The Thursday Update

APRIL 3, 2025

Lakeshore Friends,

A few weeks ago, I was at an area walking track trying to get in a three-mile walk. I love walking and it’s a great way for me to get my heart rate up and my mind wound down from the stresses of life and ministry. This day, as it would turn out, became a four-mile walk and it turned out to be one of the most exciting walks I've had in a long time.

About two miles in, I saw a neighbor who was entering the track. He’s a super guy and so we got right into some great conversation that led to what’s going on in the world. After talking a little politics, I told him that I believe that the Lord’s coming soon (he has a religious background so this felt right) and that people need to be ready or else they will be left behind at the Rapture of the church. I definitely got his attention! He asked me about what he would have to do to be ready, so I explained to him both what the future will be like biblically and how to become a Christian. I also gave him a Lakeshore invite card, which I always carry with me, and texted him Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, and Matthew 24.

Two more miles later I left and headed home, excited by my conversation with Mike.

I plan to invite Mike and at least 15 other people to join me at Lakeshore for Easter. The way I see it, they’ll be the most open to attending and hearing about the resurrection of Jesus and “Why Easter Means Everything,” which is my message title. It’s also a weekend in which I will make the most compelling case for Jesus that I can. People will be impacted, but only if they are invited by you and me.

With Easter just over two weeks away, who are you inviting to join you at Lakeshore? Who knows how many more chances we’ll get with the people we know and love. Let’s invite family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers we meet to church. I believe that God will use it to do something great in their lives.

Warmly,
Vince

MARCH 27, 2025

Lakeshore Friends,

With Good Friday and Easter just over 3 weeks away, our attentions turn to all that Jesus did on that weekend with an increased intensity and focus. That’s the hope.

Jesus' sacrifice began on Thursday night, by our timekeeping standards. His arrest, trials, and scourging occurred throughout the evening, and when the morning came, he was forced to carry His own cross beam (the horizontal beam where he would have His wrists nailed) to Golgotha, or Calvary. And at 9:00am, He was crucified and suffered six hours of incredible agony.

The cross had a whole different meaning to people then in comparison to today.

I really believe that most people have a very shallow comprehension of the cross. The reason is simple: While we see the cross displayed everywhere, we see it lived out so rarely anywhere. It has become a very common display as a fashionable piece of jewelry, a decorative item in our homes, or a religious symbol in cemeteries.

I wish our comprehension of the true meaning of the cross matched our frequent exposure to these many symbols. Maybe if we did understand it more fully, we’d have a world that is much more in touch with God’s love and Christ’s redemption.

On Sunday, we’re beginning a new series on The Cross of Christ. I want all of us to appreciate the significance, the power, and the calling of the cross on our lives. I think it will help us spiritually prepare for the greatest weekend in human history.

Hope you’ll be here on Sunday as we kick off this important new series.

Warmly,
Vince

MARCH 20, 2025

Lakeshore Friends,

It’s one of the most heart-breaking things I see happen. In fact, I can’t think of anything that is more tragic. It has potentially devastating consequences for the afterlife. It does the same for this life.

It can happen suddenly with just one really bad experience. Other times, however, it happens as a gradual drift away from the truth. In either case, it can lead to a permanent departure from what is good and true and right.

What is it? It’s losing our faith.

This is a situation that God warns us about again and again in Scripture. Jesus talked about this in the parable of the sower and the seed where some seed started to take root and grow only to have shallow soil or nearby weeds take the emerging plant out for good. He also talked about people saying they had faith but not really living it out when times got tough. James said it was a faith that didn’t want to do the work. Peter even calls it a dog returning to it’s own vomit.

Losing our faith is serious!

The good news is that God tells us where we most commonly start to lose our faith and where we can keep our faith through the power of His Spirit. That’s what I’ll talk about as I wrap up our Press On series on Sunday, using 2 Timothy 4:1-8.

One of the great reasons God created the church is that it is a source of encouragement to keep the faith! I hope you’ll join me here on Sunday so we can encourage each other in “the faith.”

Warmly,
Vince