The Thursday Update

DECEMBER 15, 2022

Lakeshore Friends—

One of the most significant lessons I have learned over the past few years that has helped me navigate the ups and downs of life is this: when I see life from God’s perspective, it always provides me the most comfort and makes the most sense.

When I look at life from my own limited perspective, I don’t see it right.  I don’t appreciate it fully.  And I don’t enjoy it very much either.  But when I try to see things from God’s perspective, then life’s circumstances (both good and bad) start to make much more sense.

That’s because only God is sovereign, all-knowing, loving, and has a purpose for the life of every person who follows Jesus that is perfect. 

Often at Christmas, we think a lot about ourselves and other people.  Maybe we ought to think more about what it was like for God to orchestrate the events of Christmas.  If we did, we’d get His perspective on this amazing event and maybe it would make the most sense.

I hope you’ll spend some time thinking about all that God did on Christmas and how His perfect plan was.  If you see Christmas from this perspective, life will make so much more sense for you.  I think you’ll appreciate and enjoy it so much more.

As always, we’re here to help you on that journey this holy season.

Warmly,
Vince

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Lakeshore Friends—

Can you imagine a Christmas more hectic and stressful than yours?  One that was shocking, life-changing, and so out of your control?  That’s what many people experienced on the very first Christmas!

Imagine if it involved an angel telling you that you’d soon give birth to a son who was conceived miraculously and already assigned a name.  Imagine discovering your fiancée was pregnant without your involvement.  Imagine discovering that the baby would be delivered alongside farm animals, and not in a safe and sanitary hospital.  Or, Imagine that child being the Savior of the world?  Imagine if an angel announced or a star directed you to see a baby who would change the world as you knew it.

While we won’t experience that personally for ourselves, we can get a glimpse at what it was like by going “on location” in our 2022 Christmas series, Christmas On Location.  We’ll do the next best thing to being there— namely, getting the story from those who were on location of the birth of Jesus Christ!

Unlike all of the shallow substitutes people pursue in place of the true meaning of Christmas that promise so much and deliver so little, embracing the truth behind the real Christmas story can transform your life and help you realize that life doesn’t have to be so stressful after all.

Be here as we kick off the series on Sunday, and invite someone who needs to find the hope and help for all things hectic and the strength for all things stressful to join you at church.  I know that you won’t regret it.

Warmly,
Vince

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Lakeshore Friends—

At least 2,063,443 meals!  

When the four packing events are completed this Friday and Saturday for Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) here at Lakeshore, and we finish packing at least another 163,000 meals on these days, that will be our total after 11 years of packing.

If you have participated in at least one of these events, you know that it can be a really powerful experience.  In fact, it is ultimately a spiritually powerful experience.  Consider what kind of impact it will have on people who otherwise would not have these meals to eat and the impact it will have on them when they know that people who love Jesus packed for and paid for it all.  I know that people will be in heaven because of our giving.

We can all show real love to people through FMSC (and other missions projects) when we support Making Waves 2023.

This FMSC event will cost us about $45,000 and the only way we could pay for that is through our commitment to supporting Making Waves 2023.  Not only that, but an additional $30,000 will pay for meals in Nicaragua (through ORPHANetwork), for people in Rochester (through Streets For Christ and LOVE Week), and for other smaller projects.

Will you use this opportunity to help the less fortunate, people who are worse off than virtually all of us?  While our challenge is inflation, many people today are facing the challenge of starvation.  When we think of life that way, it puts things into perspective.

You can show real love when you pledge and give to Making Waves 2023.  I hope you’ll pray and ask God what part He would want you to play.

BTW, there are still some spots available on Saturday at 8:30am and at 2:30pm. You can sign up here.

Warmly,
Vince