dates and date changes

April 3rd, 6:30 – 8:30 pm we will be gathering at the home of Dean and Shelbie in Orangevale (call for more information). This is an important meeting. Rather than have separate meetings for those working on various projects, we will split up into working groups focusing on (1) preparations for Pow Wow Days and (2) location discovery. Both of these are rather urgent and could use your input, ideas and eager investment. We will also get in small groups and share stories about how its going with the Five Practices in weekly Rhythm (if you don’t yet have a copy, they can be found below on this blog). So if you haven’t quite gotten into rhythm yet, you still have time. These simple activities, put into practice, will give us a common language in which to share our stories, as well as a set of shared practices to invite our friends and neighbors into. As they say in New Zealand, "Give it a go!"

We have decided to push back the dates for the next two Lakeside-Orangevale Sunday Gatherings. So April 20th will now meet on April 27th and May 18th will meet on May 25th. The reason for this is that the only two Sundays all year that Lakeside-Folsom is having a special musical guest is on those two weekends. We decided that it would be best to have our next two Sunday gatherings be on more ‘normal’ Sundays. On April 20th, Afri-Tendo will be in all the gatherings and May 18, a choir from California Baptist College will be with us. However, our new dates: April 27th and May 25th, Pastor Jim Price will be in a series entitled “When Life Seems Hopeless,” highlighting some of the encounters Jesus had with desperate people.

We will be communicating the new dates to a wider audience on the web as well as in The View this weekend.

the aftermath of easter

Did you notice the article in the SundayScene of the Sacramento Bee entitled "Sermon of the Year?" There were a couple quotes from Pastor Brad, as well as mention of www.easteraftermath.com. In addition, one of the easteraftermath video was one of Sunday's featured videos on MySpace, getting 90,000+ views.

Thanks to everyone who came out to serve on Easter. We were able to expose over 450 people to our format of live worship, (semi) alive campus pastor and the multi-screen teaching presentation. Everyone I spoke with was very pleased and impressed with how well it all went. I would love to hear your feedback as well. It is good to remember that we are on a journey, everyone learning as we go.

5 practices in weekly rhythm

Gathering on Sundays and hosting special events are an essential part of who we will be as Lakeside-Orangevale, but not everything. It is also vital that we begin forming ourselves as a community, seeking to follow Jesus and eager to further God's kingdom in Orangevale and beyond.

Consider adopting these five practices. Make them a part of your daily and weekly routine. It is a great way for us to intentionally make choices and take actions that shape us and give us a common life (and language) as a community.

Here they are, five practices in weekly rhythm:
BLESS –We seek God’s blessing and pass that blessing on to others. Every week seek to intentionally bless two people -- one person from within the Lakeside-Orangevale believing community and one beyond it. This could take the form of an encouraging e-mail or note, a phone call, a gift, or an act of kindness, or donation to a cause or charity. Be creative!

EAT – Sharing food has always been central to the shared life of community. Attempt to eat with someone that we don’t live with every week. This might be a full meal or even just a cup of coffee.

LISTEN – We believe that God is capable of speaking to us. We try to be attentive to his voice, wherever and whenever he speaks. Seek to develop a practice of listening by taking time, at least once each week, to listen to God’s voice. This might take the form of a prayer walk, listening to music, or meditation on scripture.

LEARN – We desire to take on the image of God as seen in Jesus and to participate in his plan. We seek out knowledge about God to help us do this. We seek to develop a discipline of studying the Scriptures, reading other literature or listening to teaching that gives insight into God and his plan. Don't know where to start? Start with Jesus -- the Gospel of Mark.

SENT – We are a visual portrayal of Jesus to the world. We remind ourselves regularly that we are on-mission, sent to participate in God’s activity in the world. We intentionally look for ways in which our daily routines are expressions of God’s calling on our lives.

Invite your friends into this as well! Anytime we gather let's ask each other how it's going. Encourage. Spur one another on.
'Gleaned' from www.smallboatbigsea.org

ear to the ground

The development of Lakeside-Orangevale (and beyond) is right at the core of how we envision Lakeside Church going forward. By going local in Orangevale, then Cameron Park, we can enlarge Lakeside Church's "splash" -- with ripples extending out to all the surrounding communities. Ear to the Ground -- two nights of conversation about our vision for the future -- will be coming up in April. Since YOU are at the center of multi-campus development activity (ooh, you sound so important!), I want to invite you to choose a night, register on-line and come enthused and ready to pump up the volume! (or something like that).

As it says on the web page: Sometimes you feel the movement before you see it. Ancient scouts put their ear to the ground to hear what was coming. Come and put your ear to the ground with us. Over dessert, we'll talk about what's coming down the road for Lakeside and what it means for us. You don't want to miss this event, so please RSVP online for the evening you plan to attend. Meets in the Auditorium.

There are two dates and times to choose from:

• Sunday, April 6 @ 6:00 PM
• Monday, April 7 @ 7:00 PM

leadership summit teaser :: three

Catherine Rohr is the CEO and Founder of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) whose mission is to stimulate positive life transformation for executives and inmates, uniting them through entrepreneurial passion, education, and mentoring. Since its inception in May 2004, PEP has produced unparalleled results with its 300 graduates: a 98% employment rate, a 3.7% return-to-prison rate, and the launch of 40 entrepreneurial businesses. The only program of its type nationally, PEP has recruited 900 senior business executives and 400 MBA students from 12 programs, including Harvard and Stanford, to provide hands-on assistance to its graduates.

Check out this short video on MSNBC.

christianity has an image problem

Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like “hypocritical,” “insensitive,” and “judgmental,” young Americans share an impression of Christians that’s nothing short of . . . unChristian. Groundbreaking research into the perceptions of 16 to 29-year-olds reveals that Christians have taken several giant steps backward in one of their most important assignments. This is what the book unChristian:What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity, by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.

Check out videos on www.youtube.com
Check out the podcasts as well on iTunes -- search for "Catalyst" podcast, episode 19 and 42 and the "Fermi Project" podcasts.

easter aftermath

Stupid question #37: “So, post-Easter, when all the excitement is over, what happens to the Easter Bunny?”

Sitting around the table, we started to imagine.

“I bet different Easter Bunnies would handle it differently,” someone said.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.” Everyone chimed in.

(You’ll have to forgive us. The whole conversation was probably induced by too much caffeine.)

“Yeah, in the aftermath of Easter, some bunnies might get real depressed. Overcome by a sense of purposelessness, feelings of hopelessness.”

“Other bunnies probably try to face reality and get on with life. You know, get a real job. Gotta feed the family. They have a lot of kids don’t they?”

“I imagine that there could be militant bunnies. Eat, sleep and hop Easter all year long. Always preparing for the next year. Finding new recruits. Bigger and better. Striving to make Easter the ‘New Christmas.’”

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But really. Who cares what happens to the Easter Bunny.

Have you ever stop to consider what happened in the aftermath of the first Easter? First, there was the chaos surrounding Jesus’ death and then, just days later, rumors, then firsthand testimony, of his coming back to life. On the Friday before, in the confusion of Jesus’ arrest, mock trial, public humiliation and cruel, tragic execution, his followers panicked. Most of them ran and hid, thinking they might be next. All of them lost hope. They were overcome with feelings of guilt, doubt and uncertainty.

Today, when we think back to the first Easter, when we are honest with ourselves, maybe we struggle with some of those same feelings. Do we doubt Jesus? The Resurrection? Asking ourselves, “Did it all really take place or is it just something we want to believe happened?” Do we echo the confusion and uncertainty of some of those first followers, when they said, “We really had hoped that Jesus was the one.” Or maybe, like Peter, when it comes to Jesus, we’ve really disappointed ourselves most of all. We have unresolved guilt. We feel it like a weight around our necks. Feeling like there is no where we can find the release of forgiveness.

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Beginning Easter Sunday, that’s where we’re going. We will spend three weeks looking at the chaotic aftermath of the first Easter. We will journey with the first followers as they faced doubt, uncertainty and guilt in the midst of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Will you join us on that journey?

Check out the videos. Send it one to a friend. Use some of the text above to explain it.

leadership summit teaser :: two

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and is known for his creative and relevant Bible teaching. Craig's creative leadership skills are changing the way church is done worldwide. Under his leadership, LifeChurch.tv has become one of the country's first multi-campus churches, with over fifty weekend worship experiences currently at thirteen different locations throughout the United States. Check it out at www.lifechurch.tv. Their website not only has LIVE on-line church services, but tons of FREE resources.

The Leadership Summit is in your future :-)