Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

This Weekend at CR: Our Kiddos Lead Worship!

Dear Church Requel family,

You will NOT want to miss this special weekend worship at CR! Our children have been practicing for the past month to lead you this Sunday into the Presence of our Lord. I had the privilege of hanging out at their last rehearsal Wednesday night. They are amazing!!! Fifteen children (and their dedicated parents) showed up to rehearse for 90 minutes. I loved it and so will you! Let's thank Brandi for her leadership to make this happen. Also thanks to Diana, who captured this special moment with her camera. Check out some more kids' praise team pictures on our Facebook page. Or watch this 4-second sneak peek! We believe that our children not only are becoming the church of tomorrow, but are also the church of today. Sunday we live out that conviction. Not only will our kiddos be singing, but they will also be reading Scripture, and acting out a dramatic moment during the sermon.

Sermon: The Law of Contentment. We continue our Family Financial Fitness series Sunday by talking on the topic of contentment. We'll never get on top of our financial situation until our earnings exceed our yearnings. The Bible teaches us:

“It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9 GN)

We'll talk about 5 not-so-good outcomes of always wanting more, more, more.  Then I'll share with you 4 very practical ways to learn contentment in your life. Along the way, some of our children will help me teach by acting out "MORE." I'm not allowed to tell you any -ahem- MORE about it. I have everMORE been sworn to secrecy. FurtherMORE, I can tell you that no sophoMOREs or sycaMOREs are involved. Beyond that I cannot tell you anyMORE. (We really should have someone edit me.)

Hello to March! Today is the last day of February. Let's pray that March does not come in like a lion, at least until after our worship service this Sunday at 11am. We have a couple March dates you will want to put on your calendars:

• New Membership Class, Saturday, March 22nd. We'll begin with registration and breakfast at 8:00. The class will begin at 8:30am and last until 1:30pm. A Subway lunch is included. Sign up on the back of you Connect Card Sunday morning.
• Game Night, Friday March 28th. This event is fun for kids of all ages. Bring any games you might like to play: card games, board games, puzzles. We will also have at least one game that we all will play together. Also bring snacks and pop to share with others.

Seriously, let's pray that Sunday's predicted snow storm comes later or heads in a different direction away from Church Requel. Hope to see you all Sunday! With affection, Pastor Mark

7 Laws of Financial Freedom [Video Sermon]

From Jesus' most famous Parable of the Talents we learn God's 7 laws of financial freedom. Join me as I teach from Matthew 25.

7 Laws of Financial Freedom from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the fill-in-the-blanks PDF Outline.

#097: Seven Laws of Financial Freedom [Podcast]

From Jesus most famous Parable of the Talents we learn God's 7 laws of financial freedom. Join me as I teach from Matthew 25.

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

The music for this week's podcast is "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles.

This Week At CR: Financial Foundations

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

Last Friday, in the midst of my feverish haze, I received this email from Brandi:

"When I didn't get my Friday e-mail, I wondered if something was wrong so I spoke with my mom and she said you are still really sick!! :( "

I guess that tells me that the way you know whether I'm really sick or not is if I have the strength to write you all your Friday letter of encouragement. For eight days I was so sick that I rarely left the bed or couch, let alone the home. This Friday I'm glad to report, I'm feeling much better. Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf.

A special thanks goes out to Pastor Steve, who did such a wonderful job stepping into the pulpit last Sunday. I was so thrilled Sunday morning, when I received a text from Dave telling me that Jonathan had figured out a way to stream the CR worship service on the Internet so I could watch.

Financial Foundations. I'm so excited about this weekend. We start a brand new sermon series Sunday morning on getting your family financially fit. The Bible has a lot to say on the topic of money and how it relates to your Christian faith. There are over 800 Scriptures that deal with finances in some way. (Good news: we will not be reviewing all of them!) In fact, Jesus talked more about your money and your faith than he did about either heaven or hell.

Before I became a pastor in 2006, I made my living by giving financial advice to people. I now realize that I can help more people with their finances as a pastor than I ever could as a full-time financial advisor. I have recorded a special 3-minute video about this series, which you can watch here. You'll also find our schedule of financial topics over the next 5 weeks. I am praying that you won't miss a single session. More than that, I hope you'll invite friends and family to attend with you. This is a topic that can help all - rich or poor, young or old, married or single. Our service begins at 11am. (Here's our location.)

Children's Praise Team! Next Sunday our children will be leading our worship singing. Diana and Brandi have been working with them for the past month and - as a grandfather of 6 of them - I can tell you they are all very excited about this special day. Parents, your children will be practicing next Wednesday evening, Feb. 26th, at 6pm at the church. This final rehearsal will give them all the confidence they need to do a great job. I love love love that our children at Church Requel play such a large role in our worship experience.

Game Night - March 28th! I met with Diana this past Wednesday and we both agreed that it was high time we put another game night on the calendar. Five Fridays from tonight, we'll plan on a party for all ages down at the Point of Grace.  I'm telling you now so that you can make plans to be a part. This night is what I'll call "semi-organized." We'll have some games planned for everyone to play together. We'll also leave plenty of time for you to bring your own card games and board games to play together. Or just hang out and enjoy the good company and the flavorful snacks. Game Nights are special at Church Requel. Don't miss it!

Answered Prayers. Many of you were praying a lot yesterday for your fellow parishioners, Lisa and Jack. Both had important health test results yesterday. Thankfully the news was excellent for both of them. I know they - along with me - appreciate your faithful prayers on their behalf.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you Sunday morning at 11am at Church Requel. May our Sunday snow be low and our rallying cry be high. (OK - the ryhme was a bit forced, but I was on a roll.)

I love you all much, Pastor Mark

Called To Be Sent [Video Sermon]

Our fifth calling in life is to be sent to share the good news of Christ and what He has done for us. Pastor Steve Thoman teaches this final Purpose Driven Life sermon at Church Requel and shares 4 ways we can be sent out.

Called To Be Sent from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

 Follow along with the online sermon notes or download the fill-in-the-blanks PDF Outline.

Getting Your Family Financially Fit!

Getting Your Family Financially Fit from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

 Some say we are in economic recovery. But many families are still in a recession. There are more people out of work right now than ever in our lifetime. Sadly, more folks fall under the poverty level in America than ever before. Lots of folks are upside down on their mortgages.

If ever there was a time to learn what the Bible has to say about our finances, it’s NOW! Join me, as I share ancient wisdom from Matthew, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes - age old wisdom for today’s age!

February 23rd - The Foundation of Financial Health. We begin our financial fitness study with an in-depth examination of the Parable of the Talents. We will learn the 7 foundational principles of financial management. Jesus had much to say! God is actually watching how I handle my wealth here to see what He can trust me with in heaven.

March 2nd - The Law of Contentment. This law of contentment is a crucial foundational step. You won’t be able to handle the others if your yearnings always exceed your earnings. We will first talk about the effects of always wanting more. Then we’ll discuss 4 important principles for learning contentment in your life.

March 9th - The Laws of Sowing & Reaping. This law of our finances is also a law of life. We’ll study sowing and reaping from the Bible and discover 9 laws of life. This is not only good for our money, but also for our relationships, our time, our words, our talents and our energy. You’ll walk away convinced this law of sowing and reaping is as universal as gravity.

March 16th - The Habits of Financial Health. We’ll learn healthy habits for healthy finances. Are you in a financial hole? This week is for you. We’ll look at the eight habits for getting financially free. We’ve arranged them in order of importance from most important to least and in the order of how you should do them. Sharpen your pencils for this talk!

March 23rd - Where Best To Invest. Jesus had a lot to say about banking and investing. “Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven,” is mentioned five times in Scripture. It’s true you can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead! We’ll balance our investment portfolios by examining God’s five investment funds.

#096: Four Ways To Be Sent [Podcast]

Our fifth calling in life is to be sent to share the good news of Christ and what He has done for us. Pastor Steve Thoman teaches this final Purpose Driven Life sermon at Church Requel and shares 4 ways we can be sent out. This special podcast includes a rare intro by Mary Kay Pierce, wife of Pastor Mark Pierce. Enjoy!

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Music on this week's podcast includes "Good News" by Chris Rice.

Called To Bless [Video Sermon]

God calls us to bless one another. How? By serving them using the gifts and talents that God has given to us. We talk about 4 benefits we receive when we serve others unselfishly.

Called To Bless from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

 You can follow along with the online Bible app sermon notes or download the fill-in-the blanks sermon outline (PDF).

#095: 4 Benefits of Serving Others [Podcast]

God calls us to bless one another. How? By serving them using the gifts and talents that God has given to us. We talk about 4 benefits we receive when we serve others unselfishly.

Also in this podcast I review Brandon Cox's new book, Rewired: How Using Today's Technology Can Bring You Back to Deeper Relationships, Real Conversations, and the Age-Old Methods of Sharing God's Love. 

I mention DJ Chuang's podcast, the Social Media Church Podcast. Good listening!

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Music for this week's CR podcast is "Do Something" by Matthew West.

BEATLEMANIA Guessing Game

We're playing the BEATLEMANIA guessing game over on our Facebook page. What will be our theme song? https://www.facebook.com/ChurchRequel

This Week At CR: Be A Blessing!

Good Friday morning dear Church Requel family!

BE A BLESSING! That's our message in 3 words or less for Sunday morning. May I just say this one thing to you up front? YOU ARE A BLESSING TO ME! I don't write this casually. It's way true. The reason I get to do the two things that God has created me to do - teach and lead - is because you make it possible. I take nothing away from God's power in saying this. I believe with all my heart leading you is God's will for me. I'm also very much aware of your obedience and cooperation with God's will to support our church. So "THANK YOU!" You are a blessing to me. 

Want to know what Sunday morning will be all about? Re-read that first paragraph and you'll get a pretty good idea! You bless people as you use your talents and God-given gifts to love one another. In fact, we'll learn, this is our 4th purpose - that God has shaped each one of us to serve him. Literally we are each called to be a bivocational minister of Jesus. I love serving alongside of you!

Sunday will be special for so many reasons. Cindy and Trish will be joining Brandi in leading our worship singing. All the songs are CR favorites including "Everlasting God," "Open The Eyes Of My Heart," and "Love The Lord" by Lincoln Brewster. Sara and Diana have created an exciting lesson for all our kiddos. Mary Kay and Loni will be lavishing love on our toddlers. Kay will be reading our Bible reading... and speaking of this, don't you just LOVE it when Kay reads for us? She's SO expressive! Speaking of things I love, Pastor Steve will be back leading our prayer time!!! (YAY!) Finally, I have the privilege of sharing 4 wonderful benefits that will come to you when you use your life to serve and bless others. (Here's the online sermon notes.)

Last night I met with our leadership team. I think that may be the reason I am feeling so pumped this morning. I am BLESSED (there's that word again) to be surrounded by this team of partners, who want to charge forward even faster than I do! We planned out our Sunday morning sermons through August. What a fantastic teaching roadmap! These teaching themes include 5 talks on improving the family's finances, a couple lessons on forgiveness, and 5 teachings on raising amazing kids. We have some exciting singles planned too including "Adventurous Expectations" and "Prayers That Get Things Done." Stay tuned!

Before I sign off here, let me encourage you to listen to the Church Requel podcast every week. I record this every Monday morning. You'll have the chance to hear from your pastor in a more personal way than you might ever imagine. I talk about things on the podcast that you probably won't hear anywhere else. Sometimes it's fun (like this past week's post-Super Bowl Seattle shanigans) and sometimes it's serious. The format is that I talk for 20-30 minutes before playing the sermon from the day before. Always it's designed to be encouraging. Here's a link to all the podcasts on our blog.  You can also go to the iTunes Store, where we feature our podcasts. Or use your podcast or music app on your mobile device and just search for "Church Requel." We're the only "Church Requel" podcast out there!

We're playing a game over on our Facebook page. The Beatles arrived on The Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago this weekend. Some of us (yours truly) even remember it! We're planning on including one of the more famous Beatles songs during our greeting time in our next sermon series starting February 23rd. Jump over to our Facebook page to enter your guess. 

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend. See you Sunday at 11am! - Pastor Mark

Called To Become [Sermon Video]

Christ-followers are called to become like God’s Son - Jesus Christ. This past Sunday I encouraged my congregation with 8 ways to grow in our Christian faith. I hope you enjoy this 36-minute video talk.

Called To Become from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

You can follow along with the online Bible app notes or download the fill-in-the blanks PDF Outline.

My First Run [Video]

Here's a funny two-minute story about my first attempt at running on the Norton High School track team. Along the way we learn an important lesson about our Christian experience.

 

#094: 8 Ways To Grow In Christian Faith

I had way too much fun recording this podcast this morning. We talk a little Super Bowl trash talk  with Seattle powerful dominance over the Denver Broncos. I even talk about the commercials and thumbs up and down for Fox's coverage of the game. We review some other fun weekend stuff, celebrating Roc's 56th birthday (pictured above.) We had an awesome day at Church Requel yesterday morning too and I talk about that.

Here are links to the 3 commercials I talk about:

• Mazerati Official Super Bowl Commercial
• Bank of America's Red Commercial
• Budweiser's "Puppy Love" Commercial

Yesterday's talk at Church Requel was all about spiritual growth. Christ-followers are called to become like God’s Son - Jesus Christ. I encouraged his congregation with 8 ways to grow in our Christian faith.

Click to Listen!

Podcast: Subscribe in iTunes | Play or Download in new window.

Music for this week's podcast included "Seattle" by Perry Como and "Live Like That" by Sidewalk Prophets.