What word would you use to describe the situation the world finds itself in? As I’ve talked to people and even have heard myself say it is the word “Uncertain.” Life feels as if it is in a perpetual holding pattern with so much unknowing of when or if this life will ever get back to normal.

Uncertainty
The problem with uncertainty is not having enough information to feel any real emotion. There are not enough facts to feel relieved, hopeful or even fearful. However, the one emotion that many feel at this moment is insecure. In order for mankind to feel an emotional security there are six needs to every person needs to fulfill.

1. Certainty
2. Variety
3. Respected
4. Loved
5. Growth
6. Valuable

The number one emotional desire that most humans need to feel secure in their life is certainty. Certainty is the knowledge of enough facts to control the direction of life that leads to the feeling of security. Here lies the situation that mankind finds themselves in during this awkward season; we desire to control an issue we have no ability to control. This is the root problem that leads to uncertainty and insecurity. So, the root problem in life at this moment really isn’t uncertainty but it is the lack of the ability to control the outcome of this situation.

Spiritual Application
The Word of God tells us to “walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7. The question for you to ponder: Can you have complete control and certainty of your life and still walk by faith?” The answer is found in scripture. “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1. If you know all the information and are in complete control of your life then where does that give the Almighty God an opportunity to direct your life? If we are in complete control of life then really you are walking by sight not by faith.

Solution to your feeling of Uncertainty
The only one that has complete certainly due to His omniscient attribute is God Himself. It’s hard to imagine but God lives outside of the realm of time meaning He already sees how this world crisis will end. He is a God that loved you enough that He sent His only Son to die for you even while you were still a sinner. If God loved you enough to send His Son to die then I think He loves you enough to “supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19. My recommendation (and preaching to myself) to have a little less trust in your ability to control this situation and have a lot more trust that God has the ability to supply your every need when you choose to walk by faith.

Three things to do during the unprecedented season
1. Repent – turn from your control and turn towards God
2. Relax – A faith that God is in control of your life
3. Reach out – Find others that don’t have faith in God and encourage them

We are praying for you to find the peace of God in this situation. This is a test of your faith so pass the test and show the world that will trust in God even when you don’t have the answers of how this will end.

Blessings…Brett

Greetings from Lifehouse Church,

This is a follow up from the statement I sent yesterday concerning the precautions Lifehouse Church will be taking to conform to the Federal and State level request to not have any public gatherings over ten people until March 31, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trustees and Elders met last night and we all agreed that even though this request is not a law bearing mandate it is still our civic and ethical duty to respect the request of our elected officials. Therefore, Lifehouse Church will not be meeting at our church facility for any functions greater than ten people until March 31, 2020.

Lifehouse Church has begun to plan strategies to provide you and your family with spiritual leadership in order to encourage you in faith during this unprecedented crisis this world is facing. We will be using several web based platforms to keep this church connected in faith. We are working to utilize the “Zoom” platform for Wednesday evening prayer time and Bible study. We will be sending out a link later today if you desire to be apart of this interactive prayer time. Since this is a new strategy if we can't get "Zoom" interactive platform to work tonight we will be live streaming the teaching. This will begin at our normal time of 6:30pm.

On Sunday, we will be streaming live from our facility the normal church service at 10:30 am. Our intention is to have a worship set and I will be teaching a live sermon to give you encouragement in your faith. I do encourage you to HOST a Lifehouse watch party of ten people or under. A watch party is when you invite a few other families to your home and have a “home church” together. If this public meeting guideline last longer than this week Lifehouse will develop a structure to assist you in promotion of  your watch party or to find a watch party. To HOST a party means to: H - have a heart for people, O - open your home to people, S - serve a snack, T - turn on the TV. It can't be anymore simple than that so please consider inviting people to your watch party.

Remember as I shared on Sunday that the local church is the Hope of the World. The world will need to see an authentic church in these uncertain times. We are called to be a people that can face tribulation with peace and good cheer because we know Jesus has overcome any crisis in this world. If you know of people that are living in fear this is an amazing time to reach out and invite them to your watch party.

Again, we will be sending out more information to our live links to any of our services so you can stay connected to the Lifehouse body. Please remain committed to this church in prayer, encouraging one another and your financial commitment so on the other side of this crisis we will have a place to once again meet to worship Jesus Christ.

Be safe and be led by the Holy Spirit.

Blessings…Brett

Lifehouse Church will follow the guidelines set forth by the Federal government and capitulated by our State government to not have public meetings greater than ten people. Even though this is a difficult set back to any church that is based on fellowship and assembly it is best to protect people that are susceptible to the COVID-19 virus.  The Elders and Trustees will be meeting tonight to begin to redevelop a strategy for Lifehouse Church during this crisis. It is our desire to always provide your family with spiritual leadership and encourage you in faith through this unprecedented season in the world. We will be discussing the use of our online technology by live stream and the use of platforms such as “Zoom” to facilitate fellowship. It is our desire to give everyone the ability to give input during Bible studies as well as having interactive prayer groups such as we do on Wednesday evenings which can be done via "Zoom" or other similar platforms. Sunday’s we will be offering the service online. I will be preaching / teaching from the stage as if the auditorium was full. We have not discussed the plans for the worship portion of the service but we will try to offer some form of an online worship experience that will keep this church united in worship. We will also be exploring possible ways to bring teaching to your children using the curriculum we currently have been using. This entire strategy will be a work in process so we may not have it all ready to launch this weekend. However, we will be offering the Sunday morning service online as we do every Sunday. I would encourage you to consider meeting in small groups under ten people and assemble a  "watch party" for Sunday morning.

Again, I will be meeting with the leadership tonight to discuss our initial plans. As you know this situation changes almost hour by hour so what we plan today has the possibility of changing tomorrow. Let me encourage you as I did on Sunday. The local church is the hope of the world. This is not a time to shrink back in the promotion of our faith in Christ or our commitment to this local church. This is a time that can become the greatest shinning moment for the local church to provide a stronger presence of Christ for people that are filled with fear and despair.

Jesus spoke to His Disciples when they were concerned about what they would face in the world. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

For you that call yourself a Christian, Jesus calls you to not fear but to have peace and good cheer because He is the Almighty God that can overcome any issue the world will encounter.

I will send out another message tomorrow following the meeting with the leadership from Lifehouse. If you have any suggestions feel free to send them to me because we need as much counsel as we can receive. Please remain committed to this church in prayer, encouraging one another and your financial commitment so on the other side of this crisis we will have a place to once again meet to worship Jesus Christ.

Be safe and be led by the Holy Spirit.

Blessings…Brett

The Ascent is Lifehouse discovery tool to help you maximize the potential God has placed in you. The first stop on your Ascent is at Basecamp 1. In BC1 you will learn about Lifehouse, Your Salvation and What we believe at Lifehouse. Basecamp 2 will begin next week helping you discover the habits to becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. The Ascent is meeting on Sunday at 9am in the auditorium. 

Learners to Leaders Group – 6:30 – 7:30 pm Sunday
The greatest desire of any teacher is not to give his student a fish but to teach him how to fish. This is the purpose of “Learners to Leaders” group. The church will be given a scripture reading on Sunday to study throughout the week. On Wednesday the scripture will be taught verse by verse. Then Sunday evening we will dive even deeper into the scripture for observation and application. The intention is to help you learn the Word but also to develop Bible study skills to take you from a Bible learner and become a Bible leader for God's Kingdom. This will also be offered via video conference on Zoom for any home groups that would like to be a part but want to remain in a home group. Ask Pastor Brett for a Zoom link for your HomeGroup.

The monthly schedule for this group is the following:
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1st Sunday of the Month – Leaders / Ministry Discussion
2nd – 4th Sunday of the Month – Learners to Leaders Bible Application
5th Sunday – Fun Sunday – Fun family activity planned for the groups

Lifehouse Church culture is all about unity. We desire that we all take time and read and study the same scripture during the week. This week we are finishing our verse by verse study on the Book of Galatians. This week we are asking everyone to study Galatians 6 (actually the entire book has been a great study about your freedom in Christ). This will be the verse we will be working through on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Join the rest of Lifehouse as we study through the Bible as "Iron sharpens Iron."

Lifehouse Midweek has now grown into a full night of food, fellowship, worship and the Word. Be sure to sign up on Sunday for the meal that begins at 5:45pm. At 6:30pm there is Bible application groups for all ages. 

Here is your Sunday morning preview

8am - Doors open for Coffeehouse
9am - LifeGroups for all ages
- Basecamp 1 with Pastor Brett in Auditorium
- Be sure to sign up for Basecamp 2 (Discovering God)
- Starts next week!!!
10:30am - Corporate Worship Service
- Worship by the Lifehouse Band
- Teaching by Pastor Brett
12:00pm - Fellowship in the Lobby 

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Lifehouse please pray this morning at 9:30am or before.

At 10am Lifehouse leaders will be attending a tax meeting with the Adams Country Board of Supervisors to determine if they will give us a waiver on a property tax issue from the purchase of the facility. Obviously as a church we are tax exempt under the constitution so we would prefer not to get into a legal battle with the County or the State. Please pray that God places favor over Lifehouse Church.
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Secondly, Rick Phillips is having surgery at 10am so pray for wisdom for the medical staff. Pray for peace for both Rick and Tammy. Thank God that He has the ability to heal all of our diseases.

Lifehouse Church culture is "we will think in victory" because we serve a great almighty God.

Discover your spiritual potential as you climb to the summit (mentally speaking). Tomorrow begins the journey with learning about this mountain called Lifehouse. We will be discovering our story, our strategy, our structure, our salvation and our statement of faith. Basecamp 1 prepares you to move to Basecamp 2 which will develop your ability to know your God. Basecamp 1 will be taught by Pastor Brett for the next two weeks. Don't miss your opportuniity to listen and ask questions about Lifehouse Mountain.

After service on Sunday Lifehouse will be facilitating its first Lunch at Lifehouse in our new facility. Please plan to bring a dish to share and have some quality time to fellowship. Lifehouse Team is a team that you belong!!!

The only way you can do anything truly significant in your life is to do it together as a team. Lifehouse can only go as far as the generosity of the people. Let's partner together as see how much we can change our world for the Kingdom of God!

Lifehouse motto is to "Discover Your Potential." If you're serious about doing that it all begins on Sunday with the first part of your ASCENT to discovering your God given potential. Your first stop on your ascent to the summit is at Basecamp 1. You will unpack your gear for three weeks at BC1 to discover more about your church and your salvation. If you're already acclimated to the altitude of basecamp 1 we still need you there to provide wisdom for those new to this mountain. The discovery experience all begins on Sunday at 9am. This would also be a perfect time to invite those people you know that want to know more about this mountain called Lifehouse. Pastor Brett will be guiding this adventure and will provide any help to make your ascent to the top a successful one. This is also the path to become an official "Lifer" (member of Lifehouse). 

DON'T MISS THIS DISCOVERY OPPORTUNITY!!!

Don't miss your opportunity to see an inspiring show and a perfect way to invite your friends to Lifehouse Church. Facility opens on Friday at 6pm. Show begins at 7pm and we will be serving refreshments, Popcorn and candy (I guess we won't be discovering your physical potential). This is a free event however we will be accepting free will donations to cover the cost. 

Begin your spiritual discovery with "The Ascent." Climb your way to the summit of life as you begin to see what God can do through you! Begins this Sunday at 9am. This is for everyone from a beginner in the faith to those that think they can "walk on water." 

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The Boaz Breakthrough – Part 1

Read Ruth 1:1-5

In the book of Ruth, Ruth and Naomi were desperate for a breakthrough. Naomi the mother in law to Ruth had been living in the foreign land Moab. Naomi had lost her husband and her sons and was left with little hope to provide for herself and her daughters in law. She became desperate for a breakthrough.

First Step for a Breakthrough

The first step of any breakthrough is there must be desperation. You must come to a place where your ideas and abilities come to an end and God’s power must take over. A true breakthrough can only happen as you come to that place where you must step out and have faith in God’s abilities and not your own. Only when you come to this level of desperation will you submit yourself to obedience to God’s direction and position yourself to receive the breakthrough.

Level of Desperation

A young man asked an older man, who was a guru, how to be successful.  The guru told the young man to meet him at the beach at 5am the next morning.  The young man showed up right on time and the guru instructed him to step into the water.  When he stepped in the water came to his knees.  He pulled him a little further out and the water stopped at his waist.  Then he pulled him out a little further and then it stopped at his chest.  The guru then asked the young man did he really want to be successful.  He shouted yes and the guru grabbed his head and held it under water.  The young man kicked and fought to come back up and get some air.  The guru held him until he was just about to pass out and then pulled him up.  He then told the young man that until you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will never see real success.

Application Question

How desperate are you for a breakthrough? Have you come to that place where you’re willing to change yourself and submit your life to the direction God has for your life?

For the first time in our new facility, we will be hosting our Lunch at Lifehouse on Sunday, February 9 following the morning service.  We are asking that each family bring a main dish and a side dish (no desserts as LH will provide), enough food to feed your family, but to share with others.  Lifehouse will provide the drinks, table settings and dessert.  So we can prepare for everyone coming, please RESERVE your place on our church app, website or sign up in the future auditorium entrance area.  We are looking forward to fellowshipping with everyone!