Ekklesia

1. What an incredible weekend this past weekend. Thank you God for being at our church this weekend!
2. What a game last night . . . even though OU lost . . . props goes out to the Jayhawks beating my sooners. :)
3. This last weekend was crazy busy . . . the leadership conference was good, men of iron was awesome, and God's people were excited about the kingdom.
4. Sunday was a solid day at LC. The message encouraging, God's people are becoming contagious!!! ;-)
5. We're around 11% larger than the same Sunday last year.
6. Membership at LC can be summed up in one word: COMMITMENT! We need to be committed to a local church! That's why we're offering Life Church Get To Know in March.
7. A huge thank you to Sherry Stewart and all the volunteers for cookies this last week at the Youth Pastor's get together. . . you ladies never cease to amaze me with your servants’ hearts!
8. We've already broken our goal for Missions by $2000 and we aren't even finished with March yet . . . April 1st is the deadline.
9. I absolutely love our leaders and staff . . . it is an honor to work with Tammy, Chris, Reg, and all the leaders at LC.
10. It's an honor to work with such passionate and hard-working people.
11. Church family, be praying about what God wants you to commit to the missions this next year . . . remember God's stimulus plan . . . let's step out there and let God speak to our hearts.
12. I am in Oklahoma as we speak . . . please pray for my mom who is sick in the hospital . . . they've ruled out heart condition . . . may God heal her completely!!!
13. God is up to something awesome!!! Get ready, get ready, get ready!!!!

Weekend Update

1. Wow, another great weekend at Life Church! God is up to something!
2. The basketball group played ball from 10:30pm - 1:30am Friday night. They had 11 guys there . . . I wasn't one of them . . . but 2 of the guys were new. :)
3. Big thanks goes out to Conleys (opening their home), Debbie Eagan (decor), Francis Schrock (cake), and all the people who were there at Jenny Jones' shower to make it a special time. Way to go "TeamLIFE".
4. Maximum Speed kicked off their Taco Feast on Saturday . . . Eileen had never had a taco before . . . the CE Bldg smelled like onions afterwards . . . lots of people came . . . and Reg was pumped at the response . . . way to go Maximum Speeders!
5. Pastor Reg did a great job in Pastor's Chat. Go PR!
6. Sunday God had me start a series called "State of the Union" where we looked at The 10 Commandments of Marriage . . . several couples committed to better marriages. Teri and I did as well.
7. Pastor Chris caught me completely off guard with the rapping. LOL! Go PC!!!
8. What a great skit by Cody, Katy, and Reg!!! (good job guys!)
9. The LC Business Meeting went well . . . we also recapped on some of the things God did in 2008 . . . and wants to do in 2009. (my favorite is people coming to Jesus and adding to His church)
10. Teri and I didn't get much rest this weekend...but we are both so thankful for the Lord's blessing upon our marriage, kids and church.
11. The Super Bowl party on the 110" DLP was great! So was the game at the end! (Thank you Tom VanSickle Inc.)
12. About 60 people came out for the Super Bowl party! What a great time!
13. I was pulling for Arizona to win the game. (no thanks to J-Mac, Timmy, and Eduard)
14. Our prayer is that God helps you share your faith with somebody this week at work, school or some other place you frequent. Jesus changes lives!

As we face 2009 as a church, it's a choice to not do anything. Lean in, back off, but don't do nothing. Faith is the unstated component in the work of a leader, and I think faith is underrated. Changing things, pushing the envelope and creating a future that doesn't yet exist (all while being criticized) requires bravery. The secret of being wrong isn't to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn't the death sentence. The only thing that makes a church great is their willingness to step out and chance not being great along the way. The desire to fail on the way to reaching a bigger goal is the untold secret of success. Risk is necessary. Are you ready to get out of the boat? I am.

Lantz Family Highlights

1. This last Friday, Teri and I had a creative date. It was really cool getting to spend time with her. I like her! :)

2. On Saturday, we got to spend a whole day with the boys. We played "Sasquachian Man", watched a movie or two, and made pizza. The boys loved it.

3. We had a great Sunday in every way at Life Church. The communion was very special.

4. We had a guy give his heart to Christ after church was over.

5. The worship was off the charts on Sunday. (Good job Pastor Chris!) I enjoyed lifting up the name of Jesus from the drums. My hands were dry and I threw a stick in practice . . . it almost hit "red" in the head. (lol!)

6. The church praying and fasting last week was really good. Many people I've talked to felt God taking them further in their faith. I'm excited about what God is doing in my life, your life, and our church.

7. We challenged our church people to give to Mike and they responded with over $1000 offering. Way to go Life Church!

8. Since the Oklahoma Sooners lost the national championship, I've quickly turned into an Arizona Cardinal fan. I want the Arizona Cardinals to win the Super Bowl. I'm a Kurt Warner fan now!

He'll Be Back

Okay . . . so you realize I'm a sooner fan. My team just lost the national championship. Yeah . . .I'm not so happy about that. But I can almost guarantee that they'll be back. Oooh . .. I think there's a spiritual principle in that somewhere.

Crave More Presence

On Sunday, December 21st, I want something for my birthday! I know, it sounds pretty vain . . . but I really do want something for my birthday that day. I would love for every single person that comes to Life Church (if they haven't already) to make a heartfelt commitment to Christ. That's what I want for my birthday. I don't know if you've thought about it yet . . . but make plans to attend that Sunday and bring a friend. Join me in asking God to bring individuals to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that day. All things are possible for those who believe. :-)

Pajama Day

Sometimes it's good to just have a pajama day. "What's a pajama day?" you ask. Well, a pajama day is a day where you wake up and you don't change out of your pajamas. You just get up, eat breakfast, and then just spend the whole day with the family in your pajamas. I know it sounds lazy . . . but sometimes it's just good for the family. We just had one today. You should try it sometime. But not on Sunday! :)