Blog for the Heart

Team Talk One October 15, 2008

2008-10-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Team Talk ONE October 15, 2008 from Pastor Bernie on Vimeo.

Focus: God – Our Creator and Sustainer

2008-09-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

This morning as I prayed about our country, our church, my family and my day, one thing struck me over and over again. God is our Creator and Sustainer. In Sunday’s message I spoke about the power of Jesus to create and sustain and the compassion of Jesus to hold us close and hold us together. One of our key verses was:

Hebrews 4: 14 – 16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (NIV)

The One Thing: Pay Attention Earlier in the book of Hebrews we are told by the writer to pay attention.

Hebrews 2:1
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. (NASB)

What the writer to the Hebrews is saying here is that in the Christian life we must go on listening to God's Word in Jesus. He has already stated that Jesus is the word and that God spoke in the past through prophets, but in these days, He speaks to us by His Son. We must pay attention to all that God has spoken and in this days of economical challenge, uncertainty, personal challenge, family issues and more, we cannot treat hearing God as something occasional or casual. We cannot act as if we already know all we need to know, or that we have nothing to gain from listening to Jesus.
We are told to pay close attention to what we have heard. It is not just for those who are spiritually mature or for some who have a crisis in front of them. This is a word to all Christians: “we ought to give the more earnest heed…” (King James)
This is not an isolated command in the book of Hebrews. This concern to get the readers listen closely to God is repeated in various terms. Of all of them I love this one.

Hebrews 3:1Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and chief priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, (Young’s Literal Translation)

We are to consider Him. Focus on Him. Stay close to Him and keep Him in your thoughts. Learn more and more from Him every day—what He is like and what He says and the way He cares for you and how He sees the world.
Then again in Hebrews 12:1-2 (another of my favorites) "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." There it is again: "Fix your eyes on Jesus." Consider Jesus! Listen to Jesus!
Of all the things you are facing right now, would you focus on God as your creator and sustainer? Would you look to Him so that you do not drift? When pressures come, when uncertainty hits and when the enemy of right and light comes and steps into his tactics, we are faced with the potential of drifting away.
The Christian life is first and foremost a life of contemplation—listening to Jesus, considering Jesus, fixing the eyes of the heart on Jesus. Everything else in the Christian life grows out of this. Without this the Christian life is simply unlivable. – John Piper
My wholehearted encouragement to you is to focus on the Lord. I believe that is a timely word for all of us and the very thing I will be doing. To consider my Creator and open my heart and mind full to my Sustainer. Will you do the same? How could we not want to pay attention to Him, His truth, Jesus the Word and consider Him and fix our eyes on him!
Focusing better,
Pastor Bernie

God Cares About YOU

2008-09-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was a day for me that was off the charts in my mind. Seeing God touch lives and our church be the expression of scripture, worshipping, praying one for another and God answering my prayer – I had a really big prayer for this past Sunday. Now this is not a rare prayer I pray it all the time, but I was contending deep and realizing that God was and is able to answer my prayer – matter of fact it is a prayer He loves to hear prayed. I asked the Lord for Salvation. “Please Lord, allow me to have the blessed privilege of partnering with you to see people saved!” And since God cares more about the salvation of others than any of us, I was so incredibly happy to see 18 people respond to the invitation to trust God for their salvation. Now, I have done a lot of church in my 30 years as Pastor and my 22 years of being at LFC, but there was something very unique for me about this past Sunday. The Lord had lead us to have a time of prayer in all three services – a simple, “invite people down front for prayer” moment. Our worship team, prayer team members, leaders and others who felt led came and prayed with no less than 100 people who came forward during our three services. We were living out the call of “praying for one another” and modeling for those in the congregation that LFC is a caring and ministering church where people really do matter to God. It showed people that God really cares for them and it reminded me just how much God cares to save lives – eternal hearts, right here at LFC. What a joy to be a part of this. In a couple of weeks we will have people baptized here as well. (September 21st – 6:00 PM)
The One Thing:
I hope you realize today that God cares for you! As I watched people praying for others, as I watched the hands of dear people, of all ages raise in response to salvation, I realize just how much God cares. Some of you are struggling and need to remember, God can keep whatever you commit to Him. This past Sunday’s message centered around the passage, 2 Timothy 1:12: That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. (NIV)
Are we anxious, troubled and worried? Paul tells us to "have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And [as a result] the peace of God will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). The Psalmist adds: "Trust in him at all times…pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us" (Ps. 62:8). And the apostle Peter writes, "Cast all your troubles upon God!” And if someone asks why, here is the answer: Because God cares about you" (I Pet 5:7).
By faith, place your troubles, your concerns, your kids, your marriage, your loneliness upon the broad shoulders of our loving and merciful God. When God was here in human form, in Jesus, He experienced the same kinds of issues we face. Now He did not have children but He loved them. He did not do some of the things we do today, but, the same heart-felt issues you deal with, He dealt with. "We have in Jesus, a high priest who understands what we go through, because He did. This should give us incredible confidence to run to the presence of God and receive His mercy and grace to help us in our times of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-6).
He's not afar off - but present with us through every situation. Moses wrote: "The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). A dear friend recently shared with me: “Of all the things that could happen to me, I never want to be away from God’s presence.” And I know why they said that. They have experienced His presence and transformation in their life. They have seen God in tough times too. Their statement is a reminder of what we need in tough times – we need His presence. The God whose power created the heavens and the earth has also the power to see us through all those dark tunnels through which we wander. His presence is our guide – because God cares.
Let's use every "means of grace", every resource God provides, to receive the truth in our heart – God cares. And let God take upon Himself our cares as He has promised!
I was supposed to tell you today (and I did) that God Cares About You!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bernie

Don't drop the Stick

2008-08-27T09:38:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday on the back of our bulletin I wrote a piece in regards to the dropping of the baton (stick) during the Olympics. It was almost surreal as both our men's and woman's 400 meter relay team dropped the stick. Rather than repeat what I wrote, let me offer these thoughts.
THE ONE THING: Think about this one thing: What is in your hand? (Exodus 4) What has God asked you to do? Has He nudged you lately? Of course we know God did not need Moses' help - God knew full well what Moses had, but He wanted Moses to catch it. We could say to Moses ( since we know his story) "Moses, God will use you and as great as you are you do not want to miss the opportunity to pass on your baton to the next generation and currently to the next miracle. God will use you Moses to do great things. He i s even going to use your stick - give it to Him and watch what He does. If you hold on, you will miss it all. But if you let go, God will do great things with what you have."Significance in life does not come from status because there is always someone who has more than you. It does not come from salary, there are others who will always make more than you. it comes from serving. It comes from laying down what God has given you for His usage. It comes from giving yourself away. No matter how great our skills are, if we cannot get the stick handed off to God and handed off to others, we cannot finish our race and live out our calling. No matter how fast our US athletes can run - they were disqualified for dropping the stick. We cannot drop our assignment, our faith and or minimize our gifting and calling.
Giving your life away. If you will only allow God to use what you have available to you, He will make it into whatever it needs to be in order to fulfill the task He has called you to.

The story: Moses throws down the staff and it becomes a snake and then he picks it up and God turns it back into a staff. What do you possess? Moses is a shepherd and he was busy pursuing shepherding and it is in sheep he finds his fulfillment. His staff is also a symbol of his influence. He moves the sheep - that is what he does and his future is contingent upon a good sheep market. But God wants him to lay it down. God wants to do some things through Moses and what he possesses but He cannot do it without surrender. You make the connections here to your own life. What do we do with what we have been given? What are we passing onto God and onto others? Who of the next generation are we impacting so that they might run their race? We have an option, just like Moses did. We can let go and trust or hold on and contend on our own. What if Moses would have held on? If Moses had held on to the staff he would have remained a shepherd of sheep. He would have spent the rest of his life protecting and counting sheep. Here's the bottom line: if you hold on to whatever is in your hand you'll never experience the miracles God wants to perform right in front of you and through your stuff. There is too much at stake to not let go to God and give away to others. There is a race to run and we must run it - TODAY, Tomorrow and equip those beyond us to run it too.

We are running for so much more than Gold, Silver or Bronze. We are running for the Lord. Pastor Bernie

Relational Church Life

2008-08-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

One thing you will notice with my pastor’s weekly is that they will become shorter. While I have enjoyed making the weekly almost like another sermon – I know two things. Sometimes people don’t read it because it is too long and sometimes the heart of the message is lost due to its length. So I asked our staff for their input and some key leaders and friends at LFC and their input caused me to come up with some ideas for the weekly and my blog. (I post these on the blog too, where people can leave comment if they choose)

So here is what I propose.

I will write less and say more.
I entertain answering questions you may have about LFC, our heart and our future. So let me know what is on your heart.
I would love to share some stories of people from LFC who have had their lives changed, grown through connecting with others.

This week I want to underscore a major heart issue for LFC – relationships. If you take a close look at our church you will realize we have done several things to assist people in getting connected to other people. We have Life Transformation Groups (our small group ministry) we have Teams (people serving in teams together) and we established LFC Connections (a simple non-threatening way to get to know others, just show up when the first alphabet of your last name is meeting) led by some wonderful people of LFC who caught the vision and value of these relational opportunities. We also create times within our yearly calendar for you to get with others, through servings, times like 4th of July BBQ and more. It is however, up to each one to cross over the boundaries of time, nervous feelings, personal limitations and jump in to a place of relationship. A new relationship might just be a few chairs away on a Sunday gathering, or be standing out in the parking lot following service times. God calls us into a relationship with Him and to grow in our relationships with others (Matt. 22:37-40). From the very beginning, God has emphasized how important fellowship is by declaring that it isn’t good for man to be alone, and He admonishes us throughout the Bible to love, serve and pray for one another. If you take the time to look around you will find someone who needs you and someone you need. If you look around LFC, you will discover there’s a place for everyone! When we find that PLACE there is a sense of deep belonging that is achieved no other way – but it really is up to you. We will keep working at creating ways to build relationships but it really is about people willing to move out, meet new people, find places to serve and live life together.
THE ONE THING:
Think about this one thing: God’s love is others-centered.
Jesus says that, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The opposite of this is self-centeredness and its cousin, selfishness, which is the number one enemy of all relationships. It is the number one cause of conflict and disharmony in marriages, in communities and even causes senseless wars. Self-centeredness focuses on what I need and want and think and believe and must be overcome in order for me to reach out and build relationships with others. We are all guilty of it and unfortunately this ‘I focus’ blinds us to needs around us, people who need us and ones we can help.
Who needs you to open your heart?
Who do you need to help you grow?
Where can you team up and serve and thereby build relationships?
Growing with you and others,
Pastor Bernie

Transformed Lives - Transforming Others

2008-08-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 5:18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

The past two weeks at LFC have been incredible. First with Pastor Jack Hayford, then our woman had the joy of hearing Beth Moore teach, live via satellite in our sanctuary and our special guests this past Sunday, all the way from Oahu Hawaii and New Hope Christian Fellowship. A group of ten people, seven of them formerly incarcerated, came to minister during the weekend at the Lompoc Federal Penitentiary and to share with us at LFC during our three AM services. The story of transformation was shared and these who had been transformed were transforming others in return. They were loving out loud in the truest sense of the word. As they left on Sunday, they reported that 40 inmates had opened their lives to Jesus Christ for the first time – more transformation in the works. And speaking of Transformation, how about last night? We turned a street into a faire and watched people enjoy what we were able to provide. More than hotdogs, cotton candy, face painting, crafts and games. They enjoyed the hearts of almost 100 servants from LFC as we partnered with the Lompoc PD for National Night Out. The Lompoc Record had the story on today’s front page and KCOY picked up the story and ran it last night.
As I helped set up, connect with people and wander the street making sure all were doing okay, it hit me.

Transformation is best lived out in generosity.
Gratitude and generosity are key steps to wholeness.
Some people desire to be whole, but it never happens apart from giving away and serving others.
Barnabus was a “good man and full of the Holy Spirit.” He was a Levite from Cyprus, whose real name was Joseph, but Apostles called him Barnabus, or “Son of Encouragement.”
We first meet Barnabus in Acts 4, in the days after Christ’s resurrection and birth of the Church at Pentecost. Here we see Barnabus as a member of the first remarkable group: “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.” (Acts 4:32-37)
Barnabus was encouraging through his generosity. He sold a piece of land and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needs of the Church. But Barnabus’ generosity, and ours, need not be only financial. We can be generous with our time. Barnabus was a servant to the early believers and spent a year instructing the newly-converted Paul of Antioch. In the same spirit, we can visit those in need, teach the children, serve in the nursery, serve our youth and simply find ways to reach out to others.
Like Barnabus, we can be generous with our service. As I watched those from New Hope serve this past Sunday, I thought of the time they gave to travel and serve. The expenses to get here. Coming here for three days with one day of travel on each side had a price, but that is what made their service so generous. At LFC, every time a child is taught, every time the communion trays come in or the parking signs go out, I think that someone did that. Someone puts the paper towels in the restrooms, dusted, vacuumed and more. The more we look around and become aware of these myriad acts of service the more encouraged we become. Generosity serves and serving encourages.
We can be generous with our friendship. Barnabus offered his friendship to Saul, who was being shunned by believers after his conversion. He was loyal to John Mark and in short, Barnabas was a friend to all. We can offer our friendships to others and join a Life Transformation Group and join a team to serve and more. We can all reach out to others in our neighborhood and become relational with people we know that need to know the Lord. We can all do our part to greet new people as they arrive at services here and to encourage all people we see each time we come to church. Time, service, and friendship; all these are ways you can be generous no matter what is inside your wallet. Go for generosity – it will transform others while it transforms you and allows you to be an encourager.
Being Transformed and hopefully transforming others,
Pastor Bernie

The Touch Of Jesus

2008-07-25T15:38:00.001-07:00

This has been an amazingly busy week. The kind in which you just finish one thing and something else comes your way or five things come at once. The kind in which, what you hoped to get done, just doesn’t seem possible because of the unexpected. But, I am not bringing up something foreign to you, nor am I complaining. You know those weeks because you traverse those waters yourself from time to time. What I have needed this week was a touch from God and then it dawned on me: He is everywhere! Most certainly He was with me last night as I spoke to the Rotary Club in Lompoc, or made some major decisions on our building projects, and today as I dealt with some sensitive issues and more. Most assuredly He is with me as I plan for a great weekend with Pastor Jack and Anna Hayford, the Presidents of our Foursquare denomination. Most confidently God will help me get through the next very full days, because He is God. Okay, He is with me and with you! And the words hit me clear and I have preached them to many of you: Look for the presence of God and not His absence! So I am looking and I am seeing Him. I see Him in the people around me and in my friends. I sense Him waiting in the wings – waiting for me to simply reach out to Him. So I pause, and acknowledge the Lord, speak His name and say: “There is no one like you Lord! Lord, I need your touch!’
Then I read the title for Sunday’s service and Pastor Jack’s message: “A Jesus Kind Of Touch” is the title. Coincidence? I doubt it. I know how God works and I know this too, that anyone with a need is a candidate for that touch. Anyone who needs some forgiveness, understanding or compassion is a candidate for His touch. I wonder how you might need His touch right now. I wonder if you are missing Him in the midst of busyness. I don’t know where Pastor Jack will take us, but I wanted to prepare your heart. You may need a THE CLEANSING TOUCH as it was for the leper, when Jesus encountered him. 'Be clean' Jesus said. In a similar story in Matthew's gospel, a leper says to Jesus 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reaches out, touches the man, and says 'I am willing. Be clean!' As I pictured Him in the wings, waiting for me, He was ready. He is always ready for us. The Lord is always been and always will be an open-heart surgeon. If we are closed, He won’t force the issue but if we are open to say: “If you are willing, I am ready! Oh Lord, touch us.” In the midst of our stress, pain, and our often selfish world – touch us. We need to know the cleansing touch of Jesus, to have our minds and bodies refreshed by his touch upon them. For some it will be the QUIETING TOUCH. In Matthew 8 we read that Peter's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her, and she began to wait on him. Jesus can bring to us the Quieting touch, which takes away the pain in our lives and brings peace to us. To others, the touch of Jesus is THE REASSURING TOUCH. When Jesus was transfigured and seen in the presence of Moses and Elijah, the disciples fell onto the floor in absolute terror. Jesus came up and touched them. 'Get up,' he said. 'Don't be afraid.' Some of you might be afraid, but Jesus comes to touch you and move you from fear to faith. How often do we need to hear those words 'Don't be afraid.' spoken with the confidence?
There are so many touches of Jesus in the bible, HEALING, COMFORT, INCLUSION, PROVISION.
But that's exactly what the touch of Jesus can bring to our lives when we need it.
As we will sing this Sunday, (a new song to most of you) ‘Because of Your Love.” The song states that because of God’s love we are forgiven and our hearts are clean. Allow Him to touch you and change your heart.I really look forward to gathering with you this Sunday, worshipping with you and our good friend Holger Fath on the guitar and our LFC singers and band and our special guest Pastor Jack Hayford. Come expecting the Lord’s touch. But don’t wait until Sunday. Go ahead and reach out to Jesus who is willing to touch us and waiting for our invitation. Come Sunday, ready to be touched but come having already been touched.
I love being your pastor and I love what God is doing in this season at LFC,
May we all be touched,
Pastor Bernie

God Is Our Shepherd - Today!

2008-07-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today I find myself listening for God’s voice and heart. Several times I have attempted to write my weekly piece and have been interrupted by various responsibilities and those “pop ups” that happen to all of each day. As I write our youth band is practicing for tonight’s youth service and their music and heart is getting to me. They love God authentically and simply and it moves my heart. But then again, whenever I see people using what God has given them and serving Him, it moves my heart. A few minutes ago, the youth band was leading the chorus, “Your Grace Is Enough.” I hear my Shepherd say that to me, and I hope somehow you can grasp that for your life and situation no matter what you are facing today or this week.
You may have heard the old story of the Christian gathering in the old country church. A gathering in which various members would display their talents to the congregation. Mr. Jones who had a very good Shakespearean voice recited Psalm 23 for the audience in its entirety. It was so good that everyone applauded. Then Smitty, an old farmer, was asked to do something for the audience. He initially refused saying that he had no talent and that the only thing he knew how to do was to recite Psalm 23 also but declined to do so because Mr. Jones had done such a great job before him. But he was pressed into doing it by the pastor. He began Psalm 23 and also related how it had comforted him when his wife had died. As he continued with, “He leads me beside quiet waters” he told the story of how a drought almost ruined him but God saw him through those dark times. Smitty related how he had wanted to give up his farm in desperation but Psalm 23 brought him instead to a place where he would “lie down in green pastures.” “These pastures” he said, allowed him trust in God and rest in His grace even in trying times. He went on and unfolded his long life before the audience and interwove it with the comfort he received from the Psalm. At the end of his recitation not a sound could be heard. Everyone was awed into silence. Finally, Mr. Jones said, “I may know the 23rd Psalm, but Smitty here knows the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm and that makes all the difference in the world.”
So, I simply encourage you to trust God today, even now as you read this and know that God is your Shepherd who wants to be known by you.
Now if God is a Shepherd then we are his sheep and you know where I am going with that. Sheep are not the smartest animals. They are prey animals – in other words predatory animals hunt them for food. Sheep need a shepherd because they tend to go astray – like humans do at times.

We need the Shepherd to Guide us and we must Follow.

Dr. James Dobson told a story about how his father would take him into the woods and they would hide near a place where deer came to feed. When the deer came to feed they would be able to take pictures without the deer knowing. His father pointed out that because the deer is thinking it is safe eating that free food he is also vulnerable to hunters who could have brought guns instead of cameras. It is a lot like life – we could be moving into a trap set by the devil. So draw near the Shepherd instead.

We need to trust the Shepherd, especially when we become weak.

As the Bible says, “The Lord … knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Ps. 103:14). In other words, He already knows our weaknesses so “… let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

We need to trust the Shepherd for our restoration.

“He restores my soul; and He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3). Often we do not want God to bother us. But God we need to remember that God searches for us to restore us. If we remain unrestored we are then vulnerable to the Devil. So let Him find you, call out to Him and let Him restore you.

We need to draw close to the Shepherd so that He can heal us.

I love this line, “You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows’ (Ps. 23:5). Always remember, “Jesus said … ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep … If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved …’” (John 10:7,9). Jesus is the shepherd of Psalm 23.
If you follow and let Jesus shepherd you, you will know goodness and loving kindness all your life and will live forever in Heaven. But the Lord asks us to trust Him especially when we are weak and even though we cannot see His purpose. He asks us to trust him in the “sweet and sour” times of life. We must remember that He searches for us in order to restore us not to hurt us. I sensed today, for me and possibly for you, that it would be good for you to remember you have a Shepherd who cares deeply about you. A Shepherd who lives with love and grace towards us. His love is extravagant and His grace is enough for you – right now.
I really need Him today, how about you? Let’s go to Him and allow Him to Shepherd us.
A fellow sheep,

Pastor Bernie Federmann

PS: I trust you will move forward in your journaling each day and to listen to what God might reveal to you through His word. Some on our team at LFC are posting their journal entries online and desire to share them with you. You can access them here http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/ you can also learn more about the journaling process here http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/how-to-journal/

Summertime: Time for Building Relationships

2008-07-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

The more we fall in love with God the more He fills our hearts and the more He fills our hearts the more we must move towards others. God made us to love us and created us with the capacity to give and receive love and to need love. There is a unique aspect to the church that can easily be missed. It is that fact that we are family, united by Christ, His body with many parts but one main goal. This summer is moving quickly and we have been intentional about our calendar and what we are offering our church family. I cannot urge you enough to make every effort to be with your church family, this Friday at Los Alamos Park and to simply avail yourself of opportunities there, this coming Sunday and the rest of the summer to build upon current relationships and to establish some new ones too. We have some great events too, in which you can serve with others and build relationships, the National Night Out (alongside our Police Department) and the Special Olympics Car Show. I can tell you that we will need additional hearts and hands for these events and I am hopeful people don’t assume we have all the help we need – truth is, we do not and we have had some key families and servants move away so we are hoping others will step up and fill in. The agenda, for sure, is to serve, but also to serve alongside and build up relationships. You have a place in the Body and without you we miss what God can bring through you. No one else can bring your contribution. You are unique and God made you that way. You are a part of the body of Christ – a part of LFC (if you attend here) and the part you play is vital to the health of our church (or the one you attend).
Every member has a function, a place in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-21). It takes a while to find out what our place is in the local body but by testing the waters and stepping out and moving in a continuity of relationships allows for this to happen best. There are many who will encourage you, as you step out and as you find your place on a team, a Life Transformation Group, some community project or outreach we are working on, or even setting things up or cleaning up at the end.
On July 13th, we invite you to attend our Team LFC – it is open to all to come and check out the heartbeat of LFC and of Doing Church as a Team. Just thought I would plug it one more time! You see, the best thing to do is build relationships with others, to serve together, to open your heart to others who may need what you uniquely offer them.
Relationships aren’t built in the fifteen minutes shared over coffee or a brief greeting time in church or after Sunday morning service. A decision to get involved is your decision and we open our hearts and doors to you. Serving is an excellent way of getting to know people. It offers the chance of chatting, yet the focus is on a task, so that the burden of conversation doesn’t fall on one or the other person. Practice being a good listener; be interested in others, be open to making this summer a time for relationships. You will become stronger and so will all of us.
Let’s keep moving forward, becoming more united and ready to serve as a family,
Much Grace to you all,
Pastor Bernie

Transformed Lives

2008-06-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

Sunday was an exceptional day for us at LFC. Our worship time was touched by the grace and presence of God. All the songs we sang dovetailed into the theme of Jesus, Our Savior. I really loved leading the congregation and having such great hearts on our worship team. People who really "get it" when it comes to worshipping God - serving and not performing and enjoying God's presence while helping people to connect with Him. Singing along with Becca during, “My God, My Savior” was a great moment for me and watching the hands go up in adoration and surrender to God as people recognized that our Savior loves us and is alive was moving to say the least. As we started the worship time, I shared briefly how it is the heart of God that we become a grateful people. As you read the life of Jesus the encounters He had with people, it truly was His heart to leave them with a desire to be grateful. Disciples are people who are generous and grateful for all God has done for them. They are givers and give more than they ever take. They can be trusted with blessing others and helping people live transformed lives. Transformed people are grateful people. It was that gratitude we heard about this past Sunday night as we baptized 22 people in water. They spoke with gratitude of the grace that God had provided for them. Those who were water baptized this morning have demonstrated that for us. They shared publicly of their faith and love for Jesus and clearly identified themselves with Him in His life, death and resurrection. (Romans 6 – which we shared with them prior to the baptism time) They have given themselves, body, soul and spirit to Jesus. This visible was moving and their statements of the value of our church family in bringing them to a place of transformation was simply heart-moving. One person shared how they were saved here just three months ago, others had shared about their return to the Lord or their transformation as they have moved into recovery. If you haven’t been baptized in water yet, you may be feeling
the tug of the Spirit in your hearts, urging you to follow their example and publicly declare that you have given your heart to Jesus. We’re going to have another Baptismal Service in September.

As I listened to the brief statements made the other night during baptism, it was apparent that grace gave birth to gratitude. Gratitude comes from the same root word as grace. Grace is ‘charis’, gratitude is eucharistia. Right in the middle of GRATITUDE is GRACE. And I believe they are inseparable. Grace changes our hearts and it must find expression in our lives. The way we talk and the way we act must reflect that grace that has changed our lives. Grace compels us to be grateful: gratitude compels us to be generous: to give back, to give of ourselves, our time and our substance. It’s grace that changes our hearts and makes us people who are the kind of cheerful givers who God loves.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (NIV)

God makes His grace abound to us so that we will be grateful and generous at all times and in every way possible.
Gratitude starts with the acknowledgement that we don’t actually deserve anything! Everything we have is a gift of God’s grace. As we invite God’s grace to move in our hearts, we are inviting His empowering presence to transform us, then gratitude rises up, and bubbles over. And the very best gifts come from a thankful heart. Keep allowing God to transform you and keep growing in your heart to be grateful. Several of you have asked about the words to the song we did this last Sunday, so I thought I would post them here for all to enjoy. The song is My God, My Savior and is written by Aaron Shust.
I am not skilled to understandWhat God has willed, what God has plannedI only know at His right handStands one who is my Savior
I take Him at His word and deedChrist died to save me; this I readAnd in my heart I find a needOf Him to be my savior
That He would leave His place on highAnd come for sinful man to dieYou count it strange, so once did IBefore I knew my Savior
My Savior loves, My Savior livesMy Savior's always there for meMy God: He was, my God; He isMy God is always gonna be
Yes, living, dying, let me bringMy strength, my solace from this spring;That He who lives to be my KingOnce died to be my Savior
That He would leave His place on highAnd come for sinful man to dieYou count it strange, so once did IBefore I knew my Savior
I trust you will move forward in your journaling each day and to listen to what God might reveal to you through His word. Some on our team at LFC are posting their journal entries online and desire to share them with you. You can access them here http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/ you can also learn more about the journaling process here http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/how-to-journal/
I love being your pastor and growing right along with you,
Pastor Bernie

Graduation and Commencement

2008-06-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is graduation week for the local schools around here and this past Sunday we honored fifteen graduates, publically during our third service. But something struck me today as I began to write this piece. It is that graduation celebrations speak both of accomplishment and commencement. Graduation is the culmination of effort, yet it is also transition to a new beginning. We stop and celebrate the learning and preparation for life. We recognize the graduates efforts and accomplishments and we realize these students at 17, 18 or 19 have learned more about life than just what showed on a GPA score. During these years of education there has also been much in the character development department. We may stop and wonder where the time has gone from our own graduation day and we may have regret when we see how far we could have gone or how little we moved towards our dreams and goals. John Piper has written a book entitled, “Don’t Waste Your Life.” In it he states: God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work, not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives. God’s call is to more than graduate from anything – it is the call to commence. Commencement reminds us, no matter what our age, learning does not end with graduation, for life continues to lead us through opportunities for learning and growth. More difficult to grade and score, it is the character of our living that will determine our successes in life.
Life is about much more than the amount of knowledge with which we fill our heads.
Life requires the wisdom of appropriate response to opportunities in front of us.
Life requires the ongoing pursuit of God’s will for our lives.Life requires the courage to respond correctly to the stresses of daily living.
Life must be met with the desire to move forward and not stay stuck!

Moving, responding well, pursuing God’s wisdom and will – that is commencement.

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy finds herself in need of direction. She is lost in a land she does not understand, amid creatures who do not behave as she expects. She desperately desires to return to the safety and comfort of home, but does not believe it is within her grasp. She places her energy into a journey to find the Wizard, who might send her on her way home. While the Wizard is unable to help, he does not tell her so. Only after facing various dangers is she to find that along with her friends, she has everything she needs in her own grasp. All they need has already been provided. The only thing they lack is the wisdom to recognize their gifting and accept their provision with confidence.
God has likewise gifted us with all that is necessary for full and meaningful living. God provides wisdom willingly and openly. God gives us the strength to move forward when we feel stuck or lost. God gives us His joy……go ahead and think of all the other things God provides for us so that we might commence in the direction He has called us to move into.
God in wisdom provides for all of our needs, even those things we believe we truly lack. Do we have the confidence to trust God’s wisdom to direct our lives? I pray that you will accept the wisdom God so provides, the courage He brings and the desire to glorify Him by moving forward. May we all graduate to the next thing God has for us and move towards becoming all He desires us to be.

Philippians 4:13
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God
has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

I trust you will move forward in your journaling each day and to listen to what God might reveal to you through His word. Some on our team at LFC are posting their journal entries online and desire to share them with you. You can access them here http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/ you can also learn more about the journaling process here http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/how-to-journal/

I love being your pastor and growing right along with you,
Pastor Bernie

Opportunities Abound

2008-05-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

This week I write with a caring and yet challenging heart. If you have been around the local church any length of time you have heard leaders present challenges to people as needs – like saying “we need you to sign up,” or “you are needed to serve on our team.” But the real issue is opportunity. What I mean is that we present as many opportunities for people in our church to use their gifts and talents, build relationships and connect to what we believe is a compelling vision. I can tell you that we have many great opportunities for each one of you and what you choose to do with them is entirely up to you. We pray, we invite, we bring and we include – that is our summons as a church. But we never force people to come, or to step up or to serve. Not long ago, I was in Starbucks and heard a woman inviting her friend to church with her. I was a bit excited by what I heard, after all, I love the local church and expanding the kingdom. But what I heard next was not someone seizing an opportunity but someone doing the work of a proselyte. You see, this person was already connected with a church, but was being pressured to leave her church to go to the church of the woman making the impassioned plea. While this person was spending so much time and energy attempting to pressure her friend to leave her church for this other place of worship, I began to think of all the people that had no church and may have welcomed a heart-felt invitation. These “opportunities” were being missed by this person because they came with one goal and agenda in mind. This story could easily fit many preconceived notions of what opportunity will look like for you. It may be that you set out to do one thing and in the process find another thing with a more compelling vision for you. Like a woman who stated; “I simply made myself available to this ministry team and then realized that two of the ladies on the team would become dear friends and sisters with whom I could open my life and encourage.” For this woman, it was in taking the opportunity to serve that she saw another opportunity to build relationships. One door opened another. We can all be honest and confess that we have missed opportunities. We have wasted relationships that could have been built, wasted years running from God and have missed opportunity after opportunity to grow closer to Jesus. Some have missed the opportunity to become the Christian man or woman that God wants them to be.The lesson for us is to treasure every moment; make the most of every moment and don’t miss your opportunities. I could list all the opportunities we have for you at our church and into our community and could remind you of all the opportunities you have with your family and friends. I could also list serving opportunities, sharing opportunities or educational opportunities, but what I will do instead is ask a couple of questions and share some scriptures:

Today, have you missed opportunities with God? Did you spend some time with Him today? Did you take time to read His word and journal today?

Are you making the most of the opportunities in front of you?

Are you making the most of the relationships God has given you?

What opportunities to be the heart, hands, feet and mouth of Jesus are right in front of me?

Who can I be of help to in mentoring?

Who needs me to be the answer to their prayer and the opportunity they are looking for?

God is calling on you and me to seize this moment and seize every opportunity we have to grow closer to God. If you have missed opportunities it is not too late to grab one now – change your heart and mindset and focus on what you believe God could be saying in regards to a relationship, open door, serving and giving opportunity and more. As you pray ask God to help you. Tell Him, now Lord, this very moment I want to seize my opportunities with you and for you and with others for you. I want to see what has prevented me from serving you like I should and I want to commit before you that I will not let anything stand in my way of seizing the moment and the opportunity for you. God and this church family that I am not going to let those things stand in the way again.

Galatians 6:10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Ephesians 5:16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Colossians 4:5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.(all verses taken from NIV)

A legend on an old sundial reads:
Look on the day-star moving Life and time are worth improving;
Seize the moments while they stray,
Seize and use them Lest ye lose them
And lament the wasted day.
Leading by following,

Pastor Bernie

Living God's Will

2008-05-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I spent some time riding along with one of our Lompoc Police Officers who attends our church. It was great riding with him and dealing with issues that we were called to handle. It is a busy city even on a Monday night. While we road, he mentioned Sunday’s service and two things that stood out to him. First, we dedicated his son, Ryan to the Lord, as it was baby/ child dedication day. We dedicated 15 little ones that day. Second, he spoke about the guardrails that God has given us in regard to our lives and knowing God’s will. He really understood the value and the picture language of God giving us guidance by providing the guardrails of His will. I had many positive comments about the theme: God's Will. People stated, I really need to discover God's Will. One man said: "Pastor Bernie, are you reading my mind? I have been asking God to teach me about learning and discerning His will." Well, I am not a mind reader but I do pray and listen to God's heart and listen to the hearts of the people at LFC. As we started on our brand new series: Discovering God’s Will, we shared about the Providential and Moral will of God. What we do is live within the guardrails of God’s known will. We know there are some things He does because He is God and with or without us, He will do them. Life works best when we move forward embracing His Providential will for our own lives. For example: We know that God wants us to love Him and love others. We don’t need to pray about it but rather just live it. Just love God and loves others every chance we get and deny ourselves. We don’t need to pray about sharing our faith and being salt and light in this world. God has already providentially established that as a part of His will for those who become a part of His family. God longs for us to be at a place where we say: ‘Lord, I don’t care what you reveal to me, the answer from my perspective is Yes Lord.’
Remember this: Amazing things happen on the other side of ‘Yes.’
When you and I get to a place where we are willing and obedient and God, He desires to share His will with us. It is essential to remember:
God does not give us direction for consideration but for participation.
So when we live inside the guardrail of Providential will and the Moral will of God we begin to perceive the Personal will of God. The Moral will is one we can begin to live out without much thought or prayer. Just do it Right! Just live Right! We don’t need to hold an all night prayer vigil to discern if God wants us to love others, that is Providential or to discern if we should lie or not, that is Moral.
As we live with a heart to trust God fully He has made an incredible promise to us of leading us in His way.
Proverbs 3: 5 & 6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJ)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart (intellect, emotion and will) and do not trust in yourself – don’t lean on what you know or understand, but lean on God. The problem here is that some of you are very capable, intelligent, strategist, and process thinkers. What you have is a problem. The reason, your capability may tell you that you can do it – accomplish it and make it. Well, there are some things you can do but you and I can do nothing without the heart of God and His empowering.
As we trust and acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths. What a promise!
This direction comes out of us doing what God has already told us to do. It flows out of us living our lives based on His Providential and Moral will. As I do all I know to do in all God has taught me so far, then He will direct my path.
Phillip Yancey has said it best:
I do not get to know God, then do His will; I get to know Him by doing His will. (Reaching for the Invisible God.)
May we all trust in Him more and more and do that which we know is His heart.
Leading by following,
Pastor Bernie

LFC - His Church - Living Heart-First

2008-05-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Our building expansion is coming to the final stretches of finish, fix-its, adjustments and soon our final permits will be in hand. This has been a longer than anticipated journey, but well worth it. I marvel at seeing our congregation have some elbow room and that our future has some "room for growth too. Sunday was an amazing day and we honored our Moms and thanked them for giving us birth and we celebrated in worship, thanking God that He gave the church its birth - as it was Pentecost Sunday - the birth of the Lord's church during a worship service.
Last night was buzzing around LFC with our elevate youth ministries going on while our church council was meeting. It was great to see our fine youth leadership team move into action and then to have opportunity to sit with some incredible people (our church council) that help me lead and guide this church all the while making great financial decisions. This group of supporting people and the awesome team that serve Sunday after Sunday and week after week, made me think of a recent scripture reading and journal entry I made. But before I share that, let me simply say, how grateful I am that LFC is the church it is and the church it is becoming. We are moving forward with God's heart in us and we are more and more becoming His church. To that end let me encourage you to make sure you attend your LFC Connections when it comes around. These have been highly successful times of low-pressure fellowship and the building of relationships. Also, we continue to promote our Life Transformation Groups - our small group ministries here at LFC. These have proven to be vital aspects of health building to our church. It is up to you to decide if growing in relationships with others at our church is important or not. We do all we can to provide a variety of connecting points with you in mind and your heart and health too.
May you realize the value you have in my heart and that of the church and may you join me in applauding our servants!
Scripture
"All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king." (1 Chronicles 12:38)
Observation
These warriors were from various tribes of Israel, and had different backgrounds and cultures, but they gave themselves to a common cause and hope. They came to serve their king and leader – David, but ultimately knew they were serving the purposes of God. The support David received was amazing as thousands upon thousands came and voted for David as king. Their votes were cast with the willingness to do more than applaud but to serve with their time, talent and treasures. They gave their skills and lived heart-first. How true this is of our servants who in a sense war to move our church forward. Team LFC is a group of warriors with a heart to give themselves not only to the community and fellowship but to the cause. The characteristics and heart of our servants is incredible! From our staff, to our church council, to our youth team and our children’s team and on and on. Simple amazing. Hundreds of valuable servants give of themselves to serve Jesus our King, and provide support for me to pastor and lead the church under God’s mighty hand of leadership.

Application
I am overwhelmed with a great sense of gratitude for God's work in my heart and a great sense of gratitude for the willingness of gracious servants. May I never take for granted, the work of God in the hearts of others to serve Him – may I always recognize those who live with a brave sense of loyalty, courage, and giving as volunteer warriors.Although I'm on staff, being paid as a pastor, I never want to lose the heart of willingly volunteering unto the Lord both inside and outside the church. It's not the pay that motivates me - it's the understanding of my call to serve Jesus with others. I continue to cast my vote, to make Jesus King of my life and serve side by side with others at Lompoc Foursquare Church and into our community at large. As I volunteer to serve in the ranks of God's army! I commit to advancing your Kingdom's purposes with my fellow soldiers!

Prayer
Dear King and Leader, Jesus! Thank you for allowing me to serve you and receiving my service. Thanks for the wonderful people who serve along side me to make an eternal difference. May you add more to our ranks and build us up with hearts to encourage those who war well, those who are weary from war and those just beginning to join the troops. May we continue to be faithful to You and our fellow warriors in Your Kingdom.Amen

I love being your pastor,
Pastor Bernie

Risk Taking to Transform Lives

2008-05-06T19:39:00.001-07:00

This is a great and exciting season at LFC and May will be a great month. I am excited about upcoming water baptisms (and our new water heating system) child dedications, collecting food items for our food pantry and most of all seeing lives transformed. As I met with our servants team, 'Team LFC' this past Sunday night, our worship team, communication time, teaching time and break-out sessions were graced with God's presence and power. In my message I challenged (with the help of four incredible video clips) our team, to risk, to invite and include others to use their gifts and to be willing to make room for people to serve on their team. Sometimes our fear speaks to us, doesn't it? It says, 'Do not go beyond this point!' You are locked in and cannot do more, serve, give, share your faith. It will be dangerous to you. But moving beyond the point we are at is not as risky or dangerous as we think. It can be very rewarding. It takes faith to move, to share, to tithe generously, to invite others. Faith is not only courageous but contagious. A dear friend of mine says: "People want to join to team when the team 'gets it' and has momentum and is excited about what they are doing." They went onto say: "What teaming does is provides an opportunity for people to discover their gifts and the joy of serving and impacting others." My friend is right, and they know what I have discovered. There is incredible joy in serving others and watching lives transformed. There is incredible joy in being a part of a compelling vision to personally and corporately become more than we have ever been.
This past Sunday, while Paul Hamlin was teaching, I had opportunity to visit all our children's classrooms following my time leading the worship. What I discovered is that we have a great group of dedicated servants, who 'get it' and see the value and joy in impacting others. What I also discovered is that we need an additional 27 servants each Sunday AM to cover Children's Ministries for our three services. This coupled with an additional 24 nursery workers will help us to bolster our Children's Ministries program. Is it too much to ask a church of our size for 51 additional servants? I don't think so. I am praying for a tenacious heart to be released in our people and a willingness to see the lost and hurting as a valuable investment. I pray that for any of you reading this.
This past Sunday night I encouraged our Team and I encourage you to "get after it." As the Psalmist shared:
Psalm 63:8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. (KJV)
Since 1940, people coming to the then called, "Church by the Side of the Road", a small building, a small group of faith-filled, risk-takers, – pioneers, who prayed, gave, sacrificed, purchased our first piece of property and built the original sanctuary. They were following hard after God and His purposes for their lives and this church. Little did they know that we would one day tear the building they built and build the one we have now. Little did they fathom that we would be having three services. Little did they dream, that the building we would build would need to later be expanded. But what they did, and how they did it set the tone and culture for who we are today and we can never loose that. They were dreamers and visionaries, risk takers and servants. We serve a wonderful God who has been faithful to the people who gathered right on this property and additional properties we have purchased. From then to now, roll the clock forward, here we are and God has been faithful!
Go ahead and dream of LFC in ten years, twenty years, thirty years – I will be eighty-one years old, okay stop that dream. But what will be constant to our growth and impact will be prayer, giving, serving and dedication that all flow out of following hard after God and the commensurate risk-taking. How many lives will be changed with the passing of each decade and what are we willing to give, endure and sacrifice to see this happen? Those early pioneers gave it all, they prayed, believed, served. They were risk takers and innovators and we know that same heart has brought us to this place right now.Transformed lives: I think of Saul – one who hunted down Christians and then gives the rest of his life to the Church, planting churches and preaching the good news.I think of Peter, who denied the Lord in the most critical of moments and then later the Lord said, I will build my church with people that 'get it' and know who I am. It is the story of transformed children, youth, adults. It is the face of joy in a sad life and the heart of joy in someone who made a friend at LFC either after a service or through our very successful LFC Connection fellowships. The Church is the redemptive and transformational hope of the world. It is the God anointed means by which the lost are found, the hurting are healed and the marginalized are brought into fellowship, lonely and confused people – finding His love. It is the connection point for others to discover and use their gifts - gifts and talents that sometime have been dormant for years. Now is the time to connect deep to our roots and join in a heart and spirit that was possessed by the pioneers of this place. Jesus said it best.Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."(New International Version)We need to keep on doing what Jesus did – seeking and saving the lost. Let's keep transforming lives whatever it takes.
Committed to transformation,
Pastor Bernie

Joyful- No Matter What

2008-04-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

I am hearing many great reports from people who have been a part of our LFC CONNECTIONS. They have begun to see the value of participating in this simple and new way of building new relationships and connecting with old friends from LFC. If you have missed out, please look for your group meeting again soon. If you have not met yet, your group may be coming up, so check our website and bulletin for upcoming gatherings for your group. As I think back on this past Sunday, it really was a great day for us at LFC. During the evening I was privileged to share in a dessert gathering honoring our Children’s Ministries servants and briefly speak to them. These wonderful people, step up and out and do such a great job, covering three services every Sunday and really touching the hearts of young people with the love of God and His transforming truth.
In our am services, we enjoyed being together and it showed! I love to hear people worship the Lord and there was a great sense of worship in our gathering. The new song: “Amazing Grace” – my chains are gone, I’ve been set free…” was very moving, especially with the elements of communion in our hands. There, in that setting, praises, people with smiles, the warm weather all made it easy to be joyful. But how is your joy today?
Psalm 100 reminds us: To make joyful noise. It actually commands us to be thankful before our God. To sing and have a good SONG going on no matter what is happening. This morning, I was a guest lecturer at Allan Hancock and had the joy of speaking to the speech class. As I drove from the church to the campus, I thought quickly about all the reasons I have to be joyful today. One of which was what I was about to do – speak to students about speaking. A pastor on a Junior College Campus and speaking to students. It really went well and I could have easily viewed it as something “else” that was on the schedule and missed to moment of joy that it really was. Part of the key to Psalm 100 is; Verse 3 Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. This is our call and our basis for joy. He is God and not you. He is God and we are His people and the sheep that follow Him in His pasture. Today is not all about you and you are not responsible for all of today. It is about God and He alone is responsible for all that happens. We follow and He leads, He carries and we walk with Him. This is the heart of joy. If we miss knowing that God is in control, our joy is diminished. If we miss KNOWING who God is, we miss it all. There can be no true joyful and thankful worship until we know that the One we worship is God - the perfect, holy, sovereign, eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, loving, merciful, gracious, condescending and patient God. Knowledge of such a God will produce a thankful and joyful heart and noise. The word "know" implies usage of our mind to "see" God in His physical creation, in His working in man's lives and in His revelation of Himself in the Bible. It implies we are looking for His presence and not His absence. It implies we are taking note of what He is doing all day long, so that we can simply have fuel for our joy. God who created man with tremendous thinking abilities does not desire unthinking worshippers. He calls us to think and to know and to have joy. Jesus was emphatically clear that the source of a joyful spirit is found by abiding in Him and living one's life for the pleasure of God, our Creator and Redeemer. He repeatedly emphasized that joy is not found in the material things that we possess, but in the things that pertain to God – in knowing God. The world says that joy can be found through a change in circumstances: take a vacation, earn more money, spend more money, or save more money. Or even more popular today is the thought that we should resolve to change ourselves or our circumstances to become happier. Self-help books abound that suggest how we can discover our "new selves" and become more enlightened. Jesus had a different formula for joy. He said, "These things I have spoken unto you that your joy might be full." He was talking about becoming fruitful disciples by abiding in Him as branches abide on a vine. Jesus made it clear that fruitfulness and joy in the Christian life go together. The source of this life is our Lord and Christ. Fruit is the product of what God does in and through us, and experiencing ourselves as channels through which the love and grace and compassion of Jesus flows is a source of tremendous joy. May you see God this week everywhere you look and may it cause you to be joyful.
Be joyful – go ahead and make a joyful noise, Pastor Bernie

Listen To Others

2008-04-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

We listen because we love. Paul Tillich writes, “The first duty of love is to listen,” and yet how rare it is to have anyone listen to us, even in the church. But you and I know that the church is to be marked by love. Ministries spend thousands of dollars and work long hours trying to convince people to listen to them. Our seminaries, colleges, and churches teach how to preach and sometimes even how to lead, but they do not do the best job of teaching us how to listen. A few years ago, I attended a two day – very intensive conference on Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. In it, we did role playing and practiced the art of listening for the pain, the hurt, the question, the difficulty in the comments of others. Recently I lead a session in which people who responded to a traumatic and horrific scene sat and talked about what they had witnessed and the difficulties they had with processing it all. The key here was to listen well and hear more than what was being said. Sometimes listening well to what is not being said opens the doors for great ministry, prayer, and potential evangelism opportunities. Listen with an open mind and heart and not just for information or waiting your turn to speak, but to really listen.
The challenge of listening is that it requires a relationship, whereas preaching, teaching, and programs can be done in various non-personal ways. Jesus and Paul both serve as role models of how kingdom ministry should be done relationally. Jesus lived among His followers for thirty months and called them His friends. Paul loved the disciples at Thessalonica so much that he shared not only the gospel with them but his life as well (1 Thessalonians 2:8). A great question for us is: “Who are we really relational with and who do we listen too?”
Listening is one of the first skills we must learn. If we are in small groups, Life Transformation groups or any type of accountability group it is important that we listen well and learn the stories of others. Our aim in listening is to join in the Lord’s purpose for those we are connecting with and to hear where we might encourage them or pray for them. As with parenting, we can do lots of talking and telling, but listening to the dreams, fears, hurts and pain of our children opens the door for much ministry to take place.
Someone recently shared with me that they were intimidated by having me listen to them. Now they were not intimidated by me – but rather by the art of listening. It really got to them, since so few people ever took the time to listen to them. By asking them, “how they were really doing, or how something really made them feel?” they felt open to respond but yet intimidated. So few people genuinely listen or genuinely desire to know how someone is doing.
James 1:19 tells us: My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
Here are some keys that might assist you in listening:
1. Pay Attention
This truth seems obvious but with all the distractions it can be tough. If you really want to be a good listener, force yourself to pay attention to the speaker.
2. Listen for the Whole Message
This includes looking for meaning and consistency, or congruence, in both the speaker's verbal and nonverbal messages and listening for ideas, feelings, and intentions, as well as facts. Don’t cut someone off (this is so hard) and don’t just hear the pieces you want to hear. Again, listen for all that is being said and what is not said at all.
3. Hear Before Evaluating
Listen to what someone says without drawing a premature conclusion--suspend judgment while the other is talking. By questioning the speaker in a non-accusing manner, rather than giving advice or opinion, a listener can often discover exactly what the speaker has in mind--which may be quite different from what you assumed.
4. Paraphrase What Was Heard
Paraphrasing the speaker's words, and asking if that is what was meant, goes a long way to keeping communications open and interpretations correct. If you are uncertain about the meaning or intent behind the speaker's words, put the onus upon yourself to clarify, rather than waiting and hoping that the speaker will do that for you.
5. Is there anything else I should know?
What else would you like to tell me? This statement is a gold mine.
Identify your own poor listening habits – the times you jump in, make comparisons or do as someone recently did to me – doodle on paper the whole time I am talking. If you identify areas in which you listen poorly, you can begin to make an effort to change them.
Someone has said that, “That God made us capable of shutting our eyes and our mouths but not our ears.” So let us listen to what others have to say and most of all to God – he that has ears….let him hear.
Thanks for listening.
I love being your pastor,
Pastor Bernie Federmann

PS: Also, don't miss out on the LFC STAFF JOURNALING BLOG.
Our Staff Journaling Blog:http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/
You can read some of the journaling of our LFC staff members at this site above. It gets updated several times per week, so check back often or add it to your RSS feed list.

Amazing Grace - Amazing Easter

2008-03-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had so many emotions going! The realization of the Lord’s love for me, the dedication of committed people who have given themselves to serve so willingly, the hard work and above all the presence of the Lord. In all four services we saw many first time guests and we had the joy of seeing 41 people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It was a huge time for us. We’ve been doing multiple services for quite some time now at Lompoc Foursquare Church, and the one thing we fully understand is that you cannot do this, any of this, without a lot of servants. We are so blessed here with a phenomenal core of people who serve the Lord and so many others who joined in to help with everything from the incredible “much more than continental breakfast” to parking cars, running cameras, singing in the choir, dancing with the dance team, playing on the worship team, being a part of the drama (both live and recorded video) and helping with the kids tent and much more. As one of our servants said: “Pastor Bernie, each time a hand goes up to say ‘Yes’ to Jesus, I feel that what I do in serving has a part in that decision.” You know what? They are absolutely right. When we are serving the Lord together, we are workers in the harvest and making an eternal difference. Thanks to all who prayed, served, invited family and friends, you helped open the door (figuratively and literally) for people to meet Jesus. You also opened the door for many to get better acquainted with Jesus. Again, the many new faces we saw were simply amazing. They will, as we always do get a thank you letter, a response card and an invitation to come again, as we launch a new series, this Sunday: The Gap: Living in the Gap when God seems distant. Another thing I was reminded of on Easter was that each service brings with it a unique sense of God’s presence and a different opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ. Different moments in different services had different reactions or a different touch from God. At each service, I looked out and realized that although we sang the same songs and I preached the same messages, God did a totally unique work in lives. It is that way because God knows the uniqueness of the lives that are in each service. All kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds will all kinds of needs. Some really seeking God, some came to watch a family member or friend sing in the choir or dance. But God did something in each of them. Even though some did not respond to salvation today, they are one step closer to Him and were confronted once again with His presence and the power of love flowing through the people of LFC. I am so grateful to all of you. I believe in all that we did, we allowed God to have His way and for anyone who wanted to step up and serve, to do just that. I believe more than 41 were transformed in some way and as hearts were and will surrender to Jesus that eternities will changed.What a weekend for LFC and a great few days for the Kingdom all over the world and what a privilege to be just a small part of what God is doing! Now, I understand that many did much, and some of you have yet to step up and serve. I felt compelled to end our each of our four Easter services with a simple statement of servanthood. I stated: “It took so many people to serve you, to feed you, to provide all you saw here…….and my challenge to you, is that you too would find a place to serve, here at LFC, or at a school, or the hospital or convalescent center or…..but find a place to serve. Since Good Friday and Easter are all about a Savior who gave and served, we too are most like Him when we do the very same thing – serve.” If you are reading this and have not yet found a place of service, we really need you and we commit to helping you find your way and encouraging you in the process – no pressure from us and now excuses from you, just step in and go for it. As a church, we need to be constantly improving, always asking ourselves “What can I do to better myself?” Someone asked, “Pastor Bernie, I think we have done so much, when will you be satisfied?” I thought for a moment and responded, “I will be satisfied when everyone in Lompoc, and our surrounding county areas, those at Vandenberg are all saved, and all those attending LFC are serving!” A tall order and a huge dream, but I say we go for it. Once you reach a place and think it’s static, you’re obsolete. The world will go right by you. Let’s keep going for it. Thanks LFC for the type of church you are and for letting me be your pastor, even one who is banging on the drums on Easter for the King. Let’s keep going for it and seeing lives changed and people find value by living, loving and serving in the context of this local church – LFC. It’s all about Him and all for His glory.
I love being your pastor,
Pastor Bernie Federmann

PS: Also, don't miss out on the LFC STAFF BLOG.
Our Staff Journaling Blog:http://lfchurch.wordpress.com/
You can read some of the journaling of our LFC staff members at this site above. It gets updated several times per week, so check back often or add it to your RSS feed list.

Remaining a Life Long Learner

2008-03-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Scripture:
Deuteronomy 32: 1 - 7
Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass,like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD.Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect,and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children,but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. (NIV)
Observation:
God’s way is perfect and His life is stable like a Rock. Rock is more than a name, it denotes the character of God Himself. He is faithful in all He does and never has been or will be wrong. He is the master teacher and life goes best when we follow Him. In this Psalm we see how easy it is to disregard His teachings and believe we know best. We can follow the “warped and crooked generation” and move away from wisdom and become foolish. It is easy to do. But it is up to us to keep an open, teachable heart and always be a student.
Application:
Whenever we loose our way, we must take a look at God once again. Not only is He a Rock, but He is also a Father and desires us to be His children. Children He can teach and train in His ways. He is the Creator and desires that we remember He formed us and that we are the creature. This passage calls us to remember the days of old – to consider what God has done in generations before us. We are not the only ones who have ever been or ever will be. We need to seek out those who have gone before us, both biblical (historical) and those in our lives (present). We need to learn from these “divine mentors” God has placed in our lives and allowed their stories through the bible to be told and retold to us. Others have walked where we are about to walk. The problem is not that the truth is hard to uncover or that there is a lack of wise guidance. The problem is that we are not always willing to be students, and learn from others. We are not always willing to be life-long learners.

Where can I learn today from someone else?
Where have I forgotten the “rockness” or my God?
Where have I ceased learning and growing?
Who can I ask to show me the terrain up ahead, since they have already walked it?

Prayer:
Dear Lord, show me the areas that I am not seeking wisdom and truth. Reveal the areas in which I am allowing the warped and crooked to have place in my mind and heart. Give me the courage to run to you and seek your face and your truth. I will grow Lord and I will remain and learner in all things. In Jesus Name, Amen

Worshipping Other Gods or Diluting Your Worship of the True God.

2008-03-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Make it glorious - Make it wonderful
Make it excellent - The praises of our King
Make it glorious Make it wonderful
The praises of our King
Make it passionate - Given from our hearts
Sing praises to our King
Make it excellent - Make it beautiful
The praises of our King - Let Him hear how much, we really thank Him
Sing praises to our King
Shout with joy, To our God
All the earth, Give glory to His Name
He deserves nothing less Than our hearts and souls
Our very best. Make it Glorious, Tommy Walker

Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 6: 21 & 22 ; Deuteronomy 17:1 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the LORD your God, and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the LORD your God hates.
Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.

Observations:
God wants to be worshipped and not along with others but exclusively. We know God is a jealous God and as Isaiah prophesied:
"I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols." (Isaiah 42:8) Now while we may not blatantly worship other Gods we can, if not careful, place other things as our focus either in front of Him or right next to Him.
Moses and the Israelites lived in a polytheistic world, a world where most cultures believed in many gods. They looked at the powers of nature and attributed individual powers to individual gods, such as storm gods, sun gods, earth gods, crop gods, etc. The truth about the one God was known in their hearts, but that truth was pushed aside because of selfishness and sin. (Romans 1:20) The truth is, the sinful heart does not want to bow to the one, true God. The selfish heart has other focuses and plans rather than God and His ways.
The Israelites had left Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan. God warned the Israelites about Canaan. He warned them about the competition they would find there for the loyalty of their hearts. Deuteronomy 11:16: “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.”

Application:
“Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar for the Lord.” Don’t let anything else take up space that is reserved for God. Some of the enticement is the allure of other Gods but quite often it is the allure of other things. It is getting caught up in things that may even be connected to God – like being busy working or serving in ministry while missing the one we are called to minister to. Like being so busy in life you forget the giver of life. It is also possible (Deut. 17:10) to give God our left-overs or residue religion, yet this is not what He desires. Some may feel God wants our best because He feels He deserves our best. While this is true, God wants our best, not only for what it provides Him but all the more for what it builds in us. You see when we give God our sacrifices, our time, talents and treasures and not try to skimp or bargain with Him on it, we build some great things in our lives. As we give God our best, He is praised. It is like an accomplished piano player who is able of playing a piece of music with great expertise and choosing to play with only one hand (not both) and only ½ the song. When the conclusion to their piece comes and they stand for applause there will most certainly be disappointment in the hearts of the audience. God is disappointed when I have more to give Him and withhold it – God is disappointed when other things crowd out His will and purpose for my life. God is disappointed when I don’t give Him my best so that He might release His best into my heart. Putting God first builds huge capacity for His blessings and character to become a part of the fabric of my life.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, Help me to order my time and my days with you first in all things and as the key to my life. Let me give you my first and best rather than what is leftover. You deserve my very best. In Jesus Name, Amen.

What do we Value?

2008-03-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Jesus was clear:
We put our heart into what we value. So I think it is a good theme the Lord nudged me with today – value.
As I looked up the word it listed references to mathematics, standards, economics, theory, law, character and more. But as I thought and prayed the value of time, money, sharing our faith and being a loving person rose to the top of my heart.
We all know what God values more than anything else. God loves people more than anything, He has given believers the task of sharing the gospel.
Acts 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
We also know that God loves when we follow His values.
Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"These are the values of God. We are much closer to the heart of God when these three values are on our hearts. God values our lives being a public demonstration of His valuable work in us. What God requires of us is not closet spirituality, but public spirituality.
God requires that we do justice.
Here is our work. Our God is just, and therefore his people must be just and work for justice. Talking about it is not enough. Loving it is not what he requires. He demands that we “do” justice.
God requires us to love mercy.
For some mercy is not even a part of their vocabulary. As if the only mercy to exist in the world is God’s to them personally, and everyone else is judged. Telling someone they “deserve what they are getting” is amazing when we want God’s mercy to keep from us what we deserve. It is very possible to give mercy and not really value it. When we are reluctant to extend mercy we are not valuing it as God does. God does not value the actions of a man when his heart is not in it. To love mercy means we have the heart of God, desire to reflect his glory and bless our neighbor.
God requires that we value being humble with Him.
God can move to and through a humble heart while He rejects those who value self above Him and above others. I was praying for our church today and thinking of the value of the people God has allowed us to come to know, share truth with and serve alongside. We have some amazing people and if you take time to get to know them you will see the value in them. Jesus encourages us to be cautious as to what we value. He says:
Matthew 6:21 "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." When Jesus spoke of our "heavenly Father," he contrasted the power and presence of God in our lives with our own fears and anxieties. He told us, do not be anxious saying "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" ...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6: 28 – 34)
Do not be anxious. Do not be afraid. You are already citizens of the kingdom of your heavenly Father.
Jesus spoke directly to our fears of not having enough to live on, and He spoke right to our value system. We often hear that, Home is where the heart is….and I would add your from what Jesus has spoken, your treasure (what you value) is your home.
What do you value most in life? That's an easy question to ask but a hard one to answer. To answer it truthfully, to discern clearly what matters most to you in life, would require a serious effort of personal inventory. As we continue to complete our sanctuary expansion and move into our multi-purpose building, it is clear what we value. We value space for people to congregate, worship, learn, share, grow, have their needs met and more. We have built these facilities because we value together giving to the Lord’s work. People have taken the finances which they value and released them – our council and leadership have taken the time to pray over them and spend them wisely to allow there to be enough to invest not just in now but in future.
You may need to take some time out from your everyday routine to take stock of what you treasure most of all. What do you value most in life? Where is your greatest treasure?
If you're like me, you probably don't have time to think of that very often. You're too busy just living. But if you had the time to take stock of your life, how would you answer that question about your greatest treasure? What matters most to you? Where does your heart live? What do you believe most deeply?
Take a moment to ask God to help you discern what you value most.
I am praying for you,
Pastor Bernie