LifeLines June 2017

Gather, Grow, Go! What ministries do we need to do that will bring people into a saving

faith relationship with Jesus, build them up, and bring glory to Jesus?

Please be in prayer over this.

Every area has its unique needs. The ways to discover the needs of

our community are to follow the news, pay attention to the local online

conversations, and listen to people. Ask “What would help you?” and then listen.

Build relationships. Relationships are the most effective bridge across which the Gospel

travels. Once you know the needs, share your ministry ideas with someone and how we can

go about starting them.

Congratulations to our recent New Members

Sara Goedeken, Ben, Lillie

Joel and Veronica Armstrong, JJ, Zechariah, Howard

Chip and Sarah Daehling, Caden

Sharon Stubben

Jad and Erin Gleue, Gavin, Rylyn

Sara Lee, Shaye

Jason and Cristi Black, Breelyn, Emmaline, Koraleigh

Scott and Cathy Black

Ladonna Bucy

Jeremy and Sarah Addink, Joalyn, Alivia

Doug and Laurene Brown, McKenna

Brandon and Megan Jacobsen, Carter, Grayson

Jon and Amanda Lee, Titus, Abram, and Olivia

Lorrie Jackson, Kyleigh Ryan and Keegan Ryan

Kelsey and Olivia Nathan

Roma Engdahl

Donyce Brenneman

Please introduce yourself and make them feel welcome.

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Pastor's Corner

Christianity is a lot like sunscreen lotion. If you put just one big blob of lotion on your arm or your

face, it won’t help much. It doesn’t do much good unless you rub it in! If you look at many Christians

today, you’ll see people who believe all the right things, but when it comes to everyday lives, we are

inconsistent in actually doing what God says.

To use the sunscreen analogy, we have a big blob of Bible knowledge on the outside, but it doesn’t

do you much good unless you rub it in. In James 1:22 we read, “Do not merely listen to the word, and

so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James goes on to compare a person who reads the Bible and

remains unchanged as being like a man who looks at himself in the mirror and walks away without

working on his appearance. God says, “It’s not what you know spiritually that matters; it’s what you do

as a result of what you know.” Unfortunately, too many of us are satisfied with just listening to the

Word and believing it. We think we’re in good shape with God because we agree with all the right

things, but it’s passive agreement. If you tell me that staying out in the sun unprotected can give me

skin cancer, agreement won’t do me much good. I’ll still get skin cancer if I don’t do something! I have

to act on the truth that I accept and believe.

You can tell if you’re just putting on the Jesus-life instead of rubbing it in by how much you worry

about your problems instead of trusting God with them, by how little you love people who don’t love

you or who are different from you, by all that junk you allow into your heart, by how selfish you are,

by how proud you are, or by how seldom you talk to anyone about Jesus.

When you rub in what the Bible says about these things, you start changing the way you live. When

you only put a blob of Bible on your life, you think you’re okay, but you keep on living the same way

without making any changes. Open your mind to the words of God and apply the words to your life

too. Everything you read and learn from God’s Word is supposed to be changing you and shaping your

life into one that looks more and more like the life of Jesus – the way He loved people, helped people,

and served people. Every day, open yourself up to God’s Holy Spirit to take the words He inspired and

to rub them into your life.

Pastor David Linkugel

Daily Devotions

Lutheran Hour Ministries provides a daily devotion by email

that connects God’s Word with current events and daily life. To

sign up, go to https://www.lhm.org/newsroom/ You can also get the app for Daily

Devotions. Search for Daily Devotions by LHM.

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Lord’s Lambs’ Latest News

May was yet another busy month for our growing center.

We enrolled six new children and are adding staff as we

grow. We continue to welcome these children and look

forward to sharing the love of Christ with them as we care

for and educate them daily.

Our preschool/pre-kindergarten class have been studying

eggs. Ms. Jen arranged for this educational activity through the UNL Extension Office. We

have welcomed several baby chicks. The children made predictions on what they thought was

going to hatch from the eggs and to our delight no one was disappointed when adorable baby

chicks hatched. We were excited that the Post-Gazette sent a reporter to interview us, too.

Our toddlers definitely enjoy their outside time (when it isn't raining!). One of their favorite

activities is to catch the bubbles that fly out of our bubble machine! We continue to work on

language development and social skills daily. We are seeing friendships emerge in these young

children. Renee Muhlbauer is leading our toddlers and we are very appreciate to have such a

nurturing and caring provider.

Our infant room will welcome Crystal, our second fulltime teacher mid-June. We look

forward to having her on our team. We will be receiving three new infants into our program

during the month of June. We welcome these little ones and look forward to watching them

grow daily!

On Friday, June 2nd, Lord's Lambs is hosting the Children's Fun Time of Elkhorn Days at

Common Ground, from 6-8 pm. We could use some helping hands with the games if you are

available. We also will be giving tours of our center during the Family Fun Festival at Lord of

Life on Sunday, June 4th. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors who

have young children or grandchildren.

If you would like to donate your time to our program, we could use some extra help.

Fridays are a day that we could especially use an extra set of hands. If you enjoy playing with

children, doing light cleaning or washing toys and dishes, please let me know.

Denise Kempnich

Lord's Lambs Child Care Director

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is

serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."

Fred Rogers

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Pray for our Missionaries

Lord of Life provides prayer and financial support for Rev. Andrew and Kelsey Schlund, who serve the Lord through The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) as career missionaries in Mexico. In his role, Andrew works with other missionaries in the theological education of existing pastors and possible future pastors. He also preaches and teaches whenever needed. Through the

relationships that are formed, Andrew and Kelsey seek to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the people of Mexico. Andrew and Kelsey have a beautiful daughter, Charlotte. Please pray for the Schlunds as they serve in Mexico. Pray for all the missionaries and their families in the Latin America region, for the members of El Buen Pastor and San Pedro in their work to spread the Gospel, and for the Schlund family as they continue to adjust to life in Mexico City. • Birthdays: Andrew – Oct. 21, Kelsey – Aug. 16, Charlotte – March 28 • Anniversary: June 17

Click here to see their latest newsletter.

Mite Box Sunday

Lord of Life’s Women’s Ministry designates the first Sunday of every month as Mite Box Sunday. We invite everyone to give your mites (offerings) to support the work of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML). Mites are collected in mite boxes to support the mission projects approved by the LWML membership in convention every two years. Lutheran

women have stepped out in faith, setting goals and trusting God to move the hearts of His people to give generously to LWML to proclaim the Gospel. The national Mite Box Goal for 2015-2017 is 2 million dollars – that’s a lot of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters! Look for the LWML Mite Box in the entry and add your mites.

Friday Faith Food Fellowship / Bible Study

The Friday Faith Food Fellowship Bible Study meets every

Friday at Valentino’s, 5022 S. 108th St. We gather at 1:00 pm

for lunch and have a Bible study led by Pastor David from 1:30

to 2:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to join the Bible Study. We

are studying 1 and 2 Kings.

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What’s Your Mission?

Pastor’s Sunday Adult Bible Study

God gave an assignment to His people thousands of years ago: Bring “lost sheep” back into

the love and safety of His kingdom. It’s still our task today. In the Bible study Israel’s

Mission, you’ll glimpse the urgency and rewards of welcoming the strangers and prodigals the

Lord longs to embrace. Discover the mission that can give your life – and the lives of those

around you – greater meaning than you ever imagined.

In these DVD-based Bible studies filmed on location in the Middle East, Ray Vander Laan

will guide you through the land of the Bible. In each lesson he will illuminate the historical,

geographical, and cultural context of the Word of God. We’ll begin this Bible study in the

Fellowship Hall on June 11 at 9:15 a.m. Everyone is welcome to the Bible study.

For a preview, go to https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/israelsmission

Let’s Play Ball!

Lord of Life’s Men’s Softball team, “Give Me Back My

Rib” plays on Fridays at the Kelley Softball Complex near 120th

and Fort. Even if you are not playing but want to enjoying

watching some ball and support your fellow church friends, we’d

love to see you there rooting for the church team! Watch the church

bulletin for game times. Play Ball!

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Your Personal Investing in LCEF Can Help Lord of Life

Experience the benefits of working with a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod-based

financial institution. Your investments help the LCMS fulfill the Great Commission.

Thousands of LCEF members have invested over $1.6 billion.

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund has been very supportive of Lord of Life. We were

one of just five churches nationally to be recognized with the 2016 Partnership Award for our

level of involvement. LCEF has funded past and current building loans. We have three times

received the $1,000 Outreach Grant for the Elkhorn Days Family Fun Festival. The $500

Signature grant was received to help with marketing of Lord’s Lambs Child Care.

LCEF also offers discounts on loan rates, based

on the level of participation of a congregation’s

membership. Lord of Life has reached the level

interest rate discount of 0..375%. Three more

investors are needed for the next level. The chart

below identifies the number of additional investors

needed to reach the next discount. If you are not a

current investor, please consider one of the many

options offered by LCEF. Brochures are on the

table in the entry. This can make a significant

difference on a $2 million loan, and allow us to be

better stewards of God’s gifts.

At Mighty Fortress VBS, your children

will learn that in Jesus, the victory is

won! Kids confidently celebrate that

Jesus, their champion, has won the

victory over sin, death, and Satan; that

He acts through His Word and keeps

His promises. Because the victory is

won, every day is a day to celebrate!

God’s victory is shown in the Bible

accounts of the fall of Jericho, God’s

rescue of King Hezekiah’s kingdom, King Josiah’s reading of God’s Word, the

Savior King’s triumphal entry, and Jesus’victory through His death and

resurrection.

Many volunteers are needed to make this event a repeat success. As VBS staff,

you have the privilege of helping children know that God is our Mighty Fortress,

our Shield, and our Deliverer! If you can help full or part time, we have many ways

to be involved to suit your schedule and interests. Contact Kris Bamesberger at

KrisHallberg@hotmail.com for more information. Click on the link below to

register now!

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5th Annual Family Fun Festival

Your Help is Needed! Hosting over 600 guests requires an army of volunteers. Several

opportunities to help remain. You can sign up for one hour, or for the entire festival: bake

cookies, staff a game, get artistic at the face painting, provide needed first aid, supervise an

inflatable, empty trash cans, direct parking, help clean up after the event. Sign up on the Info

Board in the Commons, or online by clicking below.

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Want to Help Raise Funds for the

Playground?

** without spending an extra

dime? Keep Reading**

Lord of Life is blessed to have

been accepted as a recipient of a

number of funding methods for our

Playground Fund.

We encourage you to look over

the opportunities and select one or

all that fit into your lifestyle.

Amazon Smile (Every purchase made through Smile.Amazon returns 0.5%).

Scrip (Every giftcard purchase through the Scrip program earns 2%-50%.)

TAGG (Scan your receipt and earn 5% at local businesses.)

** If you have questions on any program, please contact Julie Koenemann at church. **

• Purchase gift cards through Scrip, and every card returns rebates of 2% up to 50%!

• Order days are the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month, with added dates near holidays.

Order online or with a paper form, and place your payment in the Scrip mailbox in the

entryway. (Paper forms are in the kiosk.)

• A limited inventory is kept onsite that can be purchased during the week and on Sunday

mornings.

• Sign up on ShopWithScrip.com with our enrollment code of 9194FD1128994.

• You can get your Scrip even sooner when you place Reload and ScripNow® orders and pay

with PrestoPay™.

June Scrip Order Dates

**2nd and 4th Sundays**

June 11 and June 25

When you shop Amazon (and most of us do),

go through Smile.Amazon.com, and select

Lord of Life Lutheran Church Elkhorn as your

charity. 0.5% of your purchase price will be

donated to the Playground Fund!

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Together A Greater Good is even simpler! Whenever

you’re at a TAGG business, snap a picture with your

smartphone of your receipt and choose us. We receive

5% of your purchases! Download TAGG today!

Thrivent Choice Dollars Thrivent Members: You

can select to direct annual Choice Dollars to Lord of Life,

and they will be applied to the Playground Fund.

We Need Your Help Through graduations and relocations, we have lost valuable members of our sound and video ministry teams. Our goal is to have a minimum of 4 for each service time and task to facilitate a once monthly responsibility. We did have 5 and 6 volunteers for some services; now we’re down to only 3. And with summer vacations,

this has become quite a challenge to fill the schedule. Please consider giving 60 – 90 minutes of your time one Sunday a month by serving in this important ministry. Through your hands, God’s Word is being seen and heard. You will receive personal training and plenty of practice opportunities. Please contact Julie or a Pastor to volunteer!

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Worship Team

Do you, have you, or do you know

someone who plays an instrument or sings?

We’d like to add musicians and singers to

our worship team. Please speak to Julie

Koenemann or any Rejoice! member.

Lord of Life’s Mission

We are “Reaching out with love to create new and abundant lives in Christ.”