Posted on Feb 13, 2022 in Devotions, HomePage, Uncategorized | 0
“27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other,
“What is this? A new teaching—and with authority!
He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”
28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.”
(Mark 1:27, 28 NIV)
I am writing you this note on February 9 which means that a new month has started in our Gospel Challenge and we are reading the second Gospel, the Gospel of Mark during the month of February.
If you don’t remember, throughout the year, we are reading the 4 Gospels, one Gospel each month. That means in the second month of the year we are reading the second Gospel, the Gospel of Mark. The good thing about Mark is that it is a short book with only 16 chapters so if you haven’t started, you have plenty of days to catch-up, even during the short month of February.
Now don’t just power your way through each Gospel. On days when you can take a bit more time, let the stories of Jesus sink in. Be amazed at His actions and His words. Imagine yourself as an onlooker, seeing and hearing Jesus. Listen for something new that you can learn about Him.
Maybe, as we are amazed at what we are learning about Jesus, news about Him will spread over the whole region of Lakeside and East County from our Jesus encounters. Let’s see what Jesus will do as we read about His life throughout 2022.
Posted on Feb 7, 2022 in Devotions, HomePage, Uncategorized | 0
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act.”
Psalm 37:3-5 (NRSV)
The calendar month of February is a month where we delight in several things:
- We delight in our love for others as we celebrate Valentine’s Day
- We delight and celebrate President’s Day and the leadership that these past presidents of our country have provided.
- We delight and remember the accomplishments of our African American brothers and sisters who have contributed to the good of our country.
- We delight in the fac that Spring is just around the corner and warmer days will follow.
Delighting in something is to take great pleasure in it. The Scriptures remind us that we are to “delight in the Lord” and as we do this, our hearts desires will be fulfilled. The interesting thing is that as we delight in the lord, as we read His Word, as we meditate on it, our hearts become more in tune with God’s heart. We want to do what God wants.
So for this month, delight yourself in the Lord. Trust in Him, do good and the desires of your heart will be fulfilled.
Posted on Jan 31, 2022 in Devotions, HomePage, Uncategorized | 0
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need and thank Him for all he has done.”
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Does prayer really change things? Does God really hear my prayers? Is prayer necessary?
I get asked these types of questions from time to time and at times, I wonder the same thing. The one thing I do know is that without a doubt, God wants me to pray and that He hears my prayers! The answers I get from these prayers are not always what I expect, but over the years, I can say that my prayers are heard and so, I continue to pray. I can also say that my relationship with God has qualitatively changed for the better. I feel closer to Him. It is just like any relationship, the more time I spend with that person, the more I get to know them and so it is with God.
I hope that you can join us on Sunday (in person or online) as we continue in our sermon series “Following King Jesus.” This week we look at “Hearing God” and how we might, through our prayers, hear God in our lives.
Let me also invite you to pray with me and others from church. There are several ways to receive prayer:
- Each Sunday after the worship service, we offer prayer for those that would like to pray about a concern in their lives or in the life of someone they care about. Prayer Ministers will be available to pray with you.
- We also have our Prayer Cards that are located in the pews. You can write a prayer request and place it in the offering plate or hand it to an usher. Our website also offers a Digital Prayer Card to make prayer request or you can email the church office and it will get to the Prayer Warriors and the LCPC Prayer Chain. Be sure and write that you give permission to use your first and last name (or the person that you are asking prayer for) if you desire that on the prayer request.
- You can also join me at our Prayer & Praise Gathering on Thursday nights from 6:00-7:00pm. These prayer gatherings will be a time to pray for one another, for our church, for Lakeside, East County and our world. We may sing a song or two with Ron and the folks from the choir. If you can come every week that would be great but if you can only come once in awhile, that is OK. I would love it!
So, pick a T
hursday, put in on your calendar at
6:00pm, and join me and others in praying to God at
Prayer and Praise. It will make a world of difference in your life.
Pastor Tim