posts
Submitted by Pastor Rick on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 3:07pm.
I try to keep my backyard clean, but the truth is that it is a battle I often lose, or willingly forfeit. As I look through the sliding glass door at my cold frozen yard today, I am quickly reminded of the leaves that missed the final yard waste pick up last fall. The grass could have used one final cut, but of course the leaves would have had to have been raked first. The balusters on the deck railing have needed a second coat of stain ever since I first stained them when I built the deck and now the deck board also need another coat. There is the pile of sticks along the rusted fence that are not pretty to look at but for now don't seem to be bothering anyone. For the most part though, I have made my peace with my yard. I get to what I am able, and the rest I live with. Today though as I was looking at my yard I noticed snow flakes starting to fall. Immediately the thought occurred to me that when the snow falls it covers all the shortcomings of my yard; the leaves, the grass, the unstained deck, and if enough of it falls even the pile of sticks and rusted fence won't betray my neglect. In fact when the snow falls my yard looks the exact same as all my neighbors' yards. Even the ones who might spend large amounts of money caring for their yards and large amounts of time fertilizing and manicuring their lawn, it all looks the same covered in snow. It's a lot like the grace of God. We do a lot to mess up this world and our lives as a part of it. But, when we turn to God in repentance and faith, when we call out to him in prayer, he sends his blessings down like a winter snow that cover everything - let me say it again EVERYTHING. So what was a mess when left to our own effort becomes a beautiful white blanket knit together by the Lord as beautiful as any in all the world.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:7,8
Submitted by Pastor Rick on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 6:48am.
Thinking about the beginning of a new year here are a few quotes that stuck with me this past year and one area that the Lord has been teaching me about.
"It is not your job to fill someone else's cup, but you are responsible to empty your cup" - Andy Stanley. (Founder & Pastor North Point Church)
This concept is pretty simple and probably one I have heard before, but as usual Andy Stanley (master communicator) has a way of putting things that just all of the sudden click on a light bulb. I find this statement so liberating to simply be faithful to do what God calls us to do without regard for the things we are not able to do. Emptying my cup may likely leave those I am leading wanting more and that is OK. The truth is if I am pouring myself out to people who are more gifted and talented than I am (which any good leader is doing) then of course I will not be able to fill their cup, but I am still responsible to pass on all that I have received from the Lord.
"Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone." -Andy Stanley
Sometimes we will avoid doing something for one person because we can't do it for everyone and we consider that unfair. But, another Andy Stanley quote says, "Fairness ended in the garden of Eden." We are limited people with finite resources of time, energy, and money we will never be able to do for everyone, only God can do that. But, we shouldn't let that limit keep us from helping those that we can help. So in 2012 do for one person what you wish you could do for every person.
"Don't settle for the promise without the presence." - Jim Bradford (Leader in the Assemblies of God)
This was from a sermon regarding Moses' experience leading the people of Israel in the wilderness. At one point God says they can go into the promised land, but God's presence will not go with them. Moses says "no", there is no point receiving the promise if God's presence is not with them. I want to have that same heart. Am I ever tempted to just desire the blessings of God at any cost even at a cost of His presence? I want the heart and the hand of God in 2012.
"Who comes, comes." Jean Picariello (My Grandmother)
My paternal grandparents were both blessed with long lives (96 years), both passed away in the last 13 months. There is a lot I will remember and take from both of them, but this quote from my grandmother seems especially applicable to me. She would say it when she would have a party or event at her house. I would ask, "who is coming?" or I might ask, "Is so and so coming?" her response would always be the same, "Hey, who comes, comes." In other words they are all invited, they know where I live, there will be plenty of food and room for them if they come, we will be grateful if they do come, but it is up to them, "Who comes, comes." In ministry it is easy for Pastors and leaders to focus on numbers and who is not there, when we do that we can miss the people who are there and who God has called us to enjoy and empty our cup to that day. As I read the gospels Jesus didn't seem to spend his time trying to attract huge crowds, in fact he seemed a bit uncomfortable when the crowd got too large and he would often withdraw and make statements he knew would challenge people and even thin the crowd. Jesus focused on the person in front of him at the moment and what their needs were. I think my grandmother understood this truth of Jesus, she was not going to be distracted by who was not there, but enjoy those were there. In 2012 I want to have that same heart.
These quotes turned into a longer entry than I expected, I will have to use a future entry to talk about the lesson that God has been teaching me. To be continued...
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 10:35am.
Join us February 5th-8th as we fast, pray, and worship as a community.
On Sunday, February 5th our year-long sermon series "Finding Our Story Between the Trees" will come to a close. In celebration, and anticipation of all that God has in store for us this year, we have set aside February 5th - 8th as a time to experience God's presence together as a community.
On Sunday, February 5th during the morning services Pastor Rick will preach a message on heaven entitled "The End of the Beginning" on the Book of Revelation.
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On Monday and Tuesday evening we will gather for two special services led by Pastor Bob Wise. Pastor Bob is the head of the Southern New England Ministries Network of the Assemblies of God, and is an anointed, powerful preacher. These meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. each night and will include a time of worship, prayer, and a message from God's Word. On Monday evening Pastor Bob will share his vision of reaching people in New England with the Gospel, and on Tuesday he will deliver a message on living in the power of the Spirit. In addition, Dwelling Place, a worship team from Zion Bible College will be leading us in worship. Childcare through Grade 5 is available both nights. |
The Mount Hope community will be encouraged to spend these days fasting and praying, and we will break the fast with a meal together on Wednesday evening during our Mid-Week Ministries. Register for this meal by CLICKING HERE or contacting the church office at (781) 272-1014.
Please join us for these special gatherings and we believe God's Holy Spirit will move in a fresh way among us as we meet.
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 11:43am.
Find out how you can help!
April 14th to April 21st a group will be traveling from Mount Hope Christian Center to Cote Plage to continue work on a church and school. In November 2010 a team from Mount Hope began work on this project to rebuild the church and school which had fallen in the January 2010 earthquake. The goal of this trip is not only to help rebuild physical structures, but also to share the love of Jesus Christ in very tangible ways.
As we prepare to travel we need your prayer support. Please keep the safety of this team in your prayers. In addition, please pray that God will use us to spread his love to those we meet and that as a result of the trip those who travel and those that we encounter would be drawn closer to Jesus Christ.
We also need to raise funds that will be used to cover travel expenses, construction materials, and employ Haitian workers. If you are interested in donating to this trip you may do so HERE.
If you have any questions regarding this trip, please contact Pastor Brian. Thank you for your support!
Read more about the April trip to Haiti in this Burlington Patch news article HERE.
Watch the highlights from the November 2010 trip below:
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 2:50pm.
Keep up with construction on the new FLC blog.
We are excited that work has begun on the new Family Life Center! We are doing our best to keep everyone up to date on the progress and have created a blog that will be updated frequently with pictures and video from the site. As construction continues, please join with us in praying that God would use this new facility to make his name great in Burlington and the surrounding communities. We look forward to all He is going to do through this new tool for ministry.
CLICK HERE to visit the FLC blog.
Submitted by Pastor Rick on Sat, 11/05/2011 - 7:45pm.
My three year old daughter and I play a game with her magna-doodle (think etch-a-sketch with a pen replacing those wheels) that is a bit like pictionary. It goes like this: we each take turns drawing a picture and the other person has to guess what the picture is. I am not much of an artist and a magna-doodle is not the most precise medium (I like to blame the magna-doodle) so it sometimes takes her a while to guess what I drew.
However, her turn goes much differently. It only takes me one guess to name the picture when she draws. It is not because she is an exceptional artist, she mostly just scribbles, but rather because whatever I say the picture is she agrees with me.
At first I thought she was just agreeing with me because she was self-conscious about her drawings and knew I would not guess and also knew that the drawing did not really look like whatever it was she was trying to draw. Then I realized that a three-year old is not usually that self-aware. No that kind of paranoid self-consciousnesses is reserved for us adults. It begins around grade school in highly competitive science fairs, carries on into puberty as we awkwardly pursue the opposite sex, is affirmed in high school athletics, and is cemented on graduation day when the Valedictorian delivers his or her victory (I mean graduation) speech. But, back to the magna-doodle. It was then that I realized that my daughter does not have a picture in her mind that she attempted to draw in order for me to guess the picture. She makes a drawing (or scribbles) and then she waits for me to tell her what it is. She scribbles and then waits to see what I will name the picture. In this way the guessing is just as much fun for her as it is for me. When I say, "it's a hot dog" she giggles and laughs and agrees "yes daddy it is a hot dog." I think her way of playing the game is more fun than my way of playing.
Romans 8:28 says, "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him..." Maybe this verse is saying that sometimes we scribble and make a mess of God's magna-doodle and He says, "I see what you did there and I'm going to bring good out of it." In response we often say, "No God, guess again there is no good in this. This is tragedy, pain, injustice, hurt, malice, unfair. Good? No God, that's not what this picture is, guess again."
Jesus said that in order for us to enter God's Kingdom, we have to become like little children. Maybe letting God name the picture is part of that childlike faith that we need to have. It sure seems like a much more enjoyable way to play the game, just ask my daughter.
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 12:20pm.
View the monthly e-newsletter HERE.
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 2:47pm.
Each year we set aside time to celebrate how God is at work among us.
The Thanksgiving Eve service is a unique chance to hear stories of what God is doing in the lives of people within the Mount Hope community. Please plan to join us for this one-hour service on Wednesday, November 23th at 7:00 p.m. There is no better way to start the Thanksgiving holiday.
Submitted by Pastor Rick on Sun, 10/30/2011 - 9:49pm.
Today was scheduled to be the third Sunday of our Global Outreach celebration. It is one of my favorite services of the year as we together come forward to commit ourselves to partnering with God in His mission to reach people around the globe for Him. However, a rare October snow storm, some downed trees, and lack of electricity changed all of that. I missed being at Mount Hope together with our church, but was open to God's presence and gift today.
So after I got home from the church this morning, I ate breakfast with my family - an extremely rare Sunday occurrence in our home. I built a snow man with my kids, watched them sled down our snow covered backyard, and pulled them around on the sled. Then I was invited to a tea party with a very special little girl who fixed me blueberry pizza for dessert. While my son played at my feet I had a chance to catch up on some theological reading that I had put off a while back. I had a dance with my wife in the kitchen, another rare occurrence with my two left feet. Later my electricity and heat deprived family members came by and we ate together, played games, celebrated my mom's birthday, and unsuccessfully tried to will the Patriots to victory.
Now the kids are in bed, the house is quiet and as I reflect on all that happened today it occurs to me that today God ministered to me and at some point in the midst of my rest, joy and gratitude I believe He was pleased. At some point I worshiped the Lord today. I was not in a building, there was no congregational singing, no liturgy, but there was worship.
Many times in the Scriptures we see the schedule of Jesus interrupted. A woman grasps at his garment while he is on his way to heal another, some men cut a whole through a roof to get their friend to Jesus, a woman saturates him in expensive perfume at a meal. Jesus found in these moments not an obstacle to his plan, but a person to be loved and an opportunity to worship God.
There is a verse in Scripture that teaches us that man was not created for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was created for man. Might this also be true of our weekly Christian gatherings? Ultimately they are for God and His worship. But, often we make such a ritual about it that we end up worshiping the day rather than experiencing the true Sabbath rest that God desires of us.
Lord please teach me to worship you especially in the interruptions.
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 1:20pm.
Mount Hope is going back to Haiti April 14th-20th, 2012.
The purpose of this trip is to be the hands and feet of Jesus through construction work, ministry in orphanages, and growing as individual. There are 25 spots available for this trip, and we are anticipating that they will fill up quickly. The trip is open to adults and High School students. If you would like to be involved, please click HERE to get some preliminary information regarding the trip. A $250.00 deposit is due on Sunday, October 30th, however, the spots will be filled on a first come basis. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Brian or Pastor Keven.
Highlights from our team's trip to Haiti in early November 2010.
Submitted by Stacey on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 1:24pm.
Join us as we celebrate Global Outreach at our annual banquet on Oct. 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
At the celebration banquet we will hear from our partners who serve among the Mashpee Wampanoags on Cape Cod, Palestinians in Bethlehem, and in Zimbabwe. The church is also collecting stories to highlight at the banquet. If you are interested in submitting a story click here.
If you are interested in attending the banquet, please sign up at the Connection Center. If you can bring an optional dish of food to share, please also sign up at the Connection Center. After the second service we will need volunteers to help turn the Sanctuary into a banquet hall. If you are able to help please stay in the Sanctuary while others head to the Common Grounds Café for appetizers.
If you have any questions please email globaloutreach@mounthope.org.
Submitted by Stacey on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 5:05pm.
Refresh women's ministry will host a retreat Nov. 4 through Nov. 6 at the John Carver Inn in Plymouth, MA.
Wendy Blight is the featured speaker and she has an amazing testimony of God's strength in weakness, His hope in hopelessness, and His healing in brokenness. Stop by the Refresh table in the hallway after Sunday Worship services to pick up a brochure and learn more. Or download a copy of the brochure to fill out and register here.
If you have any questions please email Alana Stubblebine. Hope to see you there!
Submitted by Stacey on Tue, 09/20/2011 - 4:16pm.
Pictures and video from this event are available here.
To learn more about the Family Life Center please click here.
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Fri, 09/16/2011 - 1:06pm.
On Friday, Sept. 30th business leader Richard Omohundro is speaking at the Stubblebine Company.
As Senior Director of CypressTree Investment Management, LLC Richard Omohundro oversaw the management of $4 billion in assets. Currently, Mr. Omohundro is President of The Carpenter's Fund, a non-profit entity that provides loans to Christian organizations building infrastructure in developing countries and he sits on the board of Water for the World which provides clean water solutions for East Africa. All are invited to hear how Mr. Omohundro's faith has impacted his life in business. Space is limited, and RSVP information is available by viewing the event flyer.
Click here to view the event flyer.
Submitted by Pastor Brian on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 9:58am.
The winds of change are blowing.
Soon the air will begin to cool and the foliage will shift colors. Sunday afternoons will include large men running into one another while protecting an oblong ball. Children will no longer be able to sleep until noon as they must now attend class.
When all these events occur, it can only mean one thing: Community Groups at Mount Hope are about to reconvene.
Joining a Community Group at Mount Hope is easy and fun!
| Last year over 160 adults signed-up to be a part of a Community Group at Mount Hope and we are looking forward to another great year. How can you be a part of a group? It's easy!
First, take a moment to read why we have community groups at Mount Hope. |
Second, attend Mount Hope on the three Sundays that registration will be taking place (September 4th, 11th, and 18th) so that you can review the groups that are available and select the one you think will fit you best.
Third, click here to register for The Table. The Table will take place on September 23rd at 7:00 p.m. and serves as the first meeting for all of our groups. It is great for all who will be involved in Community Groups at Mount Hope to be able to spend an evening together. Please note Dunkin Donuts coffee and dessert will be served. Childcare will be provided, as well.
If you have any questions about this event please email Pastor Brian or give him a call at (781) 272-1014 x. 110.
Are you interested in leading or hosting a group? We are in need of leaders and hosts for our Community Groups. If you are interested in being a part of the leadership of this vital ministry, please email Pastor Brian.
We are looking forward to all that the Lord is going to do through our groups this year!
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Join us February 5th-8th as we fast, pray, and worship as a community.
Find out how you can help!
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