It’s blowing some people away. The Discovery Channel aired a show on The Lost Tomb of Jesus last Sunday night and it’s stirred some things up. That’s good. It’s healthy to examine why we believe what we believe. If the bones of Jesus were truly discovered then the ancient story of the bodily resurrection of Jesus would be in doubt. That’s the cornerstone of Christianity. Join us beginning on April 1st for a new series: Hard Questions. We’ll discuss this question and more. Take a few Sundays to explore a few of the hard questions for Christianity.

New books on finding meaningful spiritual connection are plentiful at Borders and Barnes & Noble. Some are similar but some choices differ. Where does someone start? Do we just experiment and try to find something that works for us … something that will give more inner peace, joy and contentment that we have right now (i.e., a more pragmatic approach to spirituality)?

Should we steer clear of the whole institutional approach to spirituality and look for something more organic and free-flowing? (Maybe because we’ve tried the institutional approach and it didn’t do it). Or, is there some other criteria for choosing spirituality that may work better?

It can be a difficult search. In my opinion, one thing to keep in mind is which spiritual choice(s) correspond more closely with reality? When we begin to align spirituality with what is real, I think we’re close or closer.

On April 1st, we’ll explore the reality test with what the Bible has to say about spiritual things. You’re invited to join us!

It’s exciting to look back and see all that has happened to get us to this point - our first Easter. We’re now meeting bi-weekly as we get ready to launch weekly services this fall. But Easter seems to bring out all kinds of questions about God, faith and Christianity. There is usually the seasonal magazine articles questioning the biblical account of Easter. And this year is no different. Newsweek is running a series called The God Debate.

In a poll, Newsweek discovered that 90% of Americans believe in God. But, the question may be how are Americans living out that belief? Does it really help them live life more fully? We’re in the midst of a series - That’s a Good Question. And, this Easter we’re talking aboout What’s all the hype about the resurrection anyway? Most people believe that the resurrection happened but what does it really mean to us in our everyday lives?

The more I think about God, the more I am totally humbled about the idea of living out what he wants us to do as a church community in the DC area. Why? It’s huge. But huge in a different kind of way - a spiritual way. It seems like just about everyone wants to be spiritually closer to God. But how does it happen? I think that it’s all about process: knowing - being - healing and then doing. Knowing has to do with integrating truth into my whole being. Knowing leads to being where we live out truth alone, in community and in relationship with God. Being leads to healing of damaged emotions. For transformation to be whole and complete, we have to experience healing. It may take weeks, months or even years. But each step brings us a little bit closer.

Then, the last process of transformation is doing. Doing happens best when we serve God and others out of healthy motives. For example, a motive of love is healthy and a motive of being noticed is unhealthy. As a church, one of our values is helping each person experience spiritual transformation and then give it away to others. It’s not an option for us as a church.

One of the best things about forming a new church is that there is no history. We can create something that gets back to what church is all about and at the same time connect even more with people living a changing culture.