Youth Rummage Sale

Thinking about spring cleaning? Start setting your stuff aside for the youth rummage sale coming in April, and help our youth raise funds for camp by bringing your stuff to sell. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! More info to come.

Preschool Teachers Needed

LPC’s new facility includes more classrooms in the preschool area. With these added classrooms, we need more teachers and cuddlers. If you are interested in showing God’s love to these precious children, please contact, Kellie Webb at kwebb@lifepointozark.com.

Community Groups & Campout Sign-up Underway

The fall “semester” is underway at LifePoint Church and the Young Adult/College Ministry offers a way for you to get connected to the life of the church.  Read on for a quick overview of some of what’s available.

There are few better ways to foster spiritual growth than gathering with fellow Christ-followers to study scripture and how it impacts one’s life.  At LPC, we believe that the Bible has limitless value for young people in all life circumstances.  There are three community groups that specifically target the college or young professional stage of life, but feel free to attend any of the several offered throughout the week.  The Gilion CG, hosted and led by Dallas & Heather Gilion, meets at their home in Ozark each Sunday evening.  The House CG, hosted and led by Kit & Kylie House, meets at the King residence in Springfield on Monday evenings.  The Goings CG, which is designed specifically with college students in mind, is led by Jon Goings and hosted by Jared & Colin.  This group meets Thursday evenings and is located in Springfield.  Individuals new to LPC are encouraged to try out a few groups to see which might be a good fit.

Also coming up is the 4th Annual YA/College Camping Retreat.  Each fall, the young men of LPC venture to the Buffalo National River for a weekend of food, fellowship, hiking and devotion.  It’s truly a great time to enjoy friends and make new ones amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in the Ozarks.  Expect to be both challenged and encouraged a bit both physically and spiritually as we spend some time exploring biblical manhood and the great outdoors.  Perhaps we can even get a repeat of last year’s wood-chopping “competition.”  You had to be there ….  Anyway, all you will need to bring is a small backpack, a sleeping bag and appropriate clothing/footwear.  Food and all other gear will be provided through a $15 fee.  Check the video for a little preview: Guys Campout Video.

A Man’s War for Sexual Purity, Part I

The UNIT is a television show about a group of army special operations soldiers. Their identities are hidden or falsified so their cover will not be blown. They perform military missions that no one else is trained to do or wants to know about. Their orders remain top secret and hidden, often even from the highest of ranking officials. Their work is rarely known, seen, or even acknowledged by others. But what they accomplish never holds less than a high significance for the safety and security of the country. Yes, it is just a television show, but it illustrates much about how the war for sexual purity in a man’s life must be engaged.

Sexual purity in a man’s life never comes without a battle. This war will be one of the toughest battles he will ever face. The enemy is relentless in pursuing and punishing him if he remains passive. Many men try to avoid the war while others simply try to ignore it. But the enemy will not retreat. The battles that have to be fought are often intense and may or may not be known to most people. But until a man engages the enemy and wages war to kill it, he will find no rest and no peace. An aggressive strategy is the only hope for a man to experience victory over sexual temptation and sin. The war rages and awaits every man to enter the battle. It will not be easy, but the gospel gives hope and promise of victory. The war for sexual purity must be strategically fought on three battlefields: the heart, the mind, and the body.

The heart is the first battlefield in the war against sexual immorality because it is the core where every major life component (mind, will, emotions, desires, etc.) converges to shape the defining motivations of life. This is the most intense ground for battle. Proverbs 4:23 teaches that we are to guard the heart above all else because it is the source of life. This is no small command. A Christ-follower must be vigilant in defense of their heart. This fight is for the health and well-being of their very life. That which controls our heart controls all of life. Until God’s grace so consumes the heart that sexual immorality finds no room for existence, a man will not only struggle with defeat and condemnation in this area but will experience little victory in mind and body.

Paul challenges the Christians in Thessalonica to continue grow in the way they were to walk in life in order to please God. The first mention Paul gives in sanctification is abstaining from sexual immorality in contrast to how people in the world who do not know God were living. God has not called Christians to impurity, but in holiness. Men who live for Jesus must be consumed with a vision of sexual purity for life. This call must first be rendered complete in the heart of a man in order to experience victory over sexual sin and condemnation. The only way this will happen is to believe, as Paul says in Romamns 6:11, I am “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” This is surely no passive reality but a truth to be firmly established within the heart by faith. A man must engage the battle for his heart with this truth. Sin does not go away or improve when left alone. It must be mortified. If a man is slack or passive in engaging the battle for his heart, sin will take root, grow, and consume him. When a man reckons in his heart that he has been crucified with Christ, that he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20), then he will experience freedom from sin and will offer his body to God as an instrument of righteousness (Rom. 6:13).

Have you received God’s work in Jesus Christ on the cross for your life by faith? Are you laboring to lessen the condemnation of sexual sin, trying to overcome the urges and temptations by sheer force of your will alone? Is your heart full of desires that compel you to think and act in ways that you know are contrary to God’s will? Confess these desires to Jesus. Repent and ask him to forgive you. Read Romans 6:1-14. Ask God to establish the truth of his Word within your heart. Thank him that he is faithful to forgive and to cleanse (1 John 1:9). Share your prayer with a brother in Christ who can encourage you and pray for you. Do not forget. Take time to meditate on Romans 6:11 for the next several days. Let Holy Spirit lead you.

Book Review: In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day

I do not want to live a life with regrets, instead I want to make the most of the situations that are in front of me—those that I still have a chance to effect. Even though this is the case, there are moments in my life that come to mind every once in a while that give me pause. The ones that stand out most vividly are those that are born out of my inactivity, the missed opportunities which will never come again. I have been thinking about this lately after reading a book by Mark Batterson entitled In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. Mark believes that “the church has been fixated on sins of commission for far too long. We have long lists of don’ts.” He calls this “holiness by subtraction.” Mark also says “I think God is more concerned about sins of omission, those things that we could have and should have done.“ I agree with Mark, I tend to fixate on the things I should not do for God instead of looking for the opportunities God has carefully orchestrated in my life, the things I should do for God. These opportunities come, and if we are not diligently watching, they go.

Mark shares many examples from his own life, one where he planted one church that did not even make it to its first Sunday. He then picked up his family and moved across the country to plant a church near Capitol Hill in Washington DC. His new church, by God’s grace, is thriving today out of many challenges and struggles. Mark also uses many examples from the Bible including one obscure story out of 2 Samuel from which his book gets its title. In this story a man named Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it. This event is one of many events in Benaiah’s life that leads him to being selected as one of King David’s body guards and then promoted to commander and chief of Israel’s army. God is continually creating “opportunities” for his children to glorify him in spectacular ways; in the case of Mark and Benaiah those “opportunities” came in the form of a failed church and a 500 lb. lion. I don’t know about you, but most of the time, I purposely avoid these types of “opportunities.” But then I would miss out on what God has planned for my life and the opportunity to truly glorify him. And so my prayer is to be watchful and ready for the next lion that might come my way.

This reminds me of what Jesus said to Peter when he gave him his name. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” Gates are not used for offense; they are used for defense. Jesus is speaking of his church, which is the aggressor not the defender against the gates of Hell, and he promises they will not stop his church.

Hope

by Heather Myer

At times when life is overwhelming and hope does not extend past my present grief, I watch Schindler’s List. This is a movie about the Holocaust, portraying humanity at its very worst. I only watch it when I feel miserable or depressed. Nothing that I am experiencing can possibly compare to the despair of the Holocaust. Each time, I finish the movie cringing at man’s depravity but feeling alive and grateful. At the end of a very long and wretched week, I had every intention of watching Schindler’s List.

After work, I came to church for my turn of reading the New Testament during 24-Hours of Scripture. Andrea left off with Matthew 26. Seated in the light, far from the darkened corners, God revealed truths to me. My voice was small against the large empty room as I read aloud Christ’s last supper, betrayal, arrest, trial, torture, crucifixion and burial. My voice faltered as I recited Jesus’ last words, and his death, and the destruction of the temple. Then in Matthew 28, Christ arose on the third day! My grief was replaced with joy as Jesus greeted his disciples and offered the great commission. I left LifePoint feeling filled, at peace, and thankful. Perhaps this may become my new ritual when life is unpleasant: greet it with the ultimate suffering of our Lord, his arousal, and my own awakening.

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” —Matthew 26:64

Modern-Day Manna

by Heather Myer

Have you ever experienced a time of being low on cash? A time when you sought food for its price and not for its quality? College students are skilled at this task. Top Ramen Noodles are a universal answer to hunger. Available in pork, shrimp, vegetable, chicken, and beef, these dried curly noodles cost only a quarter. Elizabeth frequently resorted to Toastio’s, an off-brand version of Cheerios. I ate hard boiled eggs and instant oatmeal for all three meals. Perhaps the most creative were Erica, Theresa, Katie, and Dallas. Erica waited until after 7 PM when the Fast and Friendly Gas Station sold hot dogs and hamburgers for half-price. Mixing minute rice and salsa together satiated Katie. English muffins topped with cheese and tomato sauce substituted Theresa’s longing for Papa John’s. Dallas mixed together tuna and macaroni and cheese to balance carbs with protein. College was a time when Stephen cherished pop tarts for their real fruit filling, and Cassie ate peanut butter in lieu of meat. It was a time of frozen pizzas, hot dogs, and microwave popcorn. Adults with kitchens cook pancakes, beans, potatoes, and meatless spaghetti when money is low. Now, pick a food item that you ate regularly out of necessity.

Do you have your food in mind? Good! Now, do you still enjoy eating it? Now that you have tasted the flavors of steak, penne pasta, and asparagus, could you go back? Back to a time of eating purely to stop hunger and not to satisfy your taste buds? If only for the simplicity of being content with what you had, would you want to go back? Knowing that the pricier items did not matter, because you could not afford them anyways? Life was simple in college. Dinner options were either between tomato soup or corn flakes. This was a time before choosing Zio’s over Macaroni Grill was even an option. Yet God always provided and brought us through.

Consider the Israelites, as they wandered in the desert for 40 years. God had promised to deliver them into a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet they dined on four decades of manna and the occasional quail. Manna was bread that God caused to fall like rain and cover the ground like frost. It was white, flaky, and tasted like wafers made with honey and olive oil. The Israelites had to rely on God to feed them. The manna would turn to maggots if they hoarded it overnight. They could save some to eat only for the Sabbath, God’s day of rest. Think of your food staple again. College was 4 years of instant oatmeal. This grew old quickly. Now imagine 4 decades of ramen noodles. Try to conceive four decades of nothing other than macaroni cheese and tuna. Would you remain thankful? The Israelites could not. They groaned and even wailed with out ceasing, “If only we had died in Egypt! We have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” God had delivered the Israelites from persecution, slavery, and genocide. Yet they wailed and groaned because of their food. Because of constantly eating a honey-flavored wafer provided by God, the Israelites were willing to forgo Canaan and return to a land where their lives were forfeit and their doom certain. Yet God had plans for his people to prosper and thrive in a new land.

What has God delivered you from? How has he carried you through difficulties? During your own time of eating manna and the occasional quail, consider how he sustained you. Some of us are still in the middle of wandering in the desert. We can choose to be thankful for our minute rice and salsa or we can wail and groan because of another PB&J. God is in the process of delivering us from our own Egypt and bringing us to Canaan. Until we reach the land flowing with milk and honey, let us be thankful. Let us praise God for his provisions. May we find comfort the manna that he has given to us.

A Time to Embrace

by Heather Myer
Louise and Kyla formed a friendship that grew beyond age barriers. Louise was a kind 90 year old lady who enjoyed working on word search puzzles while volunteering at a local community organization. Kyla, a 23-year-old employee helped her find tricky backwards and diagonal words. Their friendship formed over a year of joint work on puzzles and conversations about life. One day, Louise had a stroke. Kyla continued their friendship by visiting Louise in the care facility for 1–2 hours a day. Louise was not lucid. Her voice slurred, and she was confused. She was not alert to person, place, time, or date. Unsure whether Louise’s condition would decline or improve, Kyla pulled up a chair beside the elderly lady, whom she loved. She took the small, aged hand between her own strong hands. Her slender fingers stroked those crippled from arthritis and pain. Laughing, Kyla told Louise about her day, the news, work, her wedding plans, and her pug dogs. Still holding hands, they watched cartoons and sitcoms, as Kyla laughed and encouraged Louise.

Scientific studies have proven that hand holding has very specific health benefits. Heart rates slow. Blood pressure lowers. Respirations are fewer. Endorphins, hormones that allow for good feelings, are released. Stress levels are lowered. Tension in the temples and between eyebrows vanishes. Shoulders, weighed by life’s burdens, are lifted. In the simple act of grasping Louise’s hand as they sat together, Kyla administered a treatment that modern medicine could not: time, reassurance, familiarity, and love.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, and a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. —Eccles. 3:1–8

Ring in the New Year with Auld Lang Syne

by Donovan Dobbs

During the New Year, most of us will either hear or sing the song “Auld Lang Syne” (For Times Gone By). Do you know where the song came from or have you really looked at the verses? I bet you didn’t know that the song has its roots in Scottish folk songs from the 1500s and that it was first written down around 1790 by Scotsman Robert Burns. You might need this information if you ever find yourself on Jeopardy. I will gladly accept part of the winnings!

The song recalls the days gone by and says we will always remember them. So how was 2007 for you? Did you have a good year or bad year? What difference does it make what happened last year? The year is over and a new one is beginning. I do not mean to be crass but you really cannot change what happened last year. Time has passed and the event whether good or bad has been swallowed into time. The only thing that you have to look forward to is today and tomorrow. Is that not what happens as we follow Christ?

Once we surrender to Christ, we should not concern ourselves with our past lifestyle but look forward to what he will create through us. 1 Peter 4:1–3 and Romans 7:6. As it says in Romans, “Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life” (Roma. 6:4 HCSB). With Christ we are a new person who is completely and forever changed (2 Cor. 5:17). We are renewed in body, mind and spirit (Eph. 4:23–24).

As we begin the new year let us be a new person. Do not worry what you did or didn’t do last year. Forget what you should or shouldn’t have done. 2008 is a new year with new adventures and new challenges from God. Have you surrendered to Jesus? If not, why wait let today be the day you surrender to Him. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a new person who is continually growing to be what he wants you to be. Let 2008 be the year that he works through you in ways that you never expected nor imagined!

Pride Before the Fall

by Heather Myer

Skiing for the first time is a quick way to break someone of pride and bring a fast return to humility. My experiences shall be presented in the manner of a Batman and Robin episode circa the 1970s. Nothing brings about true humility like Batman and Robin. A few years ago, some friends went to Colorado on a ski trip. My trainer and I drove through the night while the others soundly dozed through the plains of Kansas. Neither of us had eaten or slept before attempting to ski. Standing at the bottom of the slopes, I timidly peered at the course. All my meters ran on empty. Loopy from lack of sleep and an overabundance of coffee, I clumsily clicked my boots into the skis. *WHAM!* I fell to the ground. Embarrassed, I tried to scramble to my feet. *SMACK!* I flailed a bit and my skis popped off from the force of my fall. The ground was a sheet of ice, packed solid from thousands of vacationers. My trainer helped me to my feet.

“Let’s try a slope!,” he cheerfully suggested. My eyes widened. I couldn’t yet support myself standing still! Nervously, I nodded. He led the way to the ski lifts. “Now, Heather, you must time this just right. The lifts will come behind you and you need to sit down as they come to you.” *BANG!* The lifts never had a chance. I fell on a patch of ice before it could catch me. My pride, as well as my bottom, were sufficiently bruised. I clamored into the cold metal seat. Squirming uncomfortably, I peered over the side. The world below was in miniature. Pine trees and lodges were scattered in the distance. Tiny figures wound their way down snowy hillsides. “Okay, get ready!“ Gracefully, he hopped off the lift. *OUCH!* Unable to stand, my body slammed to the ground. Scrambling away, I approached my friend. *KA-BLAM!*. The force of our collision echoed off the distant peaks.

My trainer looked nervous. He was now trapped on a high slope with girl who spent more time floundering on the ground than standing upright. Glancing down, over the rolling ice, I could not even see the end of the course. “Ready?” he asked. “Un-hunh…” I chattered, my teeth rattling from the cold and my belly growling with hunger. Everything inside me said that this was a very bad idea. We didn’t get far. *POW!* Both of us were on the ground and stared disgruntled at each other. Stubbornly, I crossed my arms and wondered if I could roll down the hill. “Now, Heather, you’re stuck up here! You can’t give up! You need to try.” Rubbing my throbbing side, I attempted to stand. *CRASH!* Dazed, I laid on my back and stared hopelessly at the blue sky. Tears of pain stung in my eyes. My trainer sighed in frustration. Small children, not old enough to know cursive or long division sped past us.

*SPLAT!* Feeling like road kill, I realized that every ounce of pride and dignity had been stripped from me. A grade school kid who could not yet multiply whizzed past us. Sore, bruised, embarrassed, and naked in humility, I rose to face the slope. A tree was in front of us. “Turn left! Heather! Left!” Wildly, I twisted and turned, but nothing happened. I could only turn right, not left. My eyes widened as I neared the pine. A morning of falling had taught me a few lessons. *THUD!* If only Sonny Bono had been able to fall half as well as I, he and Cher might still be doing reunion tours. After nearly 2 hours of brief stints of skiing followed by falls, we successfully made it to the bottom of the course.

That night, I slept soundly and ate well in the lodge. My sore limbs thawed by the fireplace. Refreshed, I refocusing my attentions and tackled the slopes. Miraculously I did not fall the next day. My pride was replaced by a spirit of humility. Rather than focusing on my failure, I was awed by God’s creation. The bright intensity of the powdery snow, the distant forest, and the brisk breeze all captivated my attention. For one brief weekend, I was able to enjoy the mountains richly draped in splendor.

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God. —Isaiah 52:7

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