Praying hands

What can be a better way to start a New Year than on our knees! The Lakeview Prayer Ministry is inviting you to join us in heart and mind in prayer on Friday night, January 6, at 7 PM and all day this Sabbath, January 7.

“If my people…will humble themselves and pray.” ~1 Chronicles 7:14

If we humble our spirit in prayer the Lord will lead us to the new summits in all our programs and ministries.

If we humble our minds in prayer our Savior will renew our spirit.

If we humble our hearts in prayer our Father will give us healing and restoration in our family relations.

“Oh brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper – and sleep too – than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber.” Andrew A. Bonar

Albrecht Durer’s Father was a goldsmith and apprenticed him in his early years to learn the family trade, but Durer loved painting and really wanted to be a painter. So his father finally gave in and agreed that he could go to Nuremberg to study art. Unfortunately though, his father wasn’t wealthy enough to support him, so he had to work as a labourer to support himself. The trouble was, this left him little time to work on his art. Now he had a friend, Franz Knigstein who was also a gifted artist and in the same boat, so they decided that they’d draw lots and one would support the other while he finished his studies and then he’d support the other out of his earnings as an artist. Well, they drew lots and Albrecht won. So Albrecht was able to devote himself to his art studies, but he agreed to support Franz after achieving success so his friend could finish his studies. Some years later Albrecht returned to find Franz so he could keep his end of the bargain. But when he got there he discovered what a sacrifice his friend had made for him.

You see as Franz had worked at his labour, his fingers had become twisted and stiff. His long, slender fingers and sensitive hands had been ruined for life. He could no longer manage the delicate brush strokes so necessary for executing fine paintings. But in spite of the price he had paid, Franz wasn’t bitter. He was happy that his friend Albrecht had attained success.

Well, one day Albrecht saw his friend kneeling, his rough hands entwined in silent prayer. Albrecht quickly sketched the hands, later using the sketch to create this drawing “The Praying Hands”. He saw his friend’s hands as a symbol of the sort of love that Jesus had shown us. A self giving love that preferred the good of the loved one to its own rights. A self emptying love that chose servanthood over equality with God and the glory of heaven.

Climb your mountain!

“There is no top. There are always further heights to reach” (Jascha Heifetz, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time). The Lord is calling each one of us to reach new heights in our spiritual life and in the effectiveness of our ministry. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

We often settle for small things in life. Like Lot we ask for “small towns” and small mountains (Gen. 19:20). We get comfortable with our little achievements. We accept broken relationships as a norm of life. We give up on our spiritual quest. Challenges and troubles of life suppress even the desire itself to seek higher ground. Eventually we become completely sieged by the dark and painful circumstances that control our present and take away our future.

I invite you to run to the mountains (Gen. 19:17), to claim the promised heights (Jos. 14:12), to “get up into the high mountain” (Is. 49:9). Our God “shall come with a strong  hand (Isaiah 40:10). He will give you wisdom and power to restore your broken marriage, to finish your college education, to overcome your spiritual doubts, to refinance your mortgage, to forgive your enemies.

I challenge you to “lift up your eyes” in 2012, to “mount up with wings like eagles”! Amazing new perspectives open up only from the top of the mountains.

Happy New Year to you.

Lakeview holiday photos

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“I bring you good news…”

This Sabbath day at Lakeview church (December 17):

11:00 AM “Stranger in the Manger” – Children’s Choir musical. A series of spirited songs and rhymes that help us remember the sacrifice God made to send His son to a lowly manger to save us all. Bring your family and friends, invite your neighbors!

5:00 PM “Remembering the miracle of Jesus’ birth”  a musical vesper presented by the young musicians of Lakeview at 5:00 p.m.  Voices and instruments will be raised in song. You will enjoy an evening of praise and reflection.

THE LAKEVIEW CHILDREN’S CHOIR had the opportunity of sharing the message of God’s love to the youth at the Cobb County Juvenile Detention Center.  They performed the musical “Stranger in a manger”, which focuses on the birth of Jesus, highlighting the unique process that God chose to save the world.   The Supervisor and guards mentioned how “well” the young people had behaved during the program.  He mentioned that he felt this was due to the fact that they knew we were there because we wanted to be there, not because we were getting paid to be there.   This activity has become part of our yearly routine, as it provides a means by which our younger children can minister to others and proclaim the story of God’s love and salvation.

COMMUNITY SERVICES: THANKS TO ALL WHO  HELPED BAKE THESE EXPRESSIONS OF APPRECIATION FOR OUR VERY REAL PARTNERS IN OUR FOOD PANTRY PROGRAM . With contributions from Monica , Florence ,  Cynthia, Denise and my mother-in-law -  we ended up w/ 13 plates of cookies for our  food distributors at the Farmers Market. . That is 26 dozen cookies – more than I had  hoped for. (Sieg Grentz)

Lakeview sermons are always available here or at www.lohtv.com or even on ITUNES

“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;” (Luke 2:10-11) Jesus came into this world to show us what God is like. We have a God who cared enough to come. No other religion in the world can make that claim. He showed us what he was like and his name was love. He was the friend of sinners and failures. He showed love and compassion to the outcasts of the world. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He taught us not to use the values of this world to determine our worth, for he said, “The last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16). He taught us that our value to God was more important than what anyone else thought about us. Let this Christmas season strengthen our hope in the soon return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He loved us

Without God’s love there is no hope for me. In the Gospels I find the greatest description of love ever revealed to humanity. Jesus comes into this word simply because of His love to His lost children. He comes to them while they are still sinners. They do not deserve to be loved, but He is seeking them. He was rightly called “a friend of sinners”. He did not want anyone to be lost for His Kingdom. Every thief was dear to Him, every drunk was treated like His son, every prostitute -like His daughter. This love has no comparison in the history of this world.

Moved by love He wanted to restore sight to the blind, to open ears of the deaf, to heal those who were sick. Our world needs restoration today.

No relationships can be restored, no individuals saved for the Kingdom, no peace found within our own souls unless we reflect His unconditional love. Our sinful nature makes us seek what pleases us, His love makes us forget about our selfish needs. “.. love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own… Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV)

This Sabbath morning I intend to find assurance of my salvation through the study of God’s amazing love. I invite you to join me at Lakeview church at 11 am. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son  to be  the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10 NKJV)

We give you thanks

I am thankful to the Lord for the honor of being His child. Without Him my life would have no meaning and no purpose. When a couple of years ago my Dad passed away I realized that in a great degree my inspiration to live and achieve was coming from the simple fact that I had a father who loved me and cared about me. If my God had died I would have been left drifting in this universe with no purpose or inspiration.

I am thankful to the Lord that He blessed me with the most wonderful family. Inspired by His selfless love I am also driven to love because that brings joy into the lives of my dear ones. Without God my love to my family would have been a simple animalistic instinct of preservation and survival.

I am thankful to the Lord for my church. The church is the place where I can realize my purpose of serving to the needs of those who are beyond the circle of my immediate family. It is at the church that I  forget about what I want and learn to see other people’s needs.

This has been a wonderful year at our church. I praise the Lord for the new members who joined our church family. I thank God for many wonderful ministries in our congregation. By God’s grace our church family has grown locally and in other parts of the world thanks to our commitment to preaching the Gospel “in Jerusalem … and to the ends of the earth”.

I am thankful to the Lord for all my amazing friends living in the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany, Moldova and many many other countries of the world.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving I invite you to remember those who may feel lonely, abandoned or chose to be in denial. Let us make their life brighter and happier.

“Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.” 1 Chron. 29

He is Able!

“Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (Hebrews 7:25)

“Because He [Christ] is an everlasting priest, and has offered the only available sacrifice, he is able to save, from the power, guilt, nature, and punishment of sin, to the uttermost, εις το παντελες, to all intents, degrees, and purposes; and always, and in and through all times, places, and circumstances; for all this is implied in the original word: but in and through all times seems to be the particular meaning here, because of what follows, he ever lives to make intercession for them; this depends on the perpetuity of his priesthood, and the continuance of his mediatorial office.

As Jesus was the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, has an everlasting priesthood, and is a continual intercessor; it is in virtue of this that all who were saved from the foundation of the world were saved through him, and all that shall be saved to the end of the world will be saved through him. He ever was and ever will be the High Priest, Sacrifice, Intercessor, and Mediator of the human race. All successive generations of men are equally interested in him, and may claim the same privileges. But none can be saved by his grace that do not come unto God through him; i.e. imploring mercy through him as their sacrifice and atonement; confidently trusting that God can be just, and yet the justifier of them who thus come to him, believing on Christ Jesus.” (CCB)

This Sabbath morning I invite you to celebrate the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to save. We will remember His death and resurrection during the Communion Service. He is ABLE to save YOU!

Lakeview Bonfire change

Good Morning Again Everyone!

I have some sad news.  I talked with Mr. Grentz after I sent my last email and he informed me that the county would not issue a burning permit for us this Saturday night.  So we will not be able to enjoy a bonfire.  Instead we will have our social inside the Lakeview Church.  So we ARE NOT cancelling the social.  It will just be inside instead of outside.

That means we will need you to bring table games along with the food you are bringing to share.  We will still do some of our seasonal games as promised, but we will also play some table/board games together while we have an evening meal together.

I’m sorry about this change, but I know that we can still have an enjoyable time together.  We will meet in the Lakeview Church at 7:00pm.

Have a wonderful weekend!
–

Pastor Matthew L. Tinkham, Jr., BA

Parenting and Training Children

Sabbath School Program Topic:  Parenting and Training Children

The Family Life Ministry team would like to personally invite everyone to make it a priority to make it to the Sabbath School program at 9:20am each Sabbath this quarter.  Each week, a different topic will be presented on building a healthy home, as God wishes.  We all know it may be difficult to make it a priority to wake up on time and make it to church by 9:20am, but as Ellen White states in Counsels for Sabbath School Work: “Punctuality and decision in the work and cause of God are highly essential. The only day out of the seven that the Lord claims as His, and requires us to devote to Him, quite a portion of this is squandered away by sleeping late in the morning. In this they are robbing God. It causes them to be behind in everything; it makes confusion in the family; and finally results in the tardiness of the entire family at Sabbath school, and perhaps at meeting. Now why can we not rise early with the birds, and offer praise and thanksgiving to God? Try it, brethren and sisters. Have your preparations all made the day before, and come promptly to the Sabbath school and meeting, and you will thereby not only benefit others, but you will reap rich blessings for yourselves“.   Even if you are one of the very, very few people who has a perfect family, you can still come out and support your fellow church members.

“Parents, let your children see that you love them and will do all in your power to make them happy. If you do so, your necessary restrictions will have far greater weight in their young minds. Rule your children with tenderness and compassion, remembering that “their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10. If you desire the angels to do for your children the work given them of God, co-operate with them by doing your part. Brought up under the wise and loving guidance of a true home, children will have no desire to wander away in search of pleasure and companionship. Evil will not attract them.The spirit that prevails in the home will mold their characters; they will form habits and principles that will be a strong defense against temptation when they shall leave the home shelter and take their place in the world”. Ministry of Healing, page 260

 

The topics include:
Nov. 5 – Teenagers
Nov. 12 – Resolving conflict in the home
Nov. 19 – Family worship in the home
Nov. 26 – Time management.
Dec. 3 – Responsibilities in the home
Dec. 10 – Single parents/ challenges
Dec. 17 –  How to handle a non-believing spouse
Dec. 24 – The home environment

Hope to see you there!

Dnipro Meetings Slideshow

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