The Thursday Update

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

The election is behind us.  With all the tension and crazy things being said this election season by so many people on all sides, I for one am glad it’s over.  I bet you are too.

We will have a new president, a new balance of power in the senate, and some changes in the house of representatives.  About 52 percent of the country is happy about the outcome and about 48% is not.  It’s virtually the same every four years, though the people in each group can change with each cycle.  There will be changes in our nation in the years ahead, and we hope it will be the kind of good change that helps our nation operate with moral clarity, innocent life protections, religious freedom maintained, and leaders who depend deeply on God.  We don’t know if that will be the case, only time will tell.

I was reminded in my quiet time this morning in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that we are called to pray for those in authority over us.  It doesn’t matter what you think of those who won and will be over us, we must pray for them anyway.  After all, Paul said this while the government of his day, the Roman Empire, was persecuting Christians and blaming believers for things that they actually didn’t do, all to punish them and distract the people from their problems (they even started destructive fires on purpose so that they could blame Christians and justify persecuting them).  So I’m pretty sure that means we must pray for our leaders whether they have a “D”, “R” or any other letter after their name that we like or don’t like.   

But one thing never changes from election to election, from administration to administration, from righteous to unrighteous government: God is still on the throne!

No matter the election results, or the perceived political implications of those who won (be they good or bad), God is in charge!  All political leaders are His servants (Romans 13:1-7) and they do what He leads them to do (if it’s good) or allows them to do (if it’s bad).  God is always in control of what happens in our country and in the world.  Proverbs 21:1 says that the heart of the king is in the Lord’s hands and He guides it how He pleases.  John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, famously said, “The duty is ours, the results are God’s.”  That is so true and so comforting to me.  I hope it comforts you.  We can’t ever lose sight of this amazing truth.

And remember that if you’re a Christian, Jesus informed us that God’s kingdom is not from this world.  That always holds true.  It’s only when He returns to earth one day very soon that every wrong will be made right and we will live in a righteous world.  That’s our ultimate hope… at least it should be.  The kingdom of God will not arrive on Air Force One.

I hope to see you on Thursday for Midweek Bible Study and for Sunday services.  Both topics are going to be great ones to help you grow and be reminded that God is still on the throne!

Warmly,
Vince

OCTOBER 31, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

Each year, the month of October is designated as Pastor Appreciation Month.  While it’s not a popular or well known month, it is a chance for people in the church to express their love for their pastors.  With October coming to a close, on behalf of all five of us Pastors, I want to say thank you for your cards, gifts and kind words for us this past month.  It’s been a blessing to receive such encouragement from you.  The truth is that you do this year round so consistently and practically.  Every Sunday, I leave church encouraged by the things you do for God and for others.  I’m also encouraged by the way you long to grow in your faith by attending and growing with a hungry heart for God and the Bible.  To my way of thinking, that’s your greatest gift of appreciation to me.

For all of this, I say thank you, Lakeshore!

My hope is that you feel encouraged by being at church each week.  That’s one of the goals of the church (Hebrews 10:23-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:11) and one of our many objectives each Sunday, even when the topics are also challenging on any given Sunday.

Isn’t encouragement so good to experience in our own lives and to extend to others as well?  This is why I’m excited about what we’ll learn together in our current series, “Defeating Discouragement.”  By looking at the Psalms, we’ll find the encouragement we need for this hard and sometimes discouraging life.  And you seem to be excited as well based on our attendance last Sunday and the things being said.

Let’s keep encouraging each other!  And let’s invite more people to join us so they can find the encouragement that God offers through His church.

Warmly,
Vince

OCTOBER 24, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

Many years ago, I heard a quote from a great Christian Pastor of yester-year and it so moved me that I remembered it all these years later.  The man was A.W. Tozer and he said this: Preach to the brokenhearted and you’ll never lack for an audience. How true that is, especially today!

Everyone knows what it feels like to be discouraged.  People walk around with a heavy load of discouragement on their shoulders and wonder what to do about it.  So what do you do when you’re discouraged?  When you’re feeling discouraged by others?  Or discouraged by your own failings?  Or even disappointed with God? 

For the next four weeks, I want to “preach to the brokenhearted” with encouraging words in a new four week series, “Defeating Discouragement.”  In this series, we will survey select Psalms in the Old Testament to find answers to provide deep encouragement in our times of personal discouragement. 

Need some encouragement?  Know anyone who does?  Be sure to be here with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to find practical principles to overcome discouragement from the Psalmists who will show us how it worked for them in the Psalms.

Warmly,
Vince