What’s Happening in Student Ministry?

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Since the end of April, we have been experiencing a transitional time in our Student Ministry as we have been praying and searching for the person God has to be our new Pastor of Student Ministries. I have been the pastoral presence during the midweek and Sunday youth group times and have had the privilege of working alongside our youth ministry adult volunteers who are wonderfully committed to our students. 

With this change and time of transition, I know that many of you have been in prayer for what’s next. We know that a new pastor to students is essential for the health and vitality of a student ministry, and our prayer has been to find the right person as soon as possible.

In recent weeks during my own personal prayer time, I heard God whisper a name to me of someone who could meet this need to our students and become our new Pastor of Student Ministries. I didn’t act on that whisper right away but gave it some time, and each time I would go to God on this subject the same name would come to me.

After many confirmations in my heart, I went to this person and asked if they would pray about becoming our Pastor of Student Ministries. This was not something I was going to mandate or try and make happen, but something I wanted this person to pray about and see if God would either confirm this whisper or if maybe I had heard something wrong.

After a period of praying with his wife and close family, seeking God’s direction and will for this time in his life and ministry, believing that the role of youth pastor is what God has for him here at LBF, I am excited to let you know that Jeff Taylor, our current Pastor of Worship, will be stepping into the role of Pastor of Student Ministries, effective June 1.

Jeff was first hired in 2003 as our Pastor of Student Ministries. He was in that position until 2007, when he took on 50% of the teaching team role in the main services in addition to his youth position. In 2009 Jeff left youth ministry when he took on the Pastor of Worship role – a role that he has functioned in since. As a youth pastor, Jeff demonstrated over and over again that he has the ability to connect with and reach junior high and high school students. Jeff is excited to follow God’s lead back into student ministry and be used by Him to minister to the lives of our young people. 

This is not a band-aid or quick fix. This is where we believe God has us and are  excited to see how He will move.

Understandably, this change may seem abrupt and quick, but it is with great confidence that God is leading this way and Jeff is stepping into this role. Summer camp and other youth activities are right around the corner, and Jeff and the volunteer staff are hard at work, assuring a safe and spiritually meaningful time for our students.

This change means we will also experience a transition in our worship ministry and the main services as we look for a new Pastor of Worship. During this transition we will have some familiar faces leading our adults in worship through music. And I hope you will join me in praying for our next worship pastor – pray that God would be smack-dab in the middle of this process and that we would see His Spirit lead us to the right person quickly, just as I believe He has for our Student Ministry.

It is with great anticipation that I look to the rest of this year and beyond. As I told our staff recently…

Healthy things grow – growing things change – changing things challenge us – challenge forces us to trust God – trust leads to obedience – obedience makes us healthy – healthy things grow.

I believe this speaks to where we are right now. Things are changing and this will challenge us, but I would ask you to join me in looking to God as we trust Him and walk in obedience to Him and as we do, grow in our health.

If I can answer any further questions about all of this, please feel free to send me an email.

This Weekend's Message: The Good Shepherd

On March 23, 1997, 39 members of a religious group called “Heaven’s Gate” participated in a mass suicide. They had been taught that by taking their own lives and exiting their earthly bodies, they would end up on a space ship that was following the Hale-Bopp Comet. They trusted the teachings enough to take their own lives, believing that in the end their devotion would lead them to a better life.

This sad story illustrates two powerful truths. The first is that we long so deeply for a better life that we are willing to go to great lengths and take great risks to try to get it. The second is that we are all looking for someone to follow. We all want to hitch our wagon to the right person, the right teaching, the right path, the right guide, so that we will be led to a better life. The problem with the members of Heaven’s Gate was not that they trusted someone else too much. It was that they trusted the wrong guide. Because of this, their noble attempt to trust ended in disaster and tragedy.

Who do you trust to guide you? To whom are you looking to lead you to a better life? This Sunday we will walk through a passage in which Jesus offers Himself as the only one who can guide us to life. Though this passage we will see why we should trust Him, and we will also see what it looks like to trust Him.

Dan

Let’s Give Ourselves to the Lord And Then Act on What He Leads Us to Do

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor 

It’s time to give you – our church family – a quick financial update. Our fiscal year ends on June 30 and that is the time we take a good look at how we did in comparing our giving and our budget. Included in this Scroll (below) is a quick rundown of how our giving has been in relation to our budget. As you can see, we are behind as we enter our last month for this fiscal year.

I believe LBF is making a difference in our community and around the world as your giving reaches a great many people. This year we have sent out four adult missions teams to international projects. We support other international missionaries who are helping to bring the gospel to people throughout the world. We support a variety of local ministries such as the GAP, Assure Pregnancy Center, and Pacific Lifeline. We fund our core ministries such as Life Kids Children’s Ministry, Exit 83 Student Ministry, adult ministry, LIFE Groups, worship, teaching, and administration. We help people who are in financial need. We keep our property and facility well maintained and cared for. And most importantly, all of the funds you give are at work in advancing the Good News of Jesus.

Financial giving is one of those areas that I think we can all use a reminder about throughout the year. So as we begin June, I wanted to once again challenge each of you – as the LBF family – to seek in the Lord in prayer about your financial giving. Our belief about giving is based on 1 Corinthians 8. In that passage we learn that we are to first give ourselves to the Lord and then act on what He leads us to do. So I’m asking you to go to prayer and then simply act on what God reveals to you. If each of us will do this, I believe we can erase the deficit we now face.

May God bless you as you pray and give.

VBS Kicks Off July 14

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

Summer vacations are about to begin and there is excitement in the air over the fun activities planned for the warm weather! So as you make your plans, I hope that your kids will be available July 14-18, from 5:30-8 p.m. for Vacation Bible School (VBS). This year the kids will put on their detective hats and become secret agents. Their mission is to discover, decide, and defend the truth about who Jesus really is! These secret agents will get to search for evidence, play games, make crafts, share a meal together, and worship God through music. Don’t miss out and register today (and sign up to volunteer!) at lbfchurch.com > VBS. Can’t wait to see you at Agency D3 Headquarters!

This Weekend's Message: Blind Spots

If we find out that our vision is going bad, we take extreme action. We get eye exams. We get glasses or contacts. We have laser eye surgery. We know how important it is to be able to see clearly, and so we act swiftly if we find out that we are having vision problems.

            

The question is this: Are we that passionate and committed to identifying and dealing with our more significant areas of blindness and ignorance? All of us have certain truths that we don’t want to see about ourselves or about the world. When someone brings up our blind spots, most of us shut our eyes, preferring not to know.

            

On Sunday we’ll see Jesus’ power to free us from our blindness. If you are serious about seeing clearly, come and see how the Light of the World opens our eyes.

Dan

Quick Summer Missions Update

By Carol Hawkins, Missions Coordinator

Thank you for your faithful prayers for our summer mission teams. Three of our teams have served
during the month of May. 

Team Honduras was blessed to be able to help in many ways at the Orphanage Emmanuel, sharing the love of Christ with precious children and staff members.

Team Nicaragua served by drilling a well to provide fresh, clean water for a village. They also did some community education in hygiene practices to improve health. 

Team Mexico was able to build a house for a family in great need in a poor community. 

Karly McCroskey served for three weeks in Kipkaren, Kenya, helping out in the children’s home in meeting many needs of those children. 

All of these teams were able to be Christ’s hands as they served in practical ways and were able to share God’s love. Thank you for your partnership. 

Megan Robinson will head to south Asia with her team from Cal Baptist from June 4-24. She will serve in the slums in that region. Please keep her in prayer.

This Weekend's Message: Have You Found What You're Looking For?

Bono from the British band U2 sang a song with the following lyrics: "I have climbed the highest mountains - I have run through fields - I have run I have crawled - I have scaled these city walls - But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for." Some believe this song is about a search for the meaning of life. Others believe that this song speaks to man’s inability to find lasting contentment. But whatever the meaning, it is clear that many people in our world have not found what they are searching for and live with a constant state of discontentment.

Is it possible to find lasting contentment? And if it is possible, how and where do we find it?

This week as we complete our two week series called "The Gamble,” we will look at what God says about how to find true contentment.

I hope to see you this Sunday!

Gary

Family Events are Coming at You, LBF

By Phil Shahbaz, Pastor of Community Life

If you have been to LBF on a Sunday morning, it’s likely that you’ve noticed an abundance of kids. From the little ones in diapers to the older ones with iPhones, they are exceedingly present at our church. On a typical Sunday, we see them darting through the Worship Center hallways, digging through the doughnut boxes, playing on the play-set, and during the summer, occasionally coming back to mom or dad soaked with water – but with a smile on their face. Our kids energize our church campus and bring a joyful presence to our Sunday mornings. They also bring their parents. 

Families with young children have been growing at LBF, more so than any other constituency we have. In the past year, many of these families have come together to express a desire for more connecting events here at the church. This desire comes from the realization that in many ways our families live life apart from one another. Many of our families are in the same stage of life, dealing with many of the same issues, and hoping to raise our children to love Jesus.

Yet we only see each other briefly on Sundays or at Life Groups. There are families at the church who recognize this issue and are taking steps to bring us together for fun and creative events. 

The first of these events was back in December. A few volunteer families came together and programmed a movie night in the Worship Center. Kids watched a fun movie while they munched on cookies and popcorn and sat in cardboard race cars they made and decorated a few minutes earlier. Parents sat in the background and smiled. This event was not advertised, yet it was very well
attended and an example of the creativity of our LBF parents and their willingness to bring us together. 

Next on the calendar is the LBF Summer Picnic on Sunday, June 22. This is being put together by a community of our families and will be open to everyone at the church. 

This picnic, however, will resemble the kind of old-style church picnic that many of us remember as children. The focus of the picnic will be on fun games that we can all participate in. Remember the potato-sack race as a kid? We will be bringing it back! 

There will be a pie-eating contest, a dessert competition, and a dunk tank
(yes, you will have an opportunity to dunk Pastor Gary Keith, and we may or may not put ice in the water). This picnic will be a fun community day for the entire church family and hopefully an opportunity for a new generation to create memories in a way that we fondly remember. 

As summer continues into fall, we will continue to have events for families such as beach days, movie nights, and game nights. Most importantly, our families at LBF will be brainstorming, hosting, and leading these events as a team. If you are a mom or dad, and would like to help with these events, we 

would love to have you on the team. Please contact me at (909) 981-4848.

This Weekend's Message: Who Are You Betting On?

Imagine that a group of people go to place bets on who will be next year’s Super Bowl MVP. The first gambler picks Peyton Manning. The next picks Marshawn Lynch. The next picks Aaron Rodgers. Then the final gambler chooses...himself. Although he is not an NFL player, he decides that he would rather bet on himself than on anyone else.

You would think someone like this was crazy, right? It simply is not smart to bet on yourself to accomplish something that is way beyond your reach. It is much better to put your money on someone who has shown that he is capable of getting the job done.

This Sunday we will be presented with a choice. When it comes to our money and our happiness, on whom will we gamble? Will we bet on ourselves, believing that we have the capability of using and managing our money and resources in a way that will bring us our greatest good? Or will we conclude that we are not qualified to accomplish this? Will we instead opt to bet on someone who has shown Himself to be more than able to work all things together for the good of those who trust Him? It is a gamble either way. Who will we bet on?

Dan

The Gamble

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching

In 2007, the Boise State Broncos played the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. The game was surrounded by intrigue because Boise State, a small school from a small conference, had gone undefeated. But they were matched up against Oklahoma, a perennial powerhouse in college football. It was a classic David vs. Goliath match-up. The game went back and forth and eventually it came down to one final play. 

Boise State had scored a touchdown and they were down by one point with no time on the clock. They could kick an extra point (a pretty sure bet) and send the game into double overtime. Or they could go for a two-point conversion and end the game then and there. If they were successful, they would win by one. If they failed, they would lose by one. As all the viewers watched in anticipation, the Boise State coach decided to take the gamble and go for the two-point conversion.

You may or may not remember this game or remember the result of this gamble. Regardless of this, however, you probably understand the choice the Boise State coach had. He could play it safe and hope that things eventually worked out, or he could take a big risk. If the risk worked out, he would be at the center of something amazing and memorable. If the risk didn’t work out, he would be ridiculed for being reckless.

Most of us are not coaches, but we are still consistently faced with the choice either to play it safe or to take a gamble. Will I stay in this comfortable job or will I branch out and start my own business? Will I try to remain friends or will I ask her out? Will I go for low-risk-low-interest or will I invest in something more aggressive?

Now think about what it is like to walk with Jesus. Is it safe or risky? While Jesus surrounds us with promises of provision and security, even a passing glance at His life and His commands makes it clear that following Him does not lead to a calm or risk-free life. He calls us to take the gamble and tell our neighbors and friends about Him. He calls us to speak up and gently confront other believers when they are off-track. He calls us to trust Him financially and to give generously to those in need.

Focus in on that last one. Jesus calls us to gamble with our money. No, He doesn’t call us to do this by going to casinos or buying lottery tickets. Instead He calls us to bet on Him. He calls us to take the gamble that giving generously will reap more benefits that playing it safe and keeping what is “ours” to ourselves. This feels incredibly risky (and sometimes reckless), but there is no doubt that Jesus calls us to be sacrificial and generous with our money.

Despite this, many of us play it safe. We tell ourselves that instead of gambling on God, we will play it
safe and avoid the risks involved with generosity. 

But the fact is, when we do this we are fooling ourselves. Our choice is not between playing it safe and taking a gamble. Our choice is between betting on God or betting on ourselves. Will we trust that God will come through, or will we trust ourselves to make a better life out of what we have? Either way, we are making a gamble. Either way, we are betting on someone. Do you want to bet on yourself or on God?

For two weeks in June, we will pause from our series through the Gospel of John to address the issue of financial generosity. The goal of this series will be to challenge each of us to take the gamble and trust that God will come through when we follow where He leads us financially. And the good news is that any risk we take for God is a risk that will absolutely pay off!