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)