The Thursday Update

Lakeshore Friends—

If there is one thing that really bothers me about the subject of prayer more than anything else it’s that so many people claim to believe in it and yet so few people actually pray.  And for those times people do, there’s lots of confusion on what you pray, who you pray to, what prayer can do, and even the faulty belief that prayer (in and of itself) is powerful.

To that last point, prayer in and of itself is NOT powerful.  Now, before you pick up stones to chase me around church on Sunday and stone me to death for what appears to be an unbiblical statement, let me explain.  Only God is powerful, and prayer is only powerful because it connects us to God.  Think of prayer as a conduit to God and His power.  Just like a conduit doesn’t carry electrical current (the wire inside of the conduit does), prayer isn’t the power but just what carries us to God, who is the power.

As to the other points of confusion mentioned above, we plan to address and resolve them for you on Sunday.  I hope you’ll be here as we talk about prayer each week leading up to Easter.

And since so many people believe in prayer, invite them to join you!  We’ll help them become better "pray-ers" if they're open to it.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Two things are on my mind this week.  The situation in Ukraine.  Both sides of this conflict are suffering horribly.  Let’s keep praying for the Lord to bring peace.  Let's also pray that God would protect the evangelical churches in Ukraine and give power to the Word of God they preach.

Second, we get to take a look this weekend at the final phrase of Ephesians 2:10.  I hope you will be able to join us as we look into how to access and discover the calling God has on your life. 

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead this weekend.

See you Sunday!

Love and Blessings,
Pastor Brian

Lakeshore Friends—

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now been in our headlines for over a week, and I just read a report on Wednesday that more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed during these attacks - many of these casualties were children. 

This heartbreaking and devastating news is a sober reminder to continue praying for God’s protection on the people of Ukraine and for God to intervene by thwarting the efforts of the Russian military.  Please also pray that the voice of the Ukrainian church would continue to be a strong witness for Jesus Christ and that many would turn to Jesus in these difficult times. 

It is news like this that causes me to pause and give an extra-long hug to my wife and children. 

Make a great day,
Frank D.