The Wednesday Update

Lakeshore Friends—

In our Sunday series in 1 Thessalonians, “Can You Relate?”, we’ve learned how great relationships are formed, how they go deeper, and how they avoid potential landmines from the incredible relationship that the Apostle Paul had with the Christians at Thessalonica.  These lessons have helped me grow in my relational abilities with others and I hope they are doing the same for you.

As these first three weeks have progressed and built on each other, they raise an important question: how do we know that we have worked to develop a great relationship with someone?  The kind of relationship that really is going deeper,  the kind of relationship where you can be confident that your closeness is real and not just temporary?  The kind of relationship that can weather the storms of life?

The answer is found in the lessons we will look at on Sunday in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8.  Without giving you the outline in this post, let me share the big picture answer: every great relationship that truly is going deeper will pass the tough tests it faces.  In fact, the very tests that actually work to build beautiful relational depth are like a caterpillar who works to escape its cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly.  Tests let us know where we stand in life, and it’s all the more true when it comes to relational tests.

I hope you will be here on Sunday as I share the five tests that Paul and the Thessalonians passed and how they can help us assess our own relationships.

Warmly,

Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

This is Jill, your friendly Children’s Director, coming to you this week. Pastor Vince is letting me hijack his usual blog spot. I wanted to do so for a very special reason. Back in August, you all completely surprised me by celebrating my 20^th Anniversary as Lakeshore’s Children’s Director. I was deeply touched by your recognition and your very kind words.

Twenty years is a long time; it has passed by in the blink of an eye. There are more memories than I could ever count- multiple locations (yes, I was part of those “build a church every Sunday” days), thousands of lessons planned and prepared, hundreds of teammates over the years – so many who became and remain dear friends, and the kids... every single one of them. Watching kids grow in their faith from infancy to young adulthood has been a tremendous joy in my life. Walking through devastating circumstances with kids and their families has allowed me to see God working in the incredible ways only He can. Getting to experience Lakeshore’s growth over the years has continually grown my own faith as well. 

And then, last week, I received a check from my Lakeshore family. I knew it was coming (my hearing is still pretty good) but I could not have imagined the very generous amount! And yet, why am I surprised?! I’ve been doing life with so many of you for so long. I’ve experienced your love, kindness, and generosity for years. With all of my heart, I’m saying THANK YOU for blessing me so generously and I’m thanking our God for allowing me to be in this place at this time.

While I cherish every memory behind us, I am just as excited to see what God has in store for the generations of children and families still to come.

Looking forward to seeing what God will do through all of us together,

Jill

Lakeshore Friends—

The kick-off of our new series, “Can You Relate?” and the start of the new three-service format have finally arrived.  As I was thinking about both of these events, I realized that they have one thing in common: they both require risk.

There is a lot of risk involved in adding a third service.  Not only does the workload increase for everyone at Lakeshore who serves, there is the risk that the church will not keep growing and that we’re doing all of this for no tangible benefit as a result.  There is also the risk that people won’t like some aspect of the changes involved, like the new service times, new tighter schedules between services, traffic changes in the parking lot, and the like.  But we press on with three services for one simple reason: it’s worth the risk!  We want to make room for more people and we are willing to sacrifice, if necessary, to do so.  Time will tell if this initiative works, but I am trusting God that it will over the long haul.

There is also a lot of risk involved in trying to make friends and then go deeper in those relationships as we started to learn last Sunday in our new series.  There are no guarantees how people will respond to our desire to become friends or deepen our friendship with them.  They may reject us or just keep their distance.  But wise people know when to take risks and how to take them for one simple reason: it’s worth the risk!  Going deeper with people in your relational orbit is what every human heart craves and needs, so we are willing to take the risk.

So how do you go deeper in your relationships?  I’ll talk about the four strategic risks that you and I have to take to deepen our relationships with others, including with our spouse, fiancée, children, parents, coworkers, neighbors, extended family, teammates, and even people that we meet.  We’ll see how the Apostle Paul models this in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and draw some timeless truth from it.

Thanks for your support and patience as we navigate all the new challenges that adding a third service creates.  We’re working hard to try and make this the best experience for everyone.

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday,

Vince