LifeBridge Blog

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I am already excited about this weekend. There are a number of things that will be taking place. First, our Haiti team will be back home and excited about all God did in and through them. I'm so proud of every single person who went, but also of those who supported the team members.

Second, we start a new teaching series called Once Upon A Time. I wonder what that is about? Hmmmmmm, you will just have to wait and see. Do not miss this series. It is going to have something for everyone. I heard through the grapevine that there could be a Taylor Swift song during this series. Not sure if that's true, but I would not want to miss it!

Finally, this weekend is Xtreme Live. It is for kids in grade 1-5 and their parents at 10:00am in the Xtreme Room. It is an awesome time of music, drama, and learning. We will find out the new character trait for the month of February. You do NOT want to miss it. Amanda says it is going to be awesome. I hope you will plan to be there.

Think about who could Invest and Invite for Easter. It's coming in a couple of months and it's gonna be an awesome time.

Philip Thurman

I am really excited about our new series that starts this Sunday--Once Upon a Time. What is the series about? You'll just have to wait and see! I hope you will plan to be with us.

This past Sunday was yet another amazing day. Through the baptism videos we heard four stories of life change. We also saw three more people give their lives to Jesus Christ. I hope that never gets old for you. After all, isn't that what the church is suppose to be about?

One month of 2012 is almost gone, and I hope that you are making a priority of Investing and Inviting. We have seen some amazing crowds the last few weeks and we pray they will continue. Begin preparing now to pray for who God would want you to invite for the Easter service. It is going to be amazing.

This Sunday is Xtreme Live. It will be a great time for elementary school kids and their parents. I was talking with the leaders the other day and they are pumped about this month's theme and the kickoff for February. If you have a child in 1st-5th grades, don't miss Xtreme Live this Sunday morning from 10:00-10:20. It is going to be a fun time for mom and dads well.

Continue praying for our Haiti Mission team as they serve this week. They return Friday. Also, please pray for their spouses and family while they remain at home. Pray for God to provide and care for them.

Have a great week.

Philip Thurman

We finished another amazing series on finances and even through this series we saw 8 people give their lives to Jesus Christ. How amazing that through a money series people would follow Christ! I love this church and am so grateful for the tons of amazing volunteers who serve every week and make a huge difference.

We have so many things happening that I wanted to make sure you knew about them.

1) Financial Peace University started this past Monday night, but it's not too late for you to get involved. You need this class whether you struggle with debt or are doing fairly well financially. You can hear more about it by clicking here. The cost is $99 (spouses attend free), but if you would like to attend but money is tight right now, PLEASE let us know by emailing us at staff@mylifebridge.com. We have several people who have offered to provide scholarships for people to go through FPU. When you are in a better financial state several months from now you might want to "pay it forward" and provide a scholarship for someone else! This will be completely anonymous--no one except the staff will know about you and the provider of the scholarship will only know they are helping someone else (but they won't know who it is).

2) Starting Point started this past Sunday and you can still be a part of it this coming Sunday at 10:30. There is no cost to attend Starting Point. Click here for more info on Starting Point.

3) The ladies' Making Peace with Your Past and Moving Beyond Your Past groups have also started and are in their second week. Those classes are now closed, but the men's Making Peace with Your Past group begins Thursday, Feb. 9 and there is still time for you to get involved with it (if you're a man!). Email us at staff@mylifebridge.com for more info.

4) Baptism Sunday is this Sunday and it will be amazing as always.

5) NEXT is this coming Sunday from 5:30-6:30pm. NEXT is for anyone who wants to know more about LifeBridge and/or has specific questions about who we are and what we do. Click here to find out a little more about NEXT.

6) Disciple NOW is February 10-12 for students in grades 6-12. DNow is an incredible weekend where students grow close to God and also build and strengthen friendships with others. Sign your student up TODAY. We also have a need for help with homes to host kids along with people to help with food and snacks for the weekend.

7) Please be in prayer for our Haiti mission team as they leave Thursday for another mission in Camp Coq, Haiti. Pray for safe travel and for good health and for their families as they stay behind.

Philip Thurman

People ask me all the time, "If there were ONE class at LifeBridge that I needed to take, which one would it be?" That is a great question. I think all of our classes are amazing, but if you're looking for a great class to help you grow in your faith, Starting Point is that class. Actually, it's not a class. It's a conversation. Whether you have been a believer for many years, you are a brand new believer, or you're not even sure about Christianity, this is the group for you. Get my gist? Starting Point is for everyone. It lays a basic foundation of the Christian faith and helps people understand their part in God's great story.

Starting Point is the only adult group we allow to meet on Sunday mornings because we feel it is that important. I wish every person in LifeBridge would participate in a Starting Point group. It would help you grow in your faith and help you understand more about Christianity.

You don't have to take my word for it. Click here to check out a short YouTube video of Mike Petyak talking about the benefit of Starting Point in his life. Or copy and paste the following link to watch the video: http://alturl.com/mgkzf

A new Starting Point group begins this Sunday, Jan. 22 from 10:30-11:30am. You can attend the 9:00am service and also participate in the group. If childcare is an issue, you are covered because we have classes for your children. We'd love to know if you are planning to attend (you can email us at staff@mylifebridge.com or call the church office at 601-605-5433 to sign up), but you can also just show up this Sunday morning and ask where the Starting Point group is meeting.

This is also a great way to connect with some other people and develop relationships with them. Thus the name...Starting Point. I hope to see you there.

I love this time of year! The time between Christmas and New Year's Day. Many folks take the time off to be with family and friends, but many choose to work and get a ton done. Either way, one thing seems to hold true--most of us are starting to think about the next year and what we want to do to improve. We want the next year to be better than the previous year. Some of us set goals and New Year's resolutions, but others may do NOTHING on paper. But at least most of us are thinking toward improvement. It seems that all of us want positive change in our lives. I love it. I spend this time thinking about what God wants me to do more of, what God wants me to be better at, and ultimately where He wants me to be at the end of next year. Sometimes it is overwhelming as I think about all that stuff, but at the end I realize, if He doesn't do it, it won't happen. With that being said, just wanted to remind you of a few things.

1) We have one service this week on New Year's Day. It will be at 10:30am. I hope you will come and hear the challenge for each of us this New Year. I am excited about all God is going to do.

2) We have baptism coming up at the end of the month. Many have made decisions to follow Christ; would you now consider going public and getting dunked? It is a huge step that always encourages others in their spiritual journey. Please email staff@mylifebridge.com or call Philip at 601 605 5433 to talk about it. This would be a great way to start the New Year.

3) Finally, on Sunday, January 8th at 5:00 p.m. we have a volunteer training event for anyone who serves anywhere on Sunday morning. It is imperative that you come and spend a short time training and learning some things with us. It will be well worth your time. We will have childcare for this event. Please let us know if you will need childcare.

I'm looking forward to an amazing New Year. Thanks for all you do to make a dent in this culture and society. I am looking forward to our new series called Balance that is coming up as well. Start thinking about who you want to invest and invite this next year.