Around Life

I'm not sure how or if I can fully put into words what yesterday was like for us at Life Church but here are some thoughts from the day.

- It was a blast getting to share the history and vision for where Life Church is and where are going. The biggest announcement was about our move to Mountain View Intermediate School beginning Sunday, March 27th. We will beginning using the school as our Sunday morning meeting space for adults and LifeKIDS. Myself, the staff and our leadership team are so excited about all God is doing through you all and this is just another step in the journey of our church. (I will post more this week about the move.)

- The energy and excitement for our church was overwhelming. So many of you are getting the whole concept of leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. many of you are realizing that to invest into others and give generously through your time and resources actually draws you closer to God. It leads you to become a more fully devoted follower of Christ.

- My passion and excitement for our church and community has never been greater. I feel like I did when we started out on this church plant journey 3 years ago. The potential of what God can and will do through our church has never been greater. This is just the beginning.

- The handmade ice cream sandwiches after church were delicious. It was a blast to end our celebration chowing down, laughing and talking with each other and the kids.

Patrick

LifeKIDS with Lisa

All I can say about Sunday in LifeKIDS is WOW!! It was amazing, we had over 80 kids signed in and it was a busy place!! We had quite a few visitors and it is such a blessing to see them come through the door! I pray that each of them were blessed by their experience with LifeKIDS at Life Church Franklin!

It is a joy to hear from teachers and parents of LifeKIDS and this week I heard a few great comments!
One parent asked her son about what he did today in his class and he told her that he sang about Jesus, Jesus loves him and he had fun!
One of the teachers told me this week that she loves our rotation of 2 weeks on and 4 weeks off but also misses seeing the kids in between her volunteer days!!
I heard another teacher testify of how much she gains each time she volunteers with the kids and how she has grown in the Lord by teaching them!!! I can personally attest to that, in the past when I taught on Sunday mornings I definitely grew spiritually as I taught/they were teaching me too!!

If you are not plugged in anywhere and have been thinking about joining a team, please pray about joining LifeKIDS!!! It is a great place to serve and has many rewards!


Hope to see you this Sunday,
Lisa Hanna
Life Church Franklin
LifeKIDS Coordinator

Around Life

- As we are in the mist of our new series "I Quit" I wanted to just update you on what's been happening so far. I have seen and heard lots of positive comments about people committing to stop making excuses and to quit complaining. Yesterday was tough as Craig dove into not complaining. We all complain. It's whether we can focus on the good and joy God is bringing to our lives to not complain about the small things.

- LifeKIDS was crazy yesterday. We had over 80 kids check-in. We did have a hiccup with our child check in system but we are working hard to fix those issues. These kids are so excited about learning about Jesus and it shows. I am so thankful for all our volunteers and all the time they are investing into this kids. They are learning to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

- One of our outreach things we currently have going to delivering firewood to those with need. We have logs that have been made available to us for free, but we need to cut to size and delivered when needed. We are working with CareNet to identify families who need firewood for their heat and then delivering to them. CareNet does a good job of qualifying the families so we make sure those in need are getting it. if your interested in being a part of cutting or delivering please contact Mike McCall by email at mccall@lifechurchfranklin.com .

LifeKIDS with Lisa

Life Church Franklin is a church of believers who want to reach our community and the lost to become fully devoted followers of Christ! Our volunteers make it all happen each week! LifeKIDS, our children’s ministry, is an up-lifting experience for both our children and teachers. I hear parents say that their kids have fun learning about the Lord and our teachers feel as if they learn more than the kids sometimes!

This week we received letters from our children we are sponsoring through Compassion International and our kids were able to write letters back to share the love of Jesus across the miles!!

The message this week was called “I Quit” and focused on quit making excuses! We all need to remember that we need to do what we can do and trust God to do what we can not do! Do you fully rely on God? (FROG) “He who began a good work in you will complete it!” Philippians 1:6

Have a wonderful week,
Lisa Hanna
Life Church Franklin
LifeKIDS Coordinator

LifeKIDS with Lisa

Our amazing volunteers did it again!!!! Everyone was there to pour into the lives of our kids Sunday!!! There was bad weather Saturday and then they were calling for much worse weather Monday on. Sunday was a very cold morning and being portable we had a few obstacles that God took care of and other than cold, it was a great day to be at church!!!! Our dedicated set-up team, host team and LifeKIDS volunteers were there to serve Him!!! It was a great day for the kids and I could hear some awesome worship from the All-Stars class!!! God is so good!

If you missed the message, it was wonderful! Craig shared about his dedication to Life Church TV and challenged each of us to be “ALL-IN”! This may mean joining a Life Group, volunteering your time, tithing, a mission trip, it may be very different for each of us. If you weren’t there watch it on-line this week! As Patrick shared Sunday, many families are “ALL-IN” and it shows! If you are sitting on the fence about this please pray that God will direct your path and your commitment to Him and the local church! He has a plan and a vision for your life!

I pray you are having a wonderful week and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone this Sunday!
Lisa Hanna
Life Church Franklin
LifeKIDS Coordinator

Are You "All In"?

Sunday Craig shared about the first 15 years of LifeChurch.tv. It was a really great celebration of all God has done through LC.tv. As a part of the LifeChurch.tv Network, here at Life Church Franklin we have been honored to be a small part of that.
Watch this short video from Craig to Network churches just like us at LCF:



Craig talked about him and his family being "all in" at LC.tv. Their commitment to their church and the Church is contagious.
Laurel, myself and our whole staff and leadership feel the same way. We are "all in" for what God is doing at Life Church Franklin.
I tell Laurel a lot that "if starting a church were easy everyone would do it". Well, there are times when leading a church is just plain hard, but it's worth it. The lives, marriages, relationships that have been by the power of Jesus Christ through our church is overwhelming to me at times. It's an honor to be a part of this.
For 2011, are pray is that you and your family will also be "all in". All in for everything God wants to do in and through you and all that God wants for you to do at LCF, your family, your work and community.

Blessings
Patrick

XV First Fifthteen Message Preview

This Sunday we will celebrate along with LifeChurch.tv for their 15 year anniversary. We are thrilled to be a part of the LifeChurch.tv Network for the past 3 years.

LifeKIDS with Lisa

Happy New Year!
LifeKIDS had a great treat this past Sunday!! We meet in a Fun Factory facility that has games, put-put golf, bowling surrounded by classrooms. Each week our families walk past these enticing games to go into their LifeKIDS classrooms. This Sunday, three of our classrooms that include our 4-12 year old kids were blessed by being able to spend some time bowling and/or put-put golf!!!! A great time was had by all!!!

New to LifeKIDS:
Our two-three year old Quest class began a new story called "I Can Help" and is on the four friends helping a paralyzed friend from Matthew 9:1-2. The activities focus on helping around the house and classroom by cleaning up... Our 4-10 year old classrooms are beginning a new series called “Center Stage” that will walk them through the Bible for eight weeks to focus on the many ways we worship God. Our 11-12 year old class The Loop are in the middle of a series called “Ignite” and focuses on how our actions ignite our faith.

Life Church began a fast yesterday January, 3rd for 21 days. I pray you have each had a chance to write down your goals and have begun with daily prayer and reading your Bible. There are various ways to fast and that is between you and God, He will honor your best sacrifice. If you didn’t get the insert Sunday at church, see our web-site for more information. Youversion.com has a wonderful reading plan for the fast too.

Have a great week and remember to put God FIRST!!!!!
Lisa Hanna
Life Church Franklin
LifeKIDS Coordinator

21 Day Fast Begins Today

Join us as we corporately seek God and His will for our lives and Life Church Franklin in 2011.
We will fast for 21 days from Monday, January 3rd through Sunday, January 23rd.

During the fast join us in prayer and scripture readings with the YouVersion.com 21 Day Fast Devotional. It's free here.

How To Fast

How to Begin
Start with a clear goal. Be specific. Why are you fasting? Do you need direction, healing, restoration of marriage or family issues? Are you facing financial difficulties? Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Pray daily and read the Bible.

Preparing Spiritually
Confess your sins to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of weakness. Forgive all who have offended you and ask forgiveness from those you may have offended (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3-4). Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ and reject the worldly desires that try to hinder you (Romans 12:1-2).

Deciding What to Fast
The type of fast you go on is up to you. You could go on a full fast in which you only drink liquids, or you may desire to fast like Daniel, who abstained from sweets and meats, and the only liquid he drank was water. Remember to replace that time with prayer and Bible study.


Fasting Basics
The type of fast you choose is between you and God. He will honor your best sacrifice.

Types of fasts:

Full Fast Drink only liquids (you establish the number of days).

The Daniel Fast Eat no meat, no sweets and no bread. Drink water and juice. Eat fruits and vegetables.

Partial Fast A partial fast is from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sun up to sundown. This fast can be a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.

Other Fasting Options If for health reasons or to just ease into fasting, choose a specific food to give up. Consider giving up soft/sugar drinks, all sweets, bread, etc...

Scripture References for Fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 9:14-15, Luke 18:9-14

Relation to Prayer and Reading of the Word:
1 Samuel 1:6-8, 17-18, Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, 20, Joel 2:12, Luke 2:37, Acts 10:30, Acts 13:2

Corporate Fasting:
1 Samuel 7:5-6, Ezra 8:21-23, Nehemiah 9:1-3, Joel 2:15-16,
Jonah 3:5-10, Acts 27:33-37