Upcoming at LOL. Kids Teens Adults Nowthen Blvd NW, Ramsey, MN David Lechelt, Senior Pastor Amy Chalupnik, Associate Pastor

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1 Visit our Website Upcoming at LOL Watch Past Sermons Kids Teens Adults Nowthen Blvd NW, Ramsey, MN David Lechelt, Senior Pastor Amy Chalupnik, Associate Pastor E-Life Weekly Newsletter November 14, 2017 Quick Links A Word from our Senior Pastor Update from Pastor Amy Thoughts from Brad Kletzin A Note from Bruce Phelps LifeKIDS Update Upcoming Events Weekly Bible Verse: Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. -Proverbs 3:9-10 A Word from our Senior Pastor How Much Should I Give? It's Commitment Sunday this Sunday and we will be invited to join the procession of giving thanks through our tithes, offerings, and pledges of commitment to God's mission with and through Lord of Life in The Scriptures offer witness to a wide spectrum of response: the widow gave a penny (Mark 12:42), the Pharisees gave a tenth (Matthew 23:23), Zacchaeus gave half (Luke 19:8), and the rich man was asked to give all (Mark 10:21-22). But how much should we give today? Mark Allan Powell in his book Giving to God, The Bible's Good News about Living a Generous Life, speaks to both giving a fair share (our basic commitment as a member of a faith community) and a cheerful sacrifice for God. Powell reminds us that Jesus calls us to give up material possessions as a cheerful sacrifice to God, as an act of worship, an

2 expression of our faith in God, and spiritual discipline. Sacrificial gifts are felt by the giver. And they are cheerfully offered with the encouragement of the Apostle Paul, "Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). The joy of a generous response is before us. There's no "have to" or guilt or manipulation here, only the call of Jesus himself to leave our fishnets behind and move and breathe and rejoice with him in the "fishing for people." Yes, we get to speak the joyous news of God's Kingdom with our fair, faithful, and sacrificial commitments for Let's do that this Sunday! Jesus, shine through me, Pastor David Wondering how your financial gifts have helped transform lives at and through Lord of Life? Read on! Update from Pastor Amy

3 Click here to download paper regis tration form for the Urban I mmersion Retreat.

4 Do you know how to run a PowerPoint pres ent at ion? Are you willing to volunteer? Even if you don't have experience, we would love to train you! We are looking for two more volunteers to run graphics during the 9:00 am service. This would be a light commitment, only once every 4-6 weeks for a couple of hours on Sunday mornings. If you are interested in volunteering, please Tammy for more inform ation. Thought s f rom Brad K let zin, Contemporary Music Director Have you ever attended a contemporary worship service and thought, "Great, I don't know this song..."? Well, you're not alone! I would dare to say that one of the biggest complaints with contemporary worship services is that the songs are unfamiliar, which makes it difficult to sing along. So why do we sing new and unfamiliar worship songs? The answer for me lies in the definition of contemporary:"of the present time; modern". I've been to many churches in the past who advertise a contemporary service only to find they're singing traditional style worship music with acoustic guitar in lieu of an organ. Is this

5 contemporary? To many, it is - and that music is DEFINITELY important and worshipful. However, we already have an incredible traditional worship service that offers this great music and Bruce does an absolutely wonderful job with it. So if we're going to offer a contemporary worship service, I say let's truly make it contemporary! This means a modern sound with NEW songs. There are so many great churches, worship leaders, and artists out there RIGHT NOW offering incredible new music that is both powerful and worshipful. One of my favorite ways to discover some of this new worship music is through YouTube. One can simply search for a worship song they already know and have countless other songs suggested that are related lyrically or musically. You can watch a video for a song and YouTube does this wonderful thing of automatically playing another video related to the first. This creates an endless rabbit hole of worship music that you may have not even realized existed. So how do I choose new music based on an infinite number of song selections thrown at me? While each song is different and is chosen for particular reasons, below is a short general list of criteria I use when selecting new music for Sunday worship. 1. Is it simple and sing-able? Our job as worship leaders is to help facilitate the worship of the congregation. If the music we're creating is too difficult to follow or sing along with, it makes the action of worship difficult to the point where some may stop trying. We desperately want you to join in worship however you feel comfortable (no matter how good or bad your voice may be!). If we're not making that easy enough, then we're not doing our jobs. 2. Is it worshipful and God-centered? There is an endless sea of Christian songs out there that simply were not written for use in a worship setting. While they may be lyrically in-sync with our truths and beliefs, they're not necessarily praise-worthy. We try our best to keep the songs we sing God-centered and aimed upward to Him. 3. Is it Biblical? I find that the best worship songs are the ones that have basis in scripture. If we're not using the Bible as our guide, what else is there? If you're interested in delving into the world of today's contemporary worship, you have your work cut out for you. A few of my favorite groups are Bethel Music, Jesus Culture, Hillsong, and Elevation Worship. I believe these groups do a great job of filling the criteria above and they are constantly creating new and exciting worship music. Check them out! What are some worship songs and artists you enjoy listening to and worshiping with? I'd love to hear your ideas! Feel free to come say hi any time you see me and let me know. I'm always open to suggestions for the betterment of our worship together! -Brad "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." - Psalm 10 0 :1-2

6 LifeKIDS Update L ife K ID S M o vie N ight - TH IS FR ID AY N IGH T! Our next LifeKIDS Movie Night will be this Friday night from 5:30-8:30 pm. We'll be watching The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, playing in the gym, having free time in the youth center, eating lots of pizza and snacks, and more! Cost is only $10/student. I f you'll be bringing your kids to our movie night, you can register at the door, but please click here to RSVP to Jenna before Friday. See you there!

7 Artrage o us K ids R OCK! So much FUN we are having at our ARTRAG EOUS KI DS classes! Las t Saturday we created nature weavings and Thankfulness Jars in assorted colors, styles and shapes...so much FUN! THI S Saturday, Novem ber 18 concludes our fall series - YOU WON'T WANT TO MI SS I T! Stained glass painting - KI D STYLE!! Kids in grades K - 6 are invited...and bring your friends! $10 /session. Kids in grades K - 6 can register online here!

8 L ife with Little s Our final Fall Life with Littles playgroup will be this Saturday, November 18, from 10 :0 0-11:30 am. Parents, grandparents, and kids 0 to preschool age, join us for story time, crafts, free play in the gym, and more! We have a fun group already attending and we' d love to have more! Our Operation Christmas Child collection has come to an end! We'll be packing boxes with the 5th and 6 th graders this Wednesday and finishing up with our Sunday School kids on Sunday morning. So many wonderful donations have been brought in, and we are so thankful for everyone who donated. Stay tuned next week to see how many boxes we were able to pack!

9 Tickets for the Advent Celebration spaghetti lunch will be available for purchase on Sunday m ornings in between services. Rehearsals continue on Sunday afternoons from 12:00-3:00 pm. Our kids are working hard and having FUN preparing for this FABULOUS presentation!

10 The s e d o natio ns will allo w kid s to s ho p fo r the ir familie s fo r Chris tmas! Do natio ns can b e o f any value, b ut kid s will b e ab le to p urchas e the m fo r $ 1 e ach. We e s p e cially ne e d me n and te e nag e b o y g ifts. Notes from the Music Man If you get a chance, thank your LOL choir members for their service. Not only did they lead the worship service Sunday, but a great many of them joined us at Stoney River to sing for the residents there. It was indeed a blessed day of music-making for us! What lies ahead? Sunday, November 19: Stewardship Sunday where we bring our pledges and gifts to God as a token of our thankfulness and to show support for the work of Lord of Life. Sunday, Novem ber 19: Sunday, Novem ber 19: The Northern Lights Chorale that I direct will be presenting their fall concert at 3:00 pm at First Lutheran Church ( th Ave NE, Columbia Heights).

11 There is no charge for the concert, so come and enjoy an afternoon of music ranging from the sacred greats of old to folk music from around the world. Tuesday, November 21: Thanksgiving eve-eve service at Trinity Episcopal Church in Anoka. Join our brothers and sisters from churches in our area to give God thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon us. Saturday, December 2: Family Promise is holding a benefit concert at Faith Lutheran Church (11115 Hanson Blvd, Coon Rapids) at 6:30 pm. The Northern Lights Chorale will be sharing some of their holiday favorites among other music. Tickets can be purchased for $25 here at the church office, online by clicking here, or at Faith Lutheran the night of the concert. Sunday, Decem ber 3: LifeKIDS musical presentation "It's All About That Baby" will be at both morning worship services. Come and enjoy the enthusiasm of our children as they bring us the Christmas message. Sunday, December 10: The Lord of Life Festival Choir, Proclaim! Bell Choir, Singing Ambassadors, KidsPraise, and a newly formed ladies quartet will be sharing their gifts with you all at our Christmas Concert, 3:00 pm here at Lord of Life. Oh, AND the Anoka High School Seventh Avenue Carolers will be joining as our guests! This is a new event so make sure to mark it on your calendar. There will be a time of fellowship following the concert with all kinds of Christmas treats. Come and celebrate Christmas with us! Sunday, December 24: Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday and services will be at 10:30 am in the gym and 4:00 and 7:00 pm in the Worship Center. Monday, December 25: A Christmas Day service at 9:30 am in the Worship Center. A busy church is a happy church. Come and experience the joy of Christ as we worship and celebrate together! Musically Yours, Bruce Phelps Music Director 9:00 am Rada Cut lery Sale We will be taking orders for RADA Cutlery between services on No ve mb e r 1 9 & 2 6 and De ce mb e r 3 & 1 0.

12 Orders will available for pickup on December 17. Upcoming Events

13 Ladies, mark your calendars for Friday, December 1 from 6 :30-9 :0 0 pm for the F O URTH ANNUAL Holidazzle event! What is Holidazzle? It's a night out for ladies of all ages! Join us for beautifully decorated tables, a light meal (NEW! ), hilarious entertainment, then dessert! It's a delicious night with a TON of LAUG HS! Entertainment ent this year? The LOONEY LUTHERANS! You may have seen them perform at the Plymouth Playhouse, but on December 1, they will be HERE at Lord of Life performing for YOU! So what's next? Sign up to host a table OR purchas e individual tickets! Tickets/tables do sell out, so be sure to call/ /stop by soon! HOW do you get tickets? Stop by the Holidazzle table after service on Sunday or click here to Michelle Anderson for more information ( x128). We can't wait! The Holidazzle Planning Team: Michelle Anderson, Stephanie Olson, Dawn Rodewald.

14 The concert will take place at Faith Lutheran Church. (11115 Hanson Blvd NW,, Coon Rapids) Tickets are $25 5 and available for purchase online by clicking here. (Children 12 and under are free)

15 STAY CONNECTED: