Last Sunday at LCC was awesome…..We celebrated Communion through the Lord’s Supper and community by coming together to worship as a group, learn Truth from God’s Word, and hang out together. I love Sundays, and from the feed back I receive every week, people who come to LCC to check us out feel God’s love through LCCers. And even more awesome than that; We are God’s church outside of the facility where we meet by being God’s love with skin. And for this Christmas season we have amped up being God’s love to people who need it the most.
Our Goal as a community of faith, during the time of year when we celebrate the Gift of Jesus from our Father in Heaven, is for 100% of the LCC family to serve people in need. From Nov 20, when we will serve meals at the Union Gospel Mission, to Christmas Day when we will serve Christmas dinner to hungry people at the Salvation Army, we have over 180 different opportunities to serve. That’s right, over 180 chances to touch others with the love of Jesus Christ. What a great opportunity to be real live honest to goodness disciples of Christ.
Our Pastor of Community Development, most know him as Brent, brent@lifeconnectionchurch.org has made it possible for us to reach our goal by setting up so many different opportunities. Don’t forget to sign up this Sunday to serve. We have enough places available that you can serve with your family and bring some friends to serve with you. You can click here and see some of what’s available and Brent has a sign up sheet with all the times and places….
On Sunday mornings I am still teaching through the incredible biography of Jesus known as the Gospel of Luke. In the past few weeks we have read the Words of Jesus as He has spelled out what a disciple of Christ “is not”. And this Sunday, in a teaching I am calling “Disciple?“, we are going to learn from Jesus how you can know if you are a disciple.
You know that even though our salvation is a free gift to us. It is not free. It was very costly for Jesus. His great sacrifice is what allows us to be free from the penalty of sin. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, The grace of Jesus Christ is costly, “because it costs a man His life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.” “It is costly because it cost God the life of His Son, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.”
Many people call themselves Christian and most other religions recognize Christ as a great teacher or even a prophet. But few are true disciples of Christ. Few pay the cost of being a disciple. This week, we will look at the cost of discipleship.
As with all disciplines that are both physical and mental, the spiritual disciplines of a disciple of Christ will reap great rewards. The rewards of discipleship will provide a rich life on earth and a much rewarded life for eternity in Heaven.
I came across this article by D. James Kennedy written in 2002…..You always hear a lot of talk about our founding fathers and whether they were Christian or not. It is obvious when reading their writings that a good portion of them were Christian, some were deists. If that subject is interesting too you, I think you will enjoy this article by Dr. Kennedy.
Thomas Jefferson, as we all know, was a skeptic, a man so hostile to Christianity that he scissored from his Bible all references to miracles. He was, as the Freedom From Religion Foundation tells us, “a Deist, opposed to orthodox Christianity and the supernatural.”
Or was he? While Jefferson has been lionized by those who seek to drive religion from public life, the true Thomas Jefferson is anything but their friend. He was anything but irreligious, anything but an enemy to Christian faith. Our nation’s third president was, in fact, astudent of Scripture who attended church regularly, and was an active member of the Anglican Church, where he served on his local vestry. He was married in church, sent his children and a nephew to a Christian school, and gave his money to support many different congregations and Christian causes.
It is that time of year….Halloween is this weekend and then people are going to start focusing on the holiday season. Ask people what they like about the season, and unless you hear depressing stories, you hear how it is about love, and caring, and family, and giving…You know what I’m talking about….It is like a built in season for an excuse for loving people. And as far as the depressing stories go…You can turn that around by loving people.
We know as Christians that we don’t need an excuse to Love People. We are commanded to love. Jesus told us that if we want to follow Him, and obey His commands, the best and simplest way to do that is to “Love God and Love People.” So LGLP is what we are all about at LCC. And we spend the year looking for opportunities through our Deeds of Kindness ministry to be God’s love with skin.
So…One of the things I love about this time of year is that everybody and his brother has built in for us opportunities to be God’s love with skin. We don’t have to be creative. There are places to serve during this season all over the place. And we are taking advantage of the opportunity to “show the love” and be the love.
Last Sunday I challenged the incredible LGLP people of LCC that we have 100% participation in serving and showing God’s love somewhere. And we are lining up plenty of opportunities for you to serve with room to bring your family and friends to serve along side you. Is there a better way to hang out with friends and family then to be showing God’s love to someone who really needs it, especially during this season?
Pastor Brent Schneider is our point man ( Brent@lifeconnectionchurch.org), and he has been on the phones offering ministry help all over the place. And we have plenty of opportunities, places, and times for you to serve and for us to serve together as a LGLP community of faith.
Here is an excerpt from the email Brent sent out yesterday. Start signing up and look forward to more opportunities.
ANGEL TREE MALL ADOPTION/COLLECTION TEAMS: November 28 & December 12 (N.E. Mall & Grapevine Mills)
Most of us have been a part of adopting a Christmas Angel (an area child that is economically challenged)…but have you ever assisted people in the adoption process of an angel or collected the many many gifts for the kiddos?? It’s amazing! These two teams will be made up of people who will give 2-3 hours on either date to help eager families at our local malls select their angels & collect the gifts. (Time Schedules Available Sunday)
ANGEL TREE “Santa’s Warehouse” DISTRIBUTION TEAM: December 23
Folks, this one is OUTSTANDING & WILL ROCK YOUR HEART!!! Imagine being side by side with other LCCers, friends, and family (86 in total) distributing the ACTUAL gifts to the ANGEL FAMILIES/KIDS!!!! Yes, that’s right…YOU will be in the most JACKED UP ENERGY FILLED toy warehouse you have ever been in – why? Check this out…every twenty minutes (on schedule) a new bus arrives with Angel Families/Kids and YOU get to be their “Santa” (for a lack of other words)…personally helping them one by one find their gifts, load them in a cart, and helping them back out to the buses. AND best yet…the 86 volunteers I spoke of earlier…that’s just US!!! LCC will run the warehouse that morning!
*Special note – this is a great opportunity to reach-out and invite co-workers, friends, and family to come join the team! And I will tell you ahead of time, tissue is a great thing! This will BLOW YOU AWAY!!! I can’t think of a better way to show someone the LOVE that LCC has for people than for them to see it IN PERSON!!! (Time Schedules Available Sunday)
CHRISTMAS DAY MEAL SERVING TEAM: December 25
Grab the family and come serve up a warm meal! Enjoy that special Christmas morning and then come the team serving meals to the homeless Christmas day. Our teams will be serving in 2 hour shifts during the lunch meal – limited number of spots available…all welcome! Bring out the entire family! (Time Schedules Available Sunday)
NIGHT OF WONDERS – H.E.B. Partnership With 6 Stones Mission Network: TBA
Locally, there are many many families needing that extra assistance this Christmas. Well, we’ve formed a great alliance with the H.E.B. School District & 6 Stones Mission Network to adopt 10 local schools and specifically…the families in need at each one. LCC has adopted Lakewood Elementary as our focus school to support and make that NIGHT OF WONDERS come true! Families will be hearing the TRUE Christmas Story in an exciting evening full of encouragement and GIFTS! Each family in attendance will be receiving a FULL CHRISTMAS meal they can prepare on Christmas day. (More Details To Come)
These are going to be great opportunities to show God’s love and finish out our year worshiping God by loving people who need his love the most.
By the way: I do recommend this book for everyone married or not. As a counselor it improved my counseling talents incredibly and changed a lot of relationships for the better.
This is an excerpt from the email I sent to my men’s leadership group. They have committed to reading a book a month on a variety of subjects, and this month they are reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman.
I am loving the feedback I have received on The Five Love Languages book by Gary Chapman…..Some people have gone from haters to lovers……(of the book or the idea of the book)
When you ask men to read a book that is geared toward better relationships there is an automatic rejection with a lot of men….I saw it in my counseling practice…Most of the time, married men would not come to counseling because they believed they were doing their part in the marriage and if there was a problem, it was the wife.
I am not sure why that it is. It probably has to do with the fact that men don’t look for as much conversation or fuss in a relationship as women do. Women say, “Let’s get help.” Men say, “I am fine. You got the problem.” or “It would be better if we just had more sex.” There is also the man’s idea, usually not always, that we can figure it out without help.
So…A few guys have started off reading this book thinking, “Why is Royal making us read this book? I have been married, its Ok…I don’t need it.” But after sticking with their Iron Men commitment, they have been pleasantly surprised and learned some valuable and applicable information.
How many of you have been surprised at how you tested out with your love language? How about your wives? I have heard a couple of guys say they were surprised to find out they have not been communicating love to their wives very well……
I told you…The information in this book, when applied, can greatly improve even mature marriages.
Lines from the book….
Most of us have grown up learning the language of our parents and siblings.
We speak and understand best, our native language.
We must be willing to learn our spouse’s primary love language if we are to be effective communicators of love. (Or kids, or other people close to you)
They may learn a secondary language, but they will always feel more comfortable with their primary language.
IMPORTANT: Seldom do a husband and wife have the same primary love language. We speak our own love language and we become confused when our spouse does not understand what we are communicating….
I have not been to see This Is It, the part documentary-part concert film about Michael Jackson. Lisa really wants to see it, so i am sure we will work it into our schedule in the next week.
I have heard from several people who have been and the responses to the MJ film have all been 2 thumbs up.
Russ Breimeier did a review for Christianity Today. He gave the film 3.5 out of a possible 5 stars. His conclusion on the film is:
This Is It succeeds and will surely be a hit—it already is due to pre-sales. Not to say it’s a major cinematic achievement, but it does entertain, and uniquely so. Few aging superstars are able to recapture their glory days with a comeback, and fewer still are able to say goodbye to their fans before a tragic death. Incredibly, Michael Jackson and his creative team have accomplished both with this film.
Here are some other excerpts from Breimeier’s review. You can see the whole article by clicking here..….
The non-fan has absolutely no reason to see this—not even morbid curiosity. There are no major revelations into Jackson’s life or the sordid details of his shocking death on June 25, 2009. It’s purely a celebration of the mega-star’s musical legacy.
But the Jackson fan has every reason to see it. Jackson had been rehearsing at the Los Angeles Staples Center since April 2009, preparing for 50 sold-out shows in London that would have surely led to a worldwide farewell tour. Now it’s the tour that will never be, making this bittersweet project a glimpse of what might have been by distilling over a hundred hours of rehearsal footage (intended for DVD featurettes) into a two-hour film.
What about those with a mixture of admiration for the entertainer and disapproval for his eccentricities? This Is It surpassed my expectations, and reaffirmed Jackson’s showmanship through a developing concert that truly defines spectacle.
This Is It works to recreate the conceived concert through raw rehearsal footage.
Cynics and sensationalists looking for evidence of Jackon’s faltering health won’t find it here. Though it’s been over a decade since Jackson’s last tour, the 50-year-old artist still had what it took to keep in step with (and sometimes outshine) the energetic 20-something dancers at peak fitness behind him. Yes, the man could still moonwalk like no other.
Based on the visual evidence, Jackson’s final tour would have played like a Vegas show on steroids set in an arena, combining a near-perfect set list of his best-known hits with energetic showmanship and unparalleled production values.
Jackson shows plenty of calm humility by giving his dancers and musicians their moments to shine, including a scorching solo from Aussie guitarist Orianthi during “Black and White” and a sweet pep talk to the crew at the end.
Nothing here delves into Jackson’s tragic death. The filmmakers wanted to keep things positive, focusing on his musical legacy.
Six year old Elena Desserich took steps to make sure her family knew she loved them before losing her battle with cancer. Meredith Vieira sits down with Elena’s parents and little sister. Here is the link to the Today Show….
I am blessed to be able to work with the GHS Football Mustangs as their chaplain. After a very tough year last year, new Coach Henigan and his staff has done a great job turning around the Mustangs. Tonight we will be playing Trinity. Both teams are coming into the game 4-0 in district play.
Here is a nice article in The Star-Telegram about the Mustangs…..
GRAPEVINE — Ian Bargsley remembers all too well when the feeling of hopelessness hit hardest.
Amid an 0-10 football season, which became a taunt for opposing fans, Bargsley gathered with his fellow Grapevine linebackers and admitted reality.
“Right in the middle of the season we were just looking at all our losses and it was like, ‘wow,’ ” said Bargsley, a senior. “The linebacking corps, we were pretty close, and we all knew.
“There was one moment when we said, ‘Guys we can only do so much.’ We can’t win the games ourselves. We just told each other we’re going to fight and play our hearts out and let the chips fall where they may.”
Those proverbial chips fell off the table and onto the floor like scraps of bad leftovers.
But today, there’s a smile on Bargsley’s face when he talks about the 4-3 Mustangs. Grapevine is 4-0 in District 5-5A and ready to face Euless Trinity (5-2, 4-0) on Friday for the district lead.
I hope you have had a great week enjoying the cooler weather. Chili, Frito Pie, Hot Chocolate, Holiday Brews at Starbucks, sleeping with the windows open under thick blankets, and of course….Football and the MLB playoffs. This is a great time of year. And with the weather we have had, I have been told we will probably see, right here in Texas, some fall colors. Get out your cameras and spend some time outdoors…..
Here is some other great news….Our LCC softball team is in first place…..Yes…with just three games left we are tied for first. The last couple of seasons have been bleak for the LCC softball team. I do like to win more than losing. Don’t you?? I joked that God was teaching us humility and patience, but I was ready to hang up the cleats and glove for a couple of seasons and then maybe give it another shot. Then it happened….We had the right mix of players, a little more experience under our belts, and thankfully we started winning. It has surely been a lesson in humility, and maybe, just maybe, I learned a little more about patience.
Patience….I know…Its just a “D” league softball team….You’re thinking, “Give me a break. There are many more important things going on in our lives than softball.” And that is an absolutely true statement. In my life there are many more important things going on than softball. But here is the deal. The wisdom we pick up in any part of life is transferable to the other parts. The more serious parts. The more painful parts of our lives. What we learn in the minors, we can take to the majors. That is the plan….
Patience….I have always heard, and I have often repeated, “Whatever you do, don’t pray for patience because God will give you something to be patient about.” And its a whole lot easier to learn how little control I have over my life and to learn patience over something as minor as a softball team then it is to learn it in the middle of the pains of serious life situations.
Patience….Is one of the hardest lessons of life, but it is also one of the more important lessons to learn. We all have regrets due to our lack of patience. We have all looked back and thought, “Man, if I had just stuck with that a little longer, it could have been different.” We look back with a different, and not so worn out attitude and think, if only. “I wish I had had more patience.” If you are picking up wisdom as you go along in life, and that’s God’s plan, you have picked up some much needed patience along the way.
PATIENCE….God is very patient with us. God, our Father, teaches us that patience is the first ingredient of real love. Throughout the Old Testament God reminds us that He is slow to anger and full of love. As God practices patience with us very immature children, He provides us with love overflowing.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 103:8
You know how you can tell what ingredient is most prevalent in a bottle? You read the label and the ingredient listed first is also the ingredient that is the most.
Patience….In the new testament God tells us the ingredients of love. I often call 1 Cor 13:4-7 our love check list. The apostle Paul writes the label of ingredients for love….Lets read the ingredients on the bottle…
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Note the ingredient that is listed first. “Love is patient.” God teaches us the patience of His love all the way through the OT and then in a letter to the church at Corinth, through Paul, God says, “If you want to give love, if you want to be real love like I am, if you want your faith to be effectve, then you have to start with patience.
Patience….is a hard lesson….But, if you want to be good at anything, including your faith in God, the first ingredient is patience.
This Sunday, as I continue teaching through the book of Luke, we will be in chapter thirteen. Jesus, on his way to Calvary, is teaching his followers that if they really want to grow in their faith they need to realize, that patience is a foundational key.
Who are you bringing to church Sunday? Most people say that they would go to church if they were invited by a friend. Have patience…They won’t always come the first time. I had a lady tell me in a email this week that she had been invited many times before she came to LCC. And she is glad she came….She has had a life changing experience….
The GHS Football Mustangs are 3-0. They have had an incredible turn around and the attitude on the team is very positive and contagious. Coach Henigan and his team of coaches are doing a great job at teaching the disciplines that are needed to not just win football games but to win at life. Coach talks to the boys all the time about the traps you can get into that will result in a loss. One of the traps is feeling good about where you are and losing the intensity needed to compete at the highest level possible.
So how do you keep from falling in that trap? Discipline. Discipline is what helps one create habits that you live out whether you are on a mountain top or in the middle of a struggle. Discipline is what keeps you learning and then continuing to apply what you learn, and then learning from the experience of the application.
During our teaching time with the GHS Mustangs yesterday (pre-homecoming game) we had a guest speaker. Jack Brewer was a member of the undefeated 1996 GHS Mustang Football State Champions. He went on to play football and complete his Masters Degree at the University of Minnesota and then played in the NFL for five years. He encouraged the boys that the disciplines they learn in football are very applicable to life and any future organizations of which they are involved.
It was a pleasure listening to him and an honor to share the teaching time.
What is former Mustang Jack brewer doing now?….He is practicing what he preaches….. Ck out these two web sites….
A perfect meal for football games and fall/winter weather is Taco Soup. The other day I updated my Facebook that we were having Taco Soup and several people expressed an interest in the recipe…..
So here it is….
Ingredients:
Ground beef 1 – 1.5 lbs
Ranch Style Beans – One 15 oz can (w/ jalapenos is good)
Can of diced tomatoes – 10 oz
Diced Rotel tomatoes – 10 oz
Tomato Sauce – 15 oz can
Taco Seasoning Mix Packet
Sweet Corn (Creamed) 14 oz
Corn – (Mexican if available) 15 oz
Tortilla Chips – Fritos are good too
Sour Cream
Grated cheddar cheese
I like to add peas, but my wife doesn’t…..
Brown ground beef and drain.
In a soup pot add to meat all ingredients except chips, sour cream, and cheese..(Don’t drain juice from cans)
Bring to a slow boil and then simmer for ten minutes stirring occasionally.
Thin with water if needed.
Ladle into large bowls
Top w/ chips, sour cream, and cheese……onions and jalapenos good too…
This is good stuff and if you make enough you can eat leftovers for days….
I get an opportunity every week to work with the Grapevine High School Mustang football team. I usually teach on team, character, and life skill building. My daughter and son went to GHS and my son played football for the “Stangs”. I call myself their biggest fan. A great resource that I discovered this last year is a book by Ohio State’s coach Jim Tressel. The book called The Winners Manual for The Game of Life. It is about Coach Tressel’s “Big Ten” fundamentals for success: Attitude, Discipline, Faith, Handling Adversity & Success, Excellence, Love, Toughness, Responsibility, Team, and Hope. This is an actual working, breathing, changing a little every year manual he uses for the coaches and players he leads. It is full of great experiences and more leadership quotes than you can find anywhere.
It is a great read and a great life book. Today’s topic with the Mustangs is Attitude.
The Proper Attitude:
More athletes fail through faulty mental attitudes than in any other way.
Attitudes are habits of thinking. You have it within your power to develop the habit of thinking thoughts that will result in a winning attitude.
The foundation of the proper attitude consists of developing the habit of thinking positive thoughts.
Tell yourself constantly that you can do something, and you will. Tell yourself you can’t, and your subconscious mind will find a way for you not to do it.
A desire to win and a desire to prepare to win are important ingredients of a winning attitude.
Before you can scale the heights of athletic greatness, you must first learn to control yourself from within. Be your own master. Control your emotions.
An athlete with a good attitude is coachable. He welcomes criticism, constantly seeks to learn, and avoids criticizing his coach or teammates.
True success depends on teamwork, and the winning attitude puts the good of the team ahead of anything else.
Whether or not you create a wining attitude is entirely up to you—but nothing is more important to you on your road to the winner’s circle.
I hope your week is going well. It has been a bit soggy out there……Aren’t you glad you don’t live in Florida??……
This Sunday we are kicking off Jean Dream 2009. I did a post on it last week and you can find it by clicking here (-: I will be bringing some like new and not too used jeans from my closet this Sunday. I have been hoping to skinny up enough to wear um, but maybe I need to donate them to someone who can wear them now and start over…..
Here is an excerpt from an email Brent sent out this week on the plan:
JEAN DREAM 2009: If you are not aware of this by now, please jump on board now! We’ve launched this incredible “touch of love” to clothe the MANY right here in Hurst-Euless-Bedford that need clothing for the upcoming winter. One way to help us is to BRING YOUR JEANS this weekend! I sat in a meeting today @6stones Mission Network discussing the report that was released today showing over 1300 PEOPLE received some kind of support @6 Stones in September. WOW~! As a partner Church, we (LCC) can and will step in the gap to help. The need is great and the need is NOW!!!
***BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS SUNDAY TO COME TO LCC…CONSIDER PACKING YOUR CAR WITH JEANS or NON PERISHABLE FOOD***
So what is LCC’s plan??? Along with challenging each of us to find 10 jeans to donate, we will be connecting with neighborhoods near and around LCC to gather jeans through “Jean Drive Teams”. We need (5) team captains to step up – all you have to do is guide your team (which we will be gathering volunteers for this weekend and next – and setting a date for in the near future) through the neighborhoods to gather jeans. We will send ahead “doorcard” teams to let people know that we will be coming through to gather jeans…and on the backside…we’ll be thanking each family for contributing to JEAN DREAM 09’ — I hope you see this, we’re connecting with the community in a non-threatening way and who knows what doors will be opened. We need 5 team captains…who are you??? REPLY TEAM CAPTAIN
MORE DETAILS TO COME…See you Sunday…BRING EVERYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON!!!!
I know money is really tight for many people at this time, so what a practical way to be God’s love with skin. How about your neighbors? I am sure they have some jeans that don’t fit their kids any more. What a great way to introduce yourself and tell them about LCC. A lot of people in our neighborhoods are thinking about going to church and checking out God and are just not sure where to go or who they can go with. Now they will know one of their neighbors goes to a local church that loves God and loves people.
If you are part of the LCC family or are looking for a church home please join us this Sunday. I am teaching us through the Gospel of Luke and we are learning from Jesus what He is all about and how we are to go about following Him day to day. We have been in Chapter 12 for the past couple of weeks and Jesus has warned us that, if we are not careful, it is easy to make things and people in life more important than Him. It comes to us naturally. You can hear those talks at the LCC online teaching site by going to http://www.lifeconnectionchurch.org/Pages/downloads.cfm .
Last week, at the end of the teaching time, I asked LCCers to be sold out in every area of their lives to following Jesus. Many of you made that commitment via your connection cards and asked me to pray for you to be “sold out”. I have been praying that for you this week and will continue to do so. I pray that you are sold out at home, in your jobs, in your neighborhoods, and when you are alone. I pray that in everything you do, you do it for Jesus. Working to look at everything through the eyes of Jesus will definitely change your perspective. And the more you focus, the clearer it becomes.
This Sunday is Jesus’ follow up. I am calling the talk, “The Cure for the HGN Virus“.
Join us Sunday and bring a friend. More people are thinking about God and church this season of year and more people do not have a church family than at any other point in US history.
I don’t know why this video made me laugh but it really did……A man decides to make his own fireworks for Halloween and it doesn’t exactly have the effect he was looking for. It could have been bad, but thankfully it was just funny.
Do you struggle much with worry? As a counselor and a pastor I talk to people every day who worry. When they are not worried about one thing they turn their worry on something else. We have been created by God to focus on, or worship God. When we don’t focus on God there is a void in our lives that we try to fill with other things, but you can’t fill a God-sized void with anything but God. So, it creates worry which leads to anxiety and if left unchecked, depression.
In Luke 12, Jesus addresses to major anxieties that have the same root cause of not putting God first. Greed, or the constant need or want to have more, and worry which is the constant sense that we don’t have enough or don’t measure up. It is not easy. But there is a simple solution to managing or relieving the worry in your life.
I called the talk “The Anxiety of Spiritual Poverty”. If you have windows media just left click and the audio will stream. You can right click and “save target as” to download the mp3…..
This is a video of speaker, author, talk show host Frank Turek of Crossexamined.org explaining that it takes a lot more faith to be an atheist than to believe in God. Frank makes a point that DNA proves that man is a product of intelligent design. What do you think of the explanation?
I hope this note finds you well. It is October already and God has provided us with some pretty fall and spring type weather. We actually have a swarm of honey bees on our flowers in the front yard. This is great fair, football, and seriously good motorcycle riding weather. And gentlemen, don’t forget to remind your wives that motorcycles get very good gas mileage besides being a great way to relax, change your mood, and show her off as you ride down the road together with the wind in your face on date night and weekends. And gas prices are only going to go up….
If you have the flu, don’t come to church on Sunday. I went to the doctor today just to make sure I didn’t have the flu and was diagnosed with some allergy type respiratory infection. He said there is a lot of that going around and you can take some preventative type meds to keep it from taking you down. Then his nurse gave me a flu shot and I got a Z-Pack prescription.
Don’t forget….Wash your hands……Don’t touch your face…….and cough in your sleeve not your hand…..
If you are not sick. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. We have added more hand cleaner and more cleaning in the children’s area. And this being Communion Sunday, we have added rubber gloved communion servers to keep any possible germs out of the communion elements.
It is the fall and we are continually looking for ways for LCCers to be God’s love with skin to our community. We have a great opportunity this fall leading into the holidays and our youth and young adults are leading the way. Are youth named it “Jean Dream 2009“. As you may know we have a working relationship with 6 Stones Mission Network in Euless. They serve hundreds of families by providing, food, clothing, and other needs for people who are less fortunate than most of us. One of the need items they are short of all the time is jeans. Parents ask for jeans for their kids to wear to school and adults need jeans for work. So we are collecting jeans….As many as we can.
Throughout the fall and into the winter season we will be collecting Jeans. We need jeans of all sizes. They will also take other kinds of pants like slacks and capris. Not your wore out throw away one’s, but new ones or not so used ones you may not ever wear again for whatever reason. We are challenging LCCers to collect 10 pairs of jeans per person. Many people have some not so used jeans in their closets that they don’t or can’t wear any more. Those will work. Talk to your neighbors, your family members and lets provide a much needed item for 6 Stones.
We will also be collecting food to help fill up their pantry. Right now they need; Ramen Noodle Soup, Crackers, Small jars of Peanut Butter, Jelly, canned meats, hamburger helper…. Take a look at 6 Stones Web Site and they list other needs. You can just bring them to church with you on Sunday and we will get it too them..
I love LCCers because LCCers love God and they love people. We don’t just talk about love. We do it.
I look forward to seeing you this first Sunday in October, Communion Sunday, at LCC. I am back to teaching through Luke as we learn more about Jesus and how to live our lives to be more like Him.
Join us Sunday and bring a friend. More people are thinking about God and church this season of year and more people do not have a church family than at any other point in US history.
Thanks to reconnecting with old friends on Facebook I found out about the passing of a friend from High School this past week. I had not seen Jan Burkhalter in over thirty years but I really felt I needed to be at the memorial service on Wednesday. I am so glad I was able to attend. At first I wondered why I felt so drawn to be there. In my job, as a pastor, I have lost friends and have officiated at quite a few funerals, but for some reason, the passing of Jan really stirred something in my soul. I thought about it all week. I got a little emotional last Sunday while I was teaching and mentioned the loss of an old friend.
I kept thinking, “What is the deal?” Is it because I just hit the big 50, maybe, I didn’t know but it had rocked my world. Thirty years had passed since I had seen her. I didn’t know anything about her life or her family, whether she was married or had kids. I needed to be at the memorial and I am glad my schedule allowed for it, and if it had not, I would have made arrangements to make it happen.
The service was at Prestonwood Baptist Church, a huge church in North Dallas in a very large chapel. I arrived thirty minutes before the service time and the first thing I noticed was a parking lot full of cars.
I approached the main entrance at the same time as Jan’s dad. I thought I recognized him. We used to hang out at Jan’s house all the time. He reached the door first and opened it for me. He said, “I remember you. Thanks for being here.” Then it started to clear up for me.
All at once, as I entered the lobby of the chapel, I was surrounded by old friends from MacArthur High School. They were all the same people who used to hang out at Jan’s over thirty years ago. Most of us had not seen each other since. It was an overwhelming, comforting feeling. They say that the teen years are tough times as we search for our identities and wrestle with who we are and seek acceptance or rebel against authority. But all of the sudden, I was in the comfort of friends and familiarity. We had all come to hang out with Jan and her parents one more time.
It was a beautiful and uplifting service celebrating the life of a cheerleader. That was it….Jan was a cheerleader…..She had been taught to be a cheerleader by her cheerleader parents. Jans’ daughter with great courage and composure eulogized her mother who for her and been her best friend and her biggest cheerleader. She talked about all of her friends coming over and her mom being their cheerleader too.
Then a big group of us went to a local resteraunt and continued talking about Jan, our cheerleader. Yes, Jan was one of our uniformed Friday night and pep rally cheerleaders, but she was not just a cheerleader because she lead the cheers for the football or basketball team. Jan lived her life as a cheerleader. We went around the table and shared our Jan moments and what made us all gather on this day thirty years later, was that we had lost a true cheerleader.
Now I knew for sure why I was there. Jan, at a point in my life when I was just trying to learn what was up, was there to cheer me on. And what I heard from people who had known Jan for a much longer period of life then me, was that Jan cheered people on everywhere she went. The chapel was full of people whose lives are better somehow because they had been friends with a cheerleader who had cheered them on to being something better than they would have been without her.
We need cheerleaders. We tell people about our lives, we brag about our kids, and we live among others always with the hope that someone will cheer us on. That was Jan. The people who make the most impact in this world are cheerleaders, legitimate cheerleaders who cheer for us because they really want to see us do well and not because they want something from us.
And here is the deal…..If you cheer for others, it brings more joy into your life. Because God blesses the cheerleaders……And the more cheer we give away, the more lives we encourage, the more God gives us and cheers us on to be better.
So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. Rom 15:7 NLT
Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. Heb 10:24NLT
So encourage each other and build each other up…..1 Thes 5:11
How about you? Are you a cheerleader? Are people’s lives better because you cheer them on? Is there a cheerleader in your life you need to thank while you still can?
Thank you Jan for being a cheerleader for so many people. And thank you God for cheerleaders and for commanding us to cheer for each other.
