JUNE 8, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

Last Sunday, we had 13 people baptized as followers of Jesus Christ.  We had people who ranged in age from just over 10 years old through adults in their 70s (and all ages in between).  Each story was unique and carefully orchestrated by the God who rescues every human from sin through their faith in Jesus Christ, and yet He chose to use Lakeshore as the church to make it happen.  What a privilege!

I never tire of seeing lives transformed by Jesus Christ, especially when they happen through the ministry of our church.  During the services, I keep shouting, “Yes!  Yes!” after each baptism.  Pastor Brian Rathbun and I kept watching baptism after baptism and saying to each other, “How about that?”.  You could feel the energy in the auditorium and the atrium was at very high levels because I think everyone knows this simple truth: You can’t argue with a changed life!  And God changes them for eternity!

I hope these Sundays encourage you in some way.  Maybe it helps reminds you again how powerful baptism is, or maybe it makes you want to know more about baptism and faith in Jesus, or maybe it just makes you excited to be a part of a church that still sees people coming to faith in Jesus and getting baptized to proclaim it to the world! (Matthew 28:18-20)

Just know that after the work of God produces these results, He used every single one of you to make it happen!

"YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH A CHANGED LIFE! AND GOD CHANGES THEM FOR ETERNITY!"

Your invitations for people to attend services with you, your prayers for people, your involvement in some ministry, your friendly welcome of people who attend, and your financial support that funds everything that happens here are all human reasons why we are still making an impact in Rochester and beyond.

So thank you!  And thank God that He is using you to accomplish His will in the lives of many people.

This is what life is all about.

Warmly,
Vince

JUNE 1, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

Have you noticed how we live in an age of rage?  Nationally, in place of logical discussions and civil debate, we now often experience irrational yelling and violent outbursts between people who disagree.  Locally, when we drive our cars, we can sometimes see and feel anger in the form of road rage when we do something another driver doesn’t like.  Personally, at work, in our neighborhood, or even at home, we may experience someone’s wrath when things don’t go how they want.

Yes, sometimes we can even be the one who expresses anger in these situations. 

Anger is a confusing subject where people have misconceptions about what it is and how it works.  What is anger?  What can we do to learn to manage our anger and respond to the anger of others?  Is anger always bad?  How can we control it?  How and when should we express it?  We’ll answer these questions and more in our new series, Anger Management. We'll survey the over 200 verses in the Bible on this timely subject.

We’ll also celebrate 13 baptisms on Sunday, something no one should be angry about!

This should be a fun Sunday!  With warmer weather ahead, it’s a great time to invite friends, family, and coworkers to join you this Sunday.  I think they’ll be glad they came if you do.

Warmly,
Vince

MAY 25, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

This Sunday, as we celebrate and remember those who have given their lives for all of us in service to our country, we’re going to wrap up our Marriage Matters series by looking at the three most challenging issues married couples face.  These three challenges can sometimes become so significant that it causes some people who are married to ask, “Did I marry the wrong person?”

It happens in most marriages at some point, to some degree, in some unique ways.  The real issue is how we handle these challenging times and who we look to for help.  I’ve seen people handle it well and have a great marriage as a result.  In fact, it can even be a turning point that creates an even stronger marriage than if it had never happened, just like Romans 8:28 tells us.  Unfortunately, I’ve seen people ignore or just pretend there is no problem only to find out that their marriage is on life-support.  Left unchecked, their marriage is likely to end in divorce.  It’s one of the biggest tragedies to witness when it does.

The good news is that God is greater than all of our problems, including marriage problems.  When both spouses fight for their marriage and seek God for His help and wisdom, they can find strength and resolve.  So much so, they can change their situation to the point that they now declare, “I KNOW I married the right person!”

I hope you’ll be here to learn what these three challenges are and how God can help you overcome them.

Warmly,
Vince