Pray for Our Missionaries

By Carol Hawkins, Missions Coordinator 

Missionaries, or cross-cultural workers as they are called in some parts of the world, are people like us who have taken a big step to move to other countries, or they are serving in some way cross-culturally while living in the States. Some serve in countries where they have occupations that are not related to “church” and Christianity. They may serve as nurses, agricultural workers, business professionals, teachers, etc. That’s called “tent making.” Some of our missionaries are serving in this way. Others are training national leaders in order for them to reach out to their own people with God’s Word. Others are translating scriptures and training the nationals in literacy. And others procuring equipment for a hospital ship to care for physical needs in Africa. Missionaries have a variety of responsibilities and roles they fulfill as they serve the Lord and share His love.

It was such a blessing that several of our missionary families came to visit us this summer. I hope that you were able to meet them, talk with them, and get acquainted. Missionaries love connecting with their church family, and when they’re in the area they come and visit LBF and get to know you. Some of our missionaries have been part of LBF since our early days, while others grew up attending LBF, and some have connected with us in other ways. But they are all serving the Lord in various ways and in various locations and they’re part of the LBF family.

All of our missionaries need your prayer support. While serving in other cultures, they face the same problems and difficulties that you and I face, and often their main support system of family and friends are hundreds of miles away. As you can imagine, this can be very difficult which adds greatly to their stress as they minister in another culture.

One of our missionary families was recently robbed at gunpoint. That’s quite a frightening experience. Please pray for Scott, Tonia, and Emma Berthiaume as they deal with that trauma. We praise God that they are safe, but they have that whole ordeal to recover from emotionally. Another missionary family is dealing with cancer, another with a job and culture change, another has a daughter serving in the military in Israel, and another is looking to the Lord for a new ministry opportunity. And each of these families has the normal responsibilities of life they face each day as well. So I ask you to please pray for these precious families:

• Scott & Tonia Berthiaume 
• Joni & Norm 
• Steve & Eloise Hoke 
• Michelle & William Kiprop 
• Leigh & Barbara Labrecque 
• Pete & Mary 
• Daniel & Iuliana 
• Tom & Terry Velnosky 

This Weekend's Message: Will God Give Me Whatever I Ask?

When I was 9 years old my father became paralyzed from the neck down. As soon as this happened, I began to pray one prayer every chance I got. I prayed that my dad would be able to walk again. That was a prayer that never became a reality. For those of us who pray, our most memorable prayers are often those that go unanswered.

When our prayers go unanswered, we are left to wonder what is going on. Is God not listening? Is He upset with us? Is He indifferent? Is He unable to accomplish what we’re asking? Is He waiting for us to shape up and stop bothering Him with so many desperate requests?

This Sunday we will explore what is going on when our prayers are not answered. We’ll explore what unanswered prayers mean – and what they don’t mean – about God.

Dan

Charged

By Matt Sasso, Pastor of Student Ministries 

Ever wake up in the morning late, rush to get ready, leave your house forgetting something important, and in addition to what looks to be a challenging morning, you realize that you forgot to do something? This scenario has happened to me more than a few times, and one of the things I have forgotten to do is charge my phone.

Like many of you, I wish I could say that I could live without it for the day, but the truth is that looking at that remaining battery life and seeing it close to empty makes me nervous. I start to think about how long it will last, what are the only important situations in which to use it, and how I can conserve its battery life until I am able to charge it.

While that scenario is not the end of the world, there is something that many Christians forget to do on a daily basis. While many don’t like to admit it, many forget to pray. Prayer is a rich and meaningful part of the Christian life. There’s something significant that happens when we intentionally carve out time to connect with God through prayer. In many ways, it helps us stay charged.

The heart of prayer is that it’s our chance to connect with God in a way that goes beyond “help me, bless me, protect me, give to me.” When we move past these types of prayers, it becomes an opportunity to thank, have honest conversations, and even listen to God.

This month at Exit 83, we have been encouraging students to change their view and strengthen their relationship with God through prayer. We hope that each week your student is challenged to connect with God and that they are able to grow in their faith in deep and profound ways. Each week we encourage students to see how rewarding and necessary it is to connect with God on a daily basis through prayer. We hope that your student is able to join us each week as we grow in our passionate pursuit of Christ.

A Quilter’s Prayer Shows People That Someone Cares and God is at Work

By Rita Dixon 

Two years ago, a quilter made a quilt for a baby shower for a co-worker. This quilt was lovingly made, beautifully stitched, and presented to the family. The family loved the quilt, and the Quilter’s Prayer group rejoiced when the baby was born healthy and happy. Two weeks ago, this baby died. The Quilter’s Prayer group was devastated because many of the ladies knew the family. The group decided to make quilts for the baby’s mom and grandmother as an expression of love and caring. How short a life can be and yet, God is always there for us when devastation comes.

The 89-year-old woman in a nursing home 2,000 miles away from her niece is dying. She doesn’t know the Lord and there is no opportunity to visit her. A quilt was sent to her, showing her that yes, there is a God and that people care about her. We pray, “May God bless you and keep you. May God cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace.” Belief would be the greatest gift she can receive. A quilt was sent to her, showing her that yes, there is a God and that people care about her.

The neighbor of a church member, Betty, has a 12-year-old grandson with cancer. The quilt proved to be a blessing to the child and his parents, who were touched by the kindness shown. Betty says, ”Bless you all for not only making it (the quilt), but praying over it! Brings me to tears, as it will my neighbor’s family.”

One of the quilters gave her quilt to a gentleman who lived up the hill from her. He was a nonbeliever. He couldn’t fathom that someone he never met would make something for him. So much time and so much love went into this quilt. He would take it to the hospital with him. At his last trip to the hospital he told his wife, “Let me wrap you in my arms with this quilt. Whenever you think of me, wrap this quilt around yourself.” He passed away and yet the quilt remains to remind them of the love of God. he couldn’t fathom that someone he never met would make something for him.

The quilts are one of a kind, as are the people who receive these quilts. Our hearts go out to those who suffer, who are dying, and those who are facing cancer. We pray our quilts will show them that someone does care, that God is at work. He is our ever present help in trouble.

The Quilter’s Prayer group meets every Thursday night, from 7-9 p.m. in room 104. If you would like more information, please contact Rita Dixon at (909) 931-9322.

This Weekend's Message: Where Do I Begin?

Where do I begin? Have you ever found yourself asking that question as you face a task that is so challenging you didn't even know where to start?

There was a time when if my car broke down, I could open the hood and have a pretty good chance of figuring out what was wrong. But no more! Even though my truck is 12 years old, I open the hood and can't recognize the fuel pump from the alternator. Everything has changed and looks so complicated. Add to that the fact that my engine also has all this plastic cowling covering everything, I can't see it anyway.

But when I take it to the car repair place and they open the hood they don't see what I see – they see what needs to be fixed. They know where to begin. A little knowledge can go a long way when it comes to repairing a car engine. You can probably think of an undertaking that affects you the same way as well, and causes you to ask, "Where do I begin?"

But compare that to something you know and understand. In that situation you jump right in and get the job done because somebody taught you how to approach the problem at hand. A little instruction can make a huge difference. Knowing where to begin can be a big help.

When it comes to prayer, Jesus does that for us. This Sunday as we continue our series called "In Jesus' Name," we will look at what Jesus says about where to begin when it comes to prayer. He will give us a little knowledge about "where to begin." I hope to see you this Sunday. Have a great rest of the week.
Gary

Children’s Christmas Choir Starts Nov. 10

By Laurie Baiz, Director of Life Kids Children’s Ministry 

Do you have children that love Christmas? Do you have children that love to sing? How about children that love both? Well we are looking for those kids! This year we will have a Children’s Christmas Choir that will join the adult Christmas Choir to help our congregation worship God through wonderful seasonal songs.

Starting Sunday, November 10, after the 10:45 a.m. service, we will begin rehearsal with the kids. For six Sundays we will be meeting for about an hour to practice the songs and get them ready to sing for LBF. The kids will perform on Sunday, December 22 with the adult Christmas choir.

There is a sign up sheet on the elementary side of the Worship Center, which requires a parent’s signature, giving your child permission to participate in the choir. I am looking forward to hearing all of the children sing and worship during this special season! Any questions? Please contact Laurie Baiz at (909) 981-4848, ext. 242.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World Bible Study

Strength, Wisdom, and Encouragement for Moms During the School Years 

By Donna Gaudy and Julie Fachner 

The life of a woman today isn’t really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord’s feet, but the demands of being a mother and wife and wearing all the hats that we women wear becomes hard. Like Martha, you really want to serve Him, yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy because of all that you need to balance, and you start to struggle.

We ladies all need “living room intimacy” with Christ that naturally overflows in “kitchen service” for Him. Then we can draw close to God, our families, and relationships with those around us. Sometimes as mothers we feel we are not godly enough or loving enough or doing enough. And yet, there is Jesus, right in the middle of your busy Mary/Martha life. We want to see Jesus help you grow as He extends the same invitation that He gave to the two sisters of Bethany! There will be a team of “Titus Women” who have had “life experiences” to help you grow in wisdom and knowledge. Some of our topics will be:

• Christian Parenting 
• Finding Balance in Our Day-to-Day Lives 
• Bringing Out the Best in Your Marriage and Your Children 
• Daily Tips and Cooking for Your Family 
• Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God 

If you have attended Mom-to-Mom or have children ages 6 and up, this is the Bible study for you. It is our desire to encourage moms to grow personally in their understanding of God and His Grace and how Christ can be a part of their everyday life.

This will be a four-year course. We will be going through four books by author Joanna Weaver. A 12-week session, which will meet every other week on opposite Tuesday mornings from Mom-to-Mom, begins January 21, 2014. There is a sign up list for those interested at the women’s ministry table on Sundays between services. Or you can sign up online at lbfchurch.com. Cost will be minimal and childcare will be provided.

Led by Julie Fachner and Donna Gaudy, you may contact them with any questions.

This Weekend's Message: Is Anybody Listening?

One of the current ways that people use the Internet is to post questions and to allow the online community to chime in. There are a number of websites that host these questions. A person can go to the site, post a question about car repair or parenting or technology or lawn care, and then await an answer. Some questions are answered right away, but other questions simply sit in cyberspace unanswered. The person posting the question waits. And waits. And waits. The longer a question remains unanswered, the more the doubts will arise. Did my question really get posted? Is anyone able to see it? Does anyone know the answer? Does anyone care enough to answer it? What is going on here?!

When we pray, we can have a similar experience. Most of us are just regular people. We don’t have the ear of presidents or kings or celebrities. We end up on hold when we call customer service providers. So we have to wonder if there really is a God out there who is concerned enough to hear our prayers and answer them. And when God doesn’t seem to answer immediately, the doubts abound about Him, about ourselves, and about the power of prayer.

When we pray, we want to believe that God is listening and that He cares. God invites us to believe this, but this belief is not based on who we are or things that we do. Instead it is based on who He is and what He does.

Dan

LIFE Groups Spotlight: Donna Stone

By Lea Lee, LIFE Groups Coordinator 

Name: Donna Stone

Tell us about how you came to faith in Jesus Christ. I was 12½ years old and desperate. I was living with my alcoholic mother and my tenth stepfather in a tenement in downtown Detroit. Every day was physical abuse and fear. My ninth stepfather and his cousin took me to church and the pastor spoke about fear and that faith in Christ would give me peace. I accepted Christ that day and was placed in emergency foster care within three weeks.

Tell us about your family. I am married to Bob Stone. We have three children, three grandchildren, and one grand doggy.

Tell us about how you found LBF. Gary Cisco, a friend from work, told me about LBF. I looked up the LBF website and liked what I saw. The first Sunday that I walked into LBF, I knew that I was home. That was 16 years ago. Gary just recently passed away and I am so grateful for the gift of my church family that he shared with me.

How long have you been leading a LIFE Group at LBF? This will be my second year.

Tell us a bit about your LIFE Group. My LIFE Group is funny! We laugh, tease, we love each other and hug…a lot. We have lively discussions that are so energizing. I have to say that the ladies in my LIFE Group are the BEST. Also, we share a great love for dessert!

What are some of the discussion highlights you have had this year? Replacing a complaining attitude with an attitude of thanks. Replacing a covetous attitude with an attitude of contentment. Replacing a critical attitude with an attitude of love. Replacing a doubting attitude with an attitude of faith. Finally, replacing a rebellious attitude with an attitude of submission.

What has been the most encouraging thing that has happened in your LIFE Group? How this study changed our thought process. It made us mindful of how our attitude impacts our witness, our walk with the Lord, our workplace, and our families.

How would you describe the importance of the LIFE Group you lead? We are a group of believers that want to grow as followers of Christ. We also want to grow in our relationship with each other.

What would you say to someone that is wary about joining a LIFE Group? You are missing out! You are missing the opportunity to connect and make life-long friends that will welcome you to any LIFE Group with open arms.

This Weekend's Message: Always Activated

Imagine the following scene. Two friends are eating breakfast at a restaurant before they head off to work. Suddenly, from another table, someone yells, “My husband is choking! Is anyone here a doctor?!” After a brief silence one of the friends says to the other, “You’re a doctor. Why aren’t you doing anything?” The friend responds, “My shift doesn’t begin for 20 minutes.”

Were this to happen, people would be indignant. If someone is a doctor, or a police officer, or a parent, they are never truly off-duty. They are always playing that role. Their shift may be over, or they may be trying to take a break, but they are always called to be available when they are needed.

When Jesus saves people, he activates them for lives of purpose, lives of using their gifts and abilities to serve him and his mission. And he doesn’t simply activate people on Sundays. Or during church activities. Or when they are not on vacation. God’s people are always activated, always participating in the great mission of passionately pursuing life in Jesus and leading their neighbors to do the same.

Dan

Youth Culture: Value Has a Number

By Matt Sasso, Pastor of Student Ministries 

While many teenagers still have a Facebook account, statistics show that many are using it less and for only specific purposes. It is no surprise that many teenagers are going elsewhere to connect on social media and at this point, one the most popular places for students to go is Instagram. I’m sure you’re aware of Instagram if your teenager is on it, but if not, here’s is how the app works.

You get an account and start following other users.

Other users follow you.

You post pictures to your account.

You and your followers comment or “like” each other’s pictures.

Repeat numerous times a day.

It’s a pretty simple process, but for many students, looking at the number of likes of their followers can cause them to compare their post with their friends’. While the idea of comparing your post to others’ seems trivial, this desire in teenagers’ lives today has sparked a new trend.

If you are one of those people who only look at the photo, you might be missing how teenagers are specifically asking for comments AND number of likes. This is done through the simple method of hashtags. What might seem like just another picture, below it, in the comment section, you will find #morelikesplease #like #followme #needmorefollowers #comment. This method is one way that students can add to the number of people following them and generate more likes for their pictures. So what does that mean?

When it comes to their social standing there’s a number attached to them – a ranking of sort. While popularity may at one time have been obscure and unquantifiable, it now has real time data. Today teenagers find their identity in the number of people that offer approval of what they post. While even adults are guilty of seeking this kind of approval, teenagers today base their value off a number and its consequences are definitely affecting them.

Before we seek to get rid of everything, there is one simple thing that you can do to help your teenager. As parents, it is important for you to know your teen and to know the insecurities they face. Like you, they have insecurities and what is important is to dig deeper into the impact this can have on your teen. We must never forget the importance of reminding them what the Bible says about their identity and where their value comes from. Culture has no problem attempting to answer that question for them, which is why God made sure that in Scripture we got the right understanding about who we are. We are made in His image. With intention. With care. With value. And with worth. Resting in that will guide your student in the right direction and allow them to live with more freedom and less insecurity than ever imagined possible.

The Burden of Prayer

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching 

While Jesus was on the earth, His disciples asked Him many foolish and misdirected questions. Many of their questions reflected shallow faith, self- consumed hearts, and ignorance of the big picture. But I think most of us are grateful that one day Jesus’ disciples came to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). After all, who hasn’t felt daunted by the task of prayer? At one time or another, everyone has wondered how to pray.

Do we pray out loud? Do we bow our knees? Can we open our eyes? Do we address the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit? Or all three? Do we need to start with thanksgiving before we get to our requests? What requests are okay and what requests are selfish? What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name, and what does it mean to pray according to God’s will? Should we pray all the time or should we pray at set times? Should we pray with others or lock ourselves in a prayer closet? These are only some of the many questions that can paralyze us as we approach the subject of prayer.

And then many of us feel guilty that we don’t pray more. Prayer feels like a burden instead of an invitation. And then we feel bad when we approach God in our desperate times. We feel like fair-weather fans showing up at the championship game after ignoring our team for the entire year.

But what if we thought about prayer in a different way? What if it was not a burdensome obligation, but rather a stunning invitation? The Creator and Redeemer of mankind has opened the gates of heaven so that His people can speak to Him, to confess to Him, to cry out for help, and to pour out our hearts. Why in the world would we need to be convinced to take advantage of this amazing invitation? We would not consider an invitation to the White House an obligation. We would not consider tickets to the Super Bowl as an obligation. When we view prayer as a burden, we respond foolishly to an unthinkably gracious offer from God.

Beginning on October 20, we will begin a message series at LBF called In Jesus’ Name. This series is the result of an elder-led desire to grow into a church that is marked by prayer. In the six-week series we will deal with a number of questions. Some will be as simple as, “What is prayer?” Some will be as complex as, “Will God give me what I ask for?”

Maybe you are at a point in your life where you desperately want to grow in the area of prayer. Maybe you are at a point in your life where you feel paralyzed at the thought of prayer. Maybe you are not sure if you believe in prayer at all. Wherever you find yourself, this series will answer questions, open hearts, and present an invitation to a deeper and richer relationship with God.

Harvest Party Needs YOU (and Your Candy)

By Laurie Baiz, Director of Life Kids Children’s Ministry 

Here we are, at the beginning of fall, and gearing up for our annual Harvest Party! This year the Harvest Party is Thursday, October 31, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The large red plastic containers marked “Harvest Party Candy” are located at the entrances of the Worship Center. You can bring your bags of WRAPPED CANDY to church and place them in these containers any time on Sundays.

Last year, thanks to all the LBF families that contributed candy, we had more than enough candy prizes for all the games! If every attending family brings two or three bags of candy, there will once again be plenty. Thank you in advance for helping make our Harvest Party a huge success by bringing in those bags of candy.

Volunteer sign-ups for games at Harvest Party are also open and running all month. We need YOU to make this event successful. Sign up for one of the two shifts, or both if you’d like, from 5-7 p.m. or 7-9 p.m. online at lbfchurch.com. When you check in for the Party that evening, we will give you your assignment unless you request a specific game or activity ahead of time.

This is OUR party and OUR gift to the community. Thank you for signing up early so that the party can happen as planned. If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Baiz at (909) 981-4848, ext. 242.

This Weekend's Message: God vs. Family

It’s not easy to be a single man or woman in our culture. If you are single today, you probably feel torn between too very loud and conflicting messages. On the one hand, you are told that your life doesn’t begin until you find “the one” and get married. After all, you’re nobody till somebody loves you. So, until you find that special someone, you are not able to live a full and meaningful life.

On the other hand, you are told that the commitments of marriage and family will squelch your freedom, so you should avoid all entanglements. As George Clooney told us in the movie Up in the Air, “Relationships are the heaviest components in your life...We weigh ourselves down until we can’t even move, and—make no mistake—moving is living.” This message can even cause those of us who are married to wonder if we have made a mistake by weighing ourselves down with the natural limitations that are brought about by family life.

As we read Scripture, both of these messages are rejected. Marriage is not the end-all, and marriage is not slavery. This Sunday, whether you are single or married, you will be opened up to what Scripture says about how our current status plays into God’s big mission for His people.

Dan

What do Jesus Followers Wear?

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Each morning I wake up and make a very important decision – “What will I wear today?” When it comes to clothes, I like to buy my own and make my own choices about what to wear. So making that decision is one I’ve been making for decades.

Most days making that choice is a fairly simple one. I realize for women it might be a bit more complicated, but for us men most of the time it’s just routine. But then there are those days when I stand in my closet and can’t decide. And it’s those days that I find myself wondering, “Did I make a good choice? Do I look okay today?”

This probably sounds silly to some of you, but I know for others choosing the right clothes is essential to your vocational success. But have you ever asked yourself, “What do I put on as a Jesus follower?” Now obviously I’m not referring to clothes (although I do think what clothes Jesus followers wear is very important), but right now I want us to think about something different. I want us to think about being the kind of person who reflects Jesus.

Think with me about that as we read something Paul wrote in Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Okay, so Paul says we are to clothe ourselves with much more than the garments we wear on our bodies. He says we are to clothe ourselves with a certain attitude and behavior that reflects the one we follow, Jesus. Let’s look at these five things Paul says we are to be clothed with.

Compassion – When you think of compassion, simply think of it as loving with your guts. It’s a response of love to someone who needs to know that someone cares and is willing to love him or her.

Kindness – Think of kindness as loaning your strength to someone else. It is responding to someone who may be different than you by offering him or her something you have.

Humility – This is where you see yourself as you really are in relationship to others and to God. Someone once said it’s not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

Gentleness – This is a decision that says, “My relationship with you is more important than my dominance in your life.” It’s a response that “gears down” so that your concern is for what’s best for the other person.

Patience – Think of patience as a decision to go the speed of another person. I know that for me to have patience I must slow down and move at the pace of the person I want to love for Jesus.

Paul has more to say about what clothes we are to put on and we’ll talk more about that next month. But for now join me in making a decision to not only put on physical clothes, but to also clothe yourself with these five qualities and let’s see how our passionate pursuit of LIFE in Jesus is changed.