Our Lord, Come! Dear Church Family, Thank you for your prayers, generosity, and flexibility as we go into this next phase of construction. I am excited to see, not only the transformation of our building, but of our ministries as well. Praying for a great unifying worship experience this Sunday. I want to thank our tech team, our first impressions team, our worship team, our custodial staff, and all our volunteers who have put in lots of work to make this a reality. I found this today and thought it might bless you: Q: What is the significance of "Maranatha" in the Bible? A: "Maranatha" appears in 1 Corinthians 16:22, where Paul writes, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha!” It is an Aramaic expression written in Greek letters, meaning "Our Lord, come!" Q: What is the linguistic origin of "Maranatha"? A: Though written in Greek (Μαράναθα), it comes from Aramaic, where Mar [...]

We Need YOU! Dear Church Family, Do y’all remember back in the day when we would have a work day at the church to clean and beautify the building and grounds? Well, in a similar effort, I’d like to invite those able-bodied folks to help after the third service this Sunday to help move some items from the Preschool wing into our storage pods in the parking lot. That gives you a great excuse to dress casually! These are exciting days at Lakeside. This is why we are needing to have an outdoor worship experience on March 30th because some of our building will be under construction. So, please pray for good weather as we meet on the North end of our building where our sports field is. We will have lots of chairs, but feel free to bring some or a cushion so you can sit on the slope. I love when we can all worship together. Yes, [...]

The Sanctuary Dear Church Family, These are exciting days at Lakeside! I am looking forward to having a new preschool wing and a new look in our sanctuary. And thank you for those who have given and prayed for these things. I believe the LORD will bless your generosity as His people desiring to see others come to Christ. Please pray for good weather on March 30th as we gather for one service outside on our sports field. This will be a great time of unity and fellowship and also allow for our construction transition to be complete in the sanctuary. I found this great description of the tabernacle and temple I thought you’d enjoy: The tabernacle and later the temple of Yahweh were alive with angelic, animal, and plant images. As such, visiting the sanctuary was like visiting the replacement Garden of Eden for the worshiping Adams and Eves of God’s people. Here are some examples: two golden [...]

The Tabernacle Dear Church Family, We are about to see some movement on our preschool renovation, so please be patient with us as we shuffle classrooms here and there for the next few months. This project will have lots of interactive elements and create a great new space for our preschoolers to learn about Jesus! Please pray about what you might give to this project. The total cost will be about $2 million and praise the LORD we have already received some great offerings. I read this and thought it may bless you from Dr. Chad Bird: The tabernacle and later the temple of Yahweh were alive with angelic, animal, and plant images. As such, visiting the sanctuary was like visiting the replacement Garden of Eden for the worshiping Adams and Eves of God’s people. Here are some examples: -two golden cherubim, with outstretched wings, were atop the mercy seat. -images of cherubim were embroidered into the veil outside [...]

In the Ascension and Resurrection Dear Church Family, I just want to thank you all for your prayers while I was out. I sure do love my church family! Also, I want to thank all of you who volunteered, prayed, led, and taught during our DNOW. Pastor Paul has been such a blessing to our student ministry. He is such a believer in bringing the generations together, which is such a beautiful picture of God’s Church. I ran across the following devotional and I hope it encourages you: In Eph 4:8, Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 in a form that is often a bit perplexing. Especially in the second part of the verse quoted ("he gave gifts to men"), it's pretty different from how it survives in the Hebrew or in the Old Greek of the Psalms, but I want to spend a moment asking why Paul uses this psalm at all, and why he focuses on what he does. [...]

We Need Each Other Perhaps because of our American tendency to be individualistic, and especially our Texan tendency to go ruggedly on our own, we forget that we need each other. Our need for one another is and undeniable truth in our spiritual lives. A leader of worship in ancient Israel, a priest by the name Asaph, once went through a personal theological crisis. You can read about what happened in Psalm 73. Asaph’s story went like this.  Asaph knew that God is good and that he blesses righteous people (v. 1). Yet he questioned God. “My feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray” (v. 2) His problem was this: Asaph saw people who were evil but still prospered (v. 3). Asaph dwelt for a long time on the problem of the existence of evil (vv. 4-12) His crisis became so severe that he wondered if he should leave God (v. 13). He even wondered whether he should [...]

Stringing Pearls Dear Church Family, Please pray for our students as they gather for DNOW in a couple of weeks. Pray for Pastor Paul Pakebusch and his leaders as they guide them. Thank you for your investment in this next generation! The following is another nugget of wisdom from Chad Bird: Suppose you came across this odd sentence: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but serving your country in freedom, be the change you wish to see in the world, fearing nothing but fear itself as you live by the rule: Give me liberty or give me death.” Here we have a mixture of partial quotes from John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Patrick Henry. Yes, it is far from seamless, but I put it forward as an example of what someone might do who wove together bits and pieces from several sources. We see a mixture of partial quotes from various sources in the Transfiguration [...]

The Lord is My Shepherd Dear Church Family,I shared this at a funeral this weekend and thought it might bless you:The Lord is my Shepherd. That's a relationship.I shall not want -- that’s supplyHe maketh me to lie down in green pastures -- that's rest.He leadeth me beside the still waters -- that's refreshment.He restoreth my soul -- that's healing.He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness -- that's guidance.For his name's sake -- that's purpose.Yea, thou walk through the valley of the shadow of death -- that's testing.I will fear no evil -- that's protection.For thou art with me -- that's faithfulness.Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me -- that's discipline.Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies -- that's hope.Thou anointest my head with oil. That's consecration, my cup runneth over -- that's abundance.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, that's a blessing, and I will dwell in [...]

The Reason We Are Forgiven Dear Church Family, Hope this devotional thought blesses you— Did you know Jesus does not forgive us because we confess our sins? That's a confusion of 1 John 1.9. John writes that if we confess our sins, God is faithful unto us to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now a couple of verses before then (verse 7), he pinpoints exactly why we are forgiven. He says, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins. Think of it this way, if you're sick and you go to the doctor and you tell the doctor, “I am sick, here's what's wrong with me?” Does your telling the doctor that you're sick lead to your healing? No, it's just a necessary step in the process. If you stay home and you either don't seek healing or if you stay home and you refuse to acknowledge that you're sick, as sometimes men will [...]

Hospitality is the New Apologetics Dear Church Family, My friend Gary Stidham was in the Baptist Student Ministry at UTA for many years and is now a professor at Southwestern Seminary. He led his students to lead hundreds if not thousands to Christ. So, when he posted the following on Facebook, I paid attention. Hope it blesses you in your journey of evangelism: HOSPITALITY IS THE NEW APOLOGETICS In the past, people skeptical of Christianity felt that intellectual questions were their biggest barrier to faith. They needed a patient, intelligent defense of the Christian faith to overcome those barriers. They needed apologetics. TIMES HAVE CHANGED. Of course, there are still intellectual barriers to faith. However, those are not the most significant barriers for young non-Christian adults. In post-Christian America, many young adults were raised with no religious belief. They don’t have INTELLECTUAL questions about Christianity because they don’t have ANY questions about Christianity. What they do crave, however, is [...]

The Forgiven Family of God Dear Church Family, As we get ready for a new semester of discipleship here at Lakeside, I pray for you all as you seek God’s leadership in your next steps. Hope you’ve had a chance to check out our new website at www.lbcgranbury.com. It is so well done to help us all be in the know. Praying for Pastor Paul Pakebusch and his team as they prepare for DNOW next month. Praying for those seeking the LORD about mission trips this year. Thankful for another year of teachers, leaders, and just all-around servers. I read another great devotional by Chad Bird I wanted to share: God’s choice of Jacob over Esau was not based on moral, intellectual, or spiritual credentials (Genesis 25). He didn’t wait for the two brothers to grow up so he could assess their virtues and then choose the superior son. God made his decision “though [the twins] were not yet [...]

Sharing the Gospel with a Neighbor Dear Church Family, I had a brother from Lakeside ask me about some things to share with a neighbor to help them understand the Gospel and I wanted to share with you one way to share the Gospel with others. The following are 5 questions from Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. 1. Do you have any spiritual beliefs? Just listen. Their answer gives you an idea of where they are spiritually. 2. Who do you think Jesus is? Just listen. 3. Do you think there is a Heaven or a Hell? Just listen. 4. When you die, where do you think you would go? Why? Just listen. 5. If what you believe is not the truth, would you want to know? If their answer is no, then pray for another opportunity to share with them. If they answer yes, then share you should share your own testimony followed by [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Dear Church Family, The celebration of Christmas is also the celebration of Genesis chapter 1. One of the best Christmas books ever written is entitled On the Incarnation, by Athanasius. At the beginning of the book, Athanasius reminds us that it's through the same Word by which God brought all things into existence, that He also accomplished our redemption. In the beginning, in and with and through His Word, that is through His Son, God created all things, and then He sent that same Word down to us to assume our humanity, to make our human nature everlastingly His own. And then, as a man who is also God, Christ accomplished our redemption. In accomplishing our redemption, He accomplished our re-creation. The saving work of Jesus is the new Genesis of humanity. He took into Himself our nature and through His saving work He redeemed our nature. And by our union with Christ, we [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Is Christmas Pagan? Here are the ten most common erroneous beliefs about Christmas being tied to paganism. First, Christmas is the Roman feast of Saturnalia.” Saturnalia, honoring the Roman god Saturn, ran from December 17 to 23. Christmas on December 25 doesn’t even overlap. There’s no evidence the early Church chose this date to compete with Saturnalia. Second, “Christmas is actually the feast of Sol Invictus”. Sol Invictus was declared in AD 274. Hippolytus of Rome linked Jesus’s birth to December 25 in AD 20. If anything, Sol Invictus may have been Rome’s attempt to counter Christmas. Third, “Christmas is the celebration of the winter solstice.” The solstice is around December 21, not December 25. Christians picked December 25 because it is 9 months after March 25, the Annunciation. Fourth, “Mithras was born on December 25.” There is no historical evidence linking Mithras to that date. Besides, the celebration of Christmas predates the cult [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Dear Church Family, What an incredible concert last Sunday evening! I’m so grateful for Carey and Michael and their teams. The choir and orchestra, and the children’s choir truly led us to worship. I wanted to share part of the testimony of Marnie Thielke, who went to be with Jesus recently. Pete, her husband, gave me permission to share. It just shows you that God can multiply our offerings to Him to change eternity: Marnie Thielke and John Ensor were fellow students at Bethel College in the 70's. In 2013, they reconnected at a fundraiser with two foundations in Texas. John was seeking to fund a campaign designed by the pastors/leaders of the underground church in China, to train up 1 million people in their churches in biblical pro-life ethics and equip them to rescue mothers and babies from forced abortion. At that presentation, one of the foundations was skeptical because John's work in [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Dear Church Family, Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. I love this time of year and look for opportunities to build bridges for the Gospel. I also want to thank you for your patience regarding our water issue this last Sunday. Our team diligently worked throughout the weekend to get it resolved by Sunday, but it just didn’t work out that way. I appreciate Pastor Carey, Michael Wilcox, Carol Horton, and Dr. Ashlock for helping us to have an online worship experience. One of our members told me that he and his wife drove up on Sunday and after they found out we had cancelled in person services, decided to drive to Glen Rose to go to First Baptist there. But the LORD began to speak to his heart about going to a small church he was familiar with from some friends who attend there. The pastor, out of the blue, said, “Brother do [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Dear Church Family, Read this by Chad Bird and thought it might speak to you like it did me: Making a Mockery of Ordination The Hebrew phrase commonly translated as "ordained" in the Old Testament is literally "to fill the hands." For instance, when God told Moses, "Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons," (Exod. 29:9), he said in Hebrew, וּמִלֵּאתָ֥ יַֽד־אַהֲרֹ֖ן וְיַד־בָּנָֽיו, that is, you shall "fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of his sons." Why "fill the hands"? It reflects the ritual act of sacrifices being placed in the hands of men becoming priests (cf. Lev. 8:27), which they then offer before the LORD. To be ordained in Israel, therefore, like our word "mandate" (lit. "give into the hand"), was to be "handed" an office in which you use your hands for holy things. This ordination given by God was sometimes twisted and mocked in Israel. For instance, we read [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Dear Church Family, I read this and it was so insightful I wanted to share it with you all: The Devil Left Him Until an Opportune Time John closes his Gospel by saying that Jesus did many other things, but if all those details were included, the world itself would not be a big enough library to hold all the books. It’s a good reminder to us that there are huge gaps in our knowledge, not only of what Jesus did but also of what he suffered. Yes, God has given us everything we *need* to know about our Lord’s life in the four Gospels, but nowhere near everything we *could have known.* Among those “could-have-knowns” is how many times the devil tempted Jesus. In Luke 4, at the end of the temptation account, Luke writes that the devil left Jesus “until an opportune time” (4:13). I suspect we focus so much on those [...]

A Message from Pastor Mark Dear Church Family, I’m so proud to serve with you all and from time to time I get to hear a powerful testimony from one of my brothers or sisters here. Friday morning at our Men’s Ministry prayer breakfast, I heard Miller Scanlan share his testimony and his wisdom on discipling other men. I asked him if I could share this here. I thought it would encourage you all! Good morning, I was honored and humbled when asked to speak before this group. This morning I wanted to share some of my experiences working with others, mainly covering discipling or mentoring, but before that I wanted to share part of my story and how God brought me to where I am today. I was raised in NM on a ranch where I learned the value of hard work and trust in myself. There was not much God introduced in my life, a handful of [...]