"God, if you will just _________, I promise I will ____________!" Ever made a statement like this? Have you ever promised God something with the hope of getting Him to work something for your favor? Can God be manipulated this way? And what if you can't/don't follow through with our promise? Does God just let it go?

This weekend we jump into chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes where we will look at the caution of Solomon about empty promises and meaningless vows to God. Take a few minutes and read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, and begin considering what God wants to speak to us this weekend.

See ya Sunday,
Jeff

This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Which One is Better?
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

In this passage after observing life “under the sun,” Solomon asked four “which one is better” questions. He looked at life and compared one issue with another and came to his conclusions about how to live. Probably the most familiar part of this chapter deals with the idea that two are better than one.

In case you’ve never heard this before, humans were not created to be alone. We are wired to be part of a community. What Solomon wanted to remind everyone was is that we are not made to live or work alone. This flies in the face of something we American’s are known for – individualism – but this is not how God wants us to live. So let me ask you, are you in community with other people? Do you have people in your life that can protect you and help you in your times of need? Do you have people in your life that can help you when you fall?

If not, what are your plans to solve this problem? What are you going to do to start being part of a community of people? Remember as we live our life two is better than one, and three is better yet!

Which One is Better?
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

Comparisons. Everybody I know makes comparisons. We are continually asking ourselves, “Which one is better?” Was it the movie or the book? Is it Michael Jordon or Lebron James? Is it a Ford or Chevy? Is it chicken or steak? Is it an iPhone or is it an Android phone? Which one is better?

This week in our series called “The Game of Life,” we see that Solomon makes comparisons as well. In four different areas he asks, “Which one is better?” Not only does Solomon ask the question, but based on his observations of life, he shares with us his opinion about which is better. This week we will look at these four observations of life “under the sun” and find out which one is better. Hope to see you this Sunday!

Gary Keith

By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Teaching & Worship

It has been about two months since the elders announced that we would be searching to hire a primary teaching pastor to add to our teaching team and handle a majority of the messages for the weekend services, as well as create curriculum for other teaching opportunities within the church. This decision was made in cooperation with Pastors Jeff and Gary to allow them to focus on the other crucial areas of ministry in the church – overseeing worship and lead pastor duties respectively. Jeff and Gary will still be part of the teaching team and will teach periodically throughout the year, though with reduced frequency. Although change can be difficult for some, we are confident that this is where the Lord is leading LBF at this time, and the elders are excited about what God is going to do. We hope you are excited with us as we anticipate how God will move in this area.

Many of you have asked about the status of our search for a new Primary Teaching Pastor, so I thought it would be good to bring you up to speed on where we are in this process currently and what the next steps will be.

After posting the job on multiple pastoral job search websites, so far we have received more than 120 resumes from applicants literally from around the world. Pastors from India, the Philippines, Africa, and Canada have submitted their resumes, as well as people from all over the U.S. The first stage of the process has been to evaluate each resume, as well as audio and video teaching samples of each candidate. We’re seeking a person who is qualified educationally, experienced vocationally, connected culturally, and pastorally minded. It has been very interesting seeing the broad range of styles and teaching techniques used in churches across our country and around the world, and evaluating how it would or would not fit in the context and culture of LBF. At this point, we will be narrowing the field from over 120 to between seven and ten.

The next step will be to submit those 7-10 resumes and teaching samples to a subcommittee of church members that will evaluate them and bring a recommendation to members of the Elder Board. The subcommittee will narrow the field to two or three, who will then be presented to the entire church on selected Sundays so that the whole body will have an opportunity to be part of this process. Some of you have expressed interest in being part of the member subcommittee via K.I.T. cards as we have asked, and once we have narrowed the field we will contact you in regards to participation and meetings. If you would like to be considered for this committee, please let us know by writing “Search Committee” on a K.I.T. card on Sunday. Please understand that not everyone will be selected to be on the committee as we will need to keep it to no more than 10.

Thank you for all of the encouraging words and emails as we move through this process. It is exciting to see people excited about new things that God has for us as a church. As we have said before, we are not in any hurry as we want to be sure that the man we hire is the one that the Lord has for us. Please be praying for the elders and eventually the member subcommittee, that we will have wisdom and discernment as the Lord leads us through this process. If you have any questions, you can email them to elders@lbfchurch.com, or pick up the information letter that we made available to the church originally and can now be found online at lbfchurch.com/resources#articles.

If you have ever played "The Game of Life," you know there are all kinds of events that sneak up on you that you never saw coming. That spin of the wheel can bring prosperity or disaster. We may be okay with the outcome, or it may cause us to want to quit the game. But is the real game of life really determined by the random spinning of a universal wheel? How do we walk out our faith through seasons of pain, struggle, or even prosperity?

We are all familiar with the concept of "right place, right time" or "wrong place, wrong time," but as we look at Ecclesiastes chapter 3, we will see Solomon's perspective on the timing of all things under Heaven.

This week, read Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 and come ready to allow God to reveal His sense of timing to your heart. (You'll also find out why I hate crossword puzzles!)

See ya Sunday,
Jeff

By Dale Palmer, Director of His Kids Children’s Ministries

On Saturday, May 7, the quite fashionable moms, the children, and their friendly stuffed friends came ready to have a wonderful tea. Gracious servers kept the tables stocked full of delicious sandwiches – cucumber and cream cheese, egg salad, and PB & J! There were yummy scones and strawberry jam, fresh strawberries and crème, as well as Grandpa’s Cinnamon Bears and Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies. Of course, no tea is complete without assorted hot teas for Mom and lemonade and apple juice for the children.

We had a short program with Debbie Smith playing the guitar and leading us in some fun songs. Then the children told us the best thing about Mom.

We gave away five Build-A-Bear gift certificates for The Most Loved, Best Dressed, Funniest, Sweetest, and Cutest stuffed friends.

We finished our time together with a craft made especially for the Tea by Sherry Schuster. It seemed that every minute was full of activity and fellowship.

The Mommy, Teddy & Me Tea would not have been a success without the wonderful help of Lydia Phares, Tammi Strasen, Alice Weissmann, Sherry Schuster, Donald Goodwin, Annie Williams, Lyric Ellis, Whitney Zeimis, Bob Palmer, and Debbie Smith. Thank you!

This week's "Reflection" by Gary Keith, Lead Pastor

Working Things Out
Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

In the “Game of Life,” work takes up about a third of our time. It’s probably the single largest time block of any thing we do in “The Game of Life.” With that in mind, how do you like the way you are spending 33% of your life? Are you one of those people who say, “Take this job and shove it?”

In our passage Solomon has just finished talking about how wisdom and work do not give meaning to life, and then suddenly changes his attitude in verses 24 and 25 when he said, “I realized that these pleasures (food, drink, and work) are from the hand of God." Solomon makes it very clear that when God is in the mix, it changes everything.

Here we are on a Monday morning and most of us are back at our jobs. So how does including God in the mix of our job experience make it different? Is this a new thought for you? Or have you figured out ways to “take this job and LOVE it” as you include God in the mix? What are some of the ways that including God in the mix helps give meaning to our work?

Working Things Out
Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

The financial and employment chaos of the last few years has caused scores of people to question what they really want out of life and work. What about you? What gives you value? Where are you looking to find fulfillment and meaning? What defines you? Is it about climbing the work ladder? Is it having the perfect job? Would you consider yourself a workaholic? If so, why is that? We have a need to work things out.

Solomon has been searching for life’s meaning, but believes everything is pointless. So far in our study he has looked for life’s meaning apart from God in wisdom and in pleasure, but he still thinks it is all meaningless. This Sunday we will see Solomon’s search continue as he looks for life’s meaning in work.

Gary Keith

Have you ever uttered the words, "If I had a million dollars..."? Have you ever seen something and thought, "If I had one of those, then..."? Rock stars, movie stars, business moguls, and lottery winners seem to have everything one would need to have happiness, contentment, and purpose in their life, yet how many times have we seen the opposite play out on Access Hollywood with reports of alcoholism, drug abuse, and marital issues?

Maybe it's just that no one has really tried to see if money, possessions, and all things under the sun can bring happiness. Well, this week we are going to take a look at a man who literally gave it his best shot and denied himself nothing. Read Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verses 1-11 and join us on Sunday to see the extent to which Solomon went to buy happiness, and how his motives may sound a bit similar to ours at times.

See ya Sunday,
Jeff