News (Page 2)
Suffering Outside of the Limelight
For what seems forever, television has made suffering seem stylish by recruiting people from all walks of life to endure danger and deprivation in seemingly real trials, pitting them against the elements or other contestants who are out to get them. The payoff scene at the end of the program celebrates lots of high-fives and expressions of relief as contestants board helicopters or Land Rovers to return to normal life and their often-healthier bank accounts. This kind of made-for-TV suffering…
Three Front Doors
It has been 22 weekends now since we have had a “normal” church service inside our facility. Can you believe it? I would have never dreamed that we would be doing things this way. I realize there are many opinions and strong feelings about whether we gather or not, and how we should do this. Politics can easily get involved. Opinions fly in all directions. The madness of school closures is frustrating. These are confusing times, for sure. We have,…
We Got This!
What a world we live in! As we all know, it is summer, and it’s pretty normal for summer to feel weird and different as people are traveling and heading out on vacation. Students are generally slowing down and sleeping in and staying up late. Summer is usually filled with bike rides, hikes, video games, late nights with the bonfires, and family time. This summer is obviously different. The news of our local schools staying closed for the start of…
An Unexpected Gift
Come back with me to the first of January. Do you remember what life was like? Remember we had to sit in heavy traffic to get to work? We had to jump from meetings to more meetings. We had to take our children to their soccer games. We had to take them to ballet lessons. We had to rush through meals. We had to pick up dry cleaning. If we are honest, we knew our busy lives were on autopilot,…
Multiply! Buliisa Starting Up Again!
After nearly three months of COVID-19 interruptions, we are re-engaging with our plans for Multiply! Buliisa! Just in case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you what Multiply! is all about: Multiply! is a chance for us to consider how God views our resources, to be encouraged by the ways that God has multiplied resources for his glory in the past, and to commit to using our resources for the good of those in need. Specifically, we are focusing our efforts…
Developing your Own Prayer Life
Prayer truly is the privilege of entering into a conversation with the Creator God, our Almighty Father. This is the Holy of Holies that we can now access because of what Christ has done.
An Invitation to the Holy of Holies
What is duty of care? Those in my life that I am responsible for. What is prayer? An invitation into the special place where I communicate with Almighty God regarding those in my life that I am responsible for. Have you ever had an invitation to attend an exclusive grand event? An invitation to the Governor’s mansion? The White House? The home of a powerful person? If I ever received an invitation like this, I would frame it and hang…
I’ve Known Her My Whole Life
Happy Mother’s Day! It feels like I’ve known my mom for practically my whole life. And I’m still not tired of her! She is both the most loving and toughest woman I know and has taught me so much, my whole life. She has been the biggest encouragement in my life, from the first time I walked to riding a bike, swim meets and baseball games, rugby matches and school dances, and the list goes on and on. But out…
Billy’s Update — May 7, 2020
Welcome to May and Mother’s Day weekend! At LifeWay Church this coming Mother’s Day Sunday, our service will feature some ways for us to recognize this wonderful day, and to enjoy the blooming of spring as well. The flowers are definitely coming out; the weather is certainly cooperating. The only drawback is the “social distancing” that we are still having to live under. So we are online again. On Sunday, I am beginning a short series of sermons out of…
Keep Doing the Good
Now that we’re a few weeks into the Corona Quarantine (or Big Rona, as some of the youth like to say), I imagine that you, both parent and teen, have been struggling with patience. Close quarters, the fear of the unknown, frustrations about schedule and school, and all of the Zoom calls that everyone is doing has definitely helped to test our patience and our ability to hold onto joy in the midst of trials. So I want to offer…
Missions: The Third Pillar of Christian Living
The Three Pillars of Christian living are community, discipleship, and missions. When one is a part of a LifeGroup, then he or she brings to reality in the 21st century the three essential things 1st-century Christians set out to do soon after our Lord Christ Jesus ascended into heaven.
Billy’s Update — April 30, 2020
Church in the Lobby Do you know how, at the end of a Sunday morning when you’d leave the church service (can you remember those days?), you’d stop for a while to hang out and visit with people you know, meet some new faces, and just be social? Those were the good ol’ days, weren’t they? In the current world of having everything streamed into our living rooms, we wonder when we’re ever going to get to do that again!…
This Week in KidVenture — April 23, 2020
Hello, KidVenture families! This week in KidVenture we are looking at Acts 2, which describes the very first Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit was given to all of Jesus’ followers. That same Holy Spirit lives in each of us when we choose to follow Jesus, and so as Christians we often say that God lives in our hearts. We don’t often talk specifically about the Holy Spirit. But this week’s story and our verse of the week help us…
When Will We Get Back to Normal?
We have now been in this new COVID reality world for more than a month now, and all of us are asking the same thing about our family, our business, our shopping, our school, our stock market, sports, social interaction, and church life: When will we get back to normal? The way I see it from here is that the question really should be, What will a new normal look like? There is no way that any of us can…
LifeWay Youth – April 23, 2020
Hey, parents! Are you wondering how you’re supposed to keep your student busy during this crazy time?! Well, we have a few things planned to help with that this week! Daily Zoom Calls Daily 2 p.m. Zoom calls are happening on Wednesday and Friday this week. We want to dial it back for this week to give the students a little break. Weekly Youth Group Live Streams For our Thursday youth group, we’d love to hear your feedback on what time…
Discipleship: The Second Pillar of Christian Living
If I asked you what is a disciple, what would you say? Christians think of a disciple in many different ways. Some think of a disciple as a student of a teacher. Others think of a disciple as a sort of protégé, being guided by an older and experienced person. Still others think of a disciple as a follower or adherent of a master. Even though the ways one thinks of a disciple may be many, it is interesting Christians…
Consistent, Fervent Prayer
I will admit that I am not the prayer warrior that I wish I was. I’m not really great at praying consistently, persistently, and with a great deal of faith. And yet all of these things are descriptions that the Bible uses to describe the way followers of Jesus should approach prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus describes the need for persistent prayer with a story about a widow and an unrighteous judge. In Mark 11, he says that whatever the…
When Are We Coming Back?
When do we come back to the church building? Are you asking that question yet? Well, if you are asking, here’s the answer: We just don’t know! But there are some things that we do know for sure, no matter what. We are learning a great deal about ministry with COVID-19. The following is a short list of some things we are continuing in these shut-down days, some of which we will continue after life opens up. NOW: We…
LifeWay Youth – April 14, 2020
Hey Parents! Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, not knowing what to do with your youth? Need some extra resources to help? Check out what’s going on with LifeWay Youth! Daily Zoom Calls Daily 2 p.m. Zoom calls are happening Monday through Friday as a way for your student to stay connected with others in our youth ministry as well as have fun. We are doing daily devotionals, we have been playing games, and we’ve given away prizes every…
This Week in KidVenture – April 14, 2020
Happy Tuesday, KidVenture Kids and families! This Week In KidVenture I hope you all had a great Holy Week and Easter weekend! I love spending time remembering the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for us. If Jesus hadn’t gone to the cross, we could never go to Heaven! This week, we will spend a little more time looking at pieces of the Easter Story in Matthew 26-28 that show us that Jesus really is the savior who took the punishment for our sins.…
A Study of Romans 8
On Easter Sunday we launched a series of messages that we are calling Epic. I used the illustration of an epic journey, such as David Livingstone’s exploration of the middle of Africa, or Lewis and Clark’s trek across western North America. These epic journeys reshaped the future for millions to follow. To call the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus an epic event is an understatement. Everything has now changed because of what Christ has done. Romans 8 spells this…
Behind the Scenes
Join Heather by video this week as she updates us on ways to engage in God’s mission and reminds us that God is doing exciting things behind the scenes, just as he did during the original Easter weekend. Find out how you can help at and around LifeWay here.
Sunday’s Coming!
It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming! This is a line from a famous sermon that has been passed around for years. But it’s not only a famous sermon—it’s a forever truth. This is Easter week; today is Good Friday, and Easter is this Sunday. I have been carefully reading the story and contemplating Jesus’ last few days of earthly life. This year we’ve been doing nightly Passion Week devotions that have helped us walk through the story. (You can watch them…
KidVenture – Holy Week
Happy Tuesday, KidVenture Kids and families! I hope you are continuing to dig into God’s word this week. Here are a few things to help you do that. This Week In KidVenture This week, we will check out Matthew 21:1-11, the story of Jesus coming triumphantly into Jerusalem. This took place about a week before Easter. In this story we learn that Jesus was fulfilling the words of the prophets of the Old Testament because he truly is the Messiah! Here…
Passion Week: Preparing for Easter
We are now in the middle of a week that reflects the last week of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion and ultimate resurrection on Easter Sunday. I hope you have been able to join in the 7 p.m. devotional readings and reflections on the significance of each particular day. I have celebrated Easter Sunday all my life, but I have never taken the time to contemplate and remember the significance of each day that led up to the cross, the…