Seems Logical Enough.

December 18, 2012 by at 9:00 am No Discussion

art-of-ending_SMSomeone once told me that it’s a good idea to always pray for wisdom because wisdom, once possessed, can’t be taken away from you. Seems logical enough. Since then one of my daily prayers for myself and for the people I love has been for abundant wisdom…bold, in-your-face, profound wisdom (and application!).

We are currently in the midst of a series at LCBC, The Art of Ending, that has been chalk-full of wisdom of this nature as it relates to the relationships in our lives and the people we get to do life with. Most would probably agree that when it comes to relationships of any kind, we tend to be great at starting out but come up short when it comes to the difficulties associated with endings.

Endings, though, sometimes are necessary as we begin to understand that good cannot fully begin until bad ends. Depending on the relationships and circumstances being faced, this can sometimes mean ending a relationship completely. Proceed with caution, though, because more often than not, however, this insinuates the need for identifying faulty behaviors and patterns in a relationship, having tough but necessary conversations, deciding to set boundaries, and doing the hard work to follow-through with what has been established. Remember, boundaries ultimately bring freedom.

Who we choose to spend our time with matters and can have an acute impact on many facets of our lives. 1 Corinthians 15:33 reminds us that bad company corrupts good character. 2 Timothy 2 is a bit more graphic and suggests that foolish people and behaviors are like a disease that quickly and easily spreads (some translations even use the disease Gangrene to depict this…if you have a strong stomach, look it up!) You get the picture…wisdom suggests being keenly aware of what and with whom we choose to involve ourselves. Disregarding this will only lead us to a place where we must be content to reap what we sow in the long run.

As you consider all of the relationships in your life…perhaps your spouse, the people you work with, your friends and neighbors…you may begin to identify foolish people and behaviors exist that need to end. Taking an inward look may even cause you to realize that you, too, have been or fed into foolishness. Proverbs 5 and 6 include some profound truths and reminders: beware of the scoundrel, the sinister, the tempter. Beware that you may, yourself, have qualities of such people, too, that need to be come to an end.

New life, a new sense of peace and hope can be found for you and others as you evaluate the company you keep. God provides wisdom, wisdom that can’t be taken from you, and allows for you to move forward…embracing the endings just as much as the beginnings so that good can truly begin.

What’s Crowded House?

October 25, 2012 by at 9:00 am No Discussion

Any guesses?!

Nope, not the washed up Australian pop rock band from the 1980′s. (Thank you, Wikipedia, for that insight. And, my apologies if I’ve now managed to insult any groupies).

In an attempt to not over-simplify an event driven by the complexities of the need and desire for connection in our lives, Crowded House is just that: a house (or sometimes multiple houses) full of 20somethings looking to get connected to God, to each other and to LCBC. Over the past several months, 20somethings (ages 18-29) from all of LCBC’s Campuses, have joined together monthly to hang out, engage in meaningful conversation, be challenged through teaching and Scripture and to have an opportunity to jump into a LIFE Group.

Crowded House was birthed out of the idea that 20somethings at LCBC are a large, contributing faction of the church. They aren’t the church of the future, the next generation of our parents’ church or just rising leaders. 20somethings are a part of the church today, leading for life change and are challenged to grow more and more in our likeness of Jesus. Crowded House is a connection experience designed to be a launching point for a next step in the faith journey.

20somethings at LCBC are also encouraged, with the rest of the church, to gather regularly on the weekend at one of LCBC’s campuses, to connect relationally with others in a LIFE Group and to pick an area of the church to serve alongside others.

Are you a 20something looking to get connected and take a next step? I’d invite you to consider checking out our next Crowded House on Friday, November 16th. This will be a multi-site simulcast event…one church, multiple locations. Can’t make this Crowded House? No worries…there’s one happening the third Friday of each month. Checkout LCBCchurch.com for more information and to sign up.

Filling the Gap

September 18, 2012 by at 9:00 am 2 Discussion

How unnatural does it feel to trust sometimes? Real, legitimate trust…in a world where we all carry around scars or open wounds of the times we’ve been let down, of times where what we’ve actually experienced is different from the expectation that someone had set us up for. We hear over and over again that trust is essential to all relationships: whether a marriage, with co-workers, with friends. Yet, most of us would be hard-pressed to come up with even just one person who at some point hasn’t caused us to question our trust in them for one reason or another.

This past weekend at LCBC, we took at look at the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. God deeply values people and therefore their connections with each other. But the reality is, life is messy and often times we find ourselves contemplating this gap of uncertainty that has been created in our relationships. It’s in those moments that we have a choice to make; we can choose trust or we can choose to be suspicious, both of which come with the risk or being hurt again or creating rejection in a relationship.

Trusting when it feels unnatural takes effort, it takes bending towards the other person giving them the benefit of the doubt and offering the gift of a generous explanation for the gap that has been created. “I’m sure there’s a good explanation for this…” Trusting in these circumstances requires followers of Jesus to go to ridiculous extremes to continue to love, to recognize that the best way to know if you can trust someone again is to trust…again.

But how do you do this? How do you trust, how do you confront the reality that people can sometimes be untrustworthy?

Begin by committing ahead of time to…

  1. Choosing to believe the best when there is a gap.
  2. Come to the defense of the person when others assume the worst.
  3. Go directly to the person if what you experience begins to erode trust.
  4. Tell ahead of time if you’re convinced you can’t deliver on a promise.
  5. Tell the truth when confronted on gaps you’ve created.
God isn’t just concerned with our eternity; He’s concerned about our lives today, too. Applying truth can make all the difference.

No Longer Good Enough…

May 17, 2012 by at 9:00 am 6 Discussion

I’ve been challenged with this thought over the past couple of years: Good enough isn’t enough, best is best. 

As you begin to consider these words, they can be used almost as a mantra not only as part of the decision-making process, but as a way of life. The word best becomes part of the lingo used and heard often. And even still, while you may frequently wrestle to detect what this best that’s looming out there is supposed to look like, it’s done in a way where growth and being confronted with Truth is part of the  process of lives continuing to be changed by Christ.

The danger, though, is that each of us can come to LCBC on the weekend and settle for good enough while God desires best for our lives; he desires us to come alive fully in Him.

LCBC is a big place. With four (and soon to be five) campuses God has been doing some incredible things and has gone to mind-blowing measures to bring people through the doors…many who would say that they are or have been far from God at some point in their life.

The reality is that as more and more people come and seek out God’s best through life with Jesus, care becomes a bit of a tricky task. With a staff of about 120, it’s not physically possible to individually care for each person’s unique needs…nor would it be best. Good enough care doesn’t truly meet needs.

Connecting in a LIFE Group at LCBC is where the care takes place. It’s where community is built and lives are shared. It’s where neighbors love on neighbors and needs are met. It’s where conversations lead to life change, where specific prayers are whispered, and where we are challenged to grow in our relationship with God, each other, and our community.

Connection is part of the process of moving from good enough to best…and it’s mission critical in our lives as followers of Jesus.

If you are interested in more information about getting connected, please email LIFEgroups@lcbcmail.com.

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