The Wednesday Update

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