FEBRUARY 15, 2024

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

Taking care of the bodies that God gave us can be a challenge.  Maintaining a proper diet, exercise routines, managing stress, and getting enough rest does not comes easy for everyone.  For me, it takes a lot of intentional effort to remain physically healthy, especially as I enter the latter half of my fifties. 

But what if we began to think differently about our bodies?  What if we fully understood how for the Christian, our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit?  What if we began to understand that Jesus bought our bodies with His life, and that our bodies really belong to Him?  Would that change the way you take care of the only body you have? 

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we kick off a new series called Taking Charge Of Your Life. We'll explore what the Bible has to say about physical health, emotional health, and relational health, and we'll provide some tools to help you close the gap between who you are today and the person God created you to be.

"What if we began to understand that Jesus bought our bodies with His life..."

Also this Sunday — We'll begin our annual Baby Bottle Drive to help Caring Choices, one of our local missions partners that serves women and families facing unexpected pregnancies by helping them to choose life over abortion.  You can get involved by picking up an empty bottle from the Caring Choices table on your way out the door, filling it with spare change or cash, and returning it by Sunday, March 3.  It’s that simple.

Make a great day!
Frank D.

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

This Sunday is the big game, the Super Bowl.  While most of us don’t have our team in the game, it is nonetheless an event that we’ll all watch.  Well, almost all people in our country will watch.  Not only do we watch the game, we watch the commercials which are (most of them anyways) funny.  It has become a time when the very best attention-capturing commercials air.  As for the halftime show, that’s when I take a break from watching.

I spent this week looking at most of the commercials that were aired during last year’s Super Bowl.  I chose five of them to share during my message this Sunday that I think are funny, encouraging, and have a message that I’ll pick up on and share with some Scripture to teach us some important points.  It was a big hit last year and I hope it’s an even bigger hit this year at Football Sunday.

We’ll also have great music, a fun element to the service, and a fantastic tailgate party in the atrium after each service. 

So here are my asks:

1. Make sure you’re here! There’s no better  way to start Super Bowl Sunday than at church.

2. Wear a jersey or or your favorite sports apparel!  Represent your favorite team.

3. Invite everyone you can!  It’s a can’t-miss Sunday to attend with friends and family. Send a digital invite here.

Hope to see you here with friends and family!

Warmly,
Vince

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

We live in a culture that thrives on fast food.  We live fast lives, have fast schedules, and operate with fast expectations, so fast food just makes so much sense.  It fits right in with our pace of life.  That makes restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, and Arby’s popular, as they deliver fast food to us.  Not necessarily healthy food, nutritious food, or good food… but FAST food.  If you doubt any of this, see how long it takes that fench fry that fell between your seats last year to decompose.  Any other questions?

Against this backdrop is the biblical concept of fasting.  This flies against the whole idea of getting food when you want it and how you can “have it your way.”  The latter is all about satisfying yourself whenever you want, while the former is about denying yourself for spiritual purposes.  It’s easy to see why so few Christians practice (or even have ever tried) fasting.

And yet, Jesus calls us to fast.

What is fasting?  What are some misconceptions of it?  Can you do it wrongly?  Why would we do it besides the fact that the Bible says we should?  What are the benefits of making such a sacrifice to abstain from food for spiritual purposes?  I’ll answer these questions and more as I teach about what God says about fasting.  While I have taught this at Midweek Bible Study a couple of times over the years, and sent out short videos on this subject, this will be my first time teaching it on a Sunday.  It’s been long overdue.

"And yet, Jesus calls us to fast."

On the one hand, I can’t think of a topic that has less appeal than this one for those who want to live a casual, convenient Christian life. 

On the other hand, I can’t think of a topic that is more demanding and rewarding all at the same time for those who want to live an even more committed life.  Fasting will deepen your faith and help you become the spiritual champion that I believe you all want to be. 

I guess we’ll find out on Sunday!

Warmly,
Vince