Lake Forest Singles

The List

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

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Today is Valentine's Day, as you more than likely know.� As a single, it is tough going through this day.� Today can be the day we think through 'the list' of the perfect person we have in our mind.� In a conversation I had with Pastor Todd Olthoff yesterday, we discussed how our list can be too narrow to the point where we will never find our future spouse.� Since I am a single, Pastor Todd mentioned the list should be as broad as possible.�

According to Pastor Todd, the list should include only three items:

1.�� Strong, growing Christian.

2.�� Trustworthy, person of character.

3.�� Attraction to the person. - Note, this does not necessarily mean physical attraction.� But, there has to be some type of connection with this person.

If you want to read the full article from Pastor Todd, the link is: http://www.toddolthoff.com/blog_files/52b7771bb242ad00aed166d96478cb26-76.html.

Do you agree to this list?� Is there anything you would add?� If so, feel free to comment down below!

Don't Carpe Diem. Carpe Kairos.

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:13:00 GMT

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It's that time of year again, (dramatic sigh) where I pull out my list of "things I want to do in 2011," cross off a few things and well. roll over the rest to my list of "things to do in 2012." Seriously - does anyone ever accomplish every single one of their New Year's resolutions? If that is you, well, kudos and Carpe Diem. That works for you! I, however, need to either change my list to easier things to accomplish (Do I hear: wake up, go to work and eat dinner, anyone?) or�change how I think about TIME.�Because folks, what I hear from everyone is that there never seems to be enough of it!

I've been reading a lot about TIME this week and I learned a couple things I'd like to share with you:�

Did you know there are two different types of time?�Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time. (That's where we get the word chronology from.) Chronos is the hard, slow passing, when do we get off work/long hours/looking for work/running out of time time we often live in. In this kind of time, Carpe Diem makes sense. In this kind of, seizing opportunity after opportunity, day after day time, well, it would only be a matter of time before the stresses of life would almost warrant a whole day (at least) to recover! But did you know that Carpe Diem actually comes from a longer phrase? I didn't, until recently. The poet Horace actually wrote this:�

Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero�- "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future."�

That's actually kind of depressing if you think about it. I know we are not promised tomorrow, but as Christians, we don't trust the future anyway - we trust in God. So, Carpe Diem really only exists in Chronos time.

So what's left?�What's left is Kairos time.�Kairos is God's time.�In fact, the concept is so brilliant, I wish I had thought of it myself. I first read this on a blog called Momastery. But Kairos is Greek and actually started way back in the Bible. In the Bible, Kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God." In Mark 1:15 Jesus tells the people "the time (kairos) is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand." We don't know what the future holds, only that whatever occurs will occur in God's time.�

So this year, instead of making my lists and living a life of Carpe Diem, I'll still make my lists, but choose to live my life according to Carpe Kairos and seek God's time.�

I was asked a question today, and now I'm going to ask it to you:�What is ONE area in your life you want to focus on in 2012?�Think about it. Think about your relationship with Jesus and share your thoughts in the comments below!

And whatever you focus on: Carpe Kairos.�

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jer. 29:11�

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Leadership Training Class!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:09:00 GMT

The purpose of this LT1 class is to train and equip Small Group Hosts and Members to lead groups in a way that is consistent with God's Word. Learn how to share the leadership load, resolve conflict, empower and equip others, manage your group website, and many other ways to create and sustain a healthy small group. �The class will meet upstairs in the Refinery Classroom on Sunday at 7:00pm.�

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If you want more information, please contact Chris Messerer at�cmesserer@saddleback.com

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Upcoming Events!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:34:00 GMT

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Leadership Training next Sunday after FUEL

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Are You Single?

H2H Gatherings [hyperlink to reg page] are a fun place where single adults of all ages come together for social connection and to develop friendships. We have five age range categories of singles: 18-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55, 56+

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It Takes a Village

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:00 GMT

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There is an old African proverb that says "It takes a village to raise a child." The phrase has become clich� in our society, but in Africa it is much more than a clich� or a proverb; it's a way of life. The village is the backbone of their existence. The tribal elders believe that it is the responsibility of each family and member of the community to take care of those who have a need. For example, if a child's parents die, they are automatically taken in by a grandmother or member of the village. They all work together to provide for the needs of the child.

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No one goes at it alone.

So, how does that model work in our lives? I know as a single parent it is very easy to feel alone - especially during the holidays. Christmas is just around the corner and the media and spirit of the season heightens that need to be surrounded by friends and family. If you don't have family nearby, this can be a depressing time of year. But, guess what? I have good news for you! Family comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes in the form of extended family, and it comes in the form of a church small group, or even a good friend.

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So, how do you find that sense of community?

Maybe you find it when you reach out to someone else in need. Maybe you find it when you finally stop and ask for help. But no one should ever feel like they are going through this life parenting alone. As a church, we are a community - a family! As part of that family, make sure you reach out to someone if you have a need, or that you are the one reaching out to help a friend.�

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A couple of weeks ago our entire church closed down for our first ever weekend of service. Thousands of members went out to serve people in local communities wherever there was a need. And when church closes down - you know it must be for something really important! In fact, the bible says: "It is God himself who has made us what�we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." (Eph 2:10). Maybe this means you volunteer your time at a shelter. Maybe this means you invite someone, who you know is alone, to your house for Christmas dinner. Each time you help someone, you help our community grow together in love and create your own little village of support! So, take some time to reflect�--�who's in your village? What can we do as a church to increase that sense of community with each other?�Let us know in the comments below!

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"A string of wool alone cannot accomplish it, but weave them together and you have a tapestry of unity and togetherness." (Kenneth Kaunda)

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Thanksgiving becomes a National Holiday

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:30:00 GMT

Our Thanksgiving holiday was instituted by Abraham Lincoln. Like many of our leaders since the founding of our country President Lincoln was a believer and understood that we serve a living and active God. Here is his proclamation that established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

We Need Love not Apathy

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:00:00 GMT

How different this world would look if we could see it through the eyes of our King. Daily, I pray to the Lord for the ability to see people through His eyes. How desperately we need it! Yet day in and day out I fail. I fail to walk slow enough, to put my phone down for long enough, to let the Lord shape my heart so that I can care enough. Heavenly Father, give us your vision. It's not like loving your neighbor is all that difficult. Often it takes little more than a kind gesture. So let's make this practical. Here are three simple life applications to make it real in your life.

Hold the door open for people. One of the fastest ways for me to tell where my heart is at is when I forget to hold the door. You can actually see the wheels turn in my ahead as I realize I forgot to hold the door. Christians, if you don't have the ten seconds to wait for someone to walk through a door, you need to adjust your schedule. At seminary, I see men walk through a door and let it close on a woman. I feel like grabbing them by the shoulder, and asking them, "You want to be a servant but you're too busy to hold a door for your classmate?! If you can't love your sister enough, how could you possibly love the least of these?"

Remember their names. If you are like me, remembering names is extremely difficult. I've had conversations where I've had to ask the same person their name multiple times. I'm that bad. But just because something doesn't come naturally to us, doesn't mean it doesn't matter. Ever visited a restaurant, coffee shop, or anywhere else and the person who serves you remembers your name? It makes me smile every time. and earns them a better tip (speaking of tips, if you're Godly enough to pray at the restaurant, then you BETTER be Godly enough to give that server a tip that shows God's love)! Remember names. Practice it. It matters. People matter.

Lend a hand to those in need. If you see someone struggling to reach, carry, or lift something, lend a hand. I'm rarely much of a help at 5'10" and 145lbs, but it doesn't stop me from offering. I give credit for this one to my wife. Before her I'd walk right on by. But slowly I got sick of her saying, "Why don't you go help him/her/them." My attitude went from "ugh, fine" to "good idea." It's one of my favorite things to do. After I'm done serving I love how my wife's eyes light up.

So maybe none of these things are life shattering, but maybe loving people doesn't have to be. Maybe it doesn't come with the opportunity to share Jesus with them, but maybe it doesn't have to. You'll never know how your simple acts touch a person, nor can we comprehend its ripple effect. Even if no one comes to know of your act, loving people shapes your heart. We can be living testimonies of God's love- a church known for its random, yet intentional, acts of love. I promise you this, you start loving His children with your service and there will be no shortage of people asking you, "What's your secret." "The Harvest is great but the workers are few."

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Who Can Be Against Us?

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Save my Finances, but Leave my Stuff

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:00:00 GMT

Growing up I never had a clue what people meant when they said, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I don't remember who use to say it to me, but for some reason in my head it sounds like a southern accent. odd. Anyway, it's a phrase that we need to get reacquainted with. We need to put it up on our mirrors, and wrap it around our wallets. We need to create a pop up window with that phrase each time we're about to purchase something online. The concept is simple, and when applied to God, very basic: you can't spend the all your money then look to God and say, "hey can you bail me out with more money?" It's moments like this that I really wish God would part the clouds, put His sun ray over us and say, "You kidding? What did you do with the money I just gave you?!"

Time to grow up people. Proverbs 20:4 tells us that if we aren't putting in the work, doing our part, we can expect to go hungry. The root of most of these issues comes down to people not being willing to give God their first and their best. We treat God like the big red button with the sign saying "Use in Case of Emergency Only!" The bible doesn't say give to God out of your abundance, in fact Jesus compares the wealthy who give out of what they have with the widow who gives out of what she doesn't have and says, be like the widow! God isn't impressed with the celebrity who shows up with a big giant check, does a public endorsing and goes home in his Aston Martin.

The craziest part of all is, tithing is the one thing that God says challenge me on. God is calling you out. In Malachi God says test Him and see if He doesn't give you more than you could have imagined. The God of the universe is tapping you on the shoulder right now and saying, test me, try me, I dare you and in the end tell me you're not satisfied, I dare you.

We choose to spend money on ourselves before we consider God. That paycheck comes in and your credit card hits the street. God isn't a charity organization. He didn't send His Son to die so that you can pay for the lease on your Benz. You want financial help from Saddleback? The first thing we do is walk you through a budget, they comb through where you're money is going, and it turns out, DirecTv isn't a need. Our research has also discovered life will go on without an iPhone, I know, shocking. Time to get back to the basics. 10% goes to God, 10% goes to savings, 80% is for the rest. If that 80% doesn't get you by, you need to get by with less. Time to grow up.

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While We Were Still Sinners...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:22:00 GMT

Show Them You Care

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Concerning evangelism, there may be no truer statement than, "people don't care what you know until they know how much you care." More often than not, Christians approach evangelism from two angles. The first is, talking about my faith is scary, I don't know enough and I should probably just leave it to the professionals. The second, I have answers, you have questions, let me show you how right I am.

The first group looks at evangelism like I look at chess. The only chance I have at success is my ability to find someone less equipped and less intelligent than me, and that'll be hard to find! They view the task as something complicated, with rules and timing a necessity. They see the Billy Grahams of the world and think of evangelism as some instantaneous effort from some biblical gunslinger. They forget that somewhere down the line, likely each of those new converts had a believing friend who was simply willing to build a relationship and at the right moment extend an invite!

The second group is determined to show the non-believing world that they have every answer for any issue. They approach a potential conversion like they would a duel. They load their six shooters full of bullets of knowledge and they harden their instincts to ensure they aren't found wanting. When the discussion is over, the victim is bloodied and exhausted. The victimizer was pretentious, too right to listen, and full of self-righteousness, if this is what being a Christian means, who wants to be a part of that? I, Brandon Lyons, am just as guilty of the need to prove I'm right as anyone. Guilty. Then a few years ago the Lord opened my heart to a simple truth, I needed to SHOW them who He is. The thought of God needing me to prove He is sovereign is laughable. I need to live with the grace that shows He is sovereign.

Jesus constantly approached people right were they were, bringing them healing right where they needed it most. They didn't need a new religious leader to lay burdens upon them, what they needed was relief. When I come across someone who is lost, I think of Jesus's words in Matt. 11:30, "For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." When was the last time you sought to ease someone's burden? When was the last time you, free of your own interest, sought to bring someone reconciliation? When was the last time you were feeling like you didn't have anything left in your tank and yet you still lent a hand? The world isn't looking for another Christian who has all the answers. What the world needs now are Christians looking to step out of our comfort zones, to reach out to the unlovable, and take a risk. Perfect people need not apply, God just needs you to show up. Make yourself available, God will do the rest.

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test

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:09:00 GMT

How to deal with discouragement

We all get excited when we have a new project, when everything is going the way we want it, when everything is working in perfect harmony and how we expect it to be. There was a guy in the Bible name Nehemiah, who was as excited as we get when things are going our way when he got permission to build a wall from the king, had all the materials he needed, and the manpower to make it happen. But soon he and his crew met opposition, problems, exhaustion and suddenly the emotion and the excitement about the project was lost. It was all replaced by discouragement.

Discouragement is a very strong feeling. It can take all your energy and drain it away. Make you feel unworthy, unwilling, crippled, mad, tired and a lot of other things. And the truth is that we will deal with discouragement sooner or later. So here are a few tips on how to work with those feelings:

Have someone who's willing to listen to you - this person can be part of your small group, a friend, mentor, pastor, family, coworker; as long as you know that the person that you are talking to has the capability to give you advice that will help you grow, not shrink you.

Do activities with people that are not related to the source of your discouragement - If you are discouraged at work, don't hang out with someone from work, as you'll both end up depressed. If it is ministry, find someone who doesn't know anything of your ministry or at least is not part of it, and so on.

Take time off - most of the time discouragement begins with exhaustion. �Therefore, you need a place, hobby, activity, or time that can take your mind of the things that you usually do.

Get some time alone - Read the Bible, a good book, meditate, listen to some relaxing music; something to clear your mind of what you're doing.

SLEEP - We are so focused on the things we are doing that we sacrifice our own bodies. Managing God's temple (our bodies) is a commandment.

Stay connected - the Bible talks about continuous prayer. � A lot of the Bible characters faced discouragement from time to time, and in each case, the situation turned out for good, when they looked for God's guidance in prayer.

Thankfully, there is hope in the midst of discouragement, and because the God of the universe is involved, it's plentiful. When discouragement hits you, count on the reality that God will use that season in your life to grow you into Christ-likeness.

Laws of Sowing and Reaping

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Sunday's message left me wondering two things: what am I sowing and reaping, and am I content in whatever season I'm in? Being in a season of sowing doesn't sound like the most exciting thing, but is undoubtedly the most important. Much like our faith, it is making a decision in the now for a reward in the future.

The book of Ecclesiastes contains one of the most famous verses in the bible; chapter three verse one reads, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." The problem comes in our inability to wait. Patience is no longer a virtue. With YouTube we don't have to wait to see our favorite music video. We don't need to set aside time to talk to friends, that's why we have Facebook. Thanks to online stores we can buy everything we need at work, and most major networks have made their shows available online so we can fit it into our schedule. Take away my iPhone and watch my life come to a standstill! Considering how little we practice patience, how rarely we are forced to wait, it becomes all the more important to understand the value of sowing in season.

It was the final year of college when the Lord grabbed a hold of my life. On February 5^th, 2006 God spoke to me those words I'll never forget, "you're wasting your life!" I never thought I'd undo the damage I had caused, and there was no sign my friends would soon let me forget. Constantly, I was forced to come to terms with what I had done, to seek forgiveness and humble myself before the Lord. It's been nearly six years and although I never thought I'd see the day God would use me, I'm now watching the harvest come into season. In my extended family, I'm seeing marriages restored, family members growing in their faith, and people seeking my counsel on what to do next. From friends who wanted nothing to do with God I'm getting prayer requests, questions about God, and a few of them now considering the Lord as their Savior!

At the start, I never thought of my work as planting the seeds. I merely considered myself an infant, fortunate to have found a Father willing to not only pay my debts, but to take me home. There in lies the grace of our God, when you simply seek to rest in Him, give Him what you have, and forget the rest, He turns you into a fisher of men. Six years ago, I never would have seen me interning at Saddleback Church or attending Talbot seminary, but God is good. Every morning, I commit my day to the Lord, hanging over my door is a reminder from Matthew 9:37, "The Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." Open your eyes, there's fertile ground all around you.

A Drive for Evangelism

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:00:00 GMT

How do we communicate a universal need for a relationship with the Father when we don't have one? The reality of God, of the cross, of His power is understood but often that knowledge stops short of a relationship. When I was younger in my faith, I loved arguing about religion. I knew the bible as a factual thing, but it wasn't really alive, it was merely about the God of our universe who sent His Son to die for us. When religion is simply factual, a historical documentation in a leather bound book, debating is the logical presentation of the gospel.

Here's the issue: God didn't send Jesus to just give us a historical document; He sent His son to die on a cross that we might have a relationship with Him. He didn't send the Holy Spirit to us so that we could just know of God, He sent Him so we could have a relationship with God. Christians are punching the clock week after week. We work long hours, we over schedule, we over stimulate, we fill our lives with so much stuff that we forget to take the time to have a relationship with the Almighty.

If you aren't in a relationship with our Father, if His words aren't coming alive in your life, what makes our faith all that different? But how can something come alive in us when our connection to the Father is dry? Sure, we're good at creating a list of do's and don'ts, but inside we struggle to connect with the source. Jesus got away, He spent time with the Father. Alone time with the Father was a regular occurrence, not isolated to a weekend retreat once a year! I want people to know about Jesus because I want them to have what I have.

Do you know God, do you know His ways? This isn't about a daily reading of His word and going over a list of prayers, but do you set aside time to really know Him? Do you know Him as you know your best friend? Do you know Him as you know your spouse or your parents? God is seeking intimacy with you, the creator of the universe, the being that was before time began and will be after time ends wants to spend time with you, just you! Not you and facebook, not you and television, JUST YOU! My drive, I yearn to reach the lost because I want them to have a relationship with the Father. I've seen the trouble that comes from living a life without a father. Don't live your life without knowing your Father, being to busy for your Dad. Stop, unplug, and just sit with Him daily. Stop and listen to Him, seek His will for your day. Tonight, ask Him how to improve on tomorrow. You have a Father who created you, who loves you. Let your relationship with Him be the thing that makes people step back and say, "What's different about you? How do you keep your head above water when all else are drowning?" So here's the question: Do you know the Father as you know your best friend? If you do, come alongside other believers and strengthen them. If you don't, start today.

Meet New Friends!

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 06:41:00 GMT

Sunday Evening Summer Concerts

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 04:24:00 GMT

The Summer Concert Series is here!�

Saddleback has lined up a great summer of music and it starts this weekend! Come on over to the Refinery immediately following the Sunday night service for dinner and a concert. Bring a blanket, your friends and enjoy music outside in the Refinery Ampitheater. Concert begins at 7:00pm.

Single Parents!

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Meet New People!

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:48:00 GMT

Choose Joy with Kay Warren

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Can't make it to the Lake Forest campus but still want to see Kay Warren lead�her new study "Choose Joy" ? Watch online here: http://www.saddleback.com/webcast/choosejoy/

"Join me this summer for a 4-week women's Bible study, "Choose Joy." During this series, we'll talk about Jesus, the Man of Joy, and the incredible gift of joy he has given to each of us. You'll learn that joy, much more than happy feelings, is a conviction of your mind, an attitude of your heart and a choice of your behavior." Kay Warren

"Like" our Facebook Page

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Facebook can barely contain our AWESOMENESS!! Click on the image and join us.