The Thursday Update

JUNE 20, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

When it comes to the word “faith,” there are lots of ways we use the word.  Sometimes it's used of an organization that is “faith-based.”  Other times it's used for a body of truth that we refer to as “the faith.”  Still, other times we use it in ways that suggest that people who live by faith either must have none of the answers and still believe, or all of the answers before they will believe.  Then, on top of that, some people believe that faith is how you receive guaranteed health recovery no matter the sickness, significant wealth just by believing and giving, or how you can create whatever reality you want by “speaking it into existence” similar to what God did.  Yikes!

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of confusion on what true faith really is.  You would expect this from those outside the church, but sadly it is all too common inside the church. 

Maybe you wrestle with understanding and applying faith biblically.  If so, there’s good news!

On Sunday, we are beginning a new series based on Hebrews 11 called, “By Faith.”  In this classic chapter on the subject of faith, we’ll teach through it to help you both understand what true faith is and see how true faith works in the lives of some of the most famous characters of the Old Testament like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the like.

I think this series will be important for all of us because faith is not only being misunderstood but it’s also being challenged and questioned at every turn in our country and in the world.

Do you need to build up your faith and understand how to live it out properly?  Then be here each week starting on Sunday. Trust me, this series will help you!

Warmly,
Vince

JUNE 13, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

Father’s Day is this weekend and it makes me think about the important role that men play in our society and in the world. 

I am thankful that God gave me just over 21 years with my dad.  I learned a lot from him and will never forget the two things he told me often:

1. “All I ask is that you love and respect me.”

2. “You’re a DiPaola.”

The latter was not a reminder of my lineage but a charge to live in such a way that I don’t do anything to bring shame to our family.  I learned so much about the right way to do things from my dad.

I am also sad that I didn’t have more time with him and that he died suddenly and surprisingly.  Nearly two-thirds of my life has been lived without my dad.  He wasn’t alive to see me graduate from college, get married to Sue (though he did know her and loved her), give birth to our kids and grandchild, start Lakeshore, and so much more.

All of this is a reminder that we can never take our time or memories of our fathers for granted.  Fathers set the leadership tempo of our homes, provide so much that the family desperately needs, and are God’s ordained head of the family.  Despite this, culture has put fatherhood (and manhood in general) in its crosshairs and attacked this institution with constant berating and insults all designed to neuter it out of existence.  It may be causing some men to flinch, but thankfully not most of us.

This Father’s Day, I hope you’ll celebrate your father at Lakeshore.  Whether you knew him well or not very well at all, whether he was a great model for you or something less than that, God knows that honoring our fathers is best for us and for society (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2-3). 

Where would we be without them?

Warmly,
Vince

JUNE 6, 2024

Lakeshore Friends—

Have you discovered that there will always be too much to do?  Too much for you to do no matter what you do or how hard you try to change it.  The requests will keep coming and so will things that you  are told you “must” do… immediately!  With some occasional fluctuations in intensity, it will never change!

So what do you do to avoid this “I’m just too busy” life?  If you can’t change your circumstances (and most of the time, you can’t), you can still change one thing to avoid getting crazy busy: your priorities!

When you live a prioritized life, you simply spend your time on the most important things first until your day ends.  When your day ends, you pick up again on the most important things first until your day ends.  You repeat this every day until you die.  Simple isn’t it?

What about if you don’t get to other things?  Well, if you prioritized right, then it simply means they weren’t that important and/or someone else should be doing them.

When I think of the book of the Bible that talks about priorities in an impactful way, I think of the Old Testament book of Haggai (pronounced “Hag-eye”).  This is not an eye disease that an ophthalmologist can treat, but the name of an Old Testament Prophet who was called by God to help the post-exile people of Israel rebuild the temple of God.  God shares how to prioritize life through Him and we’ll look at these principles on Sunday.

Do you know how to prioritize life’s demands?

Do you live by priorities?

Do you know your priorities?

If you want to learn the power of priorities, be here on Sunday!

Warmly,
Vince

P.S.,  Wow, what an amazing service last Sunday!  The eight baptisms were incredible along with our incredible music and creative team.