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What do you do when you're really stuck. Join me in this audio version of the Stuck 3 talk as we study 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. We learn why we get stuck, how we get unstuck, and what we should do about it.
Subscribe to this audio podcast! It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.
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Figuring out what we are supposed to do when we are really stuck is the objective for this weekend at Church Requel. The last two weekends have led us to the conclusions we will draw this coming Sunday evening. My study and preparation this week for this talk has been deep and satisfying and I can't wait to share with you what God has given me. Our study will come almost entirely from four verses: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I encourage you to read these verses and think about them in preparation for our Sunday evening together.
I'm looking forward to the worship set that Nate and his team have worked on for us. Joining Nate this weekend will be his dad, Rick, along with Dave, Ryan and Jean. They will be leading us in a new song: "Today is the Day" by Lincoln Brewster. There is one incredible guitar lick in the middle of that song that I'm not sure even Nate can pull off... but I'm looking forward to finding out!
We have a couple other highlights in store for this weekend too. Jessica will be reading out of The Message Bible for us. I always enjoy Eugene Peterson's interpretations. We also have a very funny promo in store for you reminding us of our opportunity to invite people to Church Requel for Super Bowl Sunday next weekend.
We're going to have a good time Sunday night. We'll worship together. Laugh together. Take communion and pray together. And, I hope, learn more about God's Word together. These last few weekends have been wonderful as we've enjoyed the company of many new people and guests. Who do you know that might enjoy an uplifting evening at Church Requel Sunday night?
Remember - our new location is at Ontario Christian Fellowship, 636 S. Lexington-Springmill Road, just one mile south of Richland Mall. See you Sunday at 6PM! - Pastor Mark
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How do you know if you're really stuck? What if you feel stuck but you're not stuck? How do you discover your options? Watch this video sermon as I explain the 7 things we must remember whenever we feel stuck.
Stuck - Part 2 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.
Here are resources to assist you with this sermon:
All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog. Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week? Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices. You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast! Would you like to read my notes for this sermon? Just click on the "Continue reading" link below.
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How do you know if you're really stuck? Join me as I explain the 7 things we must remember when we feel stuck.
Subscribe to this audio podcast! It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.
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When you feel stuck - stuck with illness, stuck with a bad relationship, stuck in a bad job... or worse, stuck with no job at all, what should you do? Is it possible that sometimes you feel stuck, but you really aren't stuck? These are the things we will be talking about at Church Requel this weekend.
Obviously we are continuing our Stuck sermon series. And I'm most excited about these original messages. I have felt God's Spirit very closely in my life as I've been writing. I am, however, also looking forward to the entire weekend service at Church Requel. Our family and friends at CR have been growing closer and closer each week. The highlight of last weekend was Frank and Theresa's baptism, and the longgggg greeting time which followed.
In addition to the sermon and the fellowship, expect an awesome worship experience led by Nate, Chad, Ryan and Stephen. Jana will read our Scripture from Exodus 15:10-14. And Lissa will handle our announcements. Steve and Cindy are back from vacation and will lead both children's classes. And we welcome Bryan back on the sound board after his vacation.
Remember - our location is at Ontario Christian Fellowship, 636 S. Lexington-Springmill Road, just one mile south of Richland Mall. See you Sunday at 6PM! - Pastor Mark
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Are you stuck? Stuck in a bad relationship, tough situation, bad job... no job? Can't move forward? Can't move back? You're not alone! Lesson #1 is God will keep you. Join me in this video sermon for a journey through the Bible of stuck people.
Stuck - Part 1 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.
Here are resources to support this sermon:
All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog. Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week? Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices. You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast! Would you like to read my notes for this sermon? Just click on the "Continue reading" link below.
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Are you stuck? Stuck in a bad relationship, tough situation, bad job... no job? Can't move forward? Can't move back? You're not alone! Lesson #1 is God will keep you. Join me in this audio sermon for a journey through the Bible of stuck people.
Subscribe to this audio podcast! It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.
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Milestones like this one don't come around all that often. My mother-in-law, Marilyn Hawk, turned 80 years old and my wife's family all gathered together to celebrate with her. There was so much love and happiness to be shared by all. Right in the middle of the celebration, Mary Kay's brother - Dan - got a phone call from across the country. His oldest son's wife just delivered their firstborn, a son. What wonderful serendipity! Here's a short, family video I posted this morning over on Facebook.
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I love my parishioners. I don't mean to post only a "mushy" blog post. However, I feel a little giddy this morning, kind of like I did 32 years ago when I first started dating Mary Kay. Back then, when we were both students at the University of Akron, we didn't have email, instant messaging, cell phones, and blogs. What we did have was a tiny little building with thousands of tiny little mailboxes for all the students. I found Mary Kay's box soon after our first date. For the next 15 months - until we were married - I stopped by her box with a love note every day. I never lacked something to write down. I was giddy with love.
That's how I feel this morning about those who have made Church Requel their church home. This past week I found myself encouraging one couple back into their faith and marriage. I also had the privilege of counseling another couple planning to get married. And I'm talking with two different men who are struggling through job transitions. What great opportunities for a pastor to love!
I'm also investing time, energy, and love into parishioners Frank and Theresa - and loving the relationship that has developed as a result. One Sunday not long ago, 65-year-old Frank was reunited with his estranged family. The very next day he learned the shocking news that a tumor has invaded his brain. "How could God allow such a terrible thing to happen the day after his life looked so promising?" he asked me.
I suggested that perhaps God had given him this gift of family knowing how much Frank would need them in the challenging days ahead. Thus began a dialog that resulted in Frank praying for a Christian faith, despite his doubts. Can there be a greater joy for a pastor than to see a parishioner struggle for his faith to know Christ as Savior and Lord?
Tomorrow, Frank and Theresa will both be baptized at Church Requel. Yesterday I visited their humble home again, this time with a video camera in hand. We recorded his testimony, which will be played before his baptism in front of his family and friends.
Frank talked honestly about his health struggle, his family struggle, and his faith struggle. At the end he told me his prayers have changed. He said he has eliminated one little two-letter word, which has always been there before: "IF." He used to start his prayers: "God IF you exist." Now, he says, he begins simply, "Father God."
Have I mentioned how much I love my parishioners? Frank's faith has reinspired my own. He doesn't know it yet, but tomorrow his faith will also reinspire others. We love you, Frank!
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Wow! We have so much happening at Church Requel this weekend. You are not going to want to miss a single moment!
I've really enjoyed creating the new "Stuck" sermon series, which begins this week. Are you stuck in a tough situation? Stuck in a relationship? Stuck in a dead-end job? Stuck without a job? If you're not stuck right now, you probably know someone else who is. And you know it's only a matter of time until you're stuck somehow or somewhere.
You know what I mean, don't you? You don't know how you got here. Can't move forward. Can't move back. You just need help! Over the next three weeks I'm going to teach what God's Word tells us to do when we're stuck. It has been great for me personally to be immersed in this study. I can't wait to share it with you!
However, God has given us so much more for this weekend. Nate has assembled one of the largest praise bands ever at Church Requel. Joining him will be his dad, Rick, along with Ryan, Stephen, and Jean. Their practice went well Wednesday evening and they are really looking forward to singing and praising God together with you.
We'll then be blessed by watching Frank share his story via video. I've been to Frank and Theresa's home and recorded some of Frank's faith journey. He has quite a story to tell and you'll not want to miss it. Afterward, both Frank and Theresa will be baptized! God is so good!
I'm sure everyone present will celebrate with both Frank and Theresa. If it's anything like past baptisms, we'll experience a bit of a party during our greeting time. We'll share communion and then Mark Shaw will lead our prayer service. Then, Tara - one of our newest attendees - will lead us in our Bible reading from Psalm 121.
Finally, we'll watch the rest of the "turtle video" which demonstrates well how many of us feel stuck at times. You've seen the first half of the video. This coming Sunday night you'll see the rest!
Remember - our location is at Ontario Christian Fellowship, 636 S. Lexington-Springmill Road, just one mile south of Richland Mall. See you Sunday at 6PM!
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I've been thinking alot this week about the new Stuck message. At first it was going to be a single sermon. Then, I thought perhaps I could fit it into two weekends. But the more I've been thinking about it - and the more I've been talking to people, I've decided to go ahead and make a series out of these sermons. I don't yet know exactly how long we'll explore this topic. I'm thinking that I want to focus on one or two points per sermon and bring it home as best I know how. So, we'll see how it goes. I've changed the front of the website to reflect the new direction. We've also added the Stuck Promo video to the website, so link it and tell all your friends!
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We complete our study from Proverbs 3:1-12 with the resolutions to fear the Lord, tithe to the Lord, and accept discipline from the Lord. Join me in this video sermon.
A Proverbial New Year - Part 2 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.
Here are resources to support this sermon:
All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog. Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week? Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices. You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast! Would you like to read my notes for this sermon? Just click on the "Continue reading" link below.
Continue reading "Video Sermon: A Proverbial New Year - Part 2" »
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In this audio sermon, we complete the study from Proverbs 3:1-12 with the resolutions to fear the Lord, tithe to the Lord, and accept discipline from the Lord.
Subscribe to this audio podcast! It's available every week on iTunes or for any other mp3 player.
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We have some exciting plans for Church Requel this coming Sunday evening. Last weekend we intended to talk about six spiritual resolutions. We were having such a good time doing it, we only got to three of them. So, this week, we'll quickly review last week's three and then launch into three more. All six come from Proverbs 3:1-12, so you might want to look those verses over before coming to Church Requel Sunday night.
We also have some other cool things happening Sunday night. We'll open the service with a powerful, but short, video that will be sure to remind you of The Gift of Worship. Nate, Luke and Ryan will lead our worship and praise music with four terrific worship songs. After our communion and prayer service, Marci will read our Bible reading from Proverbs 3. We have another short video for you to see about the value of taking one small step toward your resolution. Then we'll finish with my talk about setting spiritual resolutions.
This has been an extraordinary day for me today. I've had the privilege of leading someone into his first-ever relationship with Christ. I've talked with a young couple planning to get married. And I've counseled with someone who recently lost his job. God is doing powerful and encouraging things through Church Requel. It's wonderful to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again this coming Sunday evening. - Pastor Mark
Remember - our location is at Ontario Christian Fellowship, 636 S. Lexington-Springmill Road, just one mile south of Richland Mall. See you Sunday at 6PM!
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Our leadership team minus one met last evening at Mark Shaw's home. Steve was absent because he and Cindy are on vacation. We spent about a half hour praying together, then reviewed the December 2010 meeting minutes and the financial report. We approved our agenda and moved through our business with order and joy. Here is what we discussed.
Our recent worship experiences. We loved the prayer time together last weekend with Frank and the follow-up of our people loving on Frank and Theresa, while they struggle with the new developments of Frank's illness. We talked about the last communion service, when we all took the bread and the cup at the same time. The leadership team liked the most recent sermon on resolutions, several saying they were revisiting the topic in their own lives. All liked the idea that I decided, on the fly, to break the talk up into two smaller talks - rather than trying to get it all finished last weekend.
Sermons over next few weeks. Typically I work in sermon series, grouping four to six sermons under a common topic. I'm sure we'll return to this in the future. For now, however, I'm enjoying teaching in "singles," working out of my own Quiet Times as well as responding to the secular calendar.
Continued Service on the Leadership Team. I talked to the other leaders about their terms of service on our board of directors. Our current constitution and bylaws does not provide for terms of office. All of our current leaders have now served for more than a year. I reminded them (and me) that as tough as it is to think about, Church Requel does not depend on any one person. None of us are indispensable. I asked them to think about their service and if they feel like they're too tired or just need a break - to go ahead and take a break from the board. The truth is I feel we need each of them, but I know they need the freedom to walk away knowing they've done a great job.
Children's Worker Requirements. We again postponed the approval of the children's worker requirements. This work is actually out of our committee and ready to go. Steve, however, is the one spearheading this. I'm certain we'll approve it next month.
February Pot Luck. We decided to schedule a Pot Luck meal in February. If we can reserve the Fellowship Hall for the afternoon of February 13th, we'll plan for a Valentine's theme. If not, we'll try for the 20th.
Super Bowl Sunday. We also made the decision to conduct our February 6th worship service two hours earlier than normal - at 4PM - so we are not competing with the largest cultural event in our area, the Super Bowl. Since this is Super Bowl 45, we decided to theme our service around the big game. We'll describe it as "the pre-game service" and time it from 4 to 5 before Super Bowl 45.
Worship Music Alternatives. There will be times when Nate needs a break from his worship leadership responsibilities. We may be able to obtain other worship leaders to lead our worship and praise music. However, we need to provide other alternatives as well, I believe. I've been researching iWorship by Integrity Music and have been impressed with the quality of the music and the video tracks that are available. The largest expenses involved are costs we have already paid for - computer, software, projector, screen, and sound system. The individual music and music tracks seem quite affordable. We concluded this discussion by leaving the choice to Nate. We don't want him to feel like we don't want him to pursue his leadership. We also want him to take a break as often as he needs - and feel like it's ok to take the break.
We began our meeting at 7PM and ended at 9:30PM. Mark Shaw had bought some cake from Krogers. Bonnie came home just as we were finishing our concluding prayer. We then enjoyed a good time of fellowship together. We also made plans to have dinner together at Olive Garden on Thursday, January 20th.
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I've been giving a great deal of thought to the idea of making and keeping New Year's resolutions. It is easy to become skeptical, knowing that within a week most resolutions bite the dust. Yet this year I remain optimistic - both for myself and for my congregation. We are in the midst of making life changes for a better 2011. It is easy, however, to become overly focused on the end result rather than on the small steps that will take us to our goal. The sad thing is that the journey itself is often as exciting and enjoyable as the destination. What small step can you take today that will take you one step closer to your goal?
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While we are still living out the first week of 2011, let's revisit the idea of New Year's resolutions. During our Church Requel sermon this past weekend, we considered making spiritual resolutions. Do making New Year's resolutions work? By themselves, probably not. There is, however, a positive mindset involved in making resolutions and setting goals. Such year-ahead affirmations will not, in and of themselves, make us a success. On the other hand, it is also true that we will not merely wander into a successful life. In a free society, the single biggest contribution to our success or lack thereof is our mindset: our attitude and determination.
This morning I came across two different blog posts by author Joe Konrath. Joe is a successful writer of many thriller and horror novels. This genre is not my personal preference, but I have very much enjoyed following Joe's career. He is also a long-time blog writer of A Newbie's Guide to Publishing. His header begs the question, "Is it possible to make a living as a genre writer? Well, sort of..." Joe may soon have to update his blog header based on his most recent blog post, where he discloses that he made over $24,000 in December by self-publishing.
I'm thrilled for Joe - as I would be for anyone who has made a success out of his passion and dreams. I'm not writing this post, however, to sing the praises of Joe Konrath. What I would like to point out in this entry is the connection between making New Year's resolutions and making a successful life. Joe Konrath may not even remember this, but five years ago he published his own resolutions to kick off the year 2006:
1. It is inevitable, if I keep trying, that I'll succeed. A professional is an amateur who didn’t quit. Success is simply learning from failure.
2. I won't take rejection personally. Each rejection is one step closer to publication. Most rejections have nothing to do with how good the writing is. It's a numbers game. The more I try, the more I'll sell.
3. I will have faith in my work, but always remain open to suggestion and change. The day I stop listening to criticism is the day I stop growing as a writer, and growth leads to book deals.
4. I will keep writing, keep submitting, keep marketing, and never surrender. Ultimately, success in this business rests squarely on one person’s shoulders: Mine.
5. Depression, anger, resentment, envy, disappointment, jealousy, worry, and a sense of entitlement are all a big waste of time and energy better spent writing.
6. 2007 will be here in just 368 days. It will come whether I've reached my goals or not. So 2006 will be the year I reach my goals. I control my destiny, and I will succeed.
Did Joe just happen to wander into his $24,000 December? Was he simply "lucky"? Or has Joe been working hard - both on his writing and on his attitude, not just for the past year, but for the past five years?
As a pastor, I would offer the additional advice of the New Testament writer James, who counsels:
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit: - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vamishes. Instead you out to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15 ESV)
What could you accomplish in 2011 - (and 2015!) - if you combined hard work, a positive attitude, and submission to our Lord's will? Make your resolutions, if you haven't already, and renew your resolve to become everything God had in mind when He created you!
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This four-minute video brought a smile to my face. Arianna Huffington reminds women - though I thought it was good to remember as a man too - about the relationship between sleep and success. Or as Arianna quips, "Sleep your way to the top." Good info delivered in a humorous way. Enjoy!
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Before you watch the video, I thought you might like to know a couple "insider" things. First - and this is just funny - I brought my EVO Android phone up to the pulpit with me so I could demonstrate the YouVersion application. I didn't realize, however, that my alarm had been going off every 5 minutes to remind me about the Church Requel service. So, if you listen carefully, you'll hear my phone alarm going off every 5 minutes. I figured I would ignore it and everyone else would wonder where the sound was coming from. Must have worked because no one told me to turn my phone off!
Second, for those interested in music, the opening sound track is from the song, New Year Worship Song, by SendMe. Maybe I'll post it on the blog by itself later this week.
In part one of this New Year's message,we consider spiritual resolutions that we might make for 2011. Join me as we study Proverbs 3:1-12.
A Proverbial New Year - Part 1 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.
Here are some resources to support this week's sermon:
All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog. Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week? Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices. You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast! Would you like to read my notes for this sermon? Just click on the "Continue reading" link below.
Continue reading "Video Sermon: A Proverbial New Year - Part 1" »
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Are you bored? Are you sitting on the curbside while watching everyone else marching down the parade of life? Watch this short video and learn how one family started their own parade!
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