I wish, I wish, I wish… People are wishing their lives away. Add that to the bizarre national growth of victim mentality over the last two decades, and Americans are doing less and blaming more. Face it, your personal cracks and stress points were there to begin with; blaming everyone and everything else simply won’t help you.  I does, in fact, sap and drain you of precious emotional strength and energy you need to face your challenges.

The real issue is that too many of us don’t take action. Tending to stew and waver, and otherwise procrastinating, we will blame the people around us, God, the weather, the fates, the government or our neighbor’s cat when we realize we’ve missed our window of opportunity.

Life as God offers it is about accomplishment and growth, not perfection. Waiting for the “perfect moment” is merely an excuse not to act. If perfection were the key, few planes would ever leave the ground, we would never have invented penicillin, and no one would ever attempt to play golf (or at least use drivers). The fact that we have become adept at commiserating with each other about what “they” are doing to us, and believe that the problem is with “them,” simply magnifies our dilemma.

Thrive is about doing much more than merely surviving, which is what most victims try to do. Every week, you’ll learn something you can use immediately. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week, next month, next year, or someday. Now.

So we invite you to join us and thrive in 2012!

Feb. 12: This Little Piggy Went to Market…The Dangers of Debt
Feb. 19: This Little Piggy Stayed Home…Coping with Joblessness
Feb. 26: This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef…Learning to Handle Money Well
Mar. 04: This Little Piggy Had None…When It Seems Like All Is Lost
Mar. 11: This Little Piggy Went, “Whee!”…Money & Happiness God’s Way

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In addition, we are offering free workshops on Saturdays for anyone who wants to attend.  The workshops are all hosted by professionals and experts who will answer your questions and offer you advice, all for free!

• Opportunities for questions and answers
• Free coffee and snacks provided
• Casual dress, come as you are

Saturday, Feb.11, 10:00 a.m.–Noon:  ”How To Fix Your Bad Credit”

Free Credit Repair workshop. Learn how to fix bad credit, clean up your credit report and avoid scams.  Credit Guys from Lees Summit, MO will be at Lake Hills Community Church in Greenview to offer free professional information about getting your credit problems under control.   (Presenter: Keith Knapp, owner and founder of Credit Guys, Lees Summit Missouri)

Saturday, Feb.18, 10:00–11:00 a.m.:  ”When It Seems That All Is Lost: Bankruptcy & Your Options”

Bankruptcy is not the end of the world, though it may certainly feel like it.   The laws exist to provide help and a safety net for those in deep financial crisis.  Though there can be some stigma attached to bankruptcy, it is in some cases the best way forward.  Others find that what they need most is to learn some options in going through bankruptcy or options in avoiding bankruptcy.  (This workshop date, time and content has not yet been confirmed.)

Saturday, Feb.25, 10:00–11:00 a.m.: “Finding Balance in Your Budget”

When it comes to money, preparation is everything, but knowing where to start can be difficult. This workshop will show you how to set up a budget that works for you by helping you understand loans, borrowing and the importance of managing credit and debt.  (Presenter: Sherri Tangsrud, Edward Jones Investing)

Saturday, Mar.3, 10:00–11:00 a.m.: “Putting Your Best Foot Forward”

Job search and Interview workshop.  This workshop will offer practical help for those who have perhaps lost a job or are seeking work in today’s difficult and highly competitive world.  We will seek to give you “a leg up” in creating your resume, filling out job applications and doing well in interviews.  (This workshop date and time has not yet been confirmed.)

Also on Mar.3, 11:00 a.m.–Noon: “Working For Yourself: What You Really Need To Know”

Avoid some of the pitfalls and serious mistakes that are often made as people engage in working for themselves, start a small business or get into a home-based business.  Learn some practical tips to help you get started and to help along the way. (This workshop date and time has not yet been confirmed.)

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 It’s Time to Take Control!

On Saturday, February 11, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon there will be a free workshop open to the community.  We are bringing in Credit Guys from Lees Summit, MO to offer free professional information about getting your credit problems under control.

The workshop is one of several practical and free workshops we’ll be offering throughout the course of our financial teaching series, “This Little Piggy Had None.”  Workshops will feature information on mortgage refinancing, bankruptcy, finding work in a tough job market, learning how to balance your budget, and more.

In today’s economy credit has become a necessary tool to our financial success, the truth is that most people do not realize the impact that credit scores plays on their financial well being. Have you ever stopped to consider how much your credit affects?

• Approval and Interest rate on purchasing or refinancing a home
• Approval and Interest rate on purchasing an automobile
• Approval and Interest rate on credit cards
• Rate you pay for insurance
• Being hired or promoted for a new job
• Deposit for utility bills
• Approval and deposit amount for a mobile phone
• much more…

With so much on the line having good credit is a must to achieve your financial goals!  Visit their website here:  Credit Guys

Our goal in offering these workshops is to offer free professional help for people experiencing hardship because of the slow economy.  

Other details:

• free coffee and snacks
• casual dress, come as you are
• question & answer time following the presentation

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Looking for something new or different?

Exciting?!?

A place to hang out?

Come check out FUSION, with Free Food, Games and Music.

– Video games on a big screen

– Loud Music, Lighting & Fog

– Ping Pong, Carpetball, Table Games

– Video & discussion on real problems teens face (15 – 20 min.)

– Coffeehouse atmosphere

Friday, February 24, 2012

8:00pm until 10:00pm

Doors open at 7:45 and close at 10:15, sharp. Grades 7-12 only.

Membership is about choosing to belong to a local church for the purposes of commitment to love, service and growth. It is taking a step into a higher commitment to God, to the other people at Lake Hills, and to your own spiritual growth.  ”Discovery 101: Belonging” is an-depth look at our beliefs, vision, values, structure and strategy.  This is a no-pressure look at membership to determine if you would like to join Lake Hills Community Church.  It’s good to attend even if you just want more information and have no interest in joining!

You can learn more about our approach to membership by reading here: http://www.lakehillsfmc.com/connect/membership/

I hope you are having a good Christmas season this year.

This year is a little different for churches because Christmas falls on a Sunday.  There are mixed feelings and differing opinions about what a church should do about this.  Should the church be “open” on Sunday?  Should it be considered a family day?

We have elected to have our special Christmas service on Christmas eve rather than Christmas day.  Every religious bone in my body struggles with this, and I’m reasonably sure it will be the same for some other folks as well.  In my decision making, I defaulted to our primary purpose and mission as a new church.  We started this church, not to reach existing Christians and entice them out of their churches to come to ours, but rather to reach the unchurched.  In light of this, I asked, “Which would a non-Christian or long-time unchurched person be more likely to attend to check us out?  Christmas eve or Christmas day?”  Bingo!  Simple decision.

Even though this is a post related to Christmas rather than values and mission statements, I don’t want to miss a little teaching moment!  This does serve as a prime example to point out how to make decisions based on your purpose, mission and values.  Those things serve as a filter through which all important decisions must pass.  Since we are working to reached unchurched people, the decision about which service to offer becomes clear.  When facing a difficult decision, always weigh it against your life (or organizational) mission and core values.

Okay, now on to what’s up at Lake Hills this Christmas season.  Here is our schedule and some news items from our bulletin.  If you’re in the area, I invite you to come check out Lake Hills this month!

Sunday, Dec. 18 – Christmas Dinner!  Dinner will be served right after the morning service and everyone present is invited to stay and enjoy.

Saturday, Dec.24 – Christmas Eve Candlelight Service:  Our annual candlelight service which we began last year includes familiar Christmas carols and a Christmas story as the warmth of candlelight fills the air.  Be sure to bring your family, friends and neighbors and join us for this special evening.

This Christmas season we are collecting mittens, gloves, hats, scarves and ear muffs for children and adults in our community. Donations can be brought to the church and placed on the Mitten Tree through Sunday, December 18. Items will then be donated to a local charity.

We are currently accepting donations of new and gently used coats to be given to students in need at the Climax Springs schools. This would be a good time to clean out your closets and get rid of those children and adult sized coats that you no longer wear!

The church is adopting a family for the holidays. If you would like to donate money toward gift certificates for this family, you may do so this Sunday and next. Just fill out one of the offering envelopes and write “Adopt A Family” on the outside and place it in the collection basket, or mail your check to our office at:

 Lake Hills Community Church

101 S. Lake St.

Linn Creek, MO 65052

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We are providing the special Bible used in the experience for each participant at no cost.  In order to participate you’ll just sign up for our weekly community groups that will meet for eight weeks.  You can do so at the church or through our website here.

The following is copied from the website of Biblica.com (formerly known as the International Bible Society), the organization who is creating the experience.  We recommend that you sign up for the daily CBE email (below) which includes your reading plan.  Daily audio downloads are available via email as well.

From Biblica’s website:

Every day, several hundred people give up reading the Bible. But we can change this.

People are hungry to hear God speak. According to one study, the desire to understand Scripture is one of the biggest reasons people go to church. Yet only 1 in 5 churchgoers say they’re getting the help they need making sense of the Bible. We need better Bible engagement. Community Bible Experience isn’t about reading a verse here or a chapter there. It’s the complete Bible, understood in context, experienced in community. It’s whole churches reading big — journeying through entire sections of Scripture for 6-8 weeks at a time. A Community Bible Experience is where Bible reading becomes more than just a private discipline. It becomes an experience we share with fellow travelers. It’s not about finding all the right answers from Scripture or debating points of interpretation. Community Bible Experience is about engaging God’s Word on its own terms. It’s about reading — and living — God’s story.

The Community Bible Experience is about changing the way we read God’s Word.

In eight weeks, you’ll experience an entire section of Scripture, starting with the New Testament. You’ll gather in small groups to share the journey. You’ll glimpse more of the Bible’s context than ever before. And your entire community will rally around the one thing that matters most: God’s Word.

How does the Community Bible Experience work?

Participants read five days a week, using a revolutionary presentation of Scripture called The Books of the Bible. (You can download a sample pdf here.)  Small groups meet for book club-style discussions of each week’s reading. Learn more about how it works.

What is “The Books of the Bible?”

The Books of the Bible is a revolutionary new format that strips away centuries of artificial formatting, leaving behind nothing but pure Bible text. Learn more about The Books of the Bible.

Why should I join a Community Bible Experience?

Every day, several hundred people give up reading the Bible. 4 in 5 churchgoers aren’t getting the help they need understanding Scripture. For most of us, Bible engagement is an isolated, fragmented experience. We believe there’s a better way. Learn more about why it matters.

How do I get started?

When you sign up we’ll send you everything you need to join in your Community Bible Experience via email.

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Remember to sign up for a community group at LHCC to complete the experience if possible.  If you live elsewhere, please consider joining the experience right where you are, and maybe even forming your own group!

But what happens when the dark side of this cultural convention shows its ugly head?  What happens when we begin to “brand” others by labeling them?  We all do it.  It begins as a matter of simply classifying and organizing information we gather about someone.  The brain does this automatically.  The process begins to deteriorate and go south when we create a habit of too quickly identifying and classifying people into existing categories and then we simply leave them there.  We’ve put them in a box.  We’ve stereotyped them, acting as judge, jury and (sometimes) executioner in the courtroom of our own conclusions.

The problem is, people are much more than the labels we assign them. You are an individual regardless of whether you fit into the broad classification of mom or musician, jock or computer nerd.  Such categories, or pigeon-holes, create a mental image complete with a set of expected thoughts, behaviors and patterns.  You have doubtless experienced the frustration of feeling the straight-jacket of false perception that someone has strapped you into for their own convenience or purposes.  They haven’t taken the time to learn and allow for your uniqueness, or for some reason they don’t want to allow themselves to see you as more than the label.  On a deep emotional level, you mutiny against the stereotype because know that You are more than the other person sees…or is perhaps willing or able to see.

God is different.  He sees you.  He knows you.  He values your uniqueness, your singular approach to life, your bizarre individuality.  He has molded so much of that throughout your life by the family and environment in which He placed you.  And He created you to play a distinctive part in the unity and diversity He intends in His Church and His kingdom.

This is a two-way street.  We thrill to hear how God sees and values our one-of-a-kind-ness.  But do we allow for and extend that same grace toward others?  Or do we limit those around us by pigeon-holing and branding them?  It plays out in behavior like control issues, micro-management, criticism, power struggles, name-calling, and thoughts of superiority and over-estimating our own intelligence and wisdom.

Many of these ugly practices stem from the way we view others in relation to self and to God. Paul addresses this very issue in 2 Corinthians 5:16: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…” In the context of that sentence he is saying that people are more than we see, and we need to learn to view them from a perspective that’s higher and better than our own.

How much more peaceful would your life be without the need to control? to micro-manage? to criticize? to defend your own position of intelligence and wisdom?

We invite you to plan to be with us or listen in on our “messages” page as we address this critical issue of how to break free of branding others and to live in the peace and unity to which God invites us.

July 31 – “Out of the Pigeon-Hole” (pastor Mike Knapp)
August 7 – “What Brand Are You Wearing?” (Roger Thyng)
August 14 – “Good and Pleasant” (Mark Gerriets)
August 21 – “Running With the Herd” (Pastor Mike)

The past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about Romans 5:5.  “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”  If God never did another thing for us besides pour his love into our hearts when we come to Him, then he would still offer us the grandest prize and greatest treasure of the human experience.  A heart that is full of love is a heart that knows an inward Heaven though still on earth.

This is part of the job description of the Holy Spirit — to fill us with God’s love.  Whether it’s God’s love toward us, or God’s love toward those around us, to be filled with the love of God is an awesome thing.  In fact, I find this to be the bedrock and baseline of how I can measure whether I’m really “filled with the Spirit” as the Bible teaches.  It shows itself in so many ways: my attitudes, my patience when driving, how willing I am to forgive, my sense of peace.  Just let this verse speak to you and ask yourself whether you are filled with God’s love, or are you empty and hollow?  If so, it’s probably time to take a walk or get alone and kneel down and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you again with God’s love. Ask him to show you any sins you may be clinging to, any unforgiveness you may be harboring, or anything for which you may need to repent* of and ask God for His forgiveness. Or if you have never had that life-changing encounter with God, perhaps now is the time to ask Him to come in and pour his love into your heart.

This Sunday I’m planning on talking about this verse and what some of the implications may be for us.  I am often amused at the way The Message version of the Bible states things.  I’ll end this little piece with the way it words this verse:

“We can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!”

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*repent – In today’s culture, many such Bible words have either lost their meaning or been so caricatured by non-Christians that people don’t really understand them.  I have included an ingenious picture (below) of the word as provided by the Visual Thesaurus.

As a pastor, I love for people to want to study the Bible. As a pastor, I hate for people to study the Bible incorrectly. Some may wonder how I think it’s even possible to do so. Oh, there are several ways. This little article is just one such example.

A Word Study

One of the fun things I learned in Bible college was what is called etymology, or the study of the meaning of words. It is often simply called a word study. This is most popularly done with a couple of simple tools like a good dictionary (preferably an old one when studying Bible words) and a Bible concordance, like Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Strong’s is an exhaustive cross-reference of every word in the King James Bible back to the word in the original language.  You can read more about it here. Even though it’s not the best concordance, it is certainly the most popular.

An important note that is generally misunderstood is that the Strong’s Concordance is not intended to be a translation tool.  It is primarily an indexing tool for the Bible and is meant to give only a very general dictionary definition. This is especially helpful for the King James version which was translated into a language that has changed a great deal since the time of its translation.

Wikipedia states, “Strong’s Concordance is not a translation of the Bible nor is it intended as a translation tool. The use of Strong’s numbers is not a substitute for professional translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into English by those with formal training in ancient languages and the literature of the cultures in which the Bible was written.” I couldn’t agree more, for reasons we shall soon discover.

A Common Pitfall

One common pitfall I often hear is when a person looks up a word in Strong’s and discovers root meanings there. They will then try to impose the root meaning on the text to make it say something different than the translation really requires. This can produce some very bad theology. Here is an easy example in our modern day language.

I’ll use the word buccaneer. I chose this because I receive a word of the day from the Visual Thesaurus in my email, and this was today’s word! A buccaneer is a pirate. Are you ready? The root meaning of the word is one who barbecues, and the ultimate root is “a barbecue.’ Let’s see if we can create the scenario.

One day Herkimer reads in a magazine, “The buccaneer is one of the great dangers experienced when traveling the world, and any contact should be carefully avoided.” Herkimer isn’t sure what a buccaneer is so he whips out his trusty Strong’s Concordance and reads that in some cases it is a trans-European word meaning “to pirate” and it’s root meaning is “a barbecue”. He wants to be very careful to strictly follow the revelation he’s been given so he concludes he should avoid both pirates and barbecues! He consequently misses out on some very tasty cuisine as he travels the globe and he even convinces some fellow travelers to avoid all barbecues they may encounter, too. Bummer.

It sounds amusing in this case, but it becomes much less amusing when considering that many, many people do the exact same thing with God’s Word, misconstruing meanings and arriving at false translations and teachings through misuse of a simple indexing tool.

Broader Learning

Here is a very safe principle. I’m betting it’s safe to say that most of our readers have never studied the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic languages in all their vocabularies, grammar, figures of speech, metaphors, idioms, syntax, colloquialisms, cultural references, alternate meanings, etc. That being the case, the very best way to have access to those who do is to read the most common versions of the Bible. Don’t just read one translation – read many! The thousands of hours, the genius and the exceeding expertise of those translators is of much more value than you trying to figure out all the hidden variables involved in complex interpretation of an unknown language. And, surprise! — they’re going to do it better than you!

If that’s not enough for you then you really should consider taking courses in Greek and Hebrew, and lots of them. If you don’t want to be that extreme, then I’ll suggest some better study tools below.

Word Study Tools and Practice

First, get some good sophisticated Bible study software. There are lots of them available. The one I use is downloadable for free and it’s called e-sword. It has lots of study modules you can add to it, some for free, some for purchase. For word studies I prefer Young’s Analytical Concordance (much more comprehensive than Strong’s), the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, the Complete Word Study Dictionary, Vincent’s Word Studies, Thayer’s Greek Dictionary and Vine’s Bible Dictionary. In addition I read detailed commentaries on the text from several conservative Bible Scholars as well. Using this broad range of tools usually gives me a clear meaning and usage of the word or phrase in question. Then I must employ personal integrity and not stretch, bend, shape or alter that meaning in any way other than the original intent of the author, as much as that intent is possible to discern. After all, that’s the whole reason for the word study.

First, I try to make absolutely certain to read the verse in context. Never isolate a verse from the verses before and after it, the paragraph where it’s found in the original manuscripts (I recommend The Books of the Bible translation from Biblica for this), the surrounding paragraphs, taking into account who the writer is, to whom it was written, what type of writing is it, what is the historical, cultural and political setting, and finally, is it in the Old or New Testament and how does it jive with the overall Bible. Never, ever forget that the context creates the meaning. (We’ll talk about this in another article.) I also check to see how the word, phrase, or principle is used in other places in the Bible in the original language. This is a very important step which should not be skipped! It’s a part of the overall picture.

I will then read the verse in question in lots of various versions of the Bible (KJV, NIV, NASB, etc.). I usually read it in about 20 different translations. From there I delve into the other study tools.

Change Your Glasses

There is a scene in the movie, National Treasure, where Nicholas Cage has found a set of glasses made by Ben Franklin. The glasses contain different sets of lenses and as he changes lenses, different writings suddenly become visible. It’s a fabulous picture of what can happen if we will read and study the Bible with the awareness and openness that there may be others who know and see things more clearly than we.

We all read the Bible with certain kinds of “lenses” in place. We read it through filters of prior knowledge and learning. We read it through the lens of our own emotions and psyche. We often read it through the lens of trying to prove a certain belief, or disprove another. I want to encourage you to try to learn to study without such lenses. This is very, very difficult. It’s even more difficult when I want the text to say something other than it really does…or when a pet belief or long-held view of mine is being challenged.

Too often we poo-poo and minimize the beliefs and works of others because they don’t look good through our lenses. Consequently, we endanger ourselves of never really hearing the full weight of a belief or thought differing from our own, and the real reasons behind that belief. This can be because of insecurity or pride — both are arch-enemies of the true Bible student. Try reading your verse or verses through completely different filters, afforded by other genuine and conservative study-ers. It’s amazingly refreshing (and challenging) what we may see when we step away from our own personal dogma and seek to genuinely listen to others who see things through different lenses.

P.S. — After waiting two days from the time I first published this article, I went back and read it again.  I feel I need to add that it sounds a bit as though I’m writing from an expert position.  The fact is, I know about such things as these mainly because, out of ignorance, I have been guilty of them myself.  You see, it is myself and those like me of whom I write.  

Over the years as I endeavor to grow and continue learning I seem to keep uncovering errors and fallacies that I myself have committed in interpreting scripture. And so I ask that you please read the article as being from one who is, himself, in an ongoing process of learning to handle God’s word more humbly and with greater understanding and integrity for the glory of Christ and His kingdom. ~ MK