Benediction

The Ten

The Ten begins this Sunday at Ten.

The Ten is Lakeside's new 10:00 Sunday morning worship gathering.

The Ten offers Lakesiders and newcomers a spot in Prime Time for worship: 10:00 Sunday mornings.

The Ten has the same teaching as Lakeside's other services. Live.

The Ten provides a more intimate setting than Lakeside's other services.

The Ten includes children and family programming features: The Mystery Box, Family Feud...

The Ten does not offer Kidsfest--for that you want Saturdays at 4:30 or 6:30 or Sundays at 9:00 or 11:00.

The Ten includes unbelievable music led by Gabriel Wilson.

The Ten also features a cello. Woot-woot.

The Ten is about to become a Lakeside Classic!

The Sermon on the Mount

This weekend at Lakeside Church we are launching a new series on The Sermon on the Mount. This sermon, delivered by Jesus 2000 years ago, is the most important statement of the heart of God ever delivered. In this series we're going to take some time to search it thoroughly for its meaning and significance to us.

Two things you should know: First, this weekend I will be "preaching" the sermon. When I was in college, a friend of mine memorized the Sermon. Our pastor asked him to deliver the Sermon by memory in our weekend worship gathering. As I listened to him preach the Sermon on the Mount, I was moved by hearing the words of Jesus. I determined then to memorize the Sermon.

A few years ago I led a group of Lakesiders on a trip to Israel. We stood on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, in a spot close to where Jesus probably delivered his Sermon. I had the privilege of preaching the Sermon to our traveling group that day. I will never forget the experience. But far more important than that experience, is the hearing of this message.

So this weekend at Lakeside I will preach the Sermon on the Mount. I will not begin teaching about it until the following weekend, when we will begin a series called Upside-Down Blessings. But this weekend, you'll simply hear the Sermon as Jesus might have delivered it so many years ago. (Except I'll deliver it in English.)

The second thing: This would be a great time to invite friends to come with you to Lakeside. They will never hear the word of God in a purer form than they will hear it this weekend. No commentary. No extras. Simply the words of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount. 

Remember, too, that we begin our new weekend schedule this weekend. Here it is:

    Saturday: 4:30 & 6:30 pm

    Sunday: 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am

(The Ten is in the Block. We are not hosting a Kidsfest program for this gathering. But children and family elements will be included in the worship program at The Ten. Check it out.)

The Pathway of a Disciple

Lakeside Church has a new tool for leading people along the pathway of a disciple. It's called The Pathway of a Disciple. The link is found at lakesidechurch.com. Click on it and you can begin (or continue) the journey with Jesus.

For many years people have asked me, "What's the next step in my walk with Jesus?" I could usually point them in the right direction, but what if I wasn't there to help. Perhaps they would come to you. Would you be prepared to point them along the path?

Well, now you can be prepared. The Pathway of a Disciple is for you as one who is following Jesus. But it is also a tool for you to use to encourage your friends to follow Jesus.

Let me know how it is going for you on the Pathway of a Disciple.

More on Musing (or Moron Musing)

A few days ago I posted a blog called End of the Year Musings. I wrote the blog on my MacBook Pro while sitting at Panera Bread in Redlands, California. I knew I only had a few hours, so I didn't take my power supply cord with me. No problem; plenty of time for some writing.

Only suddenly--after three or hours--my time ran out. Which meant my energy ran out. Which meant I had to hurry. Which meant problems.

I rushed to save my content, and mostly succeeded. But then I tried to publish a Facebook/Twitter update so my friends and followers would know I was posting the blog. I wrote a brief update including my blog address. Unfortunately, I wrote the wrong blog address, in fact, a non-existent one. So if you clicked on the link you ended up at a blank computer page. (Perhaps you thought I actually had nothing to say in my end of the year musings.)

Then I tried to fix the problem with another Facebook/Twitter update. But in this one, when I posted the link, I did it wrong and the link, which was accurate, was not actually linked to my blog. If you clicked it, you got nothing. (Perhaps you thought your computer malfunctioned.)

I wanted to take a third swing at the problem, but the computer closed me out. Time's up.

I once heard John Ortberg say that we should ruthlessly remove hurry from our lives. Jesus never seemed to rush. (This caused a lot of frustration for certain sick people whose time was running out.) As this new year begins to roll, life is about to hurry up again. Resist the temptation to join the rush.

Musing is best when not saved for the last minute.

Coming Soon--New Opportunities

If Lakeside Church were a movie--for example, The Wizard of Oz--would we be more like Kansas or more like Oz? No disrespect to Kansans, but in the movie, Kansas is colorless and predictable. Oz, on the other hand, is full of color and exciting opportunities. I know there's no place like home, but I sort of like Oz.

One phrase I hear repeated often these days at Lakeside is, "Something is happening around here." If you're a Lakesider, I suspect you've felt it. Among our staff, we sense the Lord is doing something powerful among us. For me, I see it in Kidsfest. I find it in our Student Ministries. And I feel it among our adults.

One evidence of this move of God's Spirit is the influx of new Lakesiders. I've met dozens of families recently who have been with us only a month or two. And most of the people I've been meeting are not transplants from other churches. They are people who are coming to church for the first time, or for the first time in ten or 20 years! We are crashing the gates of hell, and the gates are collapsing.

All of this leads to opportunities...and challenges. (Challenges and opportunities are the same thing viewed from different perspectives.) Here's one: We have seen significant growth in all four of our weekend gatherings this fall. Both Sunday morning gatherings are full, and our Saturday gatherings are gaining momentum. Which leads to an opportunity: What do we do with all these people?

I love it when you ask the right question at the right time. Thanks.

Here's the plan. Beginning January 31, we will be adding a fifth gathering to our worship schedule. Saturdays will continue at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. But on Sundays we will add a 10:00 gathering. Our new schedule on Sundays will offer worship gatherings at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. (Note the change from 10:45.)

OK, if you're paying attention, you'll say, "Hey, that's a problem. These services will overlap...or they'll be really, really short!"

We thought of that. We didn't like the really short option, so we're trying a new approach. The 10:00 gathering will be hosted in the Dock, the upstairs room in the Block. To do this we are providing some special features to The Ten. (I don't know yet if we'll call it that, but it's functional for now.) First, it will be family-oriented, with occasional features designed to engage kids. Over the years people have asked us for a worship gathering that includes kid-friendly activities. This will be the one. (No Kidsfest programming will be available at this hour.)

The Ten will also offer a little lower volume in the worship music. The music will be the same high-quality we have in the auditorium, with Gabriel leading, but at a little lower volume level. This may also lead to a highly multi-generational worship gathering, which has been one of our recent priorities.

The teaching at The Ten will also be the same as in the auditorium. Whoever is speaking in the other gatherings will speak at The Ten. Normally this will be me, but I will continue to share preaching responsibilities with our staff and other guest speakers.

Finally, another feature of this change is that we will transition our High School ministry, Encounter, to Saturday evenings. Beginning January 30, Doug Roush and the high school students will meet at 6:30 p.m. This puts both middle school and high school on Saturday evenings, and hopefully becomes a blessing to our families who have kids in both groups. No more straddling Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. We believe this may create a strategic opportunity to reach high school students at a time when they are looking for things to do, and not always in the healthiest places.

Bottom line, as in everything we do at Lakeside, is this: Will it help us fulfill the mission? I absolutely believe it will. I believe it will create more room for more people to be transformed into passionate and productive followers of Jesus. That is the path of the kingdom, which is better than Kansas or Oz!