America is tarnished with the plight of individualism and it creeps into the church all too often. The church is a family that Jesus has called to function together: dependent on one another, sharing resources, and serving Jesus as a unified body. All alone we aren't complete, but together, with Jesus as the head, we become more complete, functioning together the way the Bible implores us to. With the new year underway, I wanted to take a minute to do some math as it pertains to the collective influence of the roughly 6,000 people of Mars Hill in Seattle. It really is quite staggering when you stop and think about the number of relationships and resources that Jesus has entrusted us with to steward to His glory. People to Bless = 30,000 (5 x 6,000) If every person at Mars Hill identified five people to consistently love and bless this year that would result in 30,000 people experiencing the truth, love, and care of Jesus through our serving them. Hours to live = 52,560,000 (24 x 365 x 6,000) More than 52 million hours we've been given to live life in 2008. Money to earn = $181,836,000 (6,000 x 30,306) The per capita income for every man, woman and child in Seattle is $30,306. Do the math and it shows that more than $180 million could pass through the hands of the people of Mars Hill in 2008. Meals to eat = 6,570,000 (3 x 365 x 6,000) That represents a lot of meals to share and enjoy with family, friends, neighbors, and the like. To sum it up:

• Who are you blessing?
• What are you doing with your time?
• Who and what are you investing your money in?
• Who are you eating your meals with?
• and lastly.Are you enjoying Jesus and the life He has given you?