Lakeshore Friends—

The greatest day in human history is Easter.  My hope is that you had a great Easter Sunday and that the services at Lakeshore played a part in that.

This past weekend our five services (including Good Friday) brought in 2,045 people, more than we have ever had before in our church’s history.  I hope you’ll celebrate this milestone.  It couldn’t happen without God’s grace, first and foremost, and the hard work of so many people because Holy week is the busiest week of the year for churches.  So let me share my thanks:

To our staff, thank you for working so hard in ways people don’t always see to make our services the best that they can be (and yes, I forgive you for turning me into a Peep… ewww!).

To our volunteers, thank you for working even harder than you normally do to make the experience a great one for all our guests and their families (you do this week in and week out).

To those who invited people to church, thank you regardless of whether many came or no one came (you are faithful just by extending the invitation).

To everyone who calls Lakeshore home, and the new people who are just starting to do this, thank you (we can’t do this without you).

I mentioned during the Easter message that you could access a few items that I mentioned in my message in this email so here they are:

1. Comeback: Is The Resurrection A Hoax Or A Help? (Easter 2024 message on the “4 E” evidence for the resurrection).
2. Comeback: Is The Resurrection A Hoax Or A Help? (Message outline notes).
3. Dating Jesus death and resurrection on April 3 and 5, 33 A.D. (In depth explanation from Dr. Harold Hoehner in his book, “Chronological Aspects Of The Life Of Christ”).

Warmly,

Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

The greatest weekend in the history of the world will be celebrated this weekend.  The crucifixion of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection from death after three days has radically changed our world!

These events have changed our calendars: B.C. and A.D. are divided by Jesus’ time on earth. 

These events have changed nations: the truths of Christianity have led to a world filled with nations that operate by the principles taught by Jesus and the Bible.

Most importantly, these events have changed millions and millions of lives: the Good News of Jesus Christ is the only message that can transform the human soul from certain death to abundant life.

The Good News means that this weekend can (and will) change many more lives.  All people have to do is hear the message, believe and receive Jesus Christ into their lives by faith.  But as Romans 10:14 reminds us, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?”

We all have the opportunity to help this incredible weekend be life-changing for family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.  All we have to do is invite them.  I hope you’ll make some last minute invites and pray that the invites you have already made to find success in leading people to Lakeshore (or any Bible-believing church).

Good Friday will be a devotional and focused on the sacrifice of Jesus, and we’ll take communion together.  Easter Service will be a celebration, and we’ll answer the question, “What Is The Resurrection?”

I look forward to seeing you and your guests this weekend.

Warmly,

Vince

Love is never easy, is it?

Consider that right about the time you think you are getting really good at loving people, someone comes into your life to test your true level of love.

They might do it by saying something less than flattering about you.  It may be that they have judged you for something that they think you did or didn’t do, but in reality do not really understand what actually happened.  Maybe they have gossiped about you behind your back to others.  Maybe someone you thought was a friend was actually using you in some way. 

These situations are never fun.  But they are used by God to do something important: they help us see how much we really love people and how we can find the love we need from the God who is never in short supply of it.

How can we know how much we really love people?

How can we find the power to love people when everything inside of us would rather not love them?

That’s what we will look at on Sunday as we cover “the other love chapter” in the Bible besides 1 Corinthians 13— namely 1 John 4:7-21.

I hope you’ll be here to sharpen and strengthen your level of love for other people.

Warmly,

Vince

P.S. Who are you inviting to Lakeshore for Easter services?  I snapped a picture of our new invite card (front and back in one picture) and will be texting it to many family and friends.  I hope you’ll do the same!

Lakeshore Friends—

So few people live in God’s love.  The things we see in our world every single day prove this.  The cruel things people say, the evil things people do, the active aggression people exhibit toward others, the passive aggression people mask toward others, and so much more. These are just a few examples.

When people who have never known God’s love do this, we should not be surprised.  When you don’t know God’s love, it is impossible to really love others fully.  Our goal for people in this station of life is to help them see God’s grace and love so that they can know what true love is inside their spirit.  That’s what we talked about last week in our “No Greater Love” series kick-off message last Sunday.  As Ephesians 2:1-10 tells us, we can move from death to life, from separation from God’s love to submersion in God’s love when we turn to faith in Jesus Christ.  Then we can learn to spend the rest of our lives living in God’s love personally and then expressing it to Him and others perpetually.

But how do you live in God’s love every day? 

How do you avoid drifting from God’s love when the waves of life come crashing in on you? 

And how do you avoid a total shipwreck that destroys God’s love in your heart and life?

It’s not as easy as it sounds.  Over the years, I have seen so many people experience God’s love by putting their faith in Jesus Christ only to have a short-lived encounter that doesn’t last.  It usually starts with little drifts away from God until they all start to add up to a journey that is way off course.  They just lose the love that God offered and gave them.

But there are hundreds of others at Lakeshore that seem to stay in God’s love, growing and living in His love more and more each day.

What makes the difference between those who live and stay in God’s love and those who do not? 

We’ll find some important answers on Sunday in Jesus’ words in John 15:1-20.  I hope you’ll be here to learn what they are.  Our world needs to see more people living in God’s love than ever before.  And we all need to live in God’s love if we are going to make it in this often-hateful world.

Warmly,

Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

A number of years ago, Jackie DeShannon sang a song that proclaimed something most people believe.  It was titled “What The World Needs Now Is Love”.  The refrain in the song says what should be obvious to everyone:

“What the world needs now

Is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now
Is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, but for everyone.”

This is one of many songs that espouse the virtue and value of love and how our world really needs love if it wants to survive.  Despite this, our world is sorely lacking in love.  There is a lack of love everywhere we turn— it’s on the streets, at our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, in our politics, and even in our families.

So what’s the problem?  Simply put, while our world talks about love, it clearly has no answer for what true love is, how love is fully expressed, and where love itself comes from.  Without those answers, people can never express true love.  Perhaps another song sung by local artist (and Gates Chili graduate 😊) Lou Gramm best describes the state of many when it comes to the world’s understanding of love: “I want to know what love is”.

So what’s the solution?  The Good News is that God says that we can know what true love is, how to express it to others, and where it comes from.  We’ll explain how, and so much more, in a new series we’re beginning on Sunday, “No Greater Love”.I’ll teach through four important passages of Scripture over the next four weeks leading up to Easter and provide answers to these questions about love. We’ll learn how there is no greater love than the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ.

I hope you’ll be here.  And if you know someone who has been “Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places” (by Johnny Lee), invite them to join you.

Warmly,

Vince

Hi Lakeshore,

One of the reasons I’m so excited about our current series, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, is because it’s pushing us to think deeply about what we believe and why we believe it. That’s really what apologetics is all about. The word simply means “a defense,” and as followers of Christ, we’re called not just to have faith, but to understand it and articulate it. In a world where truth is constantly questioned, studying apologetics helps us move from “I think” to “I’m confident,” and from “I hope so” to “I know why.”

Scripture makes this clear. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have—but do this with gentleness and respect.” That’s apologetics. It’s not about winning arguments; it’s about lovingly giving reasons for our hope. And in Acts 17, we see Paul reasoning with people in the marketplace, thoughtfully engaging their questions. God is not intimidated by honest inquiry, and neither should we be.

Studying apologetics also strengthens our own faith. When doubts creep in, or when family and friends start asking hard questions, we won’t be shaken so easily. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 that we are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. Engaging our minds honors God. It deepens worship. It turns belief into conviction.

My prayer is that Beyond A Reasonable Doubt won’t just be another sermon series we attend, but a catalyst for growth. Let’s lean in. Engage our minds in thoughtful logic. Let’s ask questions. Let’s search the Scriptures. And let’s grow into believers who not only trust Christ deeply but can explain that trust clearly—confident, gracious, and grounded in truth.

Pastor Frank
Executive Pastor

Hi Lakeshore,

God is doing so much at Lakeshore. We’re welcoming new guests, celebrating new faith commitments, rejoicing in baptisms, and watching teams grow as new members step in. Not even “mud season” in Upstate New York can dampen our joy. (You know the season—mid-February to mid-May—when snow turns heavy with water, rain turns anything not paved into mud, and the trees stubbornly remain grayish-brown.)

There is nothing like helping people who have discovered a relationship with Christ become better disciples of Christ. There is no greater joy, no wiser investment of our time, and nothing more rewarding—both now and for eternity. Those of you who have participated in a class, small group, Midweek, baptism, or mentoring relationship know exactly what I mean.

The delight of helping someone respond to Christ—through serving, sharing their faith, or growing in their knowledge of God’s Word—will last forever. And while making disciples requires effort and perseverance, that work is rewarded both here and now and throughout eternity.

My prayer is that this year each of us who loves Jesus will ask Him to help us become better disciples by intentionally helping others become better disciples—who will, in turn, make disciples themselves.

Love and prayers!

Pastor Brian
Discipleship Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Doubt and deconstruction.

Typically, when we read those words, we think of something we’ve seen online, another Christian who has publicly announced their deconstruction, our lost friend or neighbor, or the hostile atheist. Many times, our focus is on the hostile, unbelieving world that needs to hear a logical apologetic for the Christian faith. This is good and needed. Although, there are two sides to this coin: what about the Christian who struggles with doubt? Often, this is a silent struggle for the Christian because talking about doubt as Christians can feel like a “taboo” topic. This Christian may feel shame, feel like they’re a “bad Christian,” or hide their questions for fear of the response of other Christians. I know because this was me. During my time in Bible College, I walked through a year like this, and asked questions like “why do I doubt when I’ve always believed, and others find it so easy?” Where I felt shame and fear of the response I’d receive, God’s Word comforted with me with the appropriate response due to doubters like me:

Be merciful to those who doubt (Jude 22).

This short, one chapter book in the New Testament gives light to the appropriate response to be given to doubters: mercy. Where we might expect to receive shame, or feel condemnation, Jude calls on Christians to be merciful on those who doubt. In fact, we see Jesus model this same attitude toward doubt. In Matthew 11:1-19 Jesus shows mercy and meets John the Baptist in the midst of his doubts (yes, John the Baptist - the last person you’d expect to have doubts about Jesus). In John 20:24-29, Thomas the disciple resolutely says, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (v.25). One week later, Jesus appears to Thomas, inviting him to see the nail marks in His hand and lets Thomas touch them to he may believe. Jesus did not condemn Thomas but comes down to His level and meets Him with mercy.

When I struggled with doubt, I was met with mercy. That mercy helped me not to be overcome by doubt, but helped me to ask questions, find real answers, and grow stronger in my belief than ever before. To the Christian who struggles with doubt, there is mercy for you. For the person who hasn’t placed faith in Jesus yet, there is mercy for you. For the Christian who does not struggle with doubt, let us be merciful, meeting doubters with love and allowing them to ask questions and seek answers. For all, our next series starting Sunday, “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt,” provides you an opportunity to come with questions, find real answers, and be met with the tender mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless

Nate

Lakeshore Friends,

This Sunday is the highlight of the sports year; it’s the Super Bowl. Every single year, it is the most-watched event in America by far. Along with that, more Pizza and Chicken Wings will be consumed than on any other day. And yeah, many people will call in sick on Monday, too. Naughty, naughty!

It’s a big day!

But at Lakeshore, we’ll have what I know is an even bigger day— nine people will be baptized in our services. For anyone who loves Jesus, this is way more exciting than a football game. You’ll hear from nine lives that have been surrendered to Jesus Christ, have been forgiven by His grace, and are willing to go public with their faith in Him… all so exciting to see. Their testimonies will move you and inspire your faith— regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey.

Sunday at Lakeshore is the real Gameday!

I hope you’ll be here for all the fun. Along with the baptisms, I will show a pretty powerful clip from Tom Brady as part of my message introduction (yeah, I know, Buffalo Bills fans…) and talk about what Jesus says about the meaning of life. And the Atrium will once again become a tailgate party after each service.

So wear your favorite football jersey or shirt (or for people like Pastor Brian Pawlowski, “a sports thingee shirt” 😊) and be here for Gameday at Lakeshore!

Who Dat!? (that’s a New Orleans Saints chant)

Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

Have you noticed all the hate that is out there these days?

You see it observing people on the news.  There are lots of people so filled with hate and bitterness toward others.  People wishing harm and even death on others they don’t like or disagree with.  The celebration of people being killed is the most gross example of this.

You hear about it in the lives of others who share things about what their friends and family say to them.  It’s really hard to believe people can say the things that they do about other people.  By the way, Pastors experience it as well.  Every pastor can tell stories of some of the most incredibly hateful things people say about them and about their church or ministry.

And you can be certain that hate is on the rise in the world.

Have you experienced hate yourself these days?  How do you handle it in your life?

Over the years, I’ve grown and learned a lot about hate and hateful people.  Here’s what I have learned from the Bible and life: 

1. There will always be hateful people.  It doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do, what you say or don’t say, how hard you try or anything else.  We must learn to accept this as a sad reality.  The sooner we do, the better we can prepare for it happening to us.  As the pop hit song goes, “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate hate.”
   
   
2. The more you love Jesus, the more people will hate you for it.  That’s because the ways of the world are in contradiction to the ways of God.  Jesus told us so in John 15:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”  John 15:18-20a, NIV

1. The hate we see today will only get worse as we approach the last days and the return of Jesus.  Don’t expect things to get better.  If they do, it won’t be for long because the trend is becoming crystal clear for anyone who knows what the Bible says about these last days.  The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Pastor Timothy as an example for us to understand.  Notice how many of these words are tied to feelings of hate for others, for God, and for life:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.  2 Timothy 3:1-4, NIV

1. We can find inner joy when we are hated for Jesus Christ’s sake.  God allows us to be hated so that we can find our joy in Him and not in this life.  In fact, Jesus says that when we are hated by others for living for Him, we will receive a greater reward in heaven:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:11-12, NIV

1. The only response to hatred and evil is love and goodness.  Consider these verses when deciding how to respond to haters:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:43-45a, NIV 

 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:19-21, NIV

With a world of hate all around us, it is very easy to get sucked into hate ourselves.  “We hate him!”  “We hate those people!”  “We hate people who vote this way!”  “We hate people who support this or that or whatever!”  We must guard against embracing the same lifestyle that our hateful world embraces.  As a Christian, the last thing I want to be known for is hate and the first thing I want to be known for is love.  So I want to try and live like it everyday. 

So when people hate you and me, think of it as God’s opportunity to show them a love that is impossible without God producing it in us to pass on to others.Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

I feel bad for Buffalo Bills fans! I really do. Honest!

I thought it was bad enough that the Buffalo Bills lost their divisional round playoff football game on such controversial terms. I think if they ruled that overtime catch by Brandin Cooks a catch (which I think it was) and not an interception, a short field goal would have won the game for Buffalo. They would advance to the AFC championship game and be one more win away from the Super Bowl. But as it turns out, they lost to Denver and their season is over.

And then, surprisingly on Monday morning, the Bills fired their head coach Sean McDermott. Sean is a strong Christian and was a great coach for the team. But since he couldn’t get the team into the Super Bowl with a great quarterback like Josh Allen, I guess the powers that be felt a change was needed.

Few things surprise me anymore. And they shouldn’t surprise you either.

In many ways, I thought about last Sunday’s message, Feeding Our Piggy Banks Generously, and the point I made: when it comes to earning money to put into our “piggy banks”, we must remember that earning power is never guaranteed. As James put it:

Listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. James 4:13-14, NIV

We should never take life for granted. And we should never take tomorrow for granted, especially when it comes to finances. That’s why we’re in our series, “Lessons From The Piggy Bank”. If you missed last week’s message, you can catch it right here. And for those who asked for my chart on the “learning, earning, and yearning years of life”, I have it right here.

This Sunday, we’ll talk about how to protect our Piggy Banks from “malnutrition”. Yeah, that’s a real topic. I hope you’ll be here to learn more about biblical money management.

And if any Bills fans need some support, we’re here for you too.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Most of us grew up with a Piggy Bank. Do you remember yours?

Whether it was shaped like a pig or some other figure, it was our family’s way of teaching us the value of money. We learned so many valuable lessons on how to feed the Piggy Bank with money, how to protect it from theft or harm, and when and how to break open the Piggy Bank at the right time and for the right expenditures when the time was right.

Believe it or not, some of those important lessons from childhood carry over into how we should manage our finances today as adults. Today, we have (or should try to have) many different adult names for our adult Piggy Banks: Checking and Savings accounts, Health Savings accounts, CD accounts, IRA accounts, 401K accounts and our giving to God “eternal rewards” account. We can apply so many of these lessons from our youth to our adult Piggy Banks when we deepen our understanding of these “Piggy Bank” principles.

In a new series we’re beginning on Sunday called, Lessons From The Piggy Bank”, we’ll look at what the Bible says about feeding, protecting, and breaking your adult “Piggy Banks” in ways that honor God, benefit you and your family, and keep you from going… broke! This is a great series to learn and grow in the foundational principles of biblical financial management.

If you want to have a great financial year ahead, I encourage you to be here for this important series.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

The quality of our life can be measured by many things, but I’m not sure it can be measured by anything more important than relationships. Tell me about the quality and depth of your relationships and I will be able to predict how much you are enjoying life… or not enjoying it.

Think about your life. If you charted the happiest times in your life, I’m really confident that you would have relationships with people close to you that are strong and vibrant as well as encouraging and comforting. And if you did the same thing with the saddest times in your life, I feel just as confident that you would be distant from the relationships that matter most in your life. These relationships would likely be in a very discouraging and discomforting state.

Would you agree?

Interestingly, the most important relationship that shapes your joy and determines how satisfying your life is the one you have with God. In fact it all starts with Him and your fellowship with Him. Your relationship with God will carry over into your relationship with others which will carry over into your enjoyment of life.

So choose to relate well to God. Find times to be with Him in Bible Study and prayer. Think about Him non-stop. Thank Him for His love, mercy and grace toward you.

And choose to relate well to others. Find friends who will encourage you so that you can, in turn, find others who you can encourage.

On Sunday, I’ll talk about how to find faithful friends and how no friendship is better than the one we can have with God.

I hope you’ll be here to learn the third big step in “Making The Change And Keeping The Changes” you make in life.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

P.S. If you want a list of great and key Bible verses to memorize, here is the “ABC List” I mentioned last Sunday, find it here.

Lakeshore Friends,

The calendar year is coming to an end soon. What was 2025 like for you? I’m pretty certain of a few things:

First, you had some successes in your life, hopefully involving getting closer to Jesus.

Second, you had some areas of your life that didn’t reach the levels that you know they should have, hopefully not involving your closeness to Jesus.

Third, you want to make some changes in the new year ahead so that when 2026 ends, you have more of the first things to celebrate and less of the second things to commiserate over.

So how do you make changes in your life that will really last beyond the first few days or weeks of the new year? That’s what we’ll cover on Sunday with our first service of the new year. Building off of what Pastor Brian Pawlowski taught last Sunday, I’ll talk about the kinds of resolutions that last.

I hope you’ll start the new year off on the right foot by being at Lakeshore. Let’s kick off the new year together!

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Celebrating Christmas Eve at church is one of the most powerful things we can do.  While Easter has the highest attendance, when it comes to powerful services, Christmas Eve may hold the lead.  It is the day that God started His direct involvement in the world because it is when God became a man.  Jesus Christ, eternal God, took on human flesh and also became man.

C.S. Lewis put it this way, “The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation.  They say that God became Man.  Every other miracle prepares the way for this event, or results from this event.”

Maybe that is why we experience so much joy and worship at Christmas Eve services.

I hope you will be here for one of our three services on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We’ve added a service on Christmas “Eve Eve” to make it as accessible as possible for as many people as possible to be part of these amazing services.  If you can attend services on Wednesday (instead of Tuesday), there will likely be less crowding.  But just do all you can to attend.

And make some invitations.  It’s never too late.  I snapped a picture of the Lakeshore invite card and texted it to many family and friends.  And I still plan to try and invite more people.

Hope to see you here so you can worship God and experience the power of Christmas Eve and Christmas!

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

One of the great anxiety-producing aspects of Christmas is finding the right gifts for the people we love.

Unless we really plan ahead and start early, we have about a month to purchase all the gifts we hope will make so many others happy. We want their gift to be something they really like. We hope it will be something that reflects how much we care about them. And we want it to reflect thoughtfulness on our part so that when they open their gift, they will experience all of this and more.

We have all received gifts that have met and not met this criteria.

One year, when my wife and I were dating I gave her a gift that was wrapped inside a ring box. She thought it was going to be an engagement ring. Instead, it was a small cookie! Needless to say, that did not meet the criteria I just outlined! (No worries, however. I eventually gave her an engagement ring inside a gigantic 16” round cookie with the words, “Will You Marry Me?” written on the cookie. She said yes and finally forgave me for the aforementioned gift!).

A few years ago, at our staff gift-exchange Christmas party, a staff member gave me pretty cool gift, something called a “Battery Daddy”. It holds lots of batteries and organizes them by size. And it has a battery tester so you can measure your batteries life. I love that thing!

But regardless of the physical gifts we give, there is one gift that we can give people that will last forever: an invitation to come to faith in Jesus. It’s the gift they will really like. They will know how much we (and God) cares about them. And they will see our thoughtfulness in giving it to them. If you are a Christian, you know that all of this is absolutely true!

With Christmas just a few days away, why not give people the gift of Jesus? You can do so in so many ways, but one great way is to invite them to church on Sunday and again to one of our three Christmas Eve services the following Tuesday and Wednesday. People are as open as ever to attending church at Christmas and your invitation may be the thing that gets them to attend! It really could be!

Last week, when I invited a former town police chief in the area, he texted me this response: “You are the first pastor of all those pastors from our meetings… that reached out like this! I’m honored!” He then told me he will be there with his wife and his kids if they don’t have to work.

An invitation could be the greatest gift you ever give someone!

I hope to see you, and a family member or friend with you on Sunday!

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

The busy season has arrived.

People are busier than ever with more activities than usual. You know all the culprits— parties, school events, shopping, cards, end-of-year work deadlines and the like. And the consequences of this busier season aren’t always good. Sometimes, they can even mess with your soul in a negative way. You have less time for the things that truly matter— God, people, and your own spiritual growth.

Is there an answer to all the busyness? I believe that there is.

We have to find ways to get back to a more simple Christmas. Getting back to what it really is all about.

That’s our goal in a series we’re beginning on Sunday. Rather than describing it, I’ll wait until Sunday to tell you all about it.

I don’t want to add to your busyness 😊

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

One of the most common questions people have about the gospel— the Good News message of eternal life found through faith in Jesus Christ alone— is what about those who have never heard it? What about the person in a far away place who doesn’t come across any Christians? What about the person in our neighborhood who has never heard a clear and compelling presentation of the gospel message? Will everyone have a chance?

This is a crucial question and one that impacts me personally. I became a Christian 42 years ago when a friend of mine who had just became a Christian shared the gospel with me. I remember it vividly and knew what he was telling me was true because the Holy Spirit was making the truth of this gospel presentation clear to me. It took two more months before I accepted the gospel and received Jesus into my life by faith, but when I did my life was radically changed.

But here is the sad news. Except for one person who gave me a little pamphlet on what it means to be a Christian (and that person was not living a godly life at the time), I do not recall hearing the gospel message for the first 22 years of my life. In America, of all places, the land that has sent so many missionaries to so many countries and where there are so many churches and so many Christians. How can that be?

While it is clear that people in other parts of the world haven’t heard the gospel yet, I wonder how many Americans have never heard a clear and simple presentation of it today? I think it’s a lot more than any of us realize.

Back to my original question, I think the answer is that there are so many people here and around the world that have not heard the gospel yet. And we have to do all we can to give everyone a chance to hear it and choose how they will respond. So what are we supposed to do? Two things are clear:

We’re called to tell everyone we can about the gospel, whether they are across the street or around the world (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20). This is not a suggestion but a command of God to every Christian.

We’re promised by God that one day everyone will hear the gospel and have a choice to make during the great 7-year tribulation that will be coming to the world very soon, after the Rapture of the Church (Matthew 24:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). This is God’s curtain call to everyone, a chance before He returns to the earth.

So what do we do in between the two— between today (when not everyone has heard here and in every nation), and the end times (when God will ensure that during the tribulation that everyone has heard)?

We tell everybody we can! We tell our friends, family, and others we see personally by sharing it with them and answering their questions. And we tell others who are far away through our support of missionaries and Christian organizations who are near them and who can tell them personally. And finally, we get the message out through every means available like print, social media, and the like so that we give every single person every single chance to accept the gospel.

If we believe that the gospel is really Good News (and it is!), we tell others so that everyone has a chance to receive Jesus into their lives. Then, we leave the rest to God to fulfill His promise that one day all will hear.

On Sunday, I’ll unpack what God says is true about sharing the Good News with others and how this can shape our lives in six critical ways.

If people matter to God (and they do!), and if people matter to you (and I believe they do!), then let’s do all we can to help as many people as possible hear the gospel that brings the only cure to our sin problem as well as the only hope for our eternal destiny.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

As we head into Thanksgiving, I’m reminded how important it is to pause and express our thanks to God for His goodness and mercy. Giving thanks isn’t just a seasonal practice—it’s a way of realigning our hearts with the truth that every good thing in our lives comes from God and expressing that appreciation to Him with our mouths.

When we intentionally thank God, even for the everyday blessings we often overlook, it deepens our trust in Him and fills our hearts with peace. I hope you take time this week, and on a regular basis, to slow down, reflect, and genuinely thank God for His faithfulness.

This Sunday, we’ll continue in our Tell Somebody series by looking at Luke 15:1–10. In these parables, Jesus reveals God’s heart for those who are far from Him—a heart that seeks, pursues, and rejoices when that which was lost is found. As we give thanks to God for pursuing us, saving us, and bringing us into His fold, we should be compelled to share that same hope with others.

I’m looking forward to worshiping with you this weekend. I pray you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may God fill your home with joy, gratitude, and meaningful conversations about the hope we share in Jesus.

Make a great day!

Frank D.
Executive Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Last Sunday’s message concluded our series on “Heaven, Hell and Everything In Between” with an outline of God’s plan for the future. There was a lot of material shared, especially for those who are either new to Christianity or have not spent much time understanding biblical prophecy. In fact, even for people who have been Christians for many years this subject is one that few churches teach about. That’s unfortunate.

Below, I have provided a copy of the chart we displayed last Sunday during my message to help you have a tool to grasp God’s timeline for the future. If you missed this important message (or need to hear it again at your own pace), you can watch it here.

The purpose of God giving us such detailed information on His plan for the end times is to encourage Christians as the end of life on earth as we know it arrives. Consider this:

1. After describing the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, the Apostle Paul ends the passage with these words in verse 18: "Therefore encourage one another with these words.” God provides prophecy to encourage those of us who are Christians with the truth that there is something amazing that awaits us when this life is over. Jesus will come to the clouds to take us to be with Him forever (verse 17b). What an incredible thought. So, if you’re like me and find that sometimes life can get you down, look up and see the clouds and remember that Jesus will one day call you up to them, and be encouraged!

2. In the next chapter, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, the Apostle Paul describes “The Day Of The Lord”, a period of time which starts with the seven-year tribulation where all hell will break out on earth. The wrath and judgments of God during these terrifying seven years are described in Revelation 6-19 and Matthew 24. They will bring sudden destruction on the world, right when they think that world peace and safety have been achieved (1 Thessalonians 5:3). But Paul goes on to say that we should not be surprised by this “Day” (verse 4) and that we should be spiritually awake (verse 7) because of our faith in Jesus. He even goes on to say that God has not appointed us to suffer His wrath in the seven-year tribulation (verse 9) and He does this by taking us up in the rapture before the seven-year tribulation begins (Revelation 3:10). Paul ended that passage with these words in verse 11: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” God reminds us that every Christian will avoid this terrible time because we have been forgiven of every sin the moment we have trusted Christ as our Lord and Savior. God wants us to encourage each other in tough times with this truth. That’s why we come to church, so that we will encourage each other with these words.

3. In Titus 2:11-13, the Apostle Paul wrote these words, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Our great hope is the Rapture of the church, our deliverance from the wrath to come when we will be with Jesus forever! Nothing in this life can ever bring us this kind of true, lasting hope. So when life discourages you, be encouraged by our one true hope, the Rapture of the church.

I hope that you will let the truth of the Rapture and Christ’s return to earth encourage you.

God wants to use this truth to prepare you and not to scare you (assuming you are a Christian by trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation).

He wants us to not fear life but to fear Him since He is over all life.

He wants us to look up, when life tries to keep us down.

He wants us to be ready and live steady so that when He returns He will find us faithful.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:42)

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20b).

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

When it comes to the future, people have all kinds of views.

Some people are idealists. They seem to think and believe that eventually the world will get better and better over time. They anticipate improvement and cite things like technology, medicine, and convenience as proof that the world is gradually getting better. The problem with this view is that morally things are doing the exact opposite. They are getting worse… and much worse by the day! In Matthew 24:4-8, Jesus talks about how bad things will be just before He returns and says that like a woman giving birth, it will get more frequent and more intense. This view is not in line with reality or with Jesus.

Other people are pessimists. They see the high frequency of negative things happening all around and have simply resigned themselves to the fact that nothing good will happen. They just give up on trying to make a difference in people's lives individually because everything is falling apart globally. They are hopeless and have a fatalistic view of things. The problem with this view is that God calls people to change individual lives, not the entire world. And because Jesus says that these negative things must happen (Matthew 24:6), there is a purpose in all that is happening. God is in full control of it all and it is all part of His plan for the world. This view is not in line with God’s plan or with being the “salt and light” every Christian is called to be (Matthew 5:13-16).

But smart people are right in between these two views— they are realists. They believe God’s Word, the Bible, and know that the world will not be getting better, but worse, in contrast to idealists. They also know that the madness we see today is not outside of God’s control or His plan, in contrast to the pessimists. They understand God’s prophetic timeline, believe that God will one day make all things that are wrong right again, and cling to the blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ at the soon-coming Rapture of the church (Titus 2:11-13).

The only way we can know the future is to trust what God says about it and study the Bible. When we know the future, we are best prepared for it. And when it comes to prophecy, God is still fulfilling it accurately at 100 percent!

We’re here to help you in this view of the future. On Sunday, I’ll explain all the key events that the Bible teaches (over and over again) that will happen in the future, all in one message. If you really want to get a grasp of God’s plan from today until eternity, you absolutely have to be here on Sunday.

Why not invite as many friends and family to join you as possible? I think this will be one message that will be both fascinating and potentially life-changing.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

For many years, I have shared my thoughts on a saying that has been around for a long time. The saying goes like this: “You’re so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.” The thinking is that if you think too much about heaven that you will not be thinking about how you live and impact others during your life on earth.

I have found the exact opposite to be true. I say that for a couple of reasons.

First, there is a biblical reason. Colossians 3:1-3 says: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” The Apostle Paul, inspired by God, could not be more clear in calling us to set our hearts (that is, the seat of our emotions) and set our minds (that is, how we think and what we think about) on the things above, namely heaven and God. The word for “set” in Greek has the idea of aspiration, desire and passion. It also has the idea of being engrossed by them. We are clearly supposed to be very heavenly minded, thinking about the reality of heaven and the God who reigns there.

Second, there is a practical reason. It’s when we are the most heavenly minded that we are the most earthly good because that requires us to focus on eternity. And the more we focus on eternity, the more we are gripped with the reality of it for both our lives and the lives of others. And the more we are coming to terms with the reality and glory of heaven, we will also come to terms with the reality and agony of hell. And the more that happens, the more we will have the conviction and desire to tell others about the love of God found through faith in Jesus Christ. The more real they are to our way of thinking, the more we sense and urgency to share Christ with others in our family and our friends. That sounds like we will actually be the most earthly good, doesn’t it? Conversely, when you are not very heavenly minded, you don’t think this way. Heaven becomes a vague notion and so does hell. And there goes the urgency with it.

Sadly, too many people are not as heavenly minded as they should be. That’s why we are teaching this current series on heaven, hell and everything in between. We want to hear what God has to say about them so that we can be prepared for that day when we die and are judged, and so that we are the most earthly good for others who need Jesus.

While we talked about heaven last Sunday, we’ll talk about hell this Sunday. It’s not a popular topic in churches these days except for an occasional reference to it… maybe an occasional reference. But while many churches avoid this subject for fear that people will get upset and offended by it, we’ll see why God sees it very differently. Afterall, it is a real place and Jesus tells us more about hell than He does about heaven. There’s a reason for that.

I hope you’ll be more heavenly minded than ever.

If you are, I’ll see you on Sunday! 😊

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

As October comes to an end, so does Pastor's Appreciation Month. It’s the month where Pastors are recognized and appreciated by their congregations and others for what we do. I want to begin this week’s email by expressing my sincerest thanks (on behalf of all five of our Pastors) for all the ways you show appreciation for us. You do this all twelve months too, not just October.

Some of you sent us cards and things like that and they mean so much to us. They encourage us and build us up in the midst of the work of ministry that can sometimes drain us. Some of you have even given us gifts. Thank you for all of this. But the greatest gift that you all bring to us as Pastors at Lakeshore is being such committed followers of Jesus Christ. Nothing makes a Pastor happier than to see his people hungry and growing in their walk with the Lord.

The Apostle John put it this way in 3 John 4: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Amen to that!

When you make being at church your top priority, when you worship God and hungrily take in the teaching during those services, when you show love to others who are at church (especially the many new people who are attending in really high numbers these days), when you read the Bible daily, when you share your faith with others and invite them to church, you are doing what John said in 3 John 4— walking in the truth. And when our Pastors hear and see that in you, we feel like John felt— we have no greater joy!

Thank you! I wouldn’t trade you and our church for anyone or any other church around. I mean that with 100 percent sincerity.

Shifting gears, here you'll find the chart I shared during my message last Sunday. It is a more complete version than the one I shared and it comes from Turning Point Ministries and Dr. David Jeremiah (a great ministry!). I hope it helps you understand how these two different places of judgment, at two different times, and with two different purposes contrast with each other. If you missed last Sunday’s message, One Minute After You Die, you can watch it here.

This Sunday, we’ll look at the most amazing place ever, heaven, and why we should be excited to go there and bring as many people as possible with us by sharing the Good News with them.

It will be a really great Sunday to invite friends and family who need to hear about it. I hope you’ll do that.

You’re the best!

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Last Sunday, we kicked off a new series, “Heaven, Hell, And Everything In Between” by looking at the invisible battle we all face. As Ephesians 6:12 tells us, our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil. After we understand the schemes of Satan, we have to embrace God’s battle plan for victory. The only way to do that is to rely on Christ's victory on the cross and then put on the full armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:13-18. Ephesians 6:11 calls us to, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”

As promised, I want to explain the full armor of God pictured below and how we can do so by explaining each piece of the armor.

(Image courtesy of Concord Church of Christ, concordchurchofchrist.org)

Notice that the entire body of the Christian can be protected by the armor of God. It all starts at the top with the helmet of salvation. Our head is the command-and-control center of our bodies so everything must begin there. It makes sense, then, that our spiritual life begins by embracing salvation through faith alone in Jesus alone. Everything starts with the helmet of salvation.

The breast is where our vital organs reside and if they aren’t protected, we are very vulnerable to an easy attack that can lead to injury and death. When we protect it with the breastplate of righteousness, we live with a moral “rightness” that matches the fact that God declares every forgiven Christian righteous in God’s eyes. Since God declares us righteous when we become Christians, we simply live righteously in the power given to us by God’s Spirit. The degree that we do live righteously this way, we have a solid breastplate of righteousness.

The belt of truth is the foundation of our armor, the core of our being that connects our legs and our torso. It can also hold various items and weapons needed. The Bible is our source of truth and is the core of our life. To the degree that we know and live out biblical truth, we have a strong belt that holds us all together at the core.

The shield of faith is essential to defending against the flaming arrows that come at us. It can be moved around to defend against attacks from all places that come at us in all different ways. Faith is how we defeat the fiery darts and arrows of doubt, diversions, deception and discouragement that Satan fires at us all the time.

The feet fitted with shoes are needed to move in battle. They help us go where we can to avoid trouble and attack. The gospel is the protection we need to stand against the attacks we face. When we embrace the gospel (which means Good News) and live out the gospel in our lives, we can move through life safe and secure. After all, Romans 1:16-17 says that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.

All of these pieces of the armor of God are defensive. The final piece is the only offensive piece of equipment, the sword of the Spirit. Here we use the Bible to slay our enemies. How? Well, consider Jesus and how He responded to Satan’s three temptations in Matthew 4. Every time, the first words He spoke in response to Satan’s temptations were, “It is written” followed by the right quotation of Scripture for the situation. We need to do the same. Tempted? Remember that God does not tempt any person but provides a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). Tired? Remember to come to Jesus and find your rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Troubled? God is our refuge and a very present help in times of need (Psalm 46:1).

What about the back of the warrior? How is that protected? God always has our back!

So make sure to put on the full armor of God in your life consistently. As always, being at church will always help because we’re always better together.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

On Monday, after more than two years of Hamas captivity, the twenty living hostages held under barbaric conditions were welcomed home by Israel. Thanks to the efforts of President Trump and others, they were turned over as part of a potential peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians. When considering the approximately 1,200 people killed by Hamas and the 251 people kidnapped (with many of them being murdered while held hostage), you would think that people everywhere would celebrate this long-awaited victory.

Sadly, you would think wrong.

It is amazing how muted the celebration was around the world. Protestors still protested, “From the river to the sea” which is their expressed desire to see Israel wiped off the face of the earth. Way too many news agencies gave such passing and faint praise for it all as well. Many politicians on the left said very little about how great this day was. The world seemed to accept it with a collective yawn.

What is clear to me in all of this is that there is a lot of hate in our world that comes from more than just those who are terrorists. According to The New York Times polling, shortly after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 47% of Americans sided with Israel while 20% sided with Hamas. That in and of itself makes no sense to me, but it only gets worse. Today, 34% side with Israel and 35% side with Hamas, with 31% being unsure. Slightly more people in our nation back a group recognized world-wide as a terrorist group that had just killed nearly 1,400 innocent people over a nation that defended itself like America did after 9/11. And the numbers are stronger in support of Hamas among younger Americans thanks to so much cultural indoctrination. This is both sad and baffling.

Why is that the case? I think there are two main reasons.

The first reason is the legacy media has clearly provided slanted coverage in favor of Hamas over Israel. They accepted the narrative and number of casualties that Hamas provided them, despite it being virtually impossible to be as high as they reported per experts in this field. They rarely, if ever, reported that Hamas used civilians as human shields for their terrorism plots. They rarely, if ever, reported how they blocked the aid sent into Gaza by Isarel and other nations, in effect starving their own people. The New York Times even erroneously posted a picture of a child who was barely skin and bones claiming that he was in this condition because of the starvation and food not entering Gaza, when in reality it was a rare medical condition. The lies were so frequent that it’s hard for any reasonably minded person to not think this was intentional and by design due to their biased reporting.

But the second reason is even more significant: The rise of antisemitism. People have an unexplainable hatred for Jews and Israel. It’s prevalent on college campuses, in politics, and around the world. Even though Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, it is the country so many people love to hate. In fact, the Arab and Muslim nations surrounding Israel are 643 times the size of tiny Israel. But just like the little child who only wants to play with the one toy it cannot have, people do not even want Israel to have their present land, the land that was given to them by God in the covenant promised to Abraham (Genesis 12, 15), by military victories through King David, and by the British and post-World War II mandates in May 1948.

Where does antisemitism come from? Ultimately, it comes from the evil one. Satan hates God and hates His covenant people. We have seen this throughout world history, at the birth of Jesus, during World War II, and we see it in Revelation 12 when Satan will take one last stab at wiping Israel off the face of the earth. This is ultimately a spiritual battle above anything else.

I hope you will do what the Bible says to do with respect to Israel in Psalm 122:6-9:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

And I hope you will be here on Sunday when we kick off a new series called, “Heaven, Hell, And Everything In Between” and look at how the “Invisible Battle” that we all face works.

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

The Bible is often quoted and used as an expression by people in our culture. Many times they have no idea that it comes from the Bible, but use it anyways. One of them is this one: “The truth will set you free.”

This phrase came from Jesus in John 8:32. The words Jesus spoke right before this statement are super important to understand its full meaning in context. In John 8:31-32, Jesus said: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

So before the truth sets us free, we have to know the truth. And it’s only when we hold to Jesus’s teaching that we can know the truth. Then, after knowing the truth and holding on to it as we live our daily lives, we can then be set free…. truly free!

So many people in our world know so little truth because they know so little about the Bible. That is frightening, but it’s no big surprise that our world is in such a moral mess. Isaiah the prophet’s words are being fulfilled right before our eyes: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” (Isaiah 5:20-21, NIV). Since I believe we’re living in the last days, this is what we should expect because the world is on a steep decline in the ability to discern truth from error.

What concerns me more deeply is that people who profess to be Christians know so little truth because they know so little about the Bible. It’s no wonder that they are struggling so much and not living the “set free” life.

If you doubt that, consider these two statistics:

1. 51% of church attenders do not believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven (despite what Jesus claimed in John 14:6).

2. 65% of church attenders believe that Satan is not a literal person (and that’s just how he prefers it, 2 Corinthians 11:14).

Wow!!!

Lakeshore exists to help people know God’s truth, hold on to it, and then be set free by it. Set free from all kinds of bondage, all kinds of addictions, all kinds of depression, all kinds of discouragement, all kinds of unforgiveness, all kinds of meaninglessness, all kinds of lies, and all kinds sin. But to be set free by the truth, we have to know the truth.

Midweek Bible Study is for anyone who wants to know the truth and better understand it in the Bible, God’s only objective source of truth. It kicks off today, October 9, with a series called, What They Really Believe: Understanding Cults And World Religions. We’ll study what these groups believe and then see what God’s truth in the Bible says about them. In the process, we’ll all go deeper in our theology and grow deeper in our faith and then know the truth that sets us free.

Regardless, I hope that you will be someone who studies the Bible to learn God’s truth, and not just someone who reads it. As always, we’re here to help you do it better.

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Since Lakeshore reopened on July 12, 2020 (after the 17 week shutdown from the COVID crisis) we’ve been growing. At first, it took time for people to come back but it was to be expected that we would keep growing at least until we returned to our previous attendance level before the shutdown. But over the past year, we have reached Sunday attendance levels that have exceeded what we have ever seen in our history.

People leaving Rochester? It doesn’t matter as far as our attendance. People dropping off from regularly attending? Still hasn’t mattered. Culture turning against Christians like we’ve never seen before in our nation? We still keep growing. We’re reaching people who have indeed given up on church, but not on God. We’ll be baptizing people for consecutive Sundays later this month as a result.

As I shared at Vision Night a couple of weeks ago, we are now in the top 4% of churches in America in terms of our size. And if we keep growing, in time we will need to think about adding a third service.

We’re sending out a direct mail piece to about 54,000 homes next week to promote our next series, “Heaven, Hell, And Everything In Between”. We’re trusting God to use it to reach more people.

I want to thank those of you who invite people to church. I keep hearing stories of guests who tell me that a friend invited them to check our church out. I also want to thank all of you who pray for Lakeshore to reach people, especially the regulars at Saturday Synergy Prayer times. But more than anyone, I thank God that He is answering our prayers. After all, growth is impossible without Him as 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 reminds us:

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Thank you, Lord, for helping Lakeshore grow. And thank you to all of you for inviting and being a part of the “planting and watering” process of church growth.

God will reward us according to our labor and efforts to invite people.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Jesus made a simple and yet profound statement in John 12:24 where He said:

“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

A kernel of wheat planted in the ground dies. But it dies with an intentional purpose: so that it can produce much more of itself. It dies so that much more of itself can live. The result is both incredible and miraculous, but it only happens when it first dies.

Jesus is teaching an important lesson to us on how we should see our lives. The goal of life is to increasingly find ways to lose our life in surrender to God and, in turn, find so much more of the true meaning of life available in Jesus. When we die to ourselves like the kernel of wheat, we die to what we want and what we think we should have for our own benefit. And as a result, God takes that and deepens and multiplies our life in ways that He wants.

That’s why in the next verse Jesus says, “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” No one likes to die, but when dying to our own will leads us to living for God’s will, it offers us a compelling reward.

But it’s so hard to die to ourselves, isn’t it? We love to defend ourselves and all we do. We love to be right. We love convenience. We enjoy easy. We seek comfort. We love what we want too much and too often. We don’t like to think about, or actually engage in, dying.

Last Sunday afternoon, Charlie Kirk’s memorial service was held in Phoenix, Arizona. The stadium was packed as some 90,000 people were in attendance with even more than that just outside the stadium. At least 100,000 million people have watched it and estimates are that as many as a billion people around the world have seen it. While I have yet to see it in its entirety—because we held Discover Membership after services—I plan on watching it. Worship music by Chris Tomlin, many people (even many politicians) speaking about the gospel of Jesus Christ in clear terms, and Erika Kirk speaking such powerful words, including forgiving the murderer, made this a service about how God used Charlie’s death to advance the gospel.

Make no mistake about it. While Charlie’s life was involved in conservative, traditional family value politics, that was not his end game. He was ultimately about helping more people hear and respond to the gospel. The memorial service proved it beyond any shadow of doubt, even if some brought up politics during it. That was truly ancillary to the main thrust, which was about how Charlie’s life and death should be a catapult to help more find faith in Jesus Christ. And that we should be the ones God uses to do this.

Charlie Kirk was the kernel of wheat that feel to the ground and his death is being used by God to produce many more seeds.

I think the takeaway for me and anyone else that is a Christian is that this is a time to be bold. Bold about Jesus, bold about the gospel, bold about showing the gospel to others by how we live. And bold about dying to self!

As we continue our Sunday series, From Believing to Becoming, I hope you’ll ask yourself how you can grow in your faith and be more bold in how you live it out every day. You will have to die to yourself, just like Jesus called us to. But in return, you will live with greater meaning and fulfillment in life.

Even if it costs you your life.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

A number of years ago, I heard someone say something that has stuck with me ever since he said it. He said, “You’re either growing or dying.”

In effect, what he was saying is that we’re either growing and getting better or we’re dying and in some type of decline. That’s a very black and white statement. There’s no room in the middle for staying the same. And I know that we can only tread water for so long before we drown. So is that true? I think the answer is yes, we’re either growing or dying in most areas of life. I think it’s especially true of your spiritual growth and development in the faith.

I see lots of people growing in their faith these days. I see them at church virtually every week. They worship God when the music gets them to think about how great He is. They drink in the messages being offered as they reflect on the biblical truth being taught. They are hungry to know God and the Bible more each day. They give generously, serve passionately, and so much more. Unfortunately, I also see lots of people “dying” in their faith. They do the exact opposite and pretty soon, you don’t see them very much at all. It’s sad to behold.

One thing I rarely see is someone staying somewhere in between growing and dying. Mediocrity and Christianity don’t play nice together.

In light of the Charlie Kirk assassination last week (I’m glad we had great attendance last Sunday so that many of you could hear what I had to say about it), I’m reminded that life is too short to spend it with half-hearted commitment to the things of God. Like Charlie, I want to be found growing and faithful to God when my time on earth is over (or the Rapture of the church occurs!).

How about you?

Our church is growing in attendance more than it has in any of the past 21 years. Just as importantly, many of you are growing along with it too. This Sunday, we’re kicking off a new series to help you grow even stronger called, “From Believing To Becoming”. We want to keep growing! It’s only by the grace of God that we aren’t dying, we’re growing.

Let’s grow together. It beats the alternative.

Warmly,

Vince
Senior Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

It was a beautiful late summer morning—clear skies, a gentle breeze, calm and serene. Then, at 8:14am everything changed. In the space of 90 minutes planes struck the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In the days that followed, churches across the country were filled with people seeking comfort, praying, and asking where God was in the midst of such sorrow. But only one week later, what had felt like a spiritual wake-up call had faded into the background. The United States had changed, but spiritual life slipped quickly back to “normal.”

Life has a way of doing that. It lulls us into a spiritual stupor. The things we enjoy—our routines, our hobbies, our favorite places—can so easily take on an importance which puts spiritual growth on the “back burner” of life. And that’s one reason committing to a Small Group can feel difficult. It asks us to step out of our routine, to trade a little bit of “me time” for something deeper.

But here’s the good part: Small Groups at Lakeshore aren’t just another thing on the calendar. They’re a place to belong. A place to build friendships that truly matter. A place to grow in your relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, who loves you, gave His life for you, and longs for you to know Him deeply. It’s a space where people learn to care for one another—and where you’ll discover you’re not on this journey alone.

This week is your opportunity to take that step. Our Small Groups display will be in the Atrium for one more week, and we’d love for you to stop by, ask questions, and find a group that fits you. If you’ve been thinking about it, maybe this is the moment to break out of life’s lull and step into something that could change your life.

Brian Rathbun
Discipleship Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

As school bells ring and backpacks are zipped up, families everywhere are shifting from the carefree days of summer to the more structured pace of the school year. While this season often brings a mix of excitement and chaos, it’s also a golden opportunity to reset, realign, and rediscover the rhythms that give your family life meaning and momentum. Yes, back-to-school season is more than just sharpened pencils and early alarms—it’s a chance to cultivate habits that nurture hearts, minds, and relationships.

One of the most life-giving rhythms families can embrace this season is simply showing up—at the dinner table, at bedtime, and yes, even at church. In the hustle of practices, homework, and packed schedules, it's easy to let spiritual growth slip to the back burner. But carving out time to attend church regularly can anchor your family in ways that go far beyond Sunday morning. It’s a place where values are reinforced, community is built, and kids grow up knowing they belong to something bigger than themselves. Attending church isn’t about adding another thing to your to-do list—it’s about starting your week with intention, connection, and purpose.

This fall, consider making church attendance part of your family's weekly rhythm. Even if you're not a morning person or your Sundays have been filled with errands or sports in the past, a small shift in priority can have a big impact. In Lakeshore Kids, we are walking your kids through God’s Word in ways that allow your kids to connect what they learn to the life they are living. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s presence. Even showing up imperfectly teaches your kids that faith matters, and that your family makes time for what’s important.

Beyond church, this season is a great time to reestablish other family rhythms that may have slipped during summer. Try bringing back consistent mealtimes, reading together in the evenings, or having a short weekly family meeting to talk about the week ahead. These small practices create stability and connection—two things children crave as they adjust to new teachers, friends, and expectations. And don’t forget the power of rest. Protecting family downtime, especially on weekends, helps everyone recharge and reconnect.

Parents, you’ve got this. Back-to-school season can feel overwhelming, but it’s also a fresh chapter—a chance to lead your family with clarity, grace, and renewed purpose. As you juggle schedules, lunchboxes, and carpools, remember that what your kids need most isn’t perfection, but presence. With a few intentional rhythms—like regular church attendance, shared meals, and open conversations—you’re laying a foundation that will serve them for years to come.

So, take a deep breath, pack those backpacks, and step into the school year with hope. Your family’s new rhythm doesn’t have to be hectic. It can be holy. And it starts now.

Jill Freese
Children's Director

Lakeshore Friends,

In less than two weeks, my wife and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage. It’s hard to believe that well over half our life ago, two young Christians pledged our love to each other for life. And by God’s grace we have had a great marriage, at least I think so. 😊

But our marriage, like all marriages, has required lots of hard work. It’s also required so much more from both Sue and me than we fully realized back on that Saturday in late August 1985. Sacrifice, apologies, surrendering, forgiving, and pride swallowing have been a part of my role as a husband. By the grace of God, we’ve done what we needed to do to keep our love alive.

So often, we get the Hollywood, fairytale narrative of romance and marriage. It goes something like this. Love at first sight. Expensive dates together every night for a year. Laughing and loving each other as we talk about life, agreeing on almost everything we discuss. Never having to argue or fight because everything is just flowing so easily. Then we get married, thinking that all our problems will now go away. We have kids, buy a house, never have financial problems, keep agreeing on everything, never arguing, and the like. Then we retire together and live to 100. It starts so easy, operates easily, and ends happily ever after with few problems to speak of.

While I wish that were true, it’s not.

Unfortunately, it's easy to glamorize marriage as the cure for all our desires for happiness, not realizing how hard it is and how much work it takes to create a great marriage. One line I have used in many wedding ceremonies that I have performed is that, “Marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly…” How true that is. Or, as one person put it, “Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye opener!” How true.

I’m excited to talk about how to marry well from Proverbs on Sunday. I want to both explore the myths of an easy marriage and yet provide the skills needed to make sure you marry the best person you can and stay married to them for all the days of your life. That’s no easy task, but it is very possible when we apply what Proverbs says to our romantic and marital lives.

I hope you’ll be here on Sunday, no matter where you are in this incredible pursuit.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

With every year that passes, we’ve become more of what I call an “instant” world. It seems like everything we desire must be delivered right away.

Think about all the things you use each day that are instant. You wake up to instant coffee, heat your breakfast in the microwave in an instant, and get instant news on anything using your laptop or phone. You can talk to anyone for free—instantly—on that very same phone. You can order almost anything and have it delivered in a day, and sometimes it can be stolen off your front porch just as instantly. You can pay your bills online in an instant. You can also rack up really large credit card charges, too—in an instant. So much of our lives are conditioned to focus on finding “the instant” solution to whatever we can, even when it’s not the best or right solution.

In many ways, instant can be a good thing. It creates convenience and helps ease the demands that can wear us out. But in other ways, it can erode our patience for the good things in life that require time. Things like dating, friendships, family life, and our walk with God are never instant. They take time because “time” does what “instant” cannot do—build perseverance, character, and strength. That’s why we need to develop the virtue that runs counter to instant gratification.

It’s called delayed gratification.

The Bible talks about this over and over again. If we can delay our gratification in life, we’ll often find the results more satisfying. That’s what we’ll be looking at in our current series on Proverbs this Sunday.

Are you ok when God delays His blessings in your life? Are you ok when you have to wait on Him while He builds your character during seasons of delay? Do you believe that in many areas of life “good things do come to those who wait”? The more you can answer yes, the more you’ve discovered the power of delayed gratification.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

I’m excited to be back to work this week after my four-week break. Contrary to what some people may think, I actually spend two of those four weeks working from home and thinking about the “big-picture” things related to our church corporately and my life personally. I really did a lot of thinking about both this July, even more than usual. As I celebrate 64 years of life on earth this week, I realize how limited my time at Lakeshore is and how important the rest of my days on earth are. I want to make my life count for God, for you, and for others.

With that said, I realize that one of the biggest enemies of a meaningful life is procrastination.

Procrastination is, “the act of voluntarily delaying or postponing tasks or decisions, despite knowing that doing so may have negative consequences.”

It’s so tempting to put off those tasks that we don’t like and the decisions that we really dread. And even when we know that putting these things off will only cause us even more problems in the days ahead, we still choose to procrastinate. We all know people who are procrastinators. Sometimes procrastinators are just plain lazy, other times they are unsure what is involved in taking action so they refrain from doing anything, and still other times they like to wait until the last minute to get certain things done. The reasons may vary, but the results are very predictable: an unfulfilled life that falls short of all that God intended.

As I prepared for teaching on this subject on Sunday, I constantly thought of others who struggle with procrastination. Yet, I didn’t realize that most people struggle with it at some level (yes, even me to a certain degree in certain areas). While one survey showed that 75% of people are self-described procrastinators, I think all of us are procrastinators given the right (or is it “the wrong”?) set of circumstances.

That’s why I think this Sunday’s message will be a big help as we look into what the Old Testament book of Proverbs has to say about procrastination in our series, “Uncommon Sense”.

So don’t procrastinate, be at church on Sunday, and learn how to put off procrastination in your life.

I’ll look forward to seeing you all!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

This week, we were able to take 18 of our students to Kingdom Bound at Six Flags Darien Lake to enjoy the thrill of rides, cool off in the water park, and the highlight of enjoying engaging, life-giving music from several Christian bands. Of all the blessings I get to experience in my role, one of my favorites is watching students engage in times of worship and participating in worship alongside them. One of the bands that led us in worship was We Are Messengers, a band you may know for songs like "Come What May" or "Maybe It's Ok."

During worship, the lead singer, Darren Mulligan, took a moment to talk about joy before singing one of their other popular songs, "Where The Joy Is," to talk about his own faith journey and his heart behind the song. He talked about struggles with depression and mental health, and how God had been so faithful to bring "joy in the morning." Having experienced similar things in my own life, I related to what he had to say and thought, "Wow, what a great thing for me to talk about in this week's Thursday email!"

All joking aside, I did find what he had to say touching, so I spent some time in my personal devotions this morning walking through the passage that this comes from, Psalm 30. In this beautiful Psalm, David praises God for rescuing him from trouble and calls others to praise God because, "his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning" (v.5).

God never promises that we will never have trouble in this life, and our everyday experience confirms this. Although we can take hope in the fact that our troubles are temporary, and joy comes in the morning. As believers, we can have hope that in this life, God has good plans and has good purpose even during our pain. Furthermore, we can look to eternity, knowing that while we experience hardship here, we will one day experience joy to the fullest in the presence of our Savior Jesus.

So whatever pain or trial you may be experiencing through this "night" of your life, be encouraged, because joy comes in the morning.

Pastor Nate

Lakeshore Family,

Some of you may have seen the news this week about the death of Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic heavy metal singer, often referred to as the “Prince of Darkness.” For me, this one hit differently. As a teenager and young adult, I listened to a lot of his music from Black Sabbath and his solo career. Songs like Paranoid, Iron Man, Crazy Train, Diary of A Madman, Bark at the Moon, and Mama I’m Coming Home, were all part of the soundtrack of my life before I came to faith in Jesus. Back then, I didn’t think much about the spiritual weight of the music I consumed. I was just drawn to the energy, rebellion, and incredible guitar playing from the likes of Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Zach Wylde. But looking back, I now see how deeply it reflected a longing for something more - a search for identity, truth, and peace.

Ozzy’s life was full of extremes: incredible fame, intense personal struggles, and a complicated spiritual backdrop. While he played with dark themes of wizardry, mystery, and the demonic, his music often hinted at inner turmoil and brokenness. It’s a reminder that even people who look like they’re flying high again, can be struggling inside. As believers, we know that only Christ can fill that aching void in the human heart. Jesus said in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” That’s the hope we cling to and the light we carry into the world.

Ozzy’s death also reminds us of a sobering truth: life is short, and eternity is real. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” That might sound heavy, but it’s actually a call to live with purpose. We all leave behind a legacy—through our choices, our character, and the message our lives communicate. The world may celebrate stars like Ozzy for their boldness or edge, but God honors those who walk humbly, love deeply, and shine His light in a dark world.

So let’s be people who don’t just go off the rails on culture’s crazy train, but who live with intention and compassion. Let’s not make our mamas worry because we’ve been bad, bad boys – instead let’s practice kindness and live our lives in accordance with God’s will. Let’s continue to pray for those who still feel lost in the darkness and remember that no one — not even a man once called the Prince of Darkness — is ever beyond the reach of God’s grace. If God can rescue someone like me from all that noise and give me a new song to worship Him, then He can do the same for anyone. Let’s keep pointing people to Jesus—the Prince of Peace and the only source of light, truth, and hope.

Make a great day!

Frank D.

Lakeshore Friends,

Currently, 17 of our students are at Word of Life Island in Schroon Lake, NY for a week of camp. I'm exhilarated for our students to experience this amazing week of camp because I know that it matters so much for our students. After almost a decade of attending camps as a student, serving there in Bible College, and taking my students there as a youth leader, I recognize the unique opportunity camp gives students to encounter Jesus in a life-changing way. Here are five reasons why camp matters:

1. Escaping the Noise - Our culture is cluttered with noise, noise, NOISE! In Luke 6:12, Jesus "went out to a mountainside to pray, and spend the night praying to God." In the same way, camp provides students an opportunity put their phones away in the pristine Adirondack mountains, and escape the noise to hear God's voice.

2. Shared Experiences - Without a doubt, camp will be packed with lots of fun. Although, did you know that this fun is actually fundamental? Camp provides an opportunity for students to have shared experiences with each other, their counselors, and their Lakeshore Leaders. Those shared experiences lead to commonality, which leads to conversations, which can then lead to changed lives. Camp creates memories that last a lifetime, and impact students for eternity.

3. Strategic Partnership - Have you ever told your student something, for them to not listen, but then they come home at a later time having heard that same thing from another source and listening to that source? I know I did that as a student, and found myself in a few you were right mom and dad moments with my parents! Well, the same is sometimes true of student ministry. Sometimes the things we communicate with our students during the year, for lack of better words, suddenly "click" with them at camp! Camp doesn't replace student ministry, but partners with it.

4. Gospel Saturation - The reason I love Word of Life over other camps, aside from my past experience, is how Gospel-centric they are. Students hear the gospel multiple times over the course of the week and have multiple opportunities to respond. It was at camp where at 15 years old, I truly understood the gospel for the first time and placed my faith in Jesus.

5. Life-Changing Decisions - For those who already have a relationships with Jesus, Word of Life challenges students to live a life on fire for Jesus, setting aside worldly pursuits to love Him wholeheartedly. In my own life, I can confidently trace my call to ministry to my youth group, and Word of Life Camp involvement. Furthermore, I've been blessed with a front row seat to see so many students lives radically change as a result of their time at camp. This includes two of our own from Lakeshore Students who accepted Jesus at camp earlier this week. Praise the Lord! At Lakeshore, we want to train students who follow what Jesus says in Matthew 16:24; "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." We want to see students make life-changing decisions so they can make a difference for Jesus in their world.

So why are we excited about camp? Because it changes lives and impacts students for eternity, and that matters.

Pastor Nate
Student Pastor

Lakeshore Friends,

Let’s face it — common sense doesn’t feel so common anymore.

We’re surrounded by opinions, advice, and quick fixes. Open your phone and you’ll find a thousand voices telling you what to think, how to live, and who to listen to. But for all the information we have access to, many of us still find ourselves asking, “What’s the right thing to do?” or “Why does life feel so confusing?”

That’s where the book of Proverbs comes in. It doesn’t offer trendy answers or surface-level advice. Instead, it gives us something better — wisdom. Not just knowledge. Not just facts. Wisdom that is deeply rooted in God’s character and His design for how life works best.

On Sunday, we’re launching a new series called Uncommon Sense: Wisdom for Life from Proverbs. We’ll explore practical, time-tested truths for real-life situations — things like:

• How to develop strong character

• What healthy relationships look like

• Why our words matter

• How to handle anger

• What it really means to trust God

This series isn’t about collecting more information. It’s about learning how to live wisely and making decisions that are rooted in God’s wisdom, not just our own feelings or what’s trending. Proverbs gives us a roadmap, one that’s principled, practical, and perceptive. It helps us think clearly, walk confidently, and build lives that are grounded, not reactive.

So if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the noise of the world—if you’re tired of confusion and chaos—or if you just want to grow in living out your faith in the everyday, this series is for you.

Let’s rediscover a common sense that is a bit uncommon these days.

See you Sunday.

Brian P.

Lakeshore Friends,

I want to use my weekly update this week as part 2 of my update last week. In light of all that has been going on between Iran and Israel since October 7, 2023, including the direct war that has been going on for three weeks, I feel the need to share my thoughts on what is happening from a biblical perspective and to examine if these events have any significance in God’s prophetic plan for the future.

Last week, I addressed “What’s Happening With Iran?” Today, I’ll address, “What’s Happening With Israel?” Feel free to forward this to friends who may have a curiosity as to what’s happening in the world today.

Let me start by addressing an important issue related to Israel. Churches have taken two very different views of the meaning of Israel in the New Testament.

1. At Lakeshore, as well as many Bible-believing churches, we take the view that Israel refers to the national, ethnic, religious people of God that began with Abraham (born about 4,150 years ago), through his son Isaac, and through his son Jacob (who later had his name changed to Israel). When the New Testament speaks of Israel, it refers to literal Israel in their land today, as well as those of this lineage through Jacob who are not living in the land today. This is called the Dispensational view, and it is based on a biblical method of interpretation that uses a literal, plain, historical grammatical approach. So “Israel” always refers literally to the people of Israel. It is very simple and straight forward.

2. There are other churches like the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and others in mainline and liberal denominations that take the view that the church replaces Israel and that many of the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament will now be fulfilled by the Christian Church and not by biblical, literal Israel. So the promises and prophecies made to Abraham concerning the restoration of Israel into the land and its blessings are interpreted as being somehow fulfilled in the church and not taken literally for the people of Israel. This is called replacement theology and it is based on a biblical interpretation method that uses “spiritualization” and “allegory” to interpret the Bible, not the literal, plain, historical grammatical method of biblical interpretation used in Dispensationalism. They believe that today, God is done dealing with the nation of Israel.

We believe very strongly that the Dispensational view—that Israel refers to literal Israel in the New Testament—is essential to properly understanding the Bible, and that the Replacement Theology view does significant damage to both the right understanding of the Bible and to the character of God Himself. And when you “allegorize” and “spiritualize” the Bible, interpretation becomes very subjective to the wishes of the reader and not very objective to the original meaning of the Bible itself.

As an example, when God promised Abraham (see Genesis 15:18-21) land that Israel has never fully claimed to this day, then either He will fulfill it in the future literally (the right, literal view of Israel) or He has broken His promise and they will not inherit it (the wrong, spiritualized view of Israel). There are many other promises that God would have to break to national Israel for anyone to embrace Replacement Theology. I believe that it is both a wrong and dangerous view.

More: If you want to know more about why a literal view of Israel is far superior to the spiritualized view of Replacement Theology, watch this video.

1. Israel always has been and always will be the center of God’s plan for the world.

   From the twelfth chapter of the Bible through to the very end 1,177 chapters later, Israel is the focus of God. The Old Testament is the story of Israel’s birth, history, conquest, divided empire, fall, and restoration back into their land. The New Testament is the story of Jesus coming to Israel to offer Himself to be their king (John 1:11a), their rejection of Him as their King (John 1:11b, Matthew 23) and the final destruction of their temple in 70 A.D. But it is also the story of how His plan for Israel is not over but only put on “pause”. That is where we are today. 
   
   During this present “pause” on His final plan for Israel, God is using this time to bring non-Jewish people (Gentiles) into His family by faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12). It is called “the church age” and it began on the day of Pentecost (50 days after the resurrection of Jesus, see Acts 2), and it will last until every Christian is taken from the earth in a single moment in the future at the event known as the Rapture of the Church. When that happens, the church age is over, and God resumes His plan for Israel in the final seven years of life on earth before His return. So while the church is the place where people come to faith today, Israel will return to the center of God’s plan after the Rapture when the church is removed from the earth one day.
   
   

2. Israel today has (by and large) not accepted Jesus as their Messiah, but God is still at work to prepare their future.
   
   The book of Romans in the New Testament speaks about the Gospel of Jesus Christ in incredible detail. In its sixteen chapters, the Apostle Paul covers the subjects of sin (Romans 1:1-3:23), salvation (Romans 3:24-5:21), sanctification (Romans 6-8) and service (Romans 12-16). In between, Romans 9-11 covers God’s plan for Israel in His sovereignty. It answers the question, “If Israel rejected Jesus as their King at His first coming, is He done with them?” with a resounding answer: “Not at all!” In fact, Romans 11 says some incredible things about Israel’s future. Consider:
   
   I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. Romans 11:1-5, NIV
   
   I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. Romans 11:25-26a, NIV
   
   From these passages we see that God has not rejected the nation and people of Israel. Today there are only a small number of Jewish believers because many are hardened toward faith in Jesus until all the Gentiles (non-Jews) that God has called will come to faith. At that point, God will cause a national conversion in Israel to take place and “all Israel will be saved.” How could anyone think that God does not have a plan for Israel?

3. Israel will be the focus of the final seven years of the tribulation period that ends with the return of Jesus Christ. Then, God will fulfill all His promises to Israel.
   
   Before the day when all Israel will be saved, many prophecies must be fulfilled. They include:

   1. The Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The next great event in biblical prophecy will occur at a time no one knows. Every true Christian will be taken from the earth to be with Jesus in heaven. Everyone else will be left behind to face the worst times that the world has ever seen.

   2. The Gog Magog Invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). I covered this in last week’s email, but sometime just after the Rapture, Russia, Iran, and Turkey will lead a coalition of other nations to join them in attacking the land of Israel. They will do so when Israel is living without walls and in a perceived time of peace and security (which is not the case right now, but could be soon) and when these nations invade to capture resources from the land. This time, it will not be the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that protects and defends Israel but God Himself (Ezekiel 38:18-23).

   3. The Seven Year Tribulation (Revelation 6-19, Matthew 24:1-29). Shortly after the two aforementioned events occur, Israel will have a peace treaty between her and her enemies brokered and confirmed by a future world leader known as the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). Israel will think it has found true peace, but it will only be a false peace (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3) brokered by a false leader who is empowered by Satan himself (Revelation 13:1-8). It will begin the seven-year tribulation described in the book of Revelation. It will be a time of incredible trouble for the world as God pours out His judgment on sin and those who rejected Jesus. This is the final 7 years of life on earth as we know it and it will be so bad that people will suffer in ways the world has never seen.

   4. The Second Coming of Jesus (Revelation 19, Matthew 24:30-31). After the seven years have passed, Jesus will return to earth with His angels and with Christians who were part of the Rapture (Revelation 19:14) to establish His rule and reign over all the earth.

   5. The 1,000 Year Reign Of Jesus On Earth (Revelation 20). Israel and the capital city of Jerusalem will become the place where Jesus Christ returns to rule and to reign over the world in fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15) and with David (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Jesus will rule the world in righteousness and it will be a time of universal world peace (Isaiah 2:2-4, 9:7, 11:4,11:9, 65:20-25, Zechariah 14:16, Luke 1:32-33). And on that day, everyone will love the people of Israel! Consider these verses:
      
      I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.15 I will plant Israel in their own land,never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. Amos 9:14-15, NIV
      
      This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” Zechariah 8:23, NIV

So what should we be doing today in light of God’s everlasting love for Israel and His clear plan for their future?

1. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel regularly (Psalm 122:6). Amidst all the hate they are experiencing in the world, pray for their peace. 
   
   

2. Make sure that you are right with God through faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). Are you ready for the Rapture and sure you will not be left behind? Are you absolutely certain that you are a Christian? Are you living for Jesus today? Are you living a godly life? Are you telling people about Jesus? Are you inviting people to church?

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

I want to use my weekly update this week (and next week) to address what is happening in the Middle East in light of the past two weeks. I want to address it all from a biblical perspective, examining if these events have any significance in God’s plan for the prophetic future of that region and for the future of the whole world.

Next week, I’ll address, “What’s Happening With Israel?” This week, I’ll look at “What’s Happening With Iran?” Feel free to forward this to friends who may have a curiosity as to what’s happening.

About two weeks ago, Israel attacked Iran. Their goal has been to disable Iran’s ability to attack Israel. Israel sees this as a necessity for their own survival for at least three reasons:

1. In 1979, the government of Iran was taken over by a radical Islamic revolution that has vowed to bring death to both Israel and America, nations they call the little Satan and the great Satan respectively. Many times over, the nation has backed up these chants with violent acts, beginning with the capture of American hostages in 1979 and plotting and executing multiple terrorist attacks that have killed and injured many thousands of people since then. Their threat is not an empty threat, but a real one for Israel.

2. On October 7, 2023, led by the terrorist organization Hamas, Iran’s proxies invaded Israel and killed nearly 1,200 innocent people there through the most barbaric and brutal means imaginable. They also took nearly 100 hostages, most of them have already been murdered. In the over 20 months since then, proxy militia that serve Iran like the Houthis and Hezbollah have attacked Israel from the north and south, making their assault on the nation multifaceted and multidirectional. Many more innocent lives have perished as a result. Israel has responded with strikes that have targeted the terrorists and their weapons, trying to avoid innocent civilians. While the strikes have not always been as precise as desired, unbiased observers have recognized that no nation has done more to try to avoid innocent civilian casualties during a war than Israel has, especially in light of the fact that the terrorists have used the hostages and civilians as human shields for themselves. Israel responded to this terrorist attack, like any other nation would, to protect itself from further terrorism.

3. On June 12, Israel launched a series of targeted attacks inside of Iran to destroy their nuclear and military capabilities. This has been a war that’s been about 45 years in the making. Israel, the United States (at least our current administration), and other nations have vowed to never let Iran have a nuclear weapon. The reason is simple: their chants for death to Israel would become more likely to be a reality with these weapons. This is based on their belief that the return of their final Islamic Imam, known as the Mahdi, would only occur when they had finished their mission to destroy Israel (and others). Their nuclear attack would serve as a part of their end time desires to usher in this Mahdi and a world ruled by Islamic law. Israel knows how seriously a threat an Iran with nuclear weapons would be to their survival.

While it is early, it appears that Iran’s nuclear program was dealt a major blow. How much of a blow or how long it will take to recover their nuclear program is still being determined. But clearly, they are severely weakened today.

In light of all of this, let me answer three questions related to this war with Iran and Bible prophecy.

1. Are these attacks by Israel on Iran a fulfillment of biblical prophecy? Possibly. Jeremiah 49:34-39 is the passage which may shed some light:

This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah: 35 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. 36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go. 37 I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them; I will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,” declares the Lord. “I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. 38 I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,” declares the Lord. 39 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord.

Elam is the ancient name of the land that is located in the southwest area of Iran today. Interestingly, that is the area where many of Iran’s nuclear sites were located. About 2,500 years ago, Jeremiah prophesied that God would break Elam’s bow (verse 35). Could this “bow” be an ancient term that refers to the launching of missiles and nuclear weapons? Could there be a continuation of what seems to be the start of an exile from Iran today as predicted in verse 36? With so many nations publically and privately happy that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been disrupted (even most of the neighboring muslim nations), could this be what verse 37 refers to as “Elam’s foes”? Only time will tell. It does appear that verses 38-39 at the end of the passage speak of what will happen when Christ returns (Revelation 19) and sets up His 1,000 year kingdom on earth (Revelation 20) and are more focused on the long term plan of God. Like many prophecies in the Old Testament, this appears to have a two-phase fulfilment in two different eras of time, and the first phase may be happening right before our eyes. Again, only time will tell.

2. Is Iran involved in additional future end time biblical prophecy related to Israel? Absolutely. Ezekiel 38-39 speaks of a future invasion that will happen sometime just after the Rapture of the church (most likely), and it’s called the Gog Magog Invasion of Israel. As you read this passage, you’ll see that a list of nations with ancient names is given. While there is some debate on the exact identity of some of the nations, most biblical scholars believe that “Rosh” is likely Russia, “Magog” refers potentially to parts of Russia and former Soviet territories, “Meshech and Tubal” are associated with Turkey, and “Persia” clearly speaks of modern-day Iran. It says that this coalition of nations will invade Israel directly with military forces in the land (Ezekiel 38:10), that at that time Israel will dwell in unwalled villages without gates and bars, and that Israel will not suspect this attack (Ezekiel 38:11-16). When this happens, God will directly intervene to destroy these armies (Ezekiel 38:18-23) to show Himself strong to the people of Israel and to the world.

Consider this: Are Iran, Russia and Turkey aligned together now like this prophecy predicts? The answer appears to be yes. Clearly Iran and Russia are today, and Turkey has voiced threats toward Israel with the current president Erdogan, even though they are a part of NATO. Would an alliance between these nations make sense? Yes, they all have a common enemy in Israel. Is Israel dwelling without walls, gates, and bars? And are they unsuspecting of an attack today? Clearly the answer to both is no. But it suggests that between now and this Gog Magog Invasion of Israel, there will be a time when Israel enters an era of peace… actually an era of false peace. Which leads to the final question.

3. What does it all mean for us today? The Rapture of every true Christian is close, and so is the subsequent seven-year tribulation that will follow. The next great event in the future is the time when Jesus will take every true Christian from the earth at an event called the Rapture. You can read about it in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-58. If you are a Christian when the Rapture occurs, Jesus will take you up to meet Him in the clouds and you will return to heaven with Him. If you aren’t a Christian at the Rapture, you will be left behind here on earth and will face with the perils of the seven-year tribulation period described in Revelation 6-19. It will be a terrible time of God’s judgment on the earth and on the people of the world for its rejection of Jesus and its rejection of His truth.

How will it all begin? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 tells us:

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

The world is in turmoil now. But one day, there will be a temporary false peace and false safety that will seem to put people at ease. And as we just covered in Ezekiel 38:11-16, even Israel will feel safe during this time. But this false peace will only last for a brief moment because it will be a peace that comes from the future world leader, the Anti-Christ, and not from Jesus Christ. I believe that people today are being lulled to sleep today by hopes of a future peace that will not last.

So my hope for all of you is that you will be ready for this day. The Rapture can happen at any moment. Are you absolutely sure you’re a Christian? Are you really living for Jesus? Are you living a godly life? Are you ready for this incredible day? I hope so.

As always, we’re here to help you in this journey.

Forward this to a friend. And next week, I’ll talk about what’s happening with Israel as well as provide a true understanding of their relationship to the church today (in contrast to the false teaching of Replacement Theology).

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

One of my favorite sayings (and as a public speaker and teacher, I have many) is the one related to what distinguishes successful people from everyone else. It goes like this:

The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people can’t do, won’t do, or just talk about doing.

More than almost any other attribute, being someone who persists in doing a task is the best indicator of success in life, assuming what you’re persisting in is worth doing. Being a person who doesn’t quit very easily, someone who has grit, determination, tenacity, resolve, staying power, and a ceaselessness to their efforts is the best predictor of a person’s success when all other factors are the same between people. People with the exact opposite approach rarely find success. Winners never quit, and quitters never win.

Political figure Newt Gingrich once said, “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

Of course, it’s important to remember that there are limits to our efforts. We must always allow room for God’s grace to be truly and eternally successful. But all things being equal, pressing on is the sign of success for people who trust in God’s grace as the primary virtue in their life. I know because of what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:12-14. I’ll cover this on Suany as we continue our series in Philippians, “How To Find Joy In Life”.

If you want to find more joy in your life, you need to develop a persistent spirit. God will use it to do great things in your life, including becoming more filled with the joy of Jesus in all you do. And that’s what true success is all about.

Wamrly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

This Sunday is Father’s Day. For many, this is a chance to celebrate our fathers, whether they are still with us or have passed on, for all the positive contributions they made in our lives (even when they weren’t perfect). For some, this is a challenging time because it may be hard to celebrate our fathers because of their absence or potentially even their abuse.

For all of us, we should do our best to honor our fathers (and mothers, Exodus 20:12) as God commanded. We should also honor fatherhood. After all, it is a role created by God to bring direction and leadership to the family. Fathers are God’s good and gracious provision for the family. We know this is true because God said it’s true (see Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 6:1-4). We also know it is true based on research which affirms God’s Word.

Did you know that children with a father’s presence are healthier, are more secure in their identity and mental health, do better in school, are more likely to succeed as well-adjusted adults, and are much more likely to find faith in Jesus. Listen to this amazing statistic: when a father becomes a Christian, there’s a 93% chance that his children become Christians. That percentage is far, far lower for any other person in the family unit who becomes a Christian. Stunning!

But when a father is absent, children are sicker more frequently (both physically and mentally), are 43% less likely to earn A’s and 33% less likely to earn B’s in school, are more likely to struggle with becoming adults, and are more likely to be imprisoned. Listen to this sad statistic: 85% of all imprisoned youth have an absent father. Staggering!

This is why God created fathers and why we are to honor them. They play such a critical role in God’s plan for the family, for societies, and for the world.

At Lakeshore we will take some time in both services on Sunday to honor fathers and celebrate them. We hope that no matter what your role as a father has been or is, and no matter what your relationship was like with your earthly father, that you’ll be at church on Sunday to thank God the Father for the institution of fatherhood and for fathers. We’ll also continue our series in Philippians, How to Find Joy in Life, by looking at out most important pursuit in life.

Hope to see you Sunday for Father’s Day,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

Culture constantly sends us the message that joy comes from receiving. Corporate commercials tell us that if we just buy their product, we’ll be happier. The lottery tells us that if we win and get more money, we’ll be happier. Society says that if more people do what we ask of them to help our career, we’ll be happier. For the majority, it’s all about what we get. The more we get, the happier we’ll be. On the surface, it seems to make a lot of sense.

But with God, there’s another way to find something bigger and better than the happiness of receiving— it’s the joy of giving your life away through serving.

I’ve found that people who serve— whether it’s serving God’s cause or serving God through serving others— are regularly the most happy and always the most joyful. I don’t always see that in people who do lots of receiving in life. In fact, it seems to build a saddening sense of entitlement. And that never brings joy.

Serving is so important to God that Jesus said in Mark 10:45 that even He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Do you have a spirit of serving? Do you serve God and people as a regular way of life? Do you find joy through it? We will explore the two primary ways people serve God and find joy in it on Sunday, as we continue our well-received series, “How To Find Joy In Life”.

Thanks for being a church filled with such a great spirit of serving!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

Do you ever complain about things in your life? Do you do it rarely or a little more than that? Do you complain about things that you really shouldn’t complain about? If your answers to the previous three questions are, 1. almost never, 2. rarely and 3. not really then I have a fourth question for you: Would someone really close to you say that about you as well? Sometimes, we don’t always realize how much we complain and that’s where others can help.

I think that as bad as things are in the world, Americans probably have less to complain about than anyone else. In reality, sometimes complaining isn’t a situational issue but ultimately a spiritual issue. I say that because our next passage in our Sunday series in Philippians tells us that it is an issue we all face, even if we’ve been a Christian for a long time.

So how can you conquer complaining? It’s not easy, especially when we have well-trained and ingrained habits that naturally lead us in that direction, but it can be done. But it takes the power God and an open spirit to make the changes that we need to crush it in our lives. We’ll look at what God says about this on Sunday.

If you want more joy in your life, this is a critical step to getting there.

I hope to see you on Sunday as we celebrate four baptisms!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

Perhaps the most misunderstood person who has ever lived is Jesus Christ.

Some think of Him as someone who never really existed, as just a myth or made-up legend. There are others who believe that He did exist but wasn’t who He, the Bible, and Christians say He is. They say He was just another man, a good moral teacher, a magician, an enlightened leader of a religious sect, a wise sage, and so much more that just isn’t accurate or (at best) isn’t complete.

It’s not His fault. People have lots of reasons for why they believe who Jesus is. Many times, they are derived from convenience and lazy thinking more than from a genuine search for the real Jesus. After all, it’s always more convenient to dismiss or minimize the true Jesus when He calls people to such challenging things as to “take up their cross and follow Him”, to “love your enemies and pray for them”, to “store up your treasures in heaven and not on earth” and the like. Just make Jesus out to be anyone that fits your lifestyle conveniences and any problems are resolved. Right?

Wrong.

Jesus is who He is and our responsibility is to seek Him and find out who He is and live our lives accordingly, not vice versa. The good news is that the Bible helps us see Him accurately again and again. And one of the most incredible, compact, and thorough passages that does this is found in Philippians 2:5-13. In it, I see five of the most incredible and important aspects of who Jesus really is. I’ll explain it more at services on Sunday. I can’t think of a more important message than this one. That’s because your view of Jesus impacts the way you live your life.

Like last week, we’ll be joined by another Lakeshore-supported missionary, Nabeeh Abassi, from Jordan. We went to Seminary together and he will talk about his incredible ministry in this Middle Eastern nation. It’s going to be a great Sunday.

Who do you say that Jesus is? No matter your answer, we’ll help you deepen it on Sunday.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

All of us know what conflict feels like.  It’s really no fun dealing with people whom we disagree with, and who make things difficult to resolve when we do.  Sometimes it’s someone we only know a little bit. Other times, it’s someone we know really well.  Still, other times it’s someone really close to us, maybe even in our own family.  Yes, and sometimes we're the one making things more difficult than they need to be in our conflict.

We all dislike conflict.  The sad truth, however, is that we will never be able to avoid conflict in our lives.  About the time we work through one conflict, another one is lurking around the corner.  That’s because of that ever-present, thorny issue we call sin.  Yet, while we can never avoid conflict, we can learn skills to minimize it to the lowest possible level in our lives, whatever level that may be.  The Apostle Paul talks about that in Philippians 1:27-2:5, the passage I'll teach through on Sunday.  I think you’ll find this to be a really helpful passage.  In fact, this series has been just what God has for our church in this season, if what I am hearing from people is accurate.  I think it is.

Almost as if God ordained it, we will also host one of our supported missionaries from India, Naveen Paul, during both services.  He will share what his ministry in India has been like, including the conflict and even persecution he has faced from those who oppose the gospel. We supported his father, Rufus, as one of our first missionaries just after Lakeshore began in 1995. Naveen's visit will add an element of reality to the message and help you get to know one of the longstanding missionaries we support as a church.

I encourage you to invite friends and family who need some help with conflict minimization in their life to join you on Sunday.  I love how so many of you are doing that, and introducing me to those who join you at church.

Keep using your card holder to hand out invites, and remind yourself of the lessons on finding joy in life with the intention cards you get each week.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

My heart is filled with so much joy because of you. It always has been, but with our 30th-year anniversary, I have another reason to add to my long list.

So many of you show up so faithfully, and we’re grateful for that. And so many of you are hungry to grow in your faith. You invite people to church and help us reach those who need Jesus. So many of you serve with your gifts. So many of you are generous givers to God. So many of you really love people. The list could go on and on from so many of you. Add to this list that you are so loving to me and my family. Again, that’s always been the case, but your generous gift to me for pastoring Lakeshore for 30 years last Sunday meant so much. Thank you! If there was another more intense word than “thank you,” I would use it. Thank you, thank you, thank you is all I’ve got. Please accept this from a heart filled with so much appreciation.

The gift is nice, really nice. But like the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:17 (ESV), “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”

I’m excited that we will resume our new series, How to Find Joy in Life in the New Testament book of Philippians on Sunday, as we celebrate moms. In fact, the topic, “Joyful No Matter What,” will be perfect for the day.

Thanks for being a church that brings me and all of our staff so much joy!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

This Sunday, May 4, we're celebrating the greatness of God in a special way. Lakeshore turned 30 years old in April and we want to thank and praise Him for all He has done in these incredible three decades to impact lives in Rochester and around the world. God loves it when we celebrate Him because He is so worthy of it.

In fact, God called on Israel to celebrate seven of them with feasts and festivals: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles). These events were commemorative (remembering what God did) and communal (done with all the people together). So when we celebrate God like this, we are doing something that pleases Him.

On Sunday, we'll celebrate Thirty Years of God’s Faithfulness and I want every one of you who loves God and loves Lakeshore to be here!

I’ll talk about how God has been faithful to us and how He will be faithful to you too as we reflect on our past and talk about our future. I think you’ll learn a lot about Lakeshore, learn a lot about living a great life for Him that satisfies you, and get a glimpse into my heart for what the future holds for Lakeshore.

I hope to see you here with friends. I’m trusting God to use it to help everyone see His greatness.

Let’s celebrate together!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

This past Holy Weekend is the greatest one of the year, along with being the busiest. I hope you enjoyed it and that our services helped make it really meaningful.

At Lakeshore, we had four services that brought in a high attendance of 1,720 people, which is close to an all-time high, and three of the four services were somewhere between comfortably full and packed. I want to thank you for inviting people to church, even if they didn’t attend. I met many of your friends and saw some of the many friends I invited. I also thank those of you who are taking yard signs. Let’s keep them up all summer and hope that people visit Lakeshore because of it.

As we leave this great weekend, I think this coming weekend will be a really good one as well. We'll kick off a brand new series in Philippians called, “How to Find Joy in Life.” Can you think of a more timely series than this?

There are so many people are struggling to find joy in our joy-sapping world and I’m convinced the main reason is because people are looking for joy in all the wrong places. As we’ll see, joy is a choice, and it’s only when you know how to choose joy will you be able to find it. We'll talk about how to find joy in relationships, in tough circumstances, in conflict, in stressful times, and in so many more circumstances and moments.

So thanks again for being a part of last weekend and I hope to see you this weekend for the kick off of this new series.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

Today, Lakeshore officially turns 30 years old. I love to tell the story of our very first service. Looking back, April 16, 1995 was such an amazing day in our history:

The weather was nice but chilly. After three practice services the previous Sundays, and after 14,464 direct mailers were sent out to all homeowners 54 years old and younger (I was only 33 years old back then), Lakeshore held its first public service.... In a bar.... At the Marriott hotel.... That held 75 adults comfortably.... The rest had to sit in a booth and watch the service.... Seated sideways (you paid a price for being late back then). On that day, 112 people showed up and three people became Christians in the somewhat beer-scented bar. It was an exciting day for our family and many others. Lakeshore Church was born.

Thank you to everyone who has made this work of God we know as Lakeshore possible. Your attendance, involvement, generosity, serving, and support have all been used by God to do amazing things.

For as great a day as that day was, there is a much greater day coming on Sunday: the resurrection of Jesus Christ! No day in human history was more meaningful in the entire history of the world. Think of it— no day is as great and earth-shattering as the day that Jesus became the first person ever to rise from the dead in a new body (Lazarus and others were technically resuscitated back to their same body). And because of it, this day means more for people than any other day.

We’ll explain it all at our Easter services this weekend as I talk about, “Why Easter Means Everything.” We’ll do our best to celebrate and explain the greatness of Easter, and our hope is that you’ll be here along with friends you invite to join you. Easter is the one holiday where more people come to church than any other day of the year, so it stands to reason that we should make as many invitations to others as we possibly can. I hope you have or will invite every friend, family member, coworker, and neighbor that you can.

Holy Weekend kicks off with a Good Friday service at 7:00 pm. We’ll remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and take communion together.

We are still just as passionate about reaching people in Rochester as we were 30 years ago! That’s not the norm for churches, because most gradually turn inward and focus on their own needs. This weekend is another opportunity for all of us to point people to the cross, the empty tomb and the Good News.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

When we get a full, clear, and biblically accurate view of the cross, we see that it is a place where Jesus suffered on every possible level.

Physically, it was the most torturous death ever invented by humans. Emotionally, it meant that Jesus would be treated as unfairly as anyone has ever been treated. Relationally, Jesus was rejected by the majority of His own people, the nation of Israel, and mocked as a common criminal even though He was the innocent Son of God. And spiritually is where Jesus suffered the most, when He was forsaken by God the Father (Matthew 27:45-47 from Psalm 22:1-2) and took upon Himself every sin of every person who has ever lived (2 Corinthians 5:21) so that we might be reconciled with God and forgiven through faith in this infinitely valuable sacrifice.

It’s easy to see why that’s the case. But have you ever considered what the cross means to us and how we should view it? So few people and so few Christians really do.

I say that because of what Jesus said to those who wanted to follow Him in Luke 9:23 and again in Luke 14:25-27: “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.”

There are lots of people who want to wear a cross, but precious few who want to carry a cross. And yet, that’s what Jesus calls us to do. And it really makes sense in light of the fact that Christians should want to be like Jesus… yes, even in our sufferings!

What crosses are you willing to bear if you are a true follower of Jesus? It may be a physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual cross that God has called you to bear. While always hard, it is the path we are called to if we take our faith seriously.

The good news? There’s always an Easter Sunday following Good Friday. God will do the same for us when we take up our crosses daily and follow him.

Warmly,
Vince

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

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

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

Lakeshore Friends,

Good grief, Charlie Brown!

Those words instantly take me back to my childhood, flipping through the Sunday comic pages in my parent’s living room to find my favorite comic strip, Peanuts — Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the whole gang. I always knew “good grief” was just an expression, but it always seemed odd to me because we usually don’t think of grief as being good.

When we face deep sorrow—losing a loved one, a job, our health, or enduring a traumatic event—grief can feel overwhelming, like a shadow we can’t escape. Some people get stuck there, unable to move forward.

This Sunday, we’ll turn to 1 Peter 1:3-9 and discover how God shines His light into the darkest places, offering us hope and joy even in our grief. I hope you’ll join us as we continue our Press On series and explore how God can give us great joy in the midst of our grief.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Frank

Hey Lakeshore!

For the past few weeks, we have been talking about how to Press On. Step by step on the things to do to get through the difficult times in our lives.
But it got me wondering…what’s the point? What I mean is, what’s behind it all? Why should we bother pressing on?

I know there have been so many times in my own life when I needed to push through, or going for a goal, only to give up along the way because I lost sight of the purpose in the first place. I start to wonder “Is this worth it?” or “What am I doing?”

This Sunday, I want to take a little different spin on the topic of Pressing On and want to talk about what I’ve learned about the True Reason We Press On. I think it will be helpful for all of us. Can’t wait to see you Sunday!

Pastor Brian P.

Lakeshore Friends—

As I sit in my office writing this note, all the snow that covered the ground for the last two months is rapidly melting away. The green grass that has been hidden for so long is finally being revealed again. I can’t help but see this as a picture of the difficulty and struggles that each of us goes through. The harshness of winter—the cold, the ice, the barrenness — they can feel unrelenting, much like the trials and burdens we carry in our lives.

But as the warmer temperatures soften the frozen ground and the snow begins to give way, a new season emerges. In the same way, the long seasons of struggles, trials, and difficulties we face are not permanent. If we lean into God and press on, He will give us the perspective, strength and hope we need to melt away the snow and ice that so easily discourages our souls.

I want to invite you to come to church this Sunday as we continue in our series, Press On. This week we will be looking at select verses from Galatians chapters 5 and 6 to learn how to keep the good things that God prepared for us to do, without becoming tired, discouraged, weary, or burned out. I hope through this message you will find encouragement and a renewed sense of purpose for which God created you.

Make a great day!
Pastor Frank

Lakeshore Friends—

This Sunday is the Super Bowl and the numbers surrounding this game are staggering. Consider that:

» 125 million people will watch the game in the United States, making it the most watched broadcast event in history.
» 63 million people will watch the game outside the United States.
» 1.47 billion chicken wings will be consumed on Sunday.
» 12.5 million pizzas will be consumed on Sunday.
» The host city of New Orleans will take in $1 billion dollars of tourist revenue.

It’s amazing how this day has become one of the biggest days of the year. While I don’t mind any of this, I wonder if 125 million people went to church last Christmas or Easter? My guess is that they didn’t attend anywhere near that level. It speaks to where people’s values lie today. Worship has moved away from the Creator to the activities of His created. So how do we respond?

Rather than curse the darkness and complain about it, God would call us to shine the light of His love and leverage it. Afterall, we are “the light of the world” and are called to “let our lights shine before others” (Matthew 5:14-16). How do we do that? We leverage the big game by speaking the language of the culture. Sports is the language of the culture, and football has no equal in America.

That’s why we’re holding another Football Sunday event at Lakeshore this Sunday. It’s a popular event because everyone understands the language it speaks.

We have a great Sunday planned for you, from the service in the auditorium (and in your kid’s classrooms), to the atrium which is being transformed into a tailgate party with free food and drinks. We do all of this for you, but also for you to be able to more easily invite your family and friends to join you on Sunday.

So I hope you’ll be there to take in this event with a football jersey on and some friends to enjoy the experience with you at Lakeshore.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Let me begin this week’s post with the reminder that while I am a New Orleans Saints fan, I was pulling for the Buffalo Bills to go to the Super Bowl this year. I’ve said that the past two Sundays at church and I meant it. Let me also say that they played a good game last Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs and I am sad that they lost. I really am. I really like QB Josh Allen and Head Coach Sean McDermott. But they lost.

With that said, the Bills the past few years are like money in a lot of ways. How so? They tend to promise so much for a while but only end up disappointing us in the end.

Let me explain.

All year long, the Bills were playing great football. They had a great record, Josh Allen is a Most Valuable Player finalist (yeah, I do hope he wins it this year), and they beat the Chiefs earlier in the season, one of only two losses KC had all year. But in the end, when it really mattered and “the money was on the line,” they fell short of going to the Super Bowl.

So much promise, but so little delivered in the end.

Money is a lot like that. It always promises so much: status, comfort, vacations galore, happiness, security, success, and the like. But in the end, it can’t deliver on these promises. Money was never designed by God to be able to do that. If you doubt that, think about the last five things you bought that you thought were so great a few months ago. I can almost guarantee that they don’t bring you the same level of satisfaction that you thought they would. In fact, you may even wish you never even bought some of them in the first place.

It’s only in the Person who owns it all, the Person who gives us the ability to create wealth, and the Person who satisfies us in places nothing or no one else can, that we’ll find a promise that can be fulfilled. In fact, unlike money and possessions, He will actually satisfy us more than we ever thought possible with the passage of time!

So let’s remember that money has its place, it’s just not something that can promise to meet our deepest needs. Only a Person named Jesus Christ can fulfill that promise. So let’s look to Him to meet our needs, starting with the spiritual.

And for the Bills fans reading this, there’s always next year!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Have you ever watched someone do something and after seeing it say, “If I were him, this is what I would do…” Maybe you were presented with a hypothetical scenario and you responded with something like, “I would do this or that or the other” with absolute certainty. Or, perhaps, it could be that you heard about something that someone did wrong and you thought, “I’d never do that!”

It’s really easy to say what we would do in any given situation when we aren’t actually faced with it in real time and in very real circumstances. The truth is that sometimes we idealize ourselves in ways that don’t actually align with what we say and do. We can easily think that we are above the powerful “pull” of making bad choices. I know this is true for many reasons, but the one story that always sticks with me as prime evidence is Peter’s response to Jesus in Matthew 16.

Just after Peter made the profound declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), he made a “this is what I would do” declaration that revealed his idealized view of himself. In response to Jesus saying that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die (a reference to his crucifixion), Peter said, “I won’t let that happen. It will never happen as long as I’m around.” (Matthew 16:22). Jesus rebuked him strongly. And of course, as Jesus predicted would happen, Luke 22:54-62 tells us Peter disowned Jesus three times.

It’s so easy sometimes to say what we would do and yet so hard to actually do what we think we will.

The better thing to do is to humbly say that, by the grace of God, we would hopefully do the right thing (see James 4:13-16). Afterall, God knows our heart and it is only by Him and His grace that we can make good choices in hypothetical or future situations that we may face.

When it comes to money, this same challenge of what we would do with more of it always crops up. The good news is that God tells us how to be prepared in advance in the parable of the Shrewd Manager.

Let’s all do our best to be careful about what we say we would do by focusing in on what we are presently doing. Because what we are doing is the best indicator of what we will do.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

The multiple and separate fires that are taking place in Los Angeles are having a devastating affect on many homes and many lives. Entire neighborhoods are being devastated by it all.

Can you imagine if that happened to you?

I’ve heard lots of reactions from many people. How should we respond to this all? Here are a few thoughts that I have.

1. When other people are hurting, it’s an opportunity for us to show compassion. Rather than make judgmental comments about the government in California or Hollywood, let’s offer up prayers for the people who have lost so much.

2. Loss ultimately reminds us to appreciate what we currently have. In a culture where only “more” satisfies us (and by self-definition, it never will satisfy us because only “more” will), it takes intentionality to appreciate all that we have right now. Take time to thank God for all you have right now.

3. This incident reminds us that material things are never guaranteed to be ours forever. They will come and go, and we have limited control on “if” or “when” they will. So let’s be sure to accumulate the true wealth that Jesus talked about in Matthew 6:19-24.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Life is filled with choices. 

From the moment we wake up, we are faced with literally thousands of choices as the day progresses.  Some are trivial and related to what we’ll wear, eat, and the like.  Some are more important and involve choices on how much money we’ll spend, where we will invest our time, and what we will apply our energies to.  But there is one choice that we must make every day that is more important than any other choice.  What is it?

Choosing who we will serve.

Some people reflexively respond that they are Christians and that they have already made the choice to serve God.  In a certain sense, they have a point.  In reality however, the decision to serve the Lord must be made every day— actually, every moment of every day— not just at some point in time in the past when they become a Christian.  The reason is simple: at any given moment we can easily choose to serve someone other than the Lord and that someone is usually ourselves.  It may be that we choose to serve our selfish desires, or our creature comforts, or our personal conveniences over serving the Lord, but whatever it is, choosing anything over the Lord at any given moment has consequences. 

At first, the consequences may be hard to notice.  Over time though, these choices will become detrimental.  Given enough severity, these choices could be really destructive.

That’s why Joshua says in Joshua 24:14, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”

Are you making the right choices these days?  Is the Lord your first choice more often than anything else?  Have you ever made the choice to make Jesus the Lord of your life by putting your faith in Him alone for eternal life?

The greatness of your life depends on it.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Happy New Year to you all! With the new year, it’s really common for people to do two things:

First, we assess the past year. Like a highlight video, we recall things that happened in 2024, both good and bad, and learn lessons from both. The other thing we tend to do is get ambitious with new goals for the new year. We dream about how things could be over what things are like right now. It could be related to our relationships, family life, finances, physical fitness, spiritual growth, or walk with God. We long for things to be better in the year ahead.

In a phrase, we yearn to “take new territory” in some areas of our life where we really want to see progress.

That’s what we began talking about last Sunday in our new series, “Taking New Territory.” Based on Numbers 13-14, we looked at God’s offer to give Israel His beautiful and prosperous promised land. Most of the people were too afraid to enter into this land, while Joshua and Caleb were too excited to not enter it. From this contrast, we looked at four things successful people do that unsuccessful people don’t, can’t, or won’t do. If you missed it, watch it here.

We’ll continue this series on Sunday because we want to help you take new territory in your life this year. Do you want to see that happen in your life? If so, join us on Sunday and get your new year started on the right foot.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

What have we done with Jesus at Christmas?

When we look around, we rarely see Him anywhere. Most home decorations don’t include Him, but they do include other characters like Santa, reindeer, the Grinch, and snowmen. Lots of conversations exclude Him, but we hear a lot about having a happy holiday instead of Merry Christmas. News shows talk a lot about shopping and sales numbers, but not much about the real reason for the season (which isn’t really about money). I could go on and on, but I think you would agree that Jesus has been lost in all the activity. God’s Son has been pushed aside for cheap substitutes.

As I said on Sunday, if one of those mysterious drones flying around our airspace was to land on earth and some intelligent life walked out of it and tried to figure out what all they observed was all about, it’s unlikely they would conclude that it was all a reflection and celebration of the birth of the God who became man, Jesus Christ. There’s just so little around us to indicate what Christmas is truly all about.

That’s where we come into play. God calls us to “be Jesus” to the people we engage with. We can help them see Him, and the Christmas season is one of the best times to do it.

I hope you’ll help others see Jesus through how you live and what you share with them. One of the opportunities you have available right now is to invite friends and family to church on Sunday and Christmas Eve. People need Him and we can help them see the Jesus that so few people really think much about.

What will you do with Jesus at Christmas?

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

We’re in the Christmas season.  Lights are all around us, parties are being planned, gifts are being purchased, and despite all the activities surrounding Christmas, so little of it is actually focused on what Christmas actually is or really means.  I wish it weren’t true, but it is.

Many people know some of the basic facts surrounding Christmas, even if for some it's a limited knowledge at best.  We know that it was the day that Jesus was born, that He was laid in a manger because there was no other place for Him to lay, it was in the winter, and Mary and Joseph were His parents.  What many don’t know or fail to appreciate about Christmas is a deeper understanding of this incredible, history-changing event and all that was involved with it. 

What a mystery that Jesus would leave heaven and come to earth in the miraculous and unusual way that He did! 

In this new series, The Mystery of Christmas, we'll explore some of the more incredibly mysterious and fascinating aspects of Christ’s arrival at Christmas, including the mystery of how God became a man, the mystery of what He has done and will do in the future, and the mystery of His choice of time in coming to earth over 2,000 years ago during the winter of 5/4 B.C. 

"What a mystery that Jesus would leave heaven and come to earth..."

Our goal is to help everyone go beyond a casual appreciation of Christmas so we can help you enjoy the birth of Jesus in a deeper and more significant way.

This is a great time to invite friends and family to join you!  I hope you’ll invite as many people as you can; don't underestimate what God can do through a simple invitation this Christmas.

Warmly,
Vince

Hey Lakeshore!

Nate here.

So much is happening as we gear up for the holiday season, and I could not be more excited about it! I’m so excited to experience my first Christmas with my new church family at Lakeshore. I’m praying that this holiday season we would not be lulled into complacency by the same traditions, the busyness, or by anything that is not worthy of our attention. Rather, I pray that we’re put in awe of God in a new way as we celebrate the glory that is the birth of His Son, our Savior. Psalm 119:37 says “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” This Christmas season, I pray we would not be distracted by the worthless, but rather be enamored by the worthiness of Jesus!

Alongside the holidays, we’re deep into our Making Waves 2025 campaign and our Sunday series, Caring Like Jesus. It’s amazing to see God at work through initiatives like last week’s outreach to Greece Central families, this weekend’s Feed My Starving Children MobilePack, and more projects coming up this year and next. These efforts are making a real, eternal impact!

Of course, we serve because God has commanded us to, and because there is a great need right in our city. Did you know that only 10% of the Rochester area is plugged into a Bible believing church? This statistic is heartbreaking to me. The need is great, and we—not someone else—are God’s “plan A” to reach the lost people around us. That’s why ministries like Flower City Work Camp are so important.

"The need is great, and we—not someone else—are God's plan A to reach the lost people around us."

Some of our students will be serving with the project, which is also powered by Making Waves 2025. It’s happening in the spring, from April 14-18, but we need adult leaders to join us, too! Whether it’s helping with house projects, VBS, or sports camps, your time can make a difference for Jesus, right here in Rochester. If you’re interested in how you can get involved, please reach out or sign up here!

I know that together, eternal impact is within our reach. I’m blessed by you, Lakeshore, and I’m excited to see all that God is going to do in this next season!

Pastor Nate

Lakeshore Friends—

I just wanted to send out a note to say thank you for your part in Lakeshore.  Like Paul began some of his letters in the New Testament, I echo his sentiment of “thanking God for you." 

It is an absolute joy to be the pastor of so many amazing people who really want to know Jesus, hunger to grow in Him, and then show Him to others.  I’m extremely thankful to God for you.  Better, I give thanks to God for all of you.

May you have a fantastic Thanksgiving Day, one where you give thanks to God for all the amazing things he has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

People all over the world are sick, hurting, and hungry.  Often, it is outside of their control to change their plight and they need someone to help them and care for them if they are to make it. 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ was someone who cared for the sick, the hurting, and the hungry with perfect compassion and authentic concern.  Today, people are looking for this kind of care at really high levels.  Along with that, they're looking for hope, a hope that won’t fade over time.  Wouldn’t it be great if they could find it from Jesus?

They can.

God has called the church to be His tangible hands and feet to care for others the way His Son Jesus did.  If we do, we can help people see God’s love in Jesus and trust Him through the means of our care for their physical, temporal needs.  Over the next three Sundays, we'll look at three accounts of Jesus showing His care for others and learn how we can do the same when others need it.  Most importantly, we can help them find faith and eternal life through it all.

If you want to learn how to care for people even more like Jesus does, these weeks will help.  And if you know people who want to care for people even more than they do, invite them to join you.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

The election is behind us.  With all the tension and crazy things being said this election season by so many people on all sides, I for one am glad it’s over.  I bet you are too.

We will have a new president, a new balance of power in the senate, and some changes in the house of representatives.  About 52 percent of the country is happy about the outcome and about 48% is not.  It’s virtually the same every four years, though the people in each group can change with each cycle.  There will be changes in our nation in the years ahead, and we hope it will be the kind of good change that helps our nation operate with moral clarity, innocent life protections, religious freedom maintained, and leaders who depend deeply on God.  We don’t know if that will be the case, only time will tell.

I was reminded in my quiet time this morning in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that we are called to pray for those in authority over us.  It doesn’t matter what you think of those who won and will be over us, we must pray for them anyway.  After all, Paul said this while the government of his day, the Roman Empire, was persecuting Christians and blaming believers for things that they actually didn’t do, all to punish them and distract the people from their problems (they even started destructive fires on purpose so that they could blame Christians and justify persecuting them).  So I’m pretty sure that means we must pray for our leaders whether they have a “D”, “R” or any other letter after their name that we like or don’t like.   

But one thing never changes from election to election, from administration to administration, from righteous to unrighteous government: God is still on the throne!

No matter the election results, or the perceived political implications of those who won (be they good or bad), God is in charge!  All political leaders are His servants (Romans 13:1-7) and they do what He leads them to do (if it’s good) or allows them to do (if it’s bad).  God is always in control of what happens in our country and in the world.  Proverbs 21:1 says that the heart of the king is in the Lord’s hands and He guides it how He pleases.  John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, famously said, “The duty is ours, the results are God’s.”  That is so true and so comforting to me.  I hope it comforts you.  We can’t ever lose sight of this amazing truth.

And remember that if you’re a Christian, Jesus informed us that God’s kingdom is not from this world.  That always holds true.  It’s only when He returns to earth one day very soon that every wrong will be made right and we will live in a righteous world.  That’s our ultimate hope… at least it should be.  The kingdom of God will not arrive on Air Force One.

I hope to see you on Thursday for Midweek Bible Study and for Sunday services.  Both topics are going to be great ones to help you grow and be reminded that God is still on the throne!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Each year, the month of October is designated as Pastor Appreciation Month.  While it’s not a popular or well known month, it is a chance for people in the church to express their love for their pastors.  With October coming to a close, on behalf of all five of us Pastors, I want to say thank you for your cards, gifts and kind words for us this past month.  It’s been a blessing to receive such encouragement from you.  The truth is that you do this year round so consistently and practically.  Every Sunday, I leave church encouraged by the things you do for God and for others.  I’m also encouraged by the way you long to grow in your faith by attending and growing with a hungry heart for God and the Bible.  To my way of thinking, that’s your greatest gift of appreciation to me.

For all of this, I say thank you, Lakeshore!

My hope is that you feel encouraged by being at church each week.  That’s one of the goals of the church (Hebrews 10:23-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:11) and one of our many objectives each Sunday, even when the topics are also challenging on any given Sunday.

Isn’t encouragement so good to experience in our own lives and to extend to others as well?  This is why I’m excited about what we’ll learn together in our current series, “Defeating Discouragement.”  By looking at the Psalms, we’ll find the encouragement we need for this hard and sometimes discouraging life.  And you seem to be excited as well based on our attendance last Sunday and the things being said.

Let’s keep encouraging each other!  And let’s invite more people to join us so they can find the encouragement that God offers through His church.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Many years ago, I heard a quote from a great Christian Pastor of yester-year and it so moved me that I remembered it all these years later.  The man was A.W. Tozer and he said this: Preach to the brokenhearted and you’ll never lack for an audience. How true that is, especially today!

Everyone knows what it feels like to be discouraged.  People walk around with a heavy load of discouragement on their shoulders and wonder what to do about it.  So what do you do when you’re discouraged?  When you’re feeling discouraged by others?  Or discouraged by your own failings?  Or even disappointed with God? 

For the next four weeks, I want to “preach to the brokenhearted” with encouraging words in a new four week series, “Defeating Discouragement.”  In this series, we will survey select Psalms in the Old Testament to find answers to provide deep encouragement in our times of personal discouragement. 

Need some encouragement?  Know anyone who does?  Be sure to be here with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to find practical principles to overcome discouragement from the Psalmists who will show us how it worked for them in the Psalms.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

What do you think about when I mention an event in the Bible called the Rapture of the church?  Based on my many years of experience, many people either don’t know about it or know so little about it that they lack any sense of appreciation for what it is.  And that includes so many Christians.

I think many people know more about Taylor Swift’s current concert schedule than God’s end-time prophetic schedule, which begins with the Rapture of the church.

How could it be that this incredible event—this absolutely world transforming event—is treated with such indifference?  I think there are many reasons:

1. Many churches don’t believe in it.  They have some vague concept that Jesus may come back and leave it at that.  The Rapture is too detailed and controversial to them.

2. Many churches are more focused on social justice issues and trying to change the planet.  In their efforts to focus on these temporal issues, they fail to realize that the only change that will make a difference is when individual lives are changed by Jesus.

3. Many Christians don’t know much about it.  In fact, they know so little about God’s plan for the future and that is sad because one-fourth of the Bible is spent on detailing the future.

4. Many people are living for this life and don’t concern themselves with the afterlife.  What makes this so sad is that compared to this life, the afterlife is infinitely longer.

Despite these facts, we’re out to change this by teaching you all about the Rapture of the church on Sunday.  It’s so important that it's called the "blessed hope" in Titus 2:14.  It is the event that is so consequential that it will rescue every true Christian from the seven-year tribulation period that ends the world as we know it, and will leave behind everyone who is not a Christian to try and endure this time of great trouble.  Those left behind after the Rapture of the church will endure a time of trouble that is so severe that an entire book of the Bible (Revelation) is dedicated to explaining it in painstaking detail.

How could this incredible event be seen with such indifference?

I hope you’ll be here on Sunday.  I hope you’ll invite as many people as are open to it to join you.  I’ll break it down in an easy-to-understand way and answer all of the big questions that you have about it.

Warmly,
Vince

Hey Lakeshore—

Times have been tough for so many people in so many ways, to say the least.  As I am writing this, Hurricane Milton is making landfall in Florida.  My heart goes out to all the families who are facing this storm and myself and everyone here at Lakeshore are praying for God’s hand of protection upon them.   The same holds true for the people who are trying to put things back together in the wake of Hurricane Helene.  It’s hard to make sense of all this at times, but there is solace in knowing that God is not absent in times like these.  He is very present. 

It’s times like these we must remember what the Psalmist wrote in chapter 46:

“God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.

 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

But events like these always tend to leave us asking “why?  why God?” 

This Sunday, I'm going to do my best to share that why from Scripture.  We've been in a series called “What in the World is Happening?” and this week, we are raising that very question… What is Happening in the World?  I hope to see you then.

In Him,
Pastor Brian

Lakeshore Friends—

Hurricane Helene ripped through our country quickly last week and left a path of devastation.  Everyday people like us who were just living each day normally two weeks ago are now at a very different place.  As of Wednesday, 170 people have died and the number is likely to rise since hundreds are still missing.  Towns and homes are devastated and the relief efforts will take time.  Rebuilding will take years.  But for many, lives have been lost with little notice.

I can’t imagine what this must be like for people affected by it.  Let’s pray for the people impacted.  Pray right now so you don’t let it slip your mind.

It all reminds me that every day is precious and life is fragile.  We never know when or how we’ll spend our last day on earth.  It’s especially true when we consider the future.  What will God do in the days ahead in America?  It will involve more than just wondering who will win the presidential election in less than 5 weeks.  Do you ever wonder what God says about our future?  Things can turn bad really quickly in our nation and I am really concerned that we are on the fast track there right now.

So what should we do?  Here are a few things:

1. Seek and find faith in Jesus if you are not yet a Christian.  If you miss this, one day you will seriously regret it forever.

2. Make sure you are walking with God.  Are you reading the Bible on your own?  Living a holy life?  Caring for others like Jesus did?

3. Get ready for the future that God outlines in the Bible for the end of all things as we now know them.  In the words of Jesus be ready because you do not know when He will return.

I hope this new Sunday teaching series will help with the last one, because life is fragile and short.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

What in the world is happening today?

Everywhere you turn, you hear more bad news taking place locally, nationally, and globally. And on top of all of this, there are threats of more bad news on the time horizon. It would be hard for anyone with a straight face to say things are getting better these days. In fact, about two thirds of Americans think they are getting worse. I wonder why the other one third doesn't think the same. 

Well, to answer my original question, the world is going exactly where God is leading it to go. Before you ask why God is letting the world get worse, ask yourself the question, "Why are we as a people forsaking God and His words of life and wisdom?"  Answer that last question and you'll have the answer to the why question. 

God has a clear plan for the future that He shares with us in the Bible, and that will be my subject for the next four weeks as we begin a new series called, "What in the World is Happening?"  We'll look at four interesting topics that are important for us to understand if we want to grasp what God is doing today.

I can't think of a better topic that will scratch where curious people are itching today. People want to know what's happening and where things are going. If you have friends like this, please invite them to join you for church this Sunday. I promise we'll do our very best to clearly and compellingly explain God's plan for all that is going on. 

Send a text, make a call, pay a visit, and do whatever it takes to invite people to Lakeshore. It will help them. 

I look forward to seeing you and them on Sunday. 

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

Hey Lakeshore,

The autumn twilight is coming earlier, the nights are cooler, days are still warm, and the leaves are starting to turn and fall.  One of my favorite things about this time of year is the distinct smell that autumn always brings.  It sends me back to autumns long ago and some of the things I most enjoyed. 

The weekends of my youth before high school were spent in the rolling hills of Nunda, NY where my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived.  There were times afield in the beauty and ever-changing moods of fall.  There was fresh apple cider, Sunday afternoon football, and the start of school and all the other things that kicked off during the early days of September.

One of the things I remember so distinctly was our weekly attendance at the small country church.  The autumn mornings were perfect for walking to church, not too hot and not too cold, and beautiful in their splendor and aroma.  The average church attendance was between 12 and 25 people per week.  That church didn’t have a Small Groups ministry— it was a small group ministry. 

I knew everyone there.  I can’t remember their names, but they taught me lessons of faith I will never forget.  They instilled in me a love and a longing for those Small Groups of people who gather to discuss the Bible, faith, care, community, and biblically driven life-change.  That small church had a big impact on establishing my faith in Christ.

It might be one of the reasons I’m so passionate about the Small Group ministry here at Lakeshore.  Disciples are formed in the forges of Small Groups.  Faith is grounded and established in Small Groups. Biblical truth becomes practical in Small Groups.  All the risks that come with being part of a Small Group couldn’t possibly outpace the rewards of being in a Small Group.

That’s a part of my faith story.  It’s also what we'll be talking about this Sunday as we finish this two week series, Why You Need a Small Group.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Brian R.

Lakeshore Friends—

It’s so important that we have the right relationships in our lives, isn’t it?  Relationships with people that care for us deeply, and with whom we care for as well.  People who will help us and who we can help.  People who help us become better followers of Jesus and who we help do the same.  These are the people who we can “do” life with, who we can hang together with, and just have fun with too!  They are the kinds of friends that Proverbs 18:24 says stick with us closer than a brother or sister does.

We all want those kinds of friends.  We all need those kinds of friends.  And yet, we all wish we had more of those kinds of friends.  Some of us wish we had just one of those friends.

Where do you find friends like that?  I can tell you from experience it’s not easy.  Friends like this are hard to find.  And once you find friends that might be candidates, it takes time to arrive at a place like what I just described above.  After all, you can’t get close or deep with a person without time.  While there are many circumstances that lead us to establish great friendships, the Bible identifies one of the most powerful ways to make this happen.

Small groups.

They offer us three important ways to grow together and three important benefits that will come from them.  And in time (and it will take time), they can help us find some of the best friendships we’ll ever find.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll talk about why you need a Small Group and how you can plug in to one as they kick off this fall.

Who knows? It could be one of the best things you could do to make friends and have relationships with others who you grow to love.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

This Sunday, we'll be wrapping up our summer series “By Faith” from Hebrews 11.  We’ve looked at many characters who have lived by faith in this great chapter— 19 people or people groups are specifically identified in this chapter.  Many others are also alluded to.  All of them were clearly and definitively people who had true faith!

As I was thinking about my series-concluding message on Sunday, it led to me to raise this important question: how do you know when your faith (or someone else’s faith) is real?  How do you know when it is the kind of faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6), the kind of faith that has put you into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3), and the kind of faith that will save you from eternal torment, ushering you into heaven on the day you die (Ephesians 2:8-9)?

This is not a theoretical question.  We know that there will be people who die thinking that they do have real faith only to tragically find out that the opposite is true (Matthew 7:21-23, 1 John 2:19).  Those are people who thought they had true faith but they really didn’t.  So it’s an important question to answer.

"How do you know when your faith is real? ... it's an important question to answer."

I think the answer is fundamentally found in this truth: true faith will always endure the hard times.  No matter how hard life gets, true faith will carry us through. 

That doesn’t mean we don’t struggle, or doubt, or even at times fail when hard times come.  Anyone who lives outside a cave should know this.  But what it does mean is that they survive and even thrive through their trials in such a way that they still trust God to be great, good, and loving when it has finished.  Their faith gets stronger over time, even if it is not always a linear, “every day is better than yesterday” growing faith.  Nonetheless, their faith does not die when trials come but instead develops and grows (see James 1:2-8, 1 Peter 1:6-9).  They still love God even when circumstances tempt us to think God may not love us.

So if you want to know if your faith is real, ask yourself these questions:

Do I still trust God when life gets hard?

Do I still live for God when things are crazy?

Do I still serve God when it is hard?

Do I love Jesus more now than I did last year?  Three years ago?  Ten years ago?

I hope you have a faith that is real and authentic.  And if that’s not you right now, I hope it will be soon.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

As summer quickly comes to an end and our minds turn to the fall, many of us begin to anticipate the kids going back to school.  There is back to school shopping for new clothes, sneakers, backpacks, lunch bags, and school supplies.  We put a lot of time, energy, and money into preparing our kids to be successful in the classroom.  But have you ever thought about the fall as a time to come back to church and prepare yourself to be spiritually healthy?

This fall, Lakeshore has multiple ways for you and your family to grow spiritually healthy.  In September, Small Groups kick off again for adults looking for community, care, and life change.  Lakeshore Students spins up on Sunday mornings with an in-depth Bible study for students and Wednesday evening gatherings.  September is also a great time to check out what serving opportunities exist at Ready To Serve, learn about the direction Lakeshore is moving in at Vision Night, or dive deeper through a Discover Class to become a member or learn about your purpose in life, among others.

If it’s been a while since you attended church, then let’s make September "back to church" month.  I hope you'll join us as we all seek to grow spiritually healthy this fall. 

Make a great day!
Pastor Frank

Lakeshore Friends—

Life is not easy.  In fact, it’s pretty difficult at times to live with faith, hope, and love when all around us are signs of fear, despair, and hatred.  The news is often filled with so much depressing information that it just seems like things will never get all that much better.

For 2,000 years Christians have felt this way.  From persecutions and martyrdom in the first three hundred years since the time of Jesus, to the torturous treatment of so many Christians around the world today, living for Jesus Christ usually costs us something.  We’re seeing it in increasing measure in our country today.  It’s happening with people who are simply praying in front of an abortion clinic, or who believe in the traditional biblical view of the family and publicly say so, or who just want the right to talk about their faith and views in school or at work.  For simply being open about their beliefs in a peaceful way, some are being arrested, having their homes raided, or even being fired from their jobs and the like.  All while it seems like violent activity goes unpunished.

That leaves us with a decision.  Will we press on in our faith?  And if so, how do we press on?

The answer is we should press on and we can do it when we think about one important thing: the promised land, God’s promised land.  We know it as heaven, when we spend eternity with God.  When we think about the rewards awaiting every faithful Christian in heaven, we have the courage to live out our faith on earth.  As the classic country song by Jim Reeves in 1962 puts it, “The world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.”

What problems are you facing?  What unfair treatment are you experiencing?  What mistreatment are you experiencing because you’re a Christian?  Remember that this world is not our final home.  Heaven is.  So stay fixed on your future residence there until God fulfills His promise to us to take us there very soon.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

We've spent the past five weeks working on the final phase of major church-wide technology and production upgrades.  After completing the LED wall and stage lights in 2022, this summer we have worked on the final phases of our upgrades.  They include a new sound system for the Auditorium, new energy-efficient LED house lights, a new video camera system that will help us better capture services for online experiences and future viewing excellence, and soon, new viewing technology to customize what is presented on each of our over 30 TV monitors throughout the building.  All of this will help us catch up to today’s tech standards.

This will help us in a number of ways:

1. Our Auditorium sound will be improved.  The sound will be more uniform throughout the room and be more soothing to listen to.  We have really needed this.  It will take time for us to perfect our use of it all, but you’ll notice improvements immediately.

2. Our Auditorium experience will be more creative.  We can now create moods and experiences with our house lighting for various moments and elements in the services held there.  Good Friday? Christmas Eve?  Easter?  We can create moods that help us appreciate Christ’s sacrifice, His birth, His resurrection, and so much more.

3. Our Auditorium seating is much more accessible.  You’ll see that we have reconfigured the seating locations so that there is easier access to all seats with the use of shortened rows of seats and more aisles, thanks to the increased floor space we now have. By the way, we also have seats in the back of the Auditorium that are reserved exclusively for families with young kids, giving them a dedicated area near the exit in case they need to make a quick retreat. Of course, we always encourage families to engage their kids in Lakeshore Kids classes, where the team, led by Jill Freese, do an amazing job helping them learn about God, the Bible and His love for them.

4. Our Atrium and classroom experience will improve.  This will happen over the next few weeks as we upgrade the Atrium sound and service broadcast quality.  Stay tuned!

The big question, though, is why? Let me share why we are and are not doing this.

We are not doing it to be the most trendy, tech-forward church in Rochester.  Who cares about that?!  With that said, the technology in our twenty-year-old Auditorium was increasingly growing more outdated and breaking down.  This was the natural next step for us to take for the long run.

We are doing it because technology and production quality is an important means to some eternally important ends.  Technology is the means of effectively sharing the gospel and the Bible, but the end is helping people more effectively discover and develop a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  That’s eternal.  That’s our goal.  That’s what counts.  Old tech is a distraction from the message of the gospel.  New tech enhances the delivery of the gospel. 

So I hope you’ll recognize why this expensive and time-consuming (but necessary) project has been so important. 

Thank you for all your patience during this process.  Thank you for your generosity to help us stay near our General Budget goal so that this project was made possible.  And thank you for seeing this work as a means to help people and not an end in and of itself. 

By sometime in September, we should have all the work completed.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

As we learn more about faith in our series in Hebrews 11, we’re learning how to express it in practical ways.  One the most important is to express our faith through our love.  In Galatians 5:6b the apostle Paul wrote, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.”  A strong faith will find ways to demonstrate bold love.

That’s what LOVE WEEK is all about.  In just a little over a week, we’ll begin showing our community the love of Jesus through our faith put into action.  After all, faith without works is dead.

I think it’s really important to understand what we are and are not doing this for.  We are not just doing this to do nice things for nice people so that they will think that we are…. well, nice.  We are doing all of this so that people will think that Jesus Christ is amazing.  So that they see how he would inspire total strangers to do things for others with no expectations for something in return.  So that they see what God’s love looks like.  And ultimately, so that they might consider the gospel and find their own faith in Jesus (or if they are already Christians, be strengthened in their faith in Him).

Every day that passes in my life creates an increased sense of urgency that the gospel must be the ultimate focus of all I do.  I ask myself more often these days how I can try to share my life with others so that a door for the gospel might be opened, like Paul explained in Colossians 4:2-6.

It’s not too late to join a LOVE WEEK project.  Most importantly, it’s never too late to show your faith in the way you love people, and to do so with a heart for people to hear the gospel from us and become Christians.

Our world desperately needs it.

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

I’m sure you’ve heard about the opening ceremony of the Olympics and what was a blatant mockery of Christianity in general and Jesus’ last supper in particular.  I really appreciated what Pastor Frank had to say about it during his message last Sunday.  It’s sad that this always happens to Christianity and Christians, but never to other religious leaders or their belief systems.  Ever notice that?  Can you imagine if they had done this to Islam, Hinduism, or some other world religion? 

Neither can I. 

The reason for the open mockery of Christianity and not other religions by the world should be obvious— Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and many people simply reject it (and reject Him) for it.  So they do all they can to attack our faith to fight against it.  It’s a sad reaction to a Savior who bled and died for their sins out of love.

So what’s the answer?  We have to live “by faith!”  We have to live for God knowing that there really is a great reward ahead for all those who trust Him and live for Him “by faith.”

That’s why I believe that this summer series is so important for all of us to go through and learn from.  We need to live “by faith” and Hebrews 11 is God’s hall of fame list of heroes who have done just that.  I believe that God led us to teach this at a time like this for a reason.  We need models to help us live for Him “by faith,” even when we are opposed by people who don’t like our God and, as a result, don’t like us.  Who knows, it may be that it could lead to some of these people embracing Jesus “by faith?"

I hope you’ll be here Sunday as I return to continue this series.  I heard about someone who told me that he struggles with his faith and wanted to be here each week to learn more about faith and becoming a Christian.  He’s been here every week.  I hope you will share that same hunger to grow “by faith” as well.

Warmly,
Vince

Hey Lakeshore—

Now that we have a better understanding of what it's like to live in “tornado alley,” we can go back again to summering hard.  I don’t know about you, but the winds near our home on Monday and Tuesday were ferocious.  I was amazed as I watched wind drive the rain in sheets across the front lawn.  At one point I remember looking for the funnel cloud because there was a rotation to the wind that I had never seen before.  It was lashing the trees and knocking down branches.  It was mesmerizing to watch.

Obviously, I was not paying any attention to the warnings going off on my phone, or on the news.  I kept watching to make sure everything was OK.  Although if all of a sudden something wasn’t OK, I’m not sure what I would have done.  Going to the basement didn’t occur to me.  I’ve never had to do that.  I’ve never seen a storm like this before.

The Bible gives us warnings about things to come, things we haven’t seen before.  What do we do with those warnings?  Do we ignore them like the high wind warnings we had this past week?  Do we just hope for the best?  Maybe we can put confidence in our own abilities to deal with the situation?  All have been tried before. 

But what do we do when God warns us?  This Sunday, we'll look at how one of the heroes in “Faith’s Hall of Fame” (Hebrews 11) responded to the warning of God and changed human history.

See you Sunday!

Love and blessings,
Pastor Brian

Hey Lakeshore—

We are in full swing of the summer season here at Lakeshore!  With the start of our By Faith series, celebrating 5 student baptisms this week, and LOVE WEEK on the horizon, there is no better time to be part of what God is doing here!

We've also officially begun our final phase of technology and production updates in the auditorium and throughout the campus.  You’ve been hearing for a few weeks now that things are going to look a bit different.  This is the first week of that reality and we just ask for a little extra grace and patience as we do our best to navigate some temporary set-ups.  Of course, this is all to minister better to everyone and for the future generations.

I hope to see you this Sunday as we continue diving into Hebrews 11, looking at the next 'Hall of Faith-er,' Enoch.  It’s a fascinating story and super practical for our everyday!

See you then.

Pastor Brian

The problem is that sometimes we can forget what’s important or (almost as bad) we can simply lose sight of how significant something that happened a while ago is because of the passage of time.  We forget anniversaries, birthdays, friends, and the like.  We can also forget or lose sight of the most important thing— namely, how amazing it is that God would save us by simply putting our faith in Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.  How amazing it felt to be forgiven by Him, free in Him, and filled with joy, meaning, and purpose in life, even when it gets hard.

God knew that so he calls us to a special event designed to help us continually remember Him, and we know it as communion.

I hope you’ll be here for a special service where we will better understand communion and then allow everyone who is a Christian to take communion at the end of our services.  I am trusting God that this will be an important and impactful service.  But to get the most out of it, you’ll need to be here.  I hope you will.  I also hope to see you on Saturday for our Church-Wide Prayer event at 9:30 am!

Warmly,

Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

When you hear the words “meek” or “gentle”, what do you think of?

Do you think of a young kid having their lunch money taken away at school each day by a bully?  Do you think of a person becoming a human doormat for others to walk all over?  Do you think of someone who could never make it in this “me first” culture.  Those are just some of the pictures that may come to mind.  And that would be unfortunate.

Being meek and gentle are not only the eigth trait of the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, they are also traits that show more power than you might naturally think.  More on that on Sunday.

Living a meek and gentle life is always a better way to live than their rival counterparts: prideful and aggressive behavior.  It may not seem like it, but in the end there is a power to gentleness that exceeds any of the alternatives.  Gentleness can change situations and lives for the long haul, including our own.  And when we live this way, God keeps us from being run over and trampled on more than we would naturally think.

Are you striving to be a more gentle and meek person?  It is not natural and is not easy either.  But it is powerful and it is rewarding.

Warmly,
Vince

GREETINGS LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

"Goodness, the summer is flying." "My goodness, I don’t know where the time has gone." "Goodness gracious, you look like you took a bath in a mud puddle." "I’m indebted to your goodness."

The word goodness gets thrown around a lot these days, and not just in daily conversations.  It is a concept difficult to define and one that gets a huge degree of misuse when talking about God’s goodness.  Many times, people don’t believe that God is good.  They ask, “how could a good God allow all the suffering, abuse, violence, and calamity that we see in our world?”

We can’t answer every question about goodness this Sunday, but we can answer how you can acquire God’s goodness and then extend it to others.  It will be well worth your time.  After all, what family, what person, what work place, what neighborhood, or what town doesn’t need more people expressing God-level goodness?

We'll see you Sunday.

Blessings,
Pastor Brian

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

How close do you think you are to God these days? 

It’s an important question because the answer will determine so much.  First, it will determine how much you can enjoy this life when times get tough.  Second, it will determine how much you will enjoy the afterlife when this life is over.  Since being a Christian is ultimately a relationship with God, every true Christian would want to know that they’re close to God and growing closer by the day.

As you think about how to answer that question, it’s important to have an objective way to measure this closeness to God.  Otherwise, it becomes a subjective exercise and words like “good” and “fine” will be your answer.  We need something more concrete to measure this.  That’s where the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 come in.  They serve as a measuring stick for our closeness to God like few other things do.  We’ll explain how that works in our new series, Fruit(Full), beginning on Sunday.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll explain what these fruit are and how each one works in our life.

Ultimately, God is as close as we want Him to be.  When we want God as much as we want our next breath, we’ll get closer to Him and see these fruit come from our lives.

I hope you’ll make church a priority each week throughout the summer, and learn how to draw closer to God.

Warmly,
Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

At our staff meeting on Monday, one of the staff asked a question that perhaps some of you have asked, namely, “Is now really the time when we’ve seen more anger than we have at any other point in our lifetimes?" This is something I have shared the past two Sundays. I’m absolutely convinced that the answer is a resounding yes.  Let me share a few reasons why.

First, we see it in the increase in the intensity of anger. 

This has nothing to do with politics, but did you hear the reactions of some people when Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 election?  You would expect that about half the country would have preferred a different outcome and would be sad, but the response of so many people was more intense and unlike at any other time.  There is one famous video where a person just screams out, “Nooooooooooooo!” and is crying uncontrollably as if they had just lost their entire family to a tragedy.  They were not alone.  I don’t recall this reaction when Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, either of the Bushes, or Obama won their elections.  There is just so much rage today in this area of life called politics and social issues.

Second, we see it in the increase in the frequency of anger. 

Admittedly, there were very angry moments in our history in the form of protests and riots, like during the Vietnam era.  But those were more focused and were fewer and far between.  But now, protests are much more frequent and really violent. All you have to do is look at how police officers are treated today as opposed to even five years ago to see how much more prevalent anger and rage are displayed today.  The summer of 2020 alone had over 500 protests that involved violence, property destruction (even to state and federal buildings), rape, and murders.

Third, we see it in the increase in the threshold for anger. 

People are so easily angered over the silliest things.  We use words like “triggered” or “offended” way too easily.  We call people who disagree with us “evil” even when they aren’t (and yes, sometimes they are evil) just because we disagree over the simplest little things.  We can no longer debate with people for very long before someone just starts shouting obscenities or being physically aggressive in response.  Tthe violence that people have demonstrated towards organizations they disagree with is more destructive than ever.  Christian churches and non-profits have felt this more than anyone else.

So what’s the answer?  We have to realize that with this increase in anger in our “age of rage”, we need to make sure that we don’t lower our standards for anger as so many around us have.  It’s so easy to set our standards to the same as those around us and just think that it’s ok when it really isn't ok.  We have to make sure that our standard for expressing anger is not learned from culture but from Scripture; from God and not from people.

On Sunday, I’ll have a simple four-point test to make sure you exercise “good anger” every time it may be required to do so.

Warmly,
Vince

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

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

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

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

Marriages are a lot like a race.  It takes a lot of work to finish them well and to reach the end of it on top.  But what kind of race would best describe marriage? 

I don’t think that it’s best characterized by a 100-meter sprint.  I think the better way to think of it is as a full marathon— one loaded with many ups and downs, twists and turns, and one that requires endurance and perseverance to complete.  If you want to have one of these “Marathon Marriages”, it will take two people willing to “go the extra mile” to reach the finish line victorious.

So what does it take to have a marriage like this?  Well, just like a long race requires different strategies throughout its duration, marriages that last will require at least four critical “training techniques” that begin even before marriage occurs and continue throughout your marriage until the very end.  We’ll share these four on Sunday as we continue our Marriage Matters series.

"...THE BETTER WAY TO THINK OF IT IS AS A FULL MARATHON— ONE LOADED WITH MANY UPS AND DOWNS, TWISTS AND TURNS..."

I realize that marriage is not easy and not everyone has had one (or has one) that has turned out as hoped for.  It can really hurt.  We live in a fallen world.  My aim is to simply help everyone regardless of if they will be married, are married, or were married to see what God tells us we should do in all of these stages.

We appreciate you all more than you know!  And please know that no matter what stage of life you’re in, all of us at Lakeshore are cheering you on in your pursuit of Jesus and His will for your life in marriage and in singleness.

Warmly,
Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and we can’t wait to spoil all the women on Sunday with a service that we hope will be a high point in your day.  After all, you deserve it!

Motherhood is a hard endeavor.  Carrying each child in your body for three-quarters of a year, giving birth to them, recovering all while feeding them at all hours of the day, and then spending 216 months of your life building into them is a difficult and strenuous task!  And no one can do it with the tenderness and thoroughness like our mothers.

While being a mom is hard, the rewards are as amazing as virtually any other endeavor.  You get to build into children so that they love God, love people, contribute to society, and glorify God as His image bearers.  Can you think of any accomplishment that is greater than this?  I can’t.

I also realize that Mother’s Day isn’t the same for everyone.  Maybe your mother is no longer here, or your relationship with her was not the best, or something else causes you to see this day as something less than a banner day.  If that’s you, you’re not alone.  There are others who feel this way.

We’re here to help.  More importantly, God is available to help.  He is an ever-present help in times of need (Psalm 46:1).

Regardless of if you are a mother, will be a mother, or were just born to one, we hope to start your day off right on Sunday.

Warmly,
Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

When the book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus came out a number of years ago, I never read it.  In all honesty, I didn’t have to because the title alone said enough that I got the big idea.  It made clear to me what we all kind of knew already, namely that when men and women date and marry, they each have some very unique needs that are different from each other.  And these differing needs are not just a case of differing personalities (which do also play a part), but simply the fact of them being male and female.  It’s that simple. 

Yes, men and women both want to be loved, valued, and cared for, but they have very different ways in which even these common needs are met.  Men don’t see love exactly like women see it.  Women don’t desire care the same way men desire it.  It’s just a gender thing.  Add to this that men and women each have a very unique set of needs that are more important for one and not so important for the other and you see how challenging marriage can be. 

All the research proves this is the case.  It’s the way God made us in the beginning.  He made men and women different in so many ways— not so that we would compete and fight, but instead so that we would complement each other and thrive. 

"IT'S THE WAY GOD MADE US IN THE BEGINNING."

That’s what we’ll be covering over the next two weeks in our Marriage Matters series, starting with what men wish women knew about them.  For Mother’s Day, we’ll look at what women wish men knew about them.

I hope you’ll be here with friends who want to understand how to relate more effectively with the opposite sex and particularly in dating and marriage.  I promise that this will be a helpful message for those who do attend.

Warmly,
Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

When it comes to the subject of sex, what do most people think of?  If the news, social media, advertising, TV programming, Hollywood, and culture (to name just a few) are any indicators, then it isn’t very good, is it?

The message from most of the places we hear from is abundantly clear and redundantly nauseating.  They say that there are very few limits on what you do with it, who you engage in it with, or what the relationship is between the people involved.  All that matters, according to the culture, is that it satisfies you in the moment.  No need to worry about the other person, tomorrow, or right and wrong.  That really doesn’t matter to many in our culture.

How’s that working for our world?  Well, as a result, a large percentage of children grow up without fathers or mothers in their lives.  Society is filled with hurting, regret-filled people who walk with an emotional limp as a consequence (especially women, but not exclusively).  People deal with life in broken homes, with broken hearts, and with broken hopes.  “Free sex” is never as freeing as it first promises.

"GOD CREATED SEX FOR OUR ENJOYMENT WHEN WE PRACTICE IT EXCLUSIVELY BY HIS GROUND RULES."

How far our world has drifted from the beautiful and sacred thing that God created.  God created sex for our enjoyment when we practice it exclusively by His ground rules.  That takes discipline, courage to stand up to the “everybody is doing it” mindset, and perseverance to wait on the right timing of God.  When we do all of that, then we can enjoy sex to the fullest.  And if you want proof of that, read the Old Testament book of “Song of Solomon”.  Wow!

I’m so glad there is forgiveness, grace, and recovery for any one of us who has tried to do it their own way to the exclusion of God’s way.  But how much better things would be if we just listened to the directives of the Creator of sex...

This Sunday, I will tackle this subject.  I have no axe to grind, or finger-pointing in this message.  I only want to help all of us see the beautiful standard that was set from the beginning so that no matter where we are, we can live there, even if it is very counter-cultural.

Trust me, this will be a great service to invite those you have invested in, whether that is family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors.

Warmly,
Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

One of the biggest decisions you will ever make in your life— maybe the second biggest after the decision to become a Christian— is whether to get married or to stay single (or to remain single after you’ve lost a spouse for whatever reason).  Your decision will have life-changing consequences for yourself, the other person you get married to, and the world around us.

Marriage will impact you in a major way because now you’ll be living for both yourself and for the person you marry.  That’s because you will be called by God to pursue intimacy with another person who is likely very different than you and also fairly imperfect like you too.  The “two becoming one” process will take hard work, but it can lead to great joy personally and to children born into the loving context of marriage, as God designed.

Being or remaining single will also impact you in a major way.  You’ll be living on your own and with your own desires in mind.  That’s because you will be called to a lifestyle that does not involve the “one flesh” intimacy that only comes in the context of marriage (at least, when it is done God’s way).  It will take discipline and individual determination, but it can lead to great joy as well for reasons that are somewhat different than the married person might find.

So which is better for you?  Which one does God prefer?  Is one better than the other?  The answers in the Bible may surprise you.

One thing I absolutely do know is that God wants us to seek Him and His will in this decision.  Because it is the second biggest decision we can ever make.

Warmly,
Vince

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

This past weekend was a great one for our church.  Between Good Friday service and our Easter services, we had 1,318 people which is up by about 300 people from last year.  Though we haven’t fully returned to pre-covid attendance levels, we continue growing closer to them.  We hope that the services were both meaningful and impactful, and thanks to those who invested in people and invited them to church.  I had a few friends show up and it made my day.

This Sunday, we’ll kick off a new series and celebrate our birthday as a church.  On Sunday, we turn 28 years old! Looking back, it was April 16, 1995, and such an amazing day in our history!  

"I AM CONVINCED THAT OUR BEST DAYS ARE STILL AHEAD OF US."

The weather was nice but chilly.  After three practice services the previous three Sundays, and after 14,464 direct mailers were sent out to all homeowners 54 years old and younger (I was only 33 years old back then), Lakeshore held its first public service... In a bar... At the Marriott hotel... That held 75 adults comfortably... The rest had to sit in a booth and watch the service... Sideways (you paid a price for being late back then).  On that day, 112 people showed up and three people became Christians in the somewhat beer-scented bar.  It was an exciting day for our family and many others.  Lakeshore Church was born. 

God has done amazing things since then:

• 765 people have been baptized
• About 1,250 people have professed a first-time faith in Christ
• Just over half of our attenders are involved in serving somewhere in the church
• We’ve given away about $1.2 million to world missions to impact our world for Jesus

Though time has passed, we are still passionate about reaching people in Rochester!  In truth, that’s not the norm because most churches gradually turn inward and focus on their own needs above all else.  I am convinced that our best days are still ahead of us.  I hope you do too.

Thank you for your part and for being passionate about the unique mission that God has given us.  Sue and I thank God for you!  After God, you’re the reason why we’re still impacting people and helping them discover and develop a growing relationship with Jesus.  People still matter to God, and I know they still matter to so many of you.  That’s why we honor God when we invest in and invite others.

Happy birthday to you, to us!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

We call this week Holy Week, and for good reason. 

It was the last week that Jesus was on earth in His earthly body.  The process of Jesus taking on human flesh began when Jesus was conceived.  In some way, His divinity took on human flesh as we first saw on Christmas. 

Holy Week began last Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to begin this final week.  On Monday, He cleared the temple of the corrupt money changers. Tuesday saw Him teach in the temple and be anointed in anticipation of His death.  On Wednesday, the plot against Jesus was established.  On Thursday, Jesus held the Last Supper with His disciples, and this served as both an Old Testament Passover Meal and the institution of a brand new practice Christians engage in today— Communion— all in one.  That night He would go to the Mount of Olives and pray in the Olive Garden of Gethsemane.  His arrest occurred there followed by 6 trials throughout the night.

At 9am on Friday, He was crucified and for six hours endured an agony that one else ever had.  True, others had suffered in a similar physical fashion, but no one had taken on the sins of the world while doing so.

After his burial before sunset, he was in the tomb given to Him by Joseph of Arimathea until Sunday.  His week ended with the greatest day in human history: resurrection from the dead!

As Holy Week draws toward an end, we want to both remember it and celebrate it with you.  On Friday night, we have a Good Friday service that helps us do that as I teach on the sixth statement Jesus made on the cross, “It is finished.”  We’ll worship Him in music, reflect on His sacrifice, and take communion together.

Then we’ll celebrate Easter in three identical services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.  I’ll be teaching from 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter of the Bible as we celebrate.

So this is your chance to appreciate all Jesus did for you during this amazing week.  It’s also your chance to invite friends and family to join you to hear the good news of Easter!

Warmly,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends—

The shooting massacre that took place this past Monday at Covenant Christian School in Nashville was another brutal example of how dark these days are.  A former student took the lives of 6 innocent people for reasons we do not fully yet understand.  Three of them were adults who were 60 or 61 years old.  The other three victims were just 9 years old.  Can you imagine that?

You would expect and hope that there would be universal outrage and anger at this evil act of murder.  Everyone with any level of compassion should be focused on the victims and their families who lost them.  And while many have done this, there are also many who have taken subtle—and even not-so-subtle—shots at Christianity in response. From AP reporters to political action groups and progressive commentators, the focus has been on how Christianity is the ultimate cause of this shooting. Here are just two quotes to reveal what some are saying:

“Very surprising that there would be a mass shooting at a Christian school, given that lack of prayer is often blamed for these horrible events. Is it possible they weren’t praying enough, or correctly, despite being a Christian school?” –David Pakman, a talk show host wrote on Twitter in a later deleted post.

“I don’t condone Audrey Hale’s actions, though I understand their outrage against an intolerant state that brainwashes children through religious indoctrination.  The reality is this human still identified as that child attending that school and carried that pain into adulthood.” –Twitter user

So it was an opportunity for people to mock prayer and to call Christian education at a private school an indoctrination that leads to violence.  It wasn’t ultimately the shooter's fault, many are insinuating. Instead, it was the folly of believing in prayer and Christian doctrine that was the root cause.  And this has been a growing trend that has accelerated over the past three years.  

God help our nation!

Sadly, even our president was joking about his love for ice cream right before talking about this shooting. Can you imagine going to a funeral home and saying that to a grieving family member?

This shooting is senseless and saddening.  But it is made worse when people use this tragedy to attack the Christian faith and ultimately Jesus Christ Himself.  This is a growing trend in our nation and world, and if you follow Jesus Christ you can expect it to continue.  Jesus reminded us that we will be insulted, persecuted, and have evil things said of us (Matthew 5:11-12) and we will be hated by many in the last days (Matthew 24:9).

So what’s the answer?  People need to know the real Jesus Christ.  If people knew who the real Jesus was and embraced Him, they would never say such horrible things or commit such heinous crimes.

That’s what we hope to do in our timely Sunday series, The Resume of Jesus Christ.  Because only a true understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us can lead to a changed life and a changed nation.

Much love,
Vince

Lakeshore Friends,

It’s been five weeks since my Achilles surgery, and while the hardest part is over, I still have another couple of months of being in an ankle boot.  Hopefully, in a month or so, I can begin putting some weight on it.  This will be a slow and gradual process… I just hope it ends so I can play golf in June. :-). And the best news is that Sue and I still love each other deeply after all my requests for help.  She is amazing!

I want to thank you for all the cards, texts, messages, meals, etc. you have sent me during this time.  Seeing some of you last Sunday was very moving and encouraging.  It’s really hard to express how much love I have felt from you during this time away.  In reality, it is the same love you have always shown me.  All I can say is that your love inspires me to love you and others more than I do.  To have a church filled with so many loving people is not as common as you might think, and neither I nor any of our staff take that for granted.  It helps us work as a united body of people who can most effectively “invest and invite” others to a healthy church filled with great people and (hopefully) a great service that connects with people from the curious to the convinced and committed.

With Easter approaching, we can show this same love to the many new guests we will see over the next few weeks.  Our 50,000+ piece direct mail has been sent out and we’re praying for it to draw in many people.  We can also invite people to Easter services with the invite cards available throughout the atrium.  I’ve already started and as the pastors taught in the just completed Mission Possible series, if we all invest and invite one person who attends, our church would impact hundreds more lives with the love of Jesus.

So thanks again.  You inspire me to lead you with my best efforts and with biblical integrity.

Love,
Vince

Hi Lakeshore,

I’ve been thinking about the word CONFIDENCE over the past few weeks... a lot.  I am playing the guitar in a pit orchestra for a local school musical in late April and some of the songs utilize a style of guitar playing called slide guitar.

Now, I’ve been playing the guitar for more than 40 years, but for one reason or another I never properly learned this style of playing.  So, when I started learning the music for the show, my confidence level was extremely low.  But over time as I’ve watched some YouTube videos and listened to different slide guitar players, I’ve learned a few things to improve my technique.  While I am not super confident in my slide guitar playing just yet, I am certainly more confident than I was previously because I spent time doing it. 

"THE MORE WE DO IT AND THE MORE WE WATCH OTHERS DO IT, THE BETTER WE GET AT IT."

And so it is with sharing our faith and making disciples.  It can be really awkward at first, but the more we do it and the more we watch others do it, the better we get at it.  And we should strive to get better at sharing our faith and making disciples because Jesus commanded us to do so in the Great Commission. 

This Sunday, we will wrap up the Mission Possible series and take a look at how Jesus gives us the confidence we need to make the Great Commission our personal mission.  I hope you’ll join us at either 9 or 11am.

Make a great day!
Frank D.

Hey Lakeshore,

What if I told you that YOU, as a disciple, are commanded to teach other believers to obey the things that Christ has commanded?

How would that change the way that you are currently living your life? WOULD it change the way that you are living? Would it change the way that you interact with others around you? Would it change how you treat your family? Would it change the things that you do on a day-to-day basis? Would it change how often it is that you serve in Lakeshore and in the community of Rochester? How much of your everyday life would change if you knew that it was YOUR responsibility as a disciple, to teach?

"WOULD IT CHANGE THE WAY THAT YOU ARE LIVING?"

Because it is. Jesus, in Matthew 28:19, says that we are to teach other disciples to obey those things that he has commanded. It isn’t a suggestion, it is a commandment for every single disciple, regardless of who you are or how long it is that you have been a Christian. This is what we are supposed to do in order to take part in this Great Commission that Christ has given.

I can’t wait to unpack this more on Sunday! I hope to see you there!

Pastor Antoine

Hi Lakeshore,

I love baptism Sundays.  Every time we baptize people who have put their faith in Christ I find myself reinvigorated.  My faith is strengthened when I hear their stories.  My commitment to make disciples is renewed.  I feel great joy as we celebrate their step of obedience.  There is nothing like baptism Sundays.

This Sunday, we will be baptizing three people who have made the decision to obey Christ in baptism.  We will be looking at how we obey the Great Commission Jesus gave us, specifically how we, "baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  We will think about the day when you get to baptize one of the people on your Invest + Invite card you have been investing in. 

It’s going to be a great day!  You don’t want to miss it. 

See you Sunday,
Pastor Brian

Hey Lakeshore,

We knew this winter was too good to be true.  The warm and snowless weather we have had this winter is a bit on the strange side.  The only people I hear complaining are the skiers.

The good thing is the weather hasn’t stopped us from pursuing the mission God has given us.  Pastor Brian Pawlowski started off our new series, Mission Possible, last Sunday by reminding us of the mission Jesus gave to all His followers:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” –Matthew 28:18-20

It is a mission that, when passionately pursued by each believer in Jesus Christ will transform them, as well as those they minister to.  That’s why we are doing this series.  So that we can all know and fulfill the mission Jesus gave to each one of us.

I get to preach the second message in this series this Sunday.  Although many find the part of the mission I’ll be preaching about very intimidating, it is extremely rewarding for those who make the Great Commission their personal mission. 

You won’t want to miss this coming Sunday.  There will be warm fellowship on a cold day as well as some very practical ways you can become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Brian

Lakeshore Friends—

It started back in the 1960’s.  A team of American spies, completing missions deemed “impossible”.  It was fun and ran for 7 years.  Then in the mid-90s, Tom Cruise took the “Mission: Impossible” mantle to the big screen which is still running to this day, 27 years later.  Same premise… a team of American spies, in death-defying scenarios that make you hold onto your seat.  And let’s not forget the famous tagline:  “your mission, should you choose to accept it…”  But these words also describe the choice each follower of Jesus faces – whether or not to go and make more disciples.

"NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS FAITH, WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT?"

Sadly, a large majority of Christians are not even familiar with the fact that Jesus gave us a specific mission.  And that is the very thing we hope to tackle in our newest series, Mission: Possible.

In Matthew 28, Jesus gave us this Great Commission, but too many disciples today view it as Mission: Impossible, and we have a litany of reasons to think that way… but we want to shed some light on this very thing.

I’m excited to kick things off this week and our other Pastors in the weeks to come.  It is our hope and prayer you find this more than just an informative series, but a transformational one.   Now that we have this faith, what do we do with it?  What is our mission and how do we accomplish it?  Well, to find out, you’ll need to be here on Sundays at 9 or 11am.

See you then,
Pastor Brian

Lakeshore Friends—

This Sunday is Football Sunday at Lakeshore.  It is one of the most fun and yet inspiring Sundays of the year at Lakeshore, and I hope you’ll be here with your favorite football jersey or gear on.