The Lighthouse Church has moved! 

We have a new address and a new URL. But our Mission remains the same! We are excited to serve the Dayton/Clarksville area, and to continue our service to Howard County and the Baltimore/DC/Metro area.

We hope to see you at our Sunday Service @ 10:30am and/or at our mid-week Bible Study (Tuesdays @ 7:00pm).

EVERYTHING MUST GO!

Check out our Charity Yard Sale, this Saturday, June 4 from 8am-12pm. 




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- Household goods
- Furniture
- Electronics
- Clothing
- And much more...

Tax-deductible donations will be accepted (please bring by 9am so we have time to sell your donations!). 

FREE Refreshments will be served. Support a great cause. Find a treasure. Make a friend.

Hope to see you there!!! 

Many of us are starting 2016 with the same resolutions we had in 2015. You wanted to lose weight in 2015, and here you are in 2016 with the same resolve, plus an extra 20 pounds…for example.

The sad news is that many of us are in the same boat. We just didn’t live up to our expectations last year. And as we make plans to move forward, we resent our starting place: How did I get here? How is this where I’m starting from? I wanted so much more for myself (my marriage, my family, my work, my finances, my job, my ministry, my health, my dreams…).

Way back in Deuteronomy (chapters 30-31)—after God had delivered His people (quite miraculously, recall the Exodus!) from all kinds of trouble, set them free, and was just about to usher them into their Promised Land: the place God had set aside as their inheritance—God sent a message through Moses. He explained that the people’s attitudes were shifting. It would only be a matter of time before, once all was well-and-good in the Land Flowing with Milk and Honey, they would forget about God. They would forsake Him, they would worship other Gods, and they would insist on their own way. God warned that only death and destruction could come of such a rebellion. But He instructed that if they would just stick with Him, then they would have life, abundance, and prosperity.

Even with that warning, what do you think the people did? They rebelled.

But God had made a promise: He vowed that if they would just turn back to Him, then no matter how far down the path of destruction they’d gone, no matter how scattered the people would become, He would gather and restore them again. He would go to the corners of the earth and the edges of the heavens to bring them back to their inheritance…If they would turn back to Him and ask.

And so, many years later, when their rebellion turned to turmoil, and the people were scattered, and their city was ruined, and their temple was destroyed, a cupbearer called out to God and invoked the promise. And surely, God replied. And He gathered the people, helped them rebuild the city and the temple, and restored their inheritance. (Nehemiah 1)

So what does this mean for us?
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First, no matter where you are starting from, God can restore you. Yes, even that…even you…can be brought back to fullness. Do you feel like it’s all your fault? Even if it is, God can restore. Do you feel like you are scattered into a thousand pieces? God can still restore you. Indeed, only God can restore you. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Acknowledge where you are.
2. Call out to God and talk to Him about how you got there.
3. Ask God to restore you.
4. And walk the path of life moving forward. In other words, you will have to choose the better way. God will show you the better way, but it’ll be your choice (just as it was for the people in Deuteronomy) to walk in it. You may have to lay a foundation and build some walls, but it will all be a part of the journey. And God will be with you.
5. Praise God for your restoration, forgiveness, and inheritance. 

No, really. It is. 

Any change that lasts longer than a minute (or however long the adrenaline continues to surge from the excitement of the original idea) is only able to endure because of a major shift in your thinking and/or perspective on the matter. 

I'm not talking about a new age "mind over matter" philosophy. I'm talking about the reality (and biblical truth) that our minds require total transformation about almost everything. (Romans 12:2)

Sometimes we have an "aha!" moment that, in an instant, rearranges our thoughts, and we never look back. Many times, however, we have to beat our minds into submission by constantly taking our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and battling our destructive mental mantras. 

Whether you are trying to adopt healthier habits, stop procrastinating, pray more regularly, have a better marriage, worry less, or be a more joyful person, you will have to rearrange your thinking and perspective on the situation and yourself.

But how?

True transformation starts not just with rethinking a situation or flooding your head with affirmations in the hopes that your heart will follow. You do best when you start by rearranging your thoughts so that they are in line with God's perspective. This is where the fun begins!

Rather than focusing on just the behavior, spend some time asking God, "What are your thoughts on this?" Or, "How do you see this situation, God?" Or, "What is your perspective here?" I'd bet that you'd often be surprised! What's more is that your question--and your implied willingness to take a journey with God--is what delights Him most. Is He concerned about your behavior? Sure. Does He desire for you to achieve more of your potential? Of course. But He desires most of all that you draw closer and closer to Him and that you allow Him to remake you into His image (the glorious image that you were actually created to bear).

He knows that the more you learn to think like Him, and the more you allow Him to reveal Himself to you, the more the desired behaviors will follow. It's what the Bible calls "fruit of the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-23) And, like any other fruit, it is a natural byproduct of otherwise healthy conditions. In other words, when a tree is healthy, rooted firmly, and nourished, then it will bear fruit. The Bible teaches that when we are connected to the Vine (Jesus), then we, too, will bear fruit. (John 15:5)

A tree will never grow fruit by focusing on the fruit. It will grow fruit when it exists in the healthy conditions under which fruit naturally grows. The same is true for us. Spend your time and energy focusing on allowing God to transform you, starting with your mind. And the fruit will come. ​

Acts 1 speaks of the “upper room.”  In the Acts 1 scene, this was the place where the disciples, “the women,” and Jesus’ family went to pray after Jesus’ death, resurrection, 40 days of post-resurrection ministry, and ascension. Luke doesn’t include a lot of details about what, exactly, happened or was said there. Yet there are many things we do learn and can glean from what he does describe.

1. There were several people there.
2. All of the people were disciples of Jesus.
3. Women were there, and not just Jesus’ mother.
4. They prayed constantly.
5. They were “of one mind.” 

What does it mean to be “of one mind”? And how does that affect corporate prayer?

Does it merely mean that you are agreeing to pray about the same thing? Does it mean that you are thoughts are singularly focused, i.e. you are dedicating all of your attention on the one thing that you all agree is of utmost importance? For the disciples, the women, and Jesus’ family, that might have been Jesus’ death and resurrection. That might have been Jesus’ last words to them before he ascended. That might have been the weight of the call on their lives, i.e. that they are now charged with continuing Jesus’ work. That might have been their instruction to wait for the Holy Spirit to empower them. That might have been the need to replace Judas. It might have been all of the above…or something else.

Some translations say that they were “on one accord”; others say “of one mind.” Both indicate the same theme: oneness. And not just solidarity but, moreover, solidarity in community (they stayed together) and prayer (constant or diligent).

What is this “oneness” that Jesus’ followers experienced? How can we, as community of believers who do not live together, achieve this? And what would it do to the effectiveness of our prayers?