LIFE CHURCH - Q1: #MothersDay is next weekend. Do you have any special plans? #LCHeart

Paula Muehler - Mother’s day usually starts with my favorite breakfast. I plan to spend the rest of the day is with my family.

LIFE CHURCH -  Sounds fun! Breakfast is always good - especially if someone else cooks it for you!

LIFE CHURCH - Q2: Makenzie- What’s 1 of the most important things your mom has taught you?

Makenzie Muehler - My mom has taught me that I don’t have to let any problems I may have stand in the way of what I can accomplish.

LIFE CHURCH - Q3: Paula - At HEART & SOUL you’ll be talking about your family’s journey of faith & Makenzie’s Chronic illness, right? #LCHeart

Paula Muehler - Yes that is correct.

LIFE CHURCH - Q4: Paula - What’s 1 thing you’d say to other moms (& dads) in your situation? 

Paula Muehler - Deal with it as a family Don’t let illness put barriers on your child’s life and always remember God is in control.

LIFE CHURCH - Good #advice!

LIFE CHURCH - Q5: Makenzie - Like your mom said, you’ve refused to let your illness put barriers on your life. How do you stay so positive?

Makenzie Muehler - I stay positive by always reminding myself that my God is bigger than any disease & He’s got a plan. 

LIFE CHURCH - Q6: Are there any Bible verses you turn to time & again for encouragement?

Paula Muehler - I have two, Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28.

Makenzie Muehler - Jeremiah 29:11 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

LIFE CHURCH -  Q7: Paula - Even when times are stressful/busy, why is it important for women to take time to connect with God & one another?

Paula Muehler - Connect daily with God to keep focused Connect with friends to support the various journeys God has us on.

LIFE CHURCH - Q8: And HEART & SOUL is a great place for women to connect! What are you most looking forward to at HEART & SOUL? #LCHeart

Paula Muehler - My prayer is that God will be able to use our story to provide hope & encouragement to the ladies of LC.

LIFE CHURCH -  We hope so, too! Big THANKS to you & Makenzie for chatting w/ us today! Look fwd to seeing you at HEART & SOUL!#LCHeart

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Want to find more information about the Women’s Ministry at Life Church? You’ll find it here. 

George and Danielle share their sacrifice for Heart for the House.

By Ryan Coggins

Few people have left such a profound impression on my life as my grandpa. It wasn’t through his words or lectures, for neither were necessary to impact my life. It was through his tangible devotion to Christ that I saw what it meant to be a follower of Christ and a pastor.

I remember going to the grocery store or to a restaurant, and without fail, he would share his faith in Christ with someone. It was never forced, but through simple conversation, genuine care, and meeting felt needs, he left a mark on this world. He lived out the great commission daily.

I remember living with him and my grandma one summer in college, and I was astonished by how many hours he spent reading the Bible and praying. He told he he had read the Bible cover to cover four times that year and it was only May! This is a man who pastored for fifty years, and was a student of theology. He could probably quote most of the Bible. And yet, he would tell me (and still tells me) about things he never before saw in scripture. His love for the word was rich and deep.

I remember hearing stories from my mom of the humble lifestyle she grew up in, as the daughter of a church-planter. Most of her upbringing was spent literally in church, because her bedroom in the church doubled as a Sunday School classroom on the weekend. My grandfather truly laid down his lifestyle for the sake of the call.

To this day, I have never heard my grandpa pray (which has been countless times) without crying. Although he’s built like a lumberjack, his heart is melted by the love and grace of his creator.

I’ve encountered many pastors in my life. I’ve known thousands of Christ Followers. But my grandpa showed me what it meant to be a pastor and follower of Christ like no one else. My prayer is that these words would one day be said of me.

Missionaries across the globe are in constant need of supplies. Here’s your chance to help! On Sunday, May 20, 2012, Life Church will hold the Amazing Race 5K at Sussex Village Park in Sussex, Wisconsin. Whether you walk, run, bike, or rollerblade, all proceeds will benefit the Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge and Speed the Light. 

RACE DETAILS

• Distance: 5K (3.1 miles)
• Date: Sunday, May 20, 2012
• Time: Registration - 2:30 p.m.; Race - 3:00 p.m.; Awards -  3:45 p.m.
• Location: Sussex Village Park, W244N6067 Weaver Drive., Sussex, Wisconsin
• Incentives: Participants receive a complimentary t-shirt prior to the race and refreshments immediately following the race.
• Registration Fee: $25 per person (Discount offered for additional participants) 
• Deadline for Registration: May 6

Additional information and registration info can be found on the Amazing Race 5K registration form. 

By Randall Cartwright

I recently read Mark Batterson’s book, The Circle Maker. I am not a very consistent reader, but this book about prayer grabbed my attention and inspired me to pray harder, pray longer, and most of all, pray more boldly. 

Batterson claims that our prayers have the power to change everything, but most of us give up way too easily. The idea of prayer circles are simply a way to encourage us to keep asking until God delivers. “Drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn’t just a mechanism whereby we accomplish great things for God. It’s a mechanism whereby God accomplishes great things in us,” he says.

In the book, Batterson relates the story of Honi, a Jewish hero famous for praying for rain. During a drought, Honi the Circle Maker drew a circle in the sand and refused to budge from inside it until God answered his prayer for rain. It was a bold, seemingly impossible request, one that drew criticism from others. But God honored Honi’s faith by finally sending the rain they desperately needed.

Instead of praying bold prayers like Honi, I often find myself just praying what Mark Batterson calls “911 prayers.” I’ll pray “emergency prayers” or prayers that request something I need right away. But Batterson says, “We shouldn’t seek answers as much as we seek God. If you seek answers you won’t find them, but if you seek God, the answers will find you.” 

I don’t know about you, but I want to be more like Honi. I want to pray boldly. To pray with more focus and with more faith. Do you ever sense that there’s far more to prayer, and to God’s vision for your life? What impossibly big dream is God calling you to draw a prayer circle around?

By Jim Sukup 

Easter has always been a special day to me. I remember dressing up in suit and tie when I was younger, and once, when I was about 10 years old, even wearing a fedora when I went to church with my family. To me, Easter has always felt like New Year’s Day. A day where you reflect on the past and then leave it behind. A day of new beginnings, a day to make new plans and commitments, a day that makes the future look bright. Why? It has nothing to do with party hats, staying up past midnight, or even wearing a fedora to church. It’s all about Jesus, His death and resurrection and how that impacts my life. What Jesus did gives me the ability to be all that he has created me to be. Each Easter I am reminded that I am loved, I am special to Him and He has a wonderful plan for my life. 

But this Easter was particularly special because of the services at Life Church where some people shared their personal testimonies of miracles. Powerful stories of healings, family restoration and a wife who shared how God brought back life to her husband. Watch them for yourself at http://vimeo.com/40038038. It’s one thing to experience Jesus in our own lives, but it can be even more exciting to see it in the lives of those around us.

Is 2012 going to be a good year… oh yeah!

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,” (Job 19:25 NASB).

“Glory of it All” - Performed Easter 2012

Spring Break is almost here! If your High School or Middle School student would like an opportunity to get off the couch and put their faith into action, SERVOLUTION is the perfect thing! Find out what it’s about in the video then download your Servolution parent consent form and schedule here.