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By Joe Henriques, MBC Tysons Campus Past0r
You’ve got to be pretty important for a city like Chicago to dye its river green in your honor, to be celebrated by parades on a holiday named after you, and to have people throughout the world paying you tribute.
Your name would have to be Patricius, now known as Patrick – St. Patrick, to be exact.
Even the Chinese government made part of the Great Wall of China go green! Patrick must be powerful!
Even though almost no one today hints of anything spiritual behind this Irish Day, it makes sense that “Saint” Patrick’s Day was once a…
By AnnieLaurie Walters, MBC Loudoun Attendee
Growing up as a Southern Baptist in West Tennessee, I never really knew much about observing Lent. I scarcely recall seeing anyone with ash on their forehead until I moved to Washington, DC and began working on Capitol Hill. At St. Joseph’s on the Hill (located directly across from Hart Senate Office Building), Ash Wednesday could possibly be a bigger day than Christmas and Easter Sunday combined!
My first Ash Wednesday on the Hill, I was so fascinated by all the people around me who, apparently, observed Lent. I actually felt I was in the minority because I didn’t have the cross of ash swiped across my brow. I even had a few folks ask…
By Will Pavone, MBC Tysons Young Adults and Edge Community Pastor
There are two ways to enslave oneself in the Christian life. The first way is by embracing legalism and the second is by embracing license. Legalism makes performance (or lack thereof) the basis of acceptance before God. License abuses the grace of God by sinning recklessly, rationalizing that salvation can’t be lost and presumptuously assuming God’s forgiveness. Legalism and license are two opposite extremes yet both are destructive to one’s faith and distort the true Gospel of grace. About halfway through chapter 5 of Galatians, Paul shifts from talking primarily about the futile trap of legalism to warning about the foolish lapse of license. The Apostle writes:
By Mike Kelsey, MBC Silver Spring Pastor
I just read an article published in Relevant Magazine and I think it’s an important article for Christians to read because it articulates a very painful struggle for some of the people in our churches. Here are several applications I took from it and I think Christians, especially Christian men, need to consider:
1.”Gay jokes” are unwise, insensitive, and unacceptable. If you struggle with this, I’d encourage you to study and meditate on Ephesians 4:29, James 3:9-12, and Matthew 12:33-37
2. Christians tempted with same-sex attraction need the Church to be a community marked by humility, compassion, and truth. Humility = I’m not better than you. Compassion = I am drawn to you…
An Interview with Angel Turbeville, MBC Bethesda Director of Small Groups, and Helen Lee, MBC Bethesda Attendee
In the fall, I had the joy of co-leading a Friday night Multiply women’s group for MBC Bethesda. As our group started meeting, it was a joy to see the diversity, both ethnically and spiritually. Spiritually, some women had been faithful believers for years and some women were fairly new in their faith. One woman in particular, Helen, was a brand new Christian. I asked her to share her experience so that others might be encouraged to join a Multiply group. We learn and are challenged by each other’s views, questions, and varying levels of experience. The discussions in our Friday night group were so very rich because of…
By Julie Stoll, former Director of MBC Missions
Yes, cake! A baker takes strikingly different ingredients, mixes them in a certain order, and when heat is applied over time, you get a chemical change. A new entity exists. Not just a bunch of ingredients thrown together to make a mixed salad where all the individual characteristics of the vegetables can be separated again. No. A cake is an organically changed, new composition. One can’t recognize the original ingredients anymore, yet each ingredient is absolutely essential to the new creation. Unity is like cake! This new thing is beautiful to behold, tastes heavenly, and actually will draw people to the table. Few are not attracted to a fresh cake. That, my…
By Enoch Haven, MBC Arlington Director of Men’s Ministries
A Powerful Picture
If the past is any indicator, this weekend I will see a reoccurring genre of images on my social media feeds. And no, I am not talking about the pictures of flowers, chocolate, and smiling couples at nice restaurants. The exact details differ, but often these pictures depict a wine bottle accompanied by a solitary glass. Some also feature a catchy hashtag like #ValentinesDayDinner. The funny thing is, I don’t always see food in these pictures. An image really can speak volumes.
This day, though joyful for some, is a painful reminder of aloneness for many others. “Singles Awareness Day” provides a fitting acronym for many who long to spend…