This Weekend's Message: Night Vision

When I was used to go to summer camp as a kid, we would have teams compete in a relay race that involved a blindfold and a baseball bat. In the race, we would take turns being blindfolded, and then we would walk up to the baseball bat, stand it up, put our forehead down on the tip of it, and spin around ten times. After spinning, we would then have to run in a straight line to tag-in the next runner so that the relay could continue. As you can imagine, there was a lot of confusion. A lot of people went the wrong way, tripped over obstacles, and took a long time to get where they were going. Being blindfolded would have been enough to make it difficult, but to dizziness made it even more confusing and challenging. It hard to get where you want to go in that condition.

Most of us like to believe that we see the world pretty clearly, and that we are able to get ourselves where we want to go. According to Jesus, however, without him we are walking in darkness. We are blinded and confused, just like a kid who has put on a blindfold and spun around a baseball bat. We are making mistakes about the things around us because we cannot see them. We are injuring ourselves because we are tripping over obstacles. We are wandering around, looking for the right path. We are lost in the darkness, and on our own we cannot find our way.

But Jesus presents himself as the light of the world. He invites us to follow him out of darkness. This Sunday we will experience Jesus’ invitation to follow him, and we will be presented with all the challenges and benefits that go along with this invitation.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Human Shield

Are you the good cop or the bad cop? Do you interact with people as if what they need most is structure and rules and consequences, or do you interact with people as if what they need most is understanding and sympathy and second chances?           

Typically, we feel like we have to choose one or the other of these modes. We must either be sympathetic to the plight of others and overlook their shortcomings or we must crack the whip and make them take responsibility. This impacts the way we parent, the way we interact in friendships, and even the way we treat ourselves. Do we need to be harder on ourselves or give ourselves more permission and space to figure things out?
           
The most important question of all is not whether you are a good cop or a bad cop. The most important question is whether God is a good cop or a bad cop. Is God’s main strategy to give us rules and direct consequences in order to help us grow and change, or is His strategy to continue to give us more and more chances, being as understanding as He can be?
           
Which one is He? Which one do you want Him to be? This Sunday, we will see Jesus forced to choose between being a good cop or a bad cop. The way He responds reveals a powerful and much-needed truth about how God conducts Himself toward us.

Dan

Thank You to Our Life Kids Children’s Ministry Volunteers!

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

The school year is quickly coming to an end and with that, our dedicated fall volunteers in Life Kids Children’s Ministry are also coming to the end of their serving session. For this last month of their service I would love for the parents to take a moment and thank their teachers for giving their love, energy, and knowledge to the kids each week. They have truly been a blessing to our kids and LBF families. So if you are a parent, take a moment this month and let them know how much you have appreciated what they have done this school year!

When You Close Your Eyes, What Jesus Do You See?

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching

Walking through the Gospel of John at LBF, I have been surprised at which passages stand out to me most. One unexpected highlight is the familiar story of Jesus walking on the water. Here is the reason why: It is hard for me to imagine a better visual to bring to mind in order to inspire confidence in the Jesus to whom we have entrusted ourselves.

Most of us like to think that we are ruled by our reason and our will when we come to crisis points in our lives. While this may sound good on paper, it is important for us to know that this is not reality. In our crisis points, detached knowledge and morality go out the window. All we care about is who or what will bring relief and help and guidance in our peril. Unless we have supreme confidence in Jesus, we will turn Him aside and look elsewhere for guidance in our trials.

Here is an important question: When your circumstances overwhelm you, when temptation is at its boiling point, what image of Jesus comes to your mind? 

Does He come to your mind at all? I am not asking what rules or principles come to mind. I am asking what image of Jesus comes to mind. Do you see Him disapprovingly shaking His head? Do you see Him neutrally gazing off in a different direction? Do you see Him angrily getting ready to abandon you? I ask this question because whatever image of Jesus comes to our mind in those default moments will rule what relevance we believe He has to our lives.

John 6:15-21 tells the story of the stormy trip the disciples took as they sailed across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples probably felt like they were at the mercy of the created order. At any moment a wave could knock them over, the wind could tip them, lightning could strike them. They probably felt fairly powerless.

And then there was Jesus, walking out to them on top of the water, utterly unfazed not only by the storm, but by the limitations of humanity. The storm posed no threat to Him. The deep posed no threat to Him. He was absolutely in control. And His only statement in the story is when He says to His disciples, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Or, more literally, “Don’t be afraid; I am.” Jesus calms our fears not by telling us something good or comforting about ourselves, not by giving us ironclad principles that will make our lives work – He calms our fears by telling us something wonderful about Himself.

The other day I was at the beach, looking out at the ocean. I was reflecting on different challenges that often feel overwhelming to me. My challenges often feel like intimidating waves, crashing dangerously close to me. At times, reflecting on our problems can make us feel like we are completely at their mercy. There were moments at the beach when I felt entirely overwhelmed.

But then I would smile. I would imagine Jesus out there, walking on top of the water. What a visual! It is as if He is saying to all of us, “You can trust Me; I can handle this.” Great comfort and peace come from this reality.

Next time you feel overwhelmed and tossed back and forth by life, consider calling that image to mind. Allow yourself to be calmed and led by the One who rules over all creation.

This Weekend's Message: Choose a Side

“You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

C.S. Lewis wrote those words in his book Mere Christianity in order drive home the point that it is foolish for anyone to have a casual response to Jesus. We can be horrified. We can be amazed. But we can’t shrug our shoulders. Yet many of us, both Christians and non-Christians, respond to Jesus and His call for our lives with casual indifference. This is a problem!

This Sunday we will look at a passage in John’s gospel, and we will see a group of people struggling to decide what they think of Jesus. As we walk through this passage, we will each be compelled to come face to face with Jesus and respond to Him with appropriate gravity.

Dan

Serving is Hard!

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Recently a person posed a question to all of his friends on Facebook. He asked “What makes it hard for you to serve other people?”

They gave some great answers, including:

“Serving is hard when it doesn’t fit into my schedule or plan. Like when I want to go for a walk or take a long bath, but my aging parent needs me to sort their meds, run an errand, or simply be with them.” 

“It’s hard when their need seems endless. I don’t want to risk helping
because I may get sucked in. Being swallowed up in the serving and
not getting to be the me I think I am or should be.” 

“There is such limited energy left after a demanding workday, meeting our basic responsibilities (whether with young kids or in the corporate world). How do you balance the need for rest and self-care with serving others?”

But my favorite answer was this one: “What makes it hard to serve others? Others.” How true! Serving is not something that comes naturally, but that’s okay because as Christians we have someone to follow and lead the way – Jesus. Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ words in Mark where He says, “I did not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.” There it is. As we follow Jesus, serving others becomes a supernatural practice He calls us to join Him in.

“What makes it hard to serve others? Others.”

Recently we held training for the 12 people who have taken a bold step of faith to serve. The training was for our new Open Table ministry. They each gave up six hours one Saturday to learn all they could about serving someone else. And what was so encouraging when the training was over was their
response. “Let’s get moving,” they said. “I’m ready to serve,” they said. Truly they are modeling the heart of Jesus.

In the very near future these 12 people will lead the way as they meet with a person in poverty weekly for a year. The goal is to build a lifelong relationship. And when this relationship unfolds they will be involved in helping this person achieve their own personal life plan.

In some ways I think these 12 are pioneers. They have a heart that beats for the things God’s heart beats for, and I couldn’t be more proud or excited for them and for our church.

LBF is not a place to come and consume the things you need. No, it is a place where together we serve one another in a multitude of ways to help us all see Jesus and grow in Jesus. If you’re not serving you’re missing out. And LBF is not all it could be without you serving. We have many places to start – just send me an email and we’ll help you start serving just like Jesus. Remember our value – every member a minister (one who serves)!

Men of Valor: Thoughts on the Men’s Retreat

By Rich Shores 

Why is it that military movies like “Band of Brothers,” “Saving Private Ryan,” or “Glory” are so popular with men? I would suggest it is because each of those movies portrays men depending on each other with their lives. Their common denominator is a “brotherly love.” Without it, they would all likely perish in battle. The Marine Corps tells its recruits during boot camp that they will “Find the willpower you never knew you had, the strength you never knew you needed, bonds that will never break, and a lifelong desire to serve a purpose far greater than self.”

Well men, if you did not know it, our spiritual journeys present a battle that is no different than those battles that have been waged on the beaches and deserts of foreign nations. However, the battles we face are uniquely different. Paul says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT).

Take note, Paul tells us, our enemy is not other men; our enemies are those of an unseen world. I ask you, how will you defeat an enemy whom you cannot see? Well, there is hope for all of us at LBF. Men’s Ministry is a band of brothers who are ready to stand up for one another. It not only equips us individually for the battles we are going to face, but we find a brother on our left and a brother on our right to connect with, confide in, and share from the heart when the going gets really, really tough.
Men, believe it or not, we are designed for relationship. We need relationships in order to continue to fight.

Case in point: The recent men’s retreat at Forest Home sent 53 men from LBF for a weekend of building faith and fellowship. I am new to LBF and knew that this was my opportunity to “get to know the guys.” Let me tell you, there were moments of hilarity, late nights of talking about movies, and eating some amazing ribs for lunch (am I right, men?). However, if I had not gone, I would have missed out on the opportunity to forge relationships through those shared experiences. We were also challenged in our faith through some amazing sessions and testimonies. As men from LBF, we learned how to strengthen our ability to serve, not only within ourselves, but as a community of men. For some of us, we shared some very deep seeded hurts and hardships that turned into opportunities to pray for one another. Relationships are not only built on the fun we have, but the trials we face together in the trenches.

In Matthew, we read how Jesus walked along and called His disciples. Imagine the courage it took for each of those men to stop what they were doing and follow Him. Imagine the courage it took to face the challenges Jesus was proposing those men would face for His sake. But do not forget, Jesus did not call just one or two guys… 

He called 12. Those 12 became a band of brothers, standing up to the enemies of the unseen world. Don’t you want to have your own band of brothers? As you read this, other men of valor are waiting to link shields with you and fight our common enemy. All it takes is that little bit of willpower – that you never knew you had – to join.

This Weekend's Message: Hunger

If you’ve ever dealt with a baby, then you know that babies have only one proven method to communicate:  cry and scream. They do this if they are scared or if they are hurt or if they are lonely. And they also cry and scream when they are hungry. Even when we are as young as a few days old, we feel the need to fill our hunger. Hunger tells us that there is something wrong, something lacking. So we act with urgency and (sometimes) panic in order to fill up, so that we are no longer hungry.

Think of how you feel when you are hungry. Now take a moment to think of when you feel hungry for something other than food. Think of when you are hungry for affection, or hungry for adventure, or hungry for affirmation, or hungry for comfort. Many of us would be willing to deal with some physical hunger as long as these deeper longings were being fulfilled.

We are all hungry, and not just for food. We all know that there is something wrong. Something lacking. Even if we think we know the right way to fill ourselves, we often find our hunger persisting. This Sunday at Life Bible Fellowship Church we will see Jesus address this idea. He affirms that we are all hungry, and then He points us to the one and only way for us to satisfy that hunger and be filled.

Dan

Summer is the Perfect Time to Check Out Life Kids Children’s Ministry

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

Have you ever thought about getting involved in Children’s Ministry, but the commitment just seemed too long? Or maybe the thought has crossed your mind, but the responsibility of teaching the kids made you second guess yourself. Well, I am here to tell you that the summer session is the perfect time to get your feet wet and try it out. 

We have positions for all three services, for infants through 6^th grade. This ministry offers an array of different positions that can utilize many different skills. These positions include Classroom Leaders that teach the lessons, Floaters that handle the attendance and administrative side of things, Junior Helpers (7^th grade and up), Storytellers that share the Bible story with the kids in an interactive way, and Media Techs that run the slides for worship and story time. These positions also offer different types of serving schedules. Leaders, Floaters, and Junior Helpers can serve every week or 2-weeks-on/2-weeks-off. And the Storytellers and Media Techs serve once a month, but for both the 9:15 & 10:45 services. 

The session is only 16 weeks and we provide all of the training, supplies, curriculum, and encouragement. You just need to provide the energy, love for the kids, love for Jesus, and the fun. So come on by our table on the patio between Sunday services and see what great opportunities are
waiting for you! I can’t wait to see you there and share all of the exciting ways to serve in Life Kids Children’s Ministry. You can also email me.

God Sends LBF Across the World This Summer

Overview of Our Summer Missionaries and Short-term Mission Teams

By Carol Hawkins, Missions Coordinator

This is an exciting time as our summer mission teams and individuals will soon be heading to their areas of service. Thank you all for your prayers and financial support for these teams and individuals. Thank you for being part of the team!

Team Honduras [May 3-10] They will be partnering with Orphanage Emmanuel. There are about 550 children currently in this facility who are learning about the love of God each day. Our team will be helping in many ways: VBS, arts and crafts, carpentry, farm work, school, music, and more. They will be serving to help meet the greatest needs.

Team Nicaragua [May 11-17] Our team will be partnering with Living Water International and they will be drilling a clean water well and installing a hand pump. They will also be educating the community in hygiene practices to help encourage sanitation and health. This is a wonderful opportunity to help meet the basic need for water in the community as well as sharing the gospel message through relationships that are made.

Team Mexico [May 23-25] Our team will be partnering with Baja Christian Ministries, building a safe home for a family in need. Our team will spend the weekend sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and building a solid weather-proof home for a family in this poor community. 

We also have some individuals who are going and serving:

Audrey Dukes [July 1-6] Serving in Florida with Actors, Models and Talent for Christ

Karly McCroskey [3 weeks in May] Serving in Kipkaren, Kenya in a Children’s Home with Empowering Lives International through Azusa Pacific University.

Megan Robinson [June 4-24] Serving in South Asia, meeting the needs in the slums with a team from Cal Baptist University.

Christina Vargas [July 11-August 7] Serving in Kipkaren, Kenya with Hope Matters International. She will be assisting Michelle Kiprop with community health and education outreaches.

All of our teams appreciate your encouragement and they will greatly benefit from your prayer support. Thank you for your partnership. You are touching many lives for eternity!

This Weekend's Message: Caught in a Storm

I once had to play music on a cruise ship. It was just a little 3-day Royal Caribbean cruise down to Ensenada, Mexico and back. About 24 minutes into the cruise, the boat began to sway from side to side, which I was told tends to happen on a boat. One hour and 54 minutes into the cruise, the boat was not only swaying, it was pitching up and down like one of those carnival rides that little kids love, but adults tend to be smart enough to avoid. As it turns out, we had “encountered some less than ideal seas.” About 3 hours and 44 minutes into the cruise, I was a shade of green that can only be described as Grinch-like. Every person that passed me in the halls asked if I was okay. My fellow band mates invited me to lay down on the floor backstage, but as they say, the show must go on. So, I spent the next 3 days playing 3 times a day on a stage that was rocking back and forth the way a set of high school bleachers does during a pep rally. My number one goal was not to play well, hit right notes, or even look like I was having a good time; it was to NOT throw up in my saxophone. As a bonus, once we docked, I discovered that just because the cruise was over and I disembarked, does not mean the swaying stops, and I proceeded to be nauseous for an additional day or so.

Needless to say, my career of choice was not going to have anything to do with cruises, or boats...or water for that matter (with the exception of baptisms). Storms are scary things, and storms in life can take a huge toll, especially when we believe we are out there alone. But why do the storms have to happen? Why doesn’t God just take care of things to protect us from having to feel bad? This Sunday we will be looking at the ever-popular, but possibly under-considered, event of Jesus walking on water (John 6:16-21). Was that event just for thrills? Just so Jesus could show off? Or was He Declassifying some things about the nature of God and His interaction with those willing to follow Him?

See ya Sunday! (No barf bags required!)
Jeff