Life Kids Tuck God’s Word into Their Hearts

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

Hello January 2014! With every new year there is a feeling of starting fresh and getting life back into routine after all the wonderful festivities that come along with celebrating our Savior’s birth. Hopefully our memory verse program for the 1^st-4^th graders will be one of the activities in your family’s weekly routine. This program has two purposes: teach kids to work together for a common goal as a group and encourage them to memorize God’s Word and tuck it into their hearts. This part of our Sunday morning program begins in worship with a time called “Traditions.” During Traditions the kids are given the opportunity to recite the memory verse and/or show their teacher that they have brought their Bibles. For each tradition that they do, they receive one Lego block to build on the Traditions wall. When the Traditions wall is full of Legos, the whole class will pause as a community and celebrate, with a fun treat or activity. 

Another part of this program that is different than our previous program is the verse that the kids are learning is reviewed for a month at a time. Although the verse is longer, focusing on one verse for a longer period of time gives the kids the opportunity to truly know the verse and have it stick with them. The memory verse, or as we refer to it, “Remember Verse,” is practiced with the kids during our Traditions time and the teachers also review it with the kids in their small group when time permits. The Remember Verse cards are located at every sign-in table along the hall and our teachers have them in the classroom for the kids to take home as well. Also new this year, I will be setting up a monthly email with the Remember Verse on it that you can subscribe to. So be on the lookout for more information on how to sign up and receive the information electronically! 

The new curriculum and program is going great and although the kids have not quite filled up their Traditions wall, I know with continued support and practice from home they will reach their goal soon!

This Weekend's Message: Come and See

Over the past year, I have added something new to my daily routine. At least once every day, I check Amazon.com for the kindle deals of the day. Everyday there are a handful of books on a special deal. They will be 2 or 3 dollars. Sometimes I will recognize the books, but most of the time I don’t. So if a book looks interesting to me, and if I am thinking about taking a chance on it, I look into it. Now, I know we are only talking about a few dollars, but I hesitate before plunging in and buying it just because the subject matter seems interesting. I read some reviews. I read the endorsements. I see how readers are rating the book. Sometimes I even read an excerpt of it. I do all these things to try to find out if I will like it, just like if you read reviews of a movie or a restaurant or a car before you buy it.

But despite all this digging, there is only one way to know whether or not I will like it, right? What do I need to do? I need to read it for myself. Others can like it or hate it, endorse it or warn about it, but I need to check it out for myself if I am going to find out whether or not I think it is worth reading.

This Sunday we will encounter some of Jesus’ earliest followers as He invites them to put their trust in Him. He invites them to buy what He’s selling. And we will see Jesus invite them—and us—not simply to take the word of others when it comes to His credentials. He invites us to come and see for ourselves.

Dan

Forward Motion

By Matt Sasso, Pastor of Student Ministries

We’ve all made resolutions and set goals, but too often we fall short of what we expected to accomplish. Unfortunately it’s often the same when we try to become the Christian we really believe God has called us to be. We fall short of the goal and become increasingly discouraged. So many times we look at our lives with great expectations, thinking we should be leaps ahead of where we are. We expect perfection. We expect to arrive at some level. The reality is that following Christ isn’t about leaping to instant perfection. 

We’re walking with Him daily – a walk that involves steps, not leaps. Following Jesus Christ is about the small steps we make everyday – steps of obedience, steps in relationship with Him. Sometimes those steps are small, sometimes they are big, but they are all still steps, moving us forward. It’s a lifelong journey – a process, a walk. Following Jesus is about the steps we take everyday, and as Christians, we have divine help in taking those steps – from the Holy Spirit. 

In this series, your student will learn that following Christ is more about the small steps we take everyday than about the huge leaps of faith that we think we need to make. We hope your student is encouraged as we think about the steps that they need to take to move forward in their relationship with God.

Responding With Worship

By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship

Psalm 150:

¹Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
²Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet; praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
⁶Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

We can take all kinds of things away from this passage of scripture. 1) We are supposed to worship God. 2) We are given some ways TO worship God. 3) Worship is a response to God. C.S. Lewis said, “Praise is the culmination of our enjoyment of anything.” So allow me to pose some questions I have wrestled with through the years, even recently. When we come to church each Sunday and the music starts and it is “time to worship,” what is that time a culmination of for you? Is our response in worship based on whether or not we enjoy the music? Is it contingent on if we enjoy the atmosphere in the room? Is our ability to worship determined by how our week has been? Is our response a response in the moment based on our mood when we walk through the Worship Center doors?

For me, at varying points in my life the honest answer to all these questions is, “yes!” And I have found myself being content with believing that God didn’t really expect anything more from my worship than to follow the leader, do my best, eek through, and tolerate whatever service or music was in front of me and circumstances happening in my life. The reality is, the praise of God should be one thing: our response to God. Anything else is man-made, contrived, and an act that we put on the way we act polite when going to a relative’s house where we know our parents expect us to be polite. If worship is not in response to and directed to God, we are literally singing for our own enjoyment (or out of guilt to go along with a program). When we see worship happen in the Bible, it is not because it is “time to worship.” It happens as an overflow, as a response to a move of God in someone’s life, a response that cannot be stifled or held back. 

Mark 1:40-45: “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. ‘If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,’ he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: ‘Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.’ But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened.”

When one has an encounter with the living God, the response is worship. When one has an understanding of the power of God, the response is worship. When someone truly surrenders to the Lordship of Christ, the response is worship. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and in His faithfulness He adds all that is according to His will, our response will be worship. 

In this context I can recognize how small my singing for the sake of singing is. In far too many settings my singing has been a response to a worship leader telling me to, or because I have been conditioned to sing whatever is on a screen in a church service, or if a particular song does or doesn’t move me. The hymnist Isaac Watts said, “God values not the service of men if the heart be not in it. The Lord sees and judges the heart. He has no regard for outward forms of worship if there be no inward adoration. It is therefore a matter of infinite importance to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly for God.” Real worship can only happen when the condition of our heart is steadfastly toward God; not when the music is just right, or when we are in the mood, but when our pursuit of God is at the forefront. When that happens, whether life is good or bad, whether we are at church or in the car stuck in traffic, we can authentically worship because we are authentically bringing ourselves to God.

For a period of time at LBF we are going to simplify our approach to God musically. Our desire is, and always has been, to provide the opportunity to worship through music because it is a great way for us to join together with one voice and praise God, declare our faith, and intentionally invite
His Spirit to move among us. There is no magic music style or band instrumentation. We see everything from complex instrumentation as in Psalm 150 – to a simple shepherd in a field with a lyre. Yet simplifying things musically does offer a greater flexibility to stop, reflect, and even respond with fewer distractions in front of us. So you will not see a full band as we typically have on Sundays. The music will take on a more acoustic feel with a single person or small group on the stage to lead.

As those of us in the worship ministry, both staff and volunteers, take this period of time to intentionally and passionately pursue God and His will and calling on our life, we anticipate and expect God to move in some new ways among our church. We believe that God has so much more for us than any ritual or routine can provide. So as we simplify and the music fades, may this be a time that each of us can approach the throne of grace in a very intimate and authentic way, with confidence, and invite the Holy Spirit to move among us. It must never be about what happens on a stage, who is leading, song selection, or anything else. It must always be about allowing our hearts to be steadfast toward God and seeking Him; not just on Sundays at church when it’s “time,” but everyday in every aspect of our lives.

This Weekend's Message: God's Final Word

Every once and a while my wife and I will look at a photograph of one of our children and say, “That picture doesn’t really look like him.” Now, we don’t mean that the facial features aren’t correct or that his size or pigment is different than normal. All of the facts about the child may be correctly reflected in the picture, but the picture doesn’t capture what he is really like. The pictures that we love the most are the pictures that not only seem to capture our sons’ physical features, but also their personalities and demeanor.

Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself in many ways. His creation spoke truths about Him. He sent prophets to tell people about Him. He appeared through dreams and angels and miraculous events in order to present Himself to people. He inspired His people to keep a written record of His laws and His interventions in their history. But these all served as photographs for God’s people. They told truths about God, but the full truth about Him still seemed hidden...until God sent His Son.

This Sunday we will kick off our series through the Gospel of John. And in this first section of his book, John will peel back the veil and give us a glimpse of how Jesus reveals the core truths about God.

Dan

Helping the Homeless

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

A recent study has identified at least 200 people who are living on the streets, in fields, or under freeway overpasses right here in Upland. Many of these people are not what we normally think of when it comes to homelessness. Many of these people were displaced as a result of the economic downturn in 2008. And it’s not just about single men and women who are living in chronic homelessness; it’s also about families with children. It’s a great need and we’re called by Jesus to respond. 

Meeting this need is complex and difficult. It’s about more than simply finding these people and placing them in an apartment. To really embrace this problem takes a much larger commitment of time, patience, and love. It requires making an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of people who find themselves in poverty and homelessness and responding to those needs with
a holistic approach.

Helping the homeless can also be intimidating. It’s like heading out into uncharted waters. We don’t feel well equipped, the challenges are complex, each situation is unique, and we certainly don’t have all the answers. We are fearful that we’re going to let someone down. We’re afraid the burden and responsibility will be too great. These issues paralyze us and as a result, we just don’t get involved. 

The Open Table Solution

Open Table is a ministry organization with strategies and resources for helping families move from poverty to personal health and productivity. Through Open Table, you don’t need to have all the answers and you won’t bear the burden all alone. A collaborative team of 12 people will work together to solve the complex issues of re-establishing a person or family out of homelessness into stability. 

Picture a large table with 13 chairs. One chair is for the family we are assisting, the other 12 chairs are for people to come alongside and help. Each chair represents a different area of responsibility – for example, housing needs, finances, transportation, education, job skills, etc. Each person sitting at the table will take responsibility for their area and help the family regain their footing. The 13 people at the table are working together to bear the burdens and responsibility to bring the family to long-term health and wholeness.

This month LBF will officially begin a new project in alignment with our Love in Action
vision called Open Table. This is a project that has been several years in the making and it is all about connecting with our community and helping the homeless.

This project has two phases. Phase one includes partnering with Mercy House in
Ontario by sponsoring families while they are in their program. During this time we will
receive training from Mercy House and then be assigned to a person or family who has been taken off the street and have entered into Mercy House’s program. 

Mercy House does more than just house people. They also have programs designed to meet the specific needs of each family so that at the end of their program, they will have a better opportunity for success. During the time they are living at Mercy House, LBF members will meet the family and become acquainted with them. We want to be an encouragement to these families while they are in the program at Mercy House and create a foundation of relationship that we will build from when we launch phase two.

Phase two begins once they are released from Mercy House. It’s at this time that we will move from sponsoring a family to adopting a family. We will build upon the relationship started during their time at Mercy House and continue that relationship for the next 12 months. 

During these next 12 months we will assist this family in a variety of ways. Our goal is to wrap our arms of love around them and help them complete the process they began at Mercy House. 

As I mentioned earlier, what we are about to embark on has been several years in the making. This new effort takes into consideration the needs and the barriers to solving those needs, and provides a solution that really falls upon all of us as followers of Jesus. 

But in our church we will share the load of this need together. And together we will help people out of poverty, while at the same time we will have the opportunity to address their spiritual need as well. I could not be more excited for this opportunity and the impact it will have in our city and in our church, but more directly in the lives of people God allows us to love.

Next Steps

There you have it. This project involves our church, Mercy House, and Open Table. Together we have the privilege of helping people in very real and tangible ways. 

If this type of project makes your heart beat fast or you feel like you can’t wait to become involved, I want to invite you to an informational meeting on January 26, at 12:15 p.m. in The Garage. Lunch will be included.

In the meantime, please be part of this effort by praying for the families that God will bring into our lives, for the people from this church who will be engaging face to face with those in need, for the two organizations we are partnering with, and for the desire to grow this ministry and see it impact our city for Jesus.

There is a huge opportunity to put our love into action. Will you be part of the team?

Goal of LIFE Groups: Better Understand the Bible & Each Other

By Phil Shahbaz, Pastor of Community Life

As we begin the New Year, LBF Church is set to once again launch a new LIFE Group season. The LIFE Group program at LBF is made up of many different kinds of small groups with one common thread: the goal is to better understand the Bible and better support one another.

Our hope is that the experience of being part of a LIFE Group will further benefit you and your family in a variety of ways: 

1. You will gain a deeper understanding of the Bible in a LIFE Group. If you’ve ever listened to a Bible teacher or pastor and wanted to ask, “But what about…?” or “I don’t understand...,” then a LIFE Group can help. In a small group setting, you can ask questions, participate in a discussion of the text, and hear others share insights and illustrations you are trying to grasp. 
2. You will begin to really feel like you’re part of God’s family. Most people who have been a part of a group say the greatest benefit is the close relationships and friendships that develop. They will frequently call each other during the week to share an urgent prayer request or exciting news. You’ll discover that your needs and problems are not unique – we’re all in the same boat.
3. Prayer will become more meaningful to you. Many people are hesitant to pray in front of others, especially in a large church. In a small group of six to 12, you will learn to participate in prayer by having a conversation together with God. No one is pressured to pray, but as you become comfortable, you’ll be able to join in. 
4. You will be able to handle stress and pressure better. LIFE Groups provide excellent support in times of crisis, change, and stress. You’ll have a sense of stability and security knowing there are people who really care for you and are committed to standing with you. Many people in our church could testify that they would not have made it through a difficult time if it hadn’t been for the support of their group.
5. You will have a natural way to share Christ with friends, relatives, and work associates. It may be that some of your friends who don’t know the Lord will not visit a church. But those same people may be open to an invitation to a casual Bible discussion in a home or office setting. In a LIFE Group, your unbelieving friend can ask questions and express honest doubts without feeling put on the spot.
6. You will develop leadership skills and confidence! The Bible teaches that every believer is given certain talents or “gifts” to benefit others in the family of God. Unfortunately, most Christians remain Sunday morning spectators all their lives because large group meetings are primarily “sit and listen” situations. As you share and participate in a relaxed small group setting, you’ll discover your confidence and self-esteem rising. 

This January we will have many opportunities to join a group. We will have options in both men’s and women’s ministries, along with traditional LIFE Groups that meet in homes. 

Be sure to sign up this weekend, and if you have any questions you may contact Phil Shahbaz, Pastor of Community Life, at (909) 981-4848.