Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church

“I am the vine; you are the branches.

If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

First, there is the opportunity to begin Lent with the spiritual exercise of the “Imposition of Ashes.” It is a reminder of our frailty (“From dust you have come and dust you will return.”) and that we need Christ in the midst of our fragile walk here on earth. We will have two different opportunities on Wednesday to do this exercise with “Drive-Thru” Imposition of Ashes from 12-3pm at the church parking lot. Then in the evening at LCPC at 6pm, we will have a “Healing Prayer Service” which will include the Imposition of Ashes.

It is also during Lent that we take the opportunity for spiritual disciplines to help us in our walk with Christ. For some of us, there is the spiritual exercise of “fasting from something.” This means “giving-up something” (a habit or a treat) and when you would normally engage with that “something,” you pray or read the Scriptures. It is a chance for you to connect with God in a deeper way.

For others, during this Season there is the spiritual exercise of “adding something.” So, you add a time of prayer or reading the Scriptures. It is this spiritual exercise or soul training that I want to encourage you to do these next forty days.

“Forty Days of Prayer for Our Neighbors” is a chance to add the spiritual discipline of “Prayer Walking” through our neighborhood and community. Together as a church we are going to be praying for our neighbors, both near and far, asking God to meet their needs but also to reveal Himself to them.

You can pick-up a copy of the Prayer Guide this Sunday at church or you can find it here at the end of this eBlast. You can also call or email the church office (office@lakesidepc.org)  and we can easily send the Prayer Guide as an email attachment where you can then print a copy for yourself.

May our soul training during Lent cause each of us to walk closer with Jesus and to share His love with our neighbors.

Stay dry and have a great rest of the week.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,

 to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

Ephesians 3:17 & 18

As we turn the page on the first month of the New Year, I want to ask how are you doing?

For me, it has been a hard start to the year. A lingering cold, the loss of friends in ministry, paying bills from Christmas, worries about the weather and concerns about the war in the Middle East have all made me feel a bit overwhelmed. It makes me wonder what the rest of the year going to be like!

One exercise for helping us through trying times is to nourish our souls by growing deeper roots in Christ. As our roots grow deeper in the love of Christ, we are able to deal with the difficulties of life. Our roots grow deep when we “abide in Christ” and we abide in Christ by reading His Word. Let me encourage you to look for a Bible Reading Plan that we help you read God’s Word. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you do this. If you want some guidance in choosing one, I would love to help you do that.

So let your roots grow deep in Christ, in order for you to “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”