Lakepoint Church with Brian Hofmeister: Recent Episodes
Lakepoint Church, Muskego WI
Weekly messages from Brian Hofmeister and other speakers from Lakepoint Church in Muskego. For more information visit lakepointmuskego.org.
In a world where we are told that self-care looks like sleep and exercise, there's an invitation from our creator to rest, truly rest. As we recap what it looks like to build a rhythm of life as a church, Sabbath is one of the core, foundational practices that will push us to the very edges of our trust in God. Even though our culture talks about self-care, taking an entire day to rest and trust in our creator takes way more faith than you might think. When we rest in Christ, we are invited to share our burdens with him and eliminate striving. Sabbath, the practice of stopping, resting, delighting, and worshipping our creator, takes practice and persistence.
If you want to learn more about this topic, watch the sermon series here - https://www.lakepointmuskego.org/sabbathandsimplicity
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We all experience seasons of heaviness and feeling like life is too much to carry, whether because of the cold, burnout, grief, or financial stress. This week, we looked at the prophet Elijah, who, despite witnessing miraculous provision, spiraled into hopelessness when threatened by Queen Jezebel. Elijah's example shows that when we are overwhelmed, we tend to isolate and forget God's faithfulness, believing lies like "I'm the only one left." God's response was not fire, but a gentle whisper, calling Elijah to rest and restoration in His presence (Matthew 11:28). This restoration is more than sleep; it requires intentional solitude—making space away from distractions and the constant buzz—to allow God to replace our lies with His truth and renew our soul for the purpose He has for us.
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There's a big difference between the wisdom of the world and God's wisdom. The world’s wisdom tells us that our worth is measured by what we accomplish, driving us to a relentless pursuit of "more"—more work, more achievements, and a pace of life that leaves us exhausted. But God's wisdom, as revealed in scripture, is often counter-intuitive and calls us to a different way of living.
This is why the Sabbath is so vital. It is not just a religious practice; it is an act of trust. By choosing to rest for one day, we reject the world's demand to always be striving and instead surrender our control to God. This pause allows us to step away from our "got to" lists and embrace our "get to" list, practicing the truth that we are more than what we do. It is in this discipline of rest that we build the faith to trust God with every other area of our lives.
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The Sabbath is a day that is "holy," or "other," set apart from our typical six-day grind. You'll find this rhythm throughout scripture, from creation, when God rested, to the Israelites being freed from slavery. The message is clear: God's people are meant to be free from the endless cycle of work.
To help us put this into practice, we focused on the RPMs framework (Relationally, Physically, Mentally, Spiritually) as a guide for how to spend our Sabbath. This framework helps us intentionally restore ourselves in all areas of our lives, allowing us to be more present with God, with others, and with our truest selves. By making time for intentional rest, we can finally begin to believe and live the truth: "I am more than what I do."
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This week, Brian highlighted that in adulthood, we often forget how to simply play. Life becomes a series of "got to" tasks, leaving little room for the "get to" joys that once defined us. This is where the biblical concept of Sabbath becomes crucial. He reminded us that the commandment to rest is right there alongside "don't lie" and "don't murder." God designed us for a rhythm of work and rest. Resting isn't a sign of laziness; it's an act of faith, trusting that God will hold things together even when we let go of our control for a day.
He encouraged us to reclaim our inner child, not just for our own well-being but for the sake of our families and the world around us. By giving ourselves permission to play, we restore our souls, loosen our grip on control, and embody the full life that Jesus promised.
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Pastor Troy Cotton and his Wife Cortina Cotton share real talk on raising kids and balancing careers.
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This week's teaching emphasizes the significance of forgiveness during the Christmas season, highlighting that while Christmas is often seen as a time for giving, forgiveness is absolutely critical to the Christmas narrative.
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As we walk through the emotions that surround Christmas, theres a bit one that we need to tackle. The holidays are a milestone that trigger memories, both good and bad. For many of us, the holidays remind us of a person that we've lost or a marriage that dissolved. It reminds us of what don't have as much (or more) as what we do have. As someone who is currently going through a heavy loss in his family, Pastor Ed walked us throught mulitple scriptures that help us frame grief around the holidays.
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We are going deeper into the idea of Emotional Intelligence, especially as it relates to the Christmas Season. We are not just talking about listening to those around us, but also being emotionally available as we listen. When we look at the Christmas Story, we see how Mary and Joseph's EQ - through surrender and obedience - strengthened their relationship with God and each other. We'll explore how being emotionally available to the people we love can strengthen our relationships, and how it all beings with our connection with God.
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Pastor Brian explores how the busyness of the Christmas Season can often take the place of listening to those around us. Pastor Brian moves our focus to:
Learn from the Shepherds - have space to hear, Learn from the Wisemen - look with Jesus, Learn from Simeon & Anna - pray to reveal. Take a listen to this weeks sermon on Chirstmas EQ.
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Pastor Aaron wraps up the series on Psalms by focusing on the theme of Thanksgiving. Psalm 118 showcases the message of recognizing God's unchanging goodness and love that never quits. Praising God with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving can bring a personal recognition of God's presence in your daily life and help you to glorify Him in the community. The sermon concludes with a call to practice gratitude daily and showcase how powerful His goodness is.
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Life's challenges can be overwhelming, but when we set our focus on God instead of what is going on around us, we can find the importance of faith when facing struggles. This series will go over the book of Psalms and find encouragement through sharing praises not only with ourselves, but with others.
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As the final message of our Ask & Imagine Sermon Series, Brian lays out how financial generosity makes a difference in the life of your church family. This is definitely a family-centered sermon that includes a call to action for commitment. If you haven't listened to the other sermons in this series, we encourage you to go back and listen to those first.
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We often find it easier to share our voting choices than to discuss how we give financially. Many of us have heard confusing teachings about generosity in church, which can make money a tricky topic to address. This teaching aims to break that barrier. Brian and Melissa explore some key scriptures about tithing and share personal stories that show how their understanding of generosity has evolved.
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Bold faith and bold prayer are two necessary ingredients to see big things happen in our Christian maturity. As we lay out a two year vision for our church to move forward in lots of areas, we know that we need to grow in prayer. We will believe for miracles, but we also believe that prayer involves God's "yeses" and "no's." So, as a church, when we practice bold prayer together, we need to start to understand the nature of prayer. Prayer aligns us with God's heart. As we talk to God, as we listen to God, as we persist in our requests, as we obey His invitations, our hearts start to align with His. So then, prayer becomes the agent of intimacy between each Christian and our Heavenly Father. Which leads to bold faith and bold prayer.
As you watch/listen to this sermon, feel free to use this pdf resource to follow along and take notes.
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It’s been quite a journey in the 10 years since Lakepoint Church moved out of Muskego High Gymnasium and into this space. We’ve witnessed growth in every corner.
Week after week, we welcome guests, host missional communities, and create moments where Jesus meets people right where they are—in worship, in prayer, in life’s struggles. Our hospitality has extended beyond our walls, as we’ve opened our space 365 times a year through Muskego Circle Community Center.
Still, we believe God is asking us to Ask & Imagine what’s next. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us: “God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” So, let’s dream like children again, asking boldly, imagining freely.
What might a two-year season of Asking & Imagining look like? A vision for our Facilities, our Families, Church Planting, and the heart of our Church.
God has more in store than we can imagine—and this is just the beginning.
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As we wrap up our four-week series on Family Values, we turn our focus to the inspiring story of Ruth. Her journey highlights how family values serve as strong pillars for families, no matter their structure. Through loyalty and resilience, Ruth Created a legacy that continues to impact future generations. Join us as we explore these powerful themes in our latest sermon!
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Due to a few technical issues, the first 11 minutes of this podcast are lower quality.
As we explore Ruth’s story again, we focus on Boaz—a man of great character who was committed to his family and determined to do what was right. Though he was wealthy, he was generous; though he held authority, he was humble when needed. Boaz, an ancestor of King David and Jesus, shows us that facing difficult challenges can lead to a legacy of faith and righteousness.
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What do you think of when you hear the hear the word "Assertive?"
What comes to your mind when you hear the words "Assertive Woman?"
The story of Ruth in scripture is a tale of countercultural faith and strength, and we can glean some extremely valuable lessons from Ruth's assertiveness.
This week's sermon was captured on phone due to technical issues. Thank you to our fast-acting sound tech who ensured that we captured something when our streaming system went down.
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In Ruth's story, her loyalty is shown through against all reasonable expectations for her mother-in-law. We can learn from her story and show people our best at all times. Who is on your short list of relationships you need to be loyal to this season?
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The spiritual journey that leads to new life requires a new direction. When we say yes to Jesus, we are are making an "about face" that will affect every area of our life. As we consider the topic of baptism as a church, it's vital that we understand how repentance (turning around) plays a role in the "raised to walk in new life" part of baptism.
Our church partners at 11|28 Community Church in Oak Creek are doing an amazing gospel work, and in this sermon, we get to enjoy the teaching of one of their pastors, Mike Francisco.
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What does it mean to be overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit? When we look at the topic of baptism, we must talk about our encounter and indwelling of God's Spirit. Many of us get a little weirded out or even skeptical when we hear stories about prophecy or spiritual dreams. On the other hand, scripture speaks extensively about God's gift of His Spirit, dwelling in believers. So, what happens when we God lives in us? What does that experience change things in our everyday lives?
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Every great story has that moment when everything that was, and everything that will be, makes a dramatic turn because of the events of that moment. Birth of child, the day she said yes, a tearful goodbye, and acceptance letter. It’s not just the moment that made the change, it’s the liminal nature of the moment – a translation on your part that you’ll never be the same because of what has happened.
That moment in Jesus was the cross. The liminal moment for you is your day of baptism.
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What is the gospel? A common word, inside and outside of the church, but it's not the easiest to define. Many Christians might say that the gospel is the most important thing to them, but if pressed to clearly explain it, it'd be an uphill climb. This week, we are going to identify a clear definition of the gospel, some real life barriers to sharing it with others and some resources for sharing it clearly.
In this sermon, Aaron mentions The Everyday Gospel. If you need a helpful resource to share your faith, you'll find this workbook is a great choice for you.
For deeper definitions of The Kingdom of God and The Gospel, here are some helpful videos.
NT Wright
The Bible Project
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Relationships are complex. Pastor Brian Mckee discusses the strategies for handling the ups and downs of relationships. Drawing from the book of Hosea, Pastor Brian presents essential principals for managing relationships: confrontation, compromise and commitment.
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In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we need to remember the importance of rest and observation of a Sabbath Day to rest and reset. This week, we encourage the balance of work and rest with a challenge to follow some practical tips.
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In a world of quick fixes, we are consistently tempted to seek a silver bullet for our spiritual ruts. The journey of becoming like Jesus doesn't really include quick fixes, but when you want to change, there is a pathway for you. It looks a lot like dinner. It looks a lot like traveling and spending time together. It looks a lot like every day life.
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The scripture that we study is over 2,000 years old, and we often find ourselves either confused or glossing over references to ancient ideas or practices. This week, Pastor Brian tackles a topic that makes everyone a little uncomfortable, circumcision. It's mentioned a LOT in our Holy Scriptures, and many of us would have a hard time explaining why. This explanation also led us to talk about the mission-critical topic of baptism. Both are distinctives, both are metaphors and both are important enough to merit some serious explanations.
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In Christian language, we often sing words like, "all to Jesus, I surrender" or "Christ is enough for me" or "You are everything to me." It's important to say things like that, but what does it mean for each of those phrases to actually be fully realized. The great evangelist Apostle Paul said that "Christ is everything and in everything." This week, we are tackling that idea while we celebrate Father's Day together.
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How do people see you? Mostly people make a first judgement about you by the style of clothes you wear and even how you wear them. It's a first impression that may or may not reflect who you actually are, but sometimes, first impressions matter.
As disciples of Jesus, we are admonished over and over in scripture to be known for exceptional, over the top, positive character traits. How do we actually pull that off? How can we make a good first (second, third, fourth) impression that displays God's grace from the inside out? This week, we break down a key theme found in many of the Apostle Paul's letters that can serve as a key for character traits like compassion, patience, forgiveness, love and wisdom (along with countless others).
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In this sermon, Pastor Ed deliveres a powerful and challenging message that resonates deeply with all of us who want to do our best at work (whether you get paid for your work, you're a stay at home parent, in school or retired). If you missed the sermon or would like to revisit it, you can watch it here.
The invitation of scripture is to do everything with a singleness of heart, fearing God. Whether you're at work, at home, or anywhere else, don't just do things to please people or to get ahead. Instead, do it because you want to honor God. Scripture teaches us that we can't split our loyalties between God and our own self-interests. We have to make a choice: Are we seeking the approval of man, or are we seeking the approval of God?
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This message, although it was sketched out months ago, before we made plans to celebrate high school graduates, was the perfect send-off, the perfect charge for a whole bunch of budding adults. The charge was to go, with confidence, into a world that could very well be hostile to their faith.
As a believer, whether you're a high school graduate or a grandparent of those graduates, you can find confidence and strength in knowing that you have everything you need to stand against the ideas and philosophies of the world. There's a lot out there that will barrage your faith, but your readiness comes from your faith in Christ, who is the foundation of wisdom and guidance. Paul's prayer for you and for all of us is that you would be open to the process of self-examination and be willing to wrestle with the truth until you see Jesus as the first and foremost in all things.
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Only the Holy Spirit can make what’s dead come alive in you God doesn’t need you to prove yourself as a great person, Christ already proved that for you. Because of this, you can live free of striving, free of pressure, and you can focus your eyes on the people that Jesus has placed around you to disciple.
In the middle of trying to do all the things for everyone else and still take care of ourselves, we GET to be the people who lean in and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with knowledge, walk with us and strengthen us to build our houses and the houses of those around us. We get to freely live into our various roles in life, knowing that it’s not in our own doing but because of what Jesus has already done.
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So many need a circle of everyday relationships to find Jesus.
So many need a circle of everyday relationships to follow Jesus further.
We truly believe that we can give every man woman and child in Muskego (and the surrounding area), a repeated chance to experience Jesus --- one circle at a time.
Our goal as a church...to connect people with Jesus in everyday life through everyday relationships.
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Not being able to feel or see God like you used to? Maybe it’s because the self-examination took you so deep and dark in the pit of the false self that you couldn’t see anymore. Maybe it’s because you’re in a dessert between two lands, cut off from other necessities you no longer feel or know your true self.
This sermon is actually a mixture of music, scripture readings and teaching. The intention is to help you encounter the deepest parts of darkness and come out the other side with your faith in tact (most-likely stronger). We hope that you hear the invitation of Jesus in the sermon while you keep coming back to daily surrender.
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We can do better. And that makes us feel worse. Everything we do seems to reinforce at some time or another that “I am a bad person.” Which is actually true, but the false self is untrue when it says, “I’m an unloveable person.” We need to learn to repent, but as much or moreso we need to learn that we are loved even as the sinful selves we are, love is not waiting for us to repent before he loves us.
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“Love costs, love hurts, love engages the whole of the self. Indeed, love, as a slowly unfolding process, involves self-giving and self-transcendence that can only happen if there is already a healthy self-possession and a secure sense that self-gift will not become self-destruction.” - Philip Sheldrake
Your surrender can make a difference in the life of someone else. Whether it's systemic change or the change of an individual life, there are deeply held values that can transcend the culture around us and move into acts of compassion and generosity that will confound the world around us.
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In a world obsessed with productivity and achievement, Jesus invites us into a different path—a path of rest and surrender. This Sunday we explored the radical concept of Sabbath and how it could be the next invitation of your spiritual journey.
Sabbath is a time to come back to Jesus, sync up with the Holy Spirit, and connect with our truest selves. It allows us to peel back the layers of protection and experience deep rest. Despite the challenges of our busy lives, Sabbath is essential for our well-being in a culture filled with anxiety and busyness.
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Through the story of Jesus' crucifixion and his proactive forgiveness to those murdering him, we discover the boundless mercy and love God has for us, even in our darkest moments. If Jesus extends that kind of forgiveness to that group of people, we can trust him when he says "if we confess sin, he is faithful and just to forgive."
When we choose to trust the promise of scripture, when we choose to trust the character of God, we can then move on to forgiving ourselves. As we've learned, forgiveness is not forgetting. So, we will always have some sort of memory of the times that we've found ourselves in need of forgiveness (from God and from other people). However, there's a process in which the forgiven need to live in forgiveness. If we go through the process of confessing sin, we also need to go through the process of self-reflection to say "If God has forgiven me, how can I choose to forgive myself when the sting of my sin starts to gain a hold on me again."
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This week, we explore the concept of owning our own part of forgiveness. Forgiveness starts with us, in our own hearts. Just as Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, we are called to extend forgiveness at our own expense. We must own our part in a conflict or situation, offering sincere apologies, understanding, and explanations to the person who has hurt us. Our goal is to create opportunities for growth and restoration between us and others, recognizing that this process may not always lead to immediate reconciliation. We also understand the need for differentiation, allowing each person to have their own response and setting boundaries when necessary. We acknowledge that forgiveness is not always easy, but it is ultimately an act of obedience and a reflection of God's reckless love for us. Through the power of forgiveness, we can experience healing and reconciliation, balancing ourselves at the foot of the cross where both the body of Christ and His blood were shed for us and for those who have hurt us.
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In this sermon we learned how to examine the wound someone else caused you. We can own how it feels, own what to do about it, but blaming the incident never make a healing treatment.
In many cases, we’ve become our wounds (false self). We know ourselves by the hurts we carry. Others notice us by the hurts we carry (Hurt people keep hurting people - and you’re one of the them).
We tend to tell our stories as the hero or the victim (and accentuate either highlight). We should see and tell it as rescued and redeemed.
Salvation is deeper by surrendering to forgiveness.
Personal Question: How have the wounds I’ve carried shaped my story, my identity, my decisions, and my mind, for better or for worse?
Community Question: How has the cross of Jesus shaped the way I forgive?
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As we have been for a few weeks, we encourage you to review, re-listen and journal alongside this sermon.
The false self keeps people out, the true self welcomes people in alongside Jesus. That’s the difference… Jesus is in the middle and makes a safe playground, otherwise we’re constantly afraid of getting hurt (again).
Salvation is deeper by surrendering self to God alongside others.
Here are the 2 questions that we were asked to process alongside someone we trust spiritually (or in your Missional Community).
Personal Question: Are any of my attempts to manage my loneliness actually taking me into a greater place of loneliness? (notice any relational pattern that’s second-rate to real love).
Community Question: What story do I have that I want to celebrate with a faith community? (notice how God met a prayer, gave more than asked for, or just adds joy to everyday life).
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How often are you seeking God’s truth in your feelings, in the information you receive? Do you pay attention to your feelings when they warn you? Or are you numbing out and absorbing them, allowing them to stick? Are you allowing yourself to live up to the standard of the people around you, comparing yourself, doing what you “should” do by other people’s standards? Does culture have a hold on you? Or are you boldly living your life as the person you were created to be?
Intimacy is at stake here and not an intimacy in human form. An intimacy so much more freeing and pure- like Adam and Eve, naked and feeling no shame in the garden. With a strong sense of who they are and a close communion with God. As we continue to chip away pieces of our false self, we are becoming more and more aware of ourselves as God’s creation and less of ourselves as our own creation. As we continue to chip away pieces, we will be tempted to find a new way, a new comparison. As we continue to chip away pieces, we will find, in our vulnerability the desire to take control.
And it’s a constant battle for truth.
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The grain offering was a “tithe” symbolizing the surrender of the first 10% of our harvest to God. This offering connects to the overarching theme of surrendering a part of our lives upfront, to open up surrender in the rest of our lives. This is the first and best, not the leftovers. As New Testament Christians, we are called to give more than the Old Testament tithe. Not just to a church organization, not just to a good cause. Generosity, giving our first and our best, should be the posture of our lives. This goes far beyond money. This principle touches our time, our attitude, our gratefulness, our family priorities and a hundred other things.
This is the point where idea of "surrender" turns into a regular spiritual "practice." We engage in this practice by consistently offering small aspects of our lives to God as a form of worship. As time passes, we begin to realize that there are additional small things that can be joyfully given to God. A lifelong commitment to this type of progress can lead to a life where what we've gained far exceed what has been given.
Here are the 2 questions that we were asked to process alongside someone we trust spiritually (or in your Missional Community).
Personal Question: What’s the smallest thing that I’m having the biggest problem surrendering to God?
Community Question: What small thing surrender (10%) would make me more alive and surrendered to God in the big things (90%)?
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We started Self-Examination in our first sermon of the series ( just by jumping in), but in this teaching we learn what Self-Examination is and how to practice it. We take a big look within at who we’ve become with regular looks thereafter (practicing daily/weekly Examen).
It’s a sin thing, but not so simple as a sin thing. It’s surrendering the false self that’s “working for you.”
For your journal time:
Personal Question: What evidence in my life is indicating that I am placing inordinate value in 1) What I have, 2) What I do, 3) What others think of me?
Community Question: Where am I at in surrendering my whole self to God? (my faith, my baptism, my return to that faith & baptism)
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A false storyline has been given to you. Something you had to be or do to be loved in this world. Maybe it was repeated enough, or maybe it hit you when you were young and fragile enough - but one way or another you believed it. And as you lived out that belief it was confirmed to be true - the more you lived that false storyline the better it went for you - more love, or at least more acceptance, or at bare minimum it made the world a safer place when you stayed in that storyline.
It was quick repeatable gains in the false story line that ultimately have become or longterm loss. The false story entrenched itself so deeply that now most of our days are riddled with questions like:
- Why do some feelings downright consume me the way they do?
- Why do some sins dominate my behavior, even though I resent myself when they come out?
- Was I always like this? Do I have to stay like this? How did I get here anywhere?
There’s a dark spot in us all where our sins and Satan’s lies (our two greatest enemies) have formed a new monster - a dragon with it’s own fire - called the false self. The only way to conquer it, is to know it, and ride it, and see just how deep and dark the pit is that it calls home.
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Moses and Jeremiah, despite feeling inadequate at the beginning of their ministry, grew closer to God through openness, questioning, and sometimes confrontation.
A relationship with God requires daily presence, vulnerability, and surrender to His plans, rather than the formula of a religious checklist.
God has called you to make a difference on the earth. His call might not be easy, but he promised his presence while you say "yes" to him.
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We don't have a lot of annual traditions at Lakepoint, but Vision Sunday is a very important one to us! Yesterday, Pastor Brian shared all about Lakepoint's vision, who we are as a church and how we interact with our community during the week (as a Community Center).
If you are new to our church family or if you are considering a visit to Lakepoint, this talk will give you a good picture of what's important to us.
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Realizing the depth of the Fatherly connection with God is key, and it's all about embracing our roles as good daughters and sons. Jesus fully embraced his sonship, and he lived in perfect sync with the Father's guidance. In this teaching, we took Jesus' words and his example, and we unpacked how to nurture a close bond with our Heavenly Father.
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We all have obstacles in coming to God. Some are the hurts we carry for Christmas, other’s are hurts and voids people have done to us. We miss the mark in letting a Father be at home by expecting God to give without relationship (prodigal 1), or to let us earn it by what we give (prodigal 2). Jesus leaned into God’s constant love.
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We learn about our faith through Jesus, but the real goal is to understand and feel the love of the Father. Last week, we talked about the adventure that God gives us in our faith journey. He is leading us somewhere amazing, and when our Heavenly Dad is with us, the adventure is just beetter. This week, we will focus on changing our perspective on Jesus and what he came to do. He is the savior of our sins, yes. He was a teacher that reoriented us to a new and life-giving way of living, yes. He was a role model for how to love the unloveable, yes. But, Jesus isn't just a role model for life, and he's not "just" any of those other things; he's here to reveal the Father, always following the Father's lead, and connecting us to a loving relationship with Him. Jesus is the gift of Christmas, but a good gift always brings us into closer relationship with the giver.
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If Dad’s with you, and loves you, everything is different.That is the point of Christmas. You have a God who is also a Father.
This Father sent his son, to tell you and the whole world, how much he loves you.
It’s going to be fun Christmas season here at Lakepoint, getting to know Father of Christmas. God the Father, his love, the adventures he's preparing for you.
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Knowing what you believe comes from knowing everything the Bible has to say about any given topic. You cannot get the Bible to say anything you want it to say, you get to gather what it does say. This is as an exercise of surrendering your opinions/preferences to the authority of scripture even more than it is a study skill. This practice is called Systematic Theology, and we’re going to practice it as such as we explore a host of scriptures on different topics.
Important: If you are listening or watching this sermon, you will need this study companion. This will help you explore the topic and help you make systematic theology a part of YOUR practice of scripture.
About the series
We have been studying the spiritual practice of scripture since the beginning of the school year. For the first several weeks, we focused on how to read & interpret scripture. The final 3 weeks of the series are all about how scripture informs our theology. Theology is an intimidating word, isn't it? In most of our minds, theology is a self-contained world for academics (and maybe paid clergy).
The only problem is that we ALL have beliefs ("logia") about God ("theos"), and our beliefs about God are being formed/shaped by something. Hopefully, our thoughts and beliefs about God are being formed by scripture.
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Every single belief formed by scripture may be equally true, but they're not equally important. This sermon forms a framework and practice for majoring on the majors, and minoring on the minors.
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One of the beauties and burden-breakers of interpreting scripture, is that it’s not all on you, it’s meant to be interpreted alongside others. That’s what makes the church so special; it’s a place for truth and grace to surface in community. We’re doing extended table time this Sunday to experience what every Missional Community is doing on a weekly basis - group interpretation. You’ll be equipped with five questions you can ask of any lines in the Bible, for learning alongside others.
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All scripture is God breathed, useable, and authoritative on matters of faith and pratice, but what do you do on all those sticky spots where the faith it teaches seems inconsistent, and the practice it teaches just doesn’t make any sense at all?
Did Jonah really have a whale? Do women really not get to speak in church? Was there one angel or two at the tomb? Is the God of the Old Testament really the same one read in the New? Why do we follow some laws and not others?
While all of us disciples of Jesus would like to make the plain simple reading of the Biblical text authoritatively true, the truth is that it’s a whole lot messier than that, and we need to know what approach to practice when interpretation runs into apparent contradictions. This is a Sunday to just be honest about Bible difficulties caused by the humanity of the authors, but also the authority of truth the Spirit breathed over it anyway.
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Have you ever met a Christian who sounded like they knew the Bible really well, but you really couldn’t stomach being around them and the way they acted toward people? It’s a sticky spot of interpretation - when people arrive at the right words of what scripture says to be true, but don’t end up living the right ways that scripture is aiming at.
None of us want to be hypocrites. None of us think we are. But the really really uncomfortable reality of many Christian interpretations of scripture, is that we have arrived at the correct words for correct theology and correct morality, but somehow haven’t arrived at a correct, clear, and vibrant way of love for others in the process. It’s like we need to correct our correctness, and somehow make sure we end up with ways that match our words.
Here are this week's sermon notes to track along with the message.
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We have dedicated this Fall to the Practice of Scripture, and lots of families are engaging with scripture every day in various ways. It's been fun to hear stories of people who have been reading scripture for their entire lives and people who are just starting the journey. This week's sermon will give you some very helpful insights into your journey of reading/understanding scripture. Whether you realize it or not, you are bringing something to the table when you read scripture, and it's very helpful to know what you're bringing.
As you listen or watch the sermon, you'll have an opportunity to pause and do a helpful exercise. Click here for the worksheet you'll need for the exercise and Click here for the sermon notes.
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An ancient ancient practice that’s been around since the 4th Century is called Lectio Divina (“Divine Reading”), and it’s being reclaimed for our time. You may have already heard of it or have tried it. The practice, as we’re receiving it from tradition, is intending to give us a little structure for reading the scripture with a slow - active - attentive LISTENING ear to the Holy Spirit. Several readings, long reflective pauses between the readings, Listening for what the Holy Spirit wants to put on our heart through these readings of scripture. Follow along with the sermon HERE.
After listening to the sermon, if you'd like a resource for this practice of scripture, check out Lectio 360.
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Ok. So, you've decided to give The Practice of Scripture a chance in your daily life. You've committed to a "daily 20" with God, and you started reading. Now what? This week's teaching is aimed at helping you understand what you're reading, the very basics. How do I know the context of this story? How does this piece of scripture contribute to the entire library of scripture? What genre am I reading? This teaching is meant to engage practice. So, we would like to encourage you to take what you learned and practice it with this worksheet.
If you want to take the challenge to go multiple layers deep and study ancient Greek without actually learning the language, HERE is a fun video that Brian put together for you.
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Do you feel like your plan for spiritual growth is resilient? Do you have a plan for spiritual growth? Maybe these questions make you squirm with a little bit of Catholic guilt, but those questions can totally translate to any other area of our life. Is your plan for getting into better shape resilient? Do you have a plan to be physically healthy? You get the idea. If we hope for growth in any area of life, we need to have a plan that resilient to whatever might interrupt our best intentions. This is especially true when it comes to our relationship with Scripture. Our Practice of Scripture can easily be crowded out by the onslaught of a new day, a new crisis at work, or an unexpected poopy diaper.
This week's teaching is designed to help you translate your desire (to draw close to God in scripture) to a resilient plan. Here is the document reference in the sermon. If you are struggling in your Bible reading, we would encourage you to stick with us through this sermon series and reach out if you have any questions (info@lakepointmuskego.org).
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For the next 12 weeks, we will be focusing the Sunday morning teaching on one spiritual practice, scripture. If you are interested in becoming a disciple of Jesus or growing in your discipleship to Jesus, scripture is critical to your development!
This week, Brian guides us through the story arc of scripture, and guides us to an understanding of how to hold scripture as a whole story instead of focusing in on the individual parts. This message, along with others, will serve as a foundation for the next 12 week.
As you're listening, feel free to take your learning a step further by following along with this PDF.
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Pretty much every Sunday we get together. We enjoy an hour together and we go home. Most of us have been a part of other churches. For some, Lakepoint is our first church experience. We are a hodge-podge group of people who are trying to figure out how to live a spiritually vibrant life in our everyday life. If you look around on a Sunday, that's exactly what you're going to see. Very different kinds of people, all seeking the same thing.
This week's teaching on worship is an attempt to detangle what's happening when we get together and worship God on a Sunday. No matter what background you come from, we have an opportunity to bring more head or bring more heart every single week.
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Trace the story of God throughout millennia, and you'll find examples over and over again where it seems like people talked God into changing His plan. Why would the creator of the universe and the architect of time itself change his course, for anyone?
Even though we will never quite grasp how or why God would respond to our prayers, it's probably worth our time to study the instances in which He changes course. What kind of person does it take to pray those kinds of prayers? What kind of prayers are compelling enough for God to change His mind?
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We sometimes think the goal is to be dry, untouched by the environment/circumstances. But the greater victory is to be soaking wet and still standing. Then you know that what you’re made of won’t wash away when things get difficult.
This week, we have the gift of a pastor swap. Pastor Brian McKee is the lead pastor of City of Light Church in Milwaukee. In 2016, Lakepoint had the privilege of supporting City of Light as they launched, and Brian has been a great friend to our church for all these years.
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Do you feel like things are shifting? Like "different" is coming your way? Are you looking into binoculars and seeing the last couple months of 2023, and thinking, "wow, looks like big changes are coming!"?
Do you feel like things need to stay the same? Like for once in your life, you just want to know what to expect? Are you feeling the small, subtle movement of God nudging you toward something new despite your desire to feel settled?
This week, we look at a chaotic scene in scripture when Jesus prepared the way for a big move of God. Jesus pressed the "reset" button on the Temple worship system, and all eyes were directed back to God the Father. Pastor Cammie invites us to consider the season that we're in and to ask God if He is calling us to refocus. To reset.
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As each of us spend more time with Jesus, as we go deeper with him, we will hear him say some pretty crazy things. Today, in our second to last sermon in the book of Mark (we've been mainly studying the Gospel of Mark for the past 2 years), we look at the impossible command that Jesus gave to his apprentices, "you feed them."
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Words are such a powerful part of the human experience! They can lift up, tear down, point to truth and mislead. Sometimes, words can bring great clarity and sometimes confusion. Today, we study a word that is very common in our language even though many of us have different definitions of it. As a community that is rooted around scripture, we've got lots of scripture packed into this teaching in hopes of laying a foundation for future expressions of worship.
If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are a worshipper, and this teaching will give you some clear language around what it looks like to worship the God of the Bible.
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Jesus said, "you are the light of the world." The very same voice that made light called his disciples light. And yet, if we are light, couldn't we expect that we would be welcome to illumine darkness around us?
This week, Pastor Ed takes some time to go through the various reasons that people in our culture would prefer darkness over the light of Jesus. Jesus said, "if the world hates me, they'll hate you," and this sermon is a glimpse of encouragement to lift up Jesus above else. He will draw people to our Heavenly Father when the name of Jesus is raised up.
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We are happy to make you a part of our Family Service this week at Lakepoint! We had our kids (kindergarten and up) in the auditorium during the worship gathering on Sunday. We got to hear from Pastor Cammie who had a sermon that connected with all ages - Gone Fishing!
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Can you picture a situation where you received an invitation to something? A movie, a fundraiser, a date? What are the the feelings that rise up in you when you get an invitation. It probably depends on the person who invites you or the level of intrigue for the event, but we have feelings whenever we get an invitation.
So, what about the invitations of Jesus? What about the invitations that He expects for us to give (you know, the whole Matthew 28:16-20)? Whether you're a seasoned veteran in the faith or you're new to following Jesus, this sermon is a helpful challenge for us to give the invitation when the opportunity presents itself.
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Is our faith bold enough to disrupt the normal scene?
Will we prioritize healing our souls (and our kid’s souls) over solving problems?
Who are our "Four?"
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One lane is going North. One is going South. There are two lanes, and the way to God is clear. It's Jesus and nothing else. You've decided to get in the lane with Jesus, but how?
This week's talk is one of the most important of the year. If you are at a decision point of your faith journey, please listen to this 30 minute, scripture-packed talk with an open heart. If you are a disciple-maker for Jesus, and you would like a clear roadmap for decision-making in the faith journey, please listen to this talk with a notebook and pen.
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You're 3 hours into a 10 hour road trip. The kids have finished the second movie, you just stopped for a bathroom break 30 minutes ago. The leather seat is starting to feel a little more like a wooden church pew. What is the most logical conversation to take place in this scenario? Not a deep conversation about the state of the world or a fresh take on American consumerism, there's no way that's coming from the back seat. It's the age old question, "are we there yet?"
Why on earth would such a silly question emerge, and why is this exhausting conversation such a shared experience by families all over the world? The kids in the back are not paying attention to the Dashboard. They don't know (or care) how many miles there are in the trip. They just want to know how much longer they are going to be stuck in this smelly minivan.
We've been talking about roads for the past few weeks. This week, Pastor Brian gives us the gauge to watch in our spiritual journey. Actually, John the Baptist gives us the gauge and Brian just relays the information. So, if you're wondering how you can look at your spiritual odometer, give this sermon a listen.
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If you start digging into scriptures, you'll quickly discover that there are some difficult topics, contradictions and ideas that are hard to believe. Then, you live a little life and circumstances hit you that just don't seem to align with the idea of a "loving God." Many of us (if not all of us), experience significant moments of doubt. Some of those moments can even lead to a crisis of faith.
This week, Pastor Brian guided Lakepoint to John the Baptist's moment of doubt. The guy to who pointed to Jesus and shouted, "look, it's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The guy who had the distinct privilege of baptizing Jesus himself, had a crisis, a major moment, a doubt. As we look at scripture, we can understand more about our own doubts, and how our doubts can lead us toward Christ rather than away from him.
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What does it look like to have God-sized dreams in this life? Many of us feel like we can't dream because we've been disappointed, and we aren't alone in that struggle. This week, Cammie breaks down Psalm 131 (all 3 verses of it) and casts a vision for "life to the full" when we sit on God's lap and quietly lean into the mystery of His goodness.
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When you look back at sports history, franchises go through seasons of success and seasons of rebuilding (unless you're the Detroit Lions). John the Baptizer was the end of a season, the end of an era. He was the final prophet to point forward to the Messiah. He brought it home, so to speak.
Last week, we talked about John's message of repentance and how repentance paves the way to God. This week, John is the first prophet to announce a new way, a new direction. He was the final "Do-it-yourself" prophet before God's message became "Done-it-for-you." If that's confusing, just listen to the sermon. If it's not confusing, you should probably still listen to the sermon.
Mark 1:1-8
Luke 7:24-35
Luke 3:7-9
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It doesn't take long at family dinner or a drink with a friend to hear conversations take the uncomfortable turn. Usually, it sounds something like, "what on earth is happening in the world?" So much of what we've been promised by technological advance, political parties and scientific development is falling short. The world doesn't feel like it's getting better, it feels unstable, like standing up in a canoe.
Whether you have followed the way of Jesus for a long time or you're just now considering him, there is a path that all of us have to walk before we can experience God's good gifts. That path is redirection. In scripture, it's called repentance. In this sermon, Pastor Aaron considers the message of John the Baptizer. As the person who was called to pave the way for Jesus, John had one message, and that same message is needed for us today if we want to see God's salvation for us and for the world.
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Someone is calling out for some help. You don't see them, but their voice is like nails on a chalkboard to your ear. They don't deserve help. They got themselves into this problem, and they should should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and help themselves.
This week, our challenge is to see the person, hear their cry for help and figure out how to NOT get in the way. If Jesus is that pathway to everything good and whole, our job is to make a pathway for people to come to him. Especially those who are searching.
Pastor Mike is our guest preacher this week. He and Coleen pastor 1128 Community Church in Oak Creek. We are honored to be a part of their origin story, and we continue to partner with Mike and his team in ongoing efforts to see the MKE area experience the wholeness and healing of Jesus.
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Among the many things it could mean, at minimum the one thing we know that "carrying your cross" does mean is this:
Fully Loving, that’s Fully Dying, for Fully Forgiving
- Love is where it’s all coming from (From God & For Others).
- Forgiveness is what it’s getting towards (From God & For Others).
- It’s dying in the middle that gets it there.
For many of us forgiveness feels like death. Because to forgive, there is a death. Part of you dies every time you forgive some’s sins. All of Jesus died to forgive all our sins. This truth should bring us to pray The Lord's Prayer in a whole new way. "Forgive us as we forgive those who have sinned against us."
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No one likes to be caught believing too much, and found to be wrong in the end? That's usually how we define the word "gullible."
But are you okay with the possibility of believing too little?
Maybe, that love was there. That reconciliation could have happened. That purpose for being alive was real. That you could have had more peace than anxiety. So much contentment in the seasons you had so little.
In the story of the resurrection, it was the believers who didn't believe. It was the faithful who lacked faith. The foundation of the Christian faith would be built by 11 guys who just couldn't take a chance to believe (at first).
This easter, the resurrection story begs the question,
"Will you make a choice to take a chance?"
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We live in a culture of gratification. "You do you." "Do what makes you happy." "Live your best life." There's a reason that these phrases are common, they're the water that we swim in. Life is ultimately about who? YOU!
The problem is that the gospel of self-fulfillment leaves so many of us overwhelmed, anxiety-ridden and selfish. What's worse is that many of us who claim that we follow Jesus unknowingly try to blend our culture with the message of Jesus. We end up pursuing our own desires and asking Jesus to come along for the ride.
But for the disciple of Jesus, there is no following, without self-denying. If we persist in acquiring and amassing more of life just as we did before we met Jesus, and we don't give up anything, we haven't really followed Jesus. We're making Jesus follow us.
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"There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, 'What the heck* is water?'" - David Foster Wallace
You are being formed by something. You're swimming in the water of a world that tells us that "self-fulfillment, sexual freedom and economic success are the highest values." You are told that you can reach your potential by self-actualization, self-love and positive vibes. And yet, the water that we're swimming in is polluted. Slimy with anxiety and lack of purpose.
The call of Jesus is an invitation to swim in different water. To follow him. This sermon is a big challenge. Do you actually want to follow Jesus? There's a cost to it. Today, Pastor Ed challenges us and invites us to consider the cost and to consider God's faithfulness if we choose to follow Jesus.
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Sometimes, many times, we want the Jesus on the clouds more than the Jesus on the cross. And in our eagerness, to skip to the end, we are liable to skip over the cross-carrying ways of Jesus here and now. We will be tempted to settle for any imitation that skips us ahead to the power and glory part and ignore the living sacrifice part.
If you're not carrying a cross daily, sacrificing for others and denying yourself, you are not living in the "watchfulness" that Jesus has called us to.
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If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are navigating the waters of mystery. Contrary to what some people project, the Eternal, Creator God becoming a human, walking the earth and inviting us into His Kingdom cannot be fully explained or comprehended. If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are always learning and always wrestling with truth. This week, we dive into the inner lives of Moses & Elijah and talk about the 4 legs of truth.
Our Inner Circle Series is complete, but Brian and Cammie are still unpacking weekly segments on how to build your own retreat space for connecting with Jesus. Check out our Shape of a Circle Podcast to continue the journey of getting away with Jesus.
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What happens on the mountain doesn't stay on the mountain. Jesus had a way of getting away, and he took some of his inner circle with him. In this study on Moses and Elijah, we find that the moments of retreat (also called silence/solitude in the Christian tradition) provided both Moses and Elijah a special connection with God that would ultimately lead them to their powerful moments of leadership. Jesus is calling his people to get away with him, to sit with him, to experience his provision and to draw close to him in the solitary place.
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There is, has and will be so many powerful works of God that we will witness, but nothing is more powerful than meeting the person of God. Take it from Moses & Elijah, you'll WANT to meet with God more than anything once you've met with him once.
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In a world where we're told that increased wealth equals increased happiness, are we really stuck with "to be rich" or "to be poor?" There must be a better way of living that pushes past this tired old binary!
This is the final sermon in the Toxic Relationships series. If you haven't listened to the previous sermons, we'd encourage you to take some time to listen through them. There is something for everyone, particularly those who are looking for a better path in life, better than what the world around seems to be pushing at us. When we see two tired paths that are just unacceptable, Jesus offers a third way. A better way. His way.
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There are some topics that we just don’t want to talk about, but if we’re honest, we would admit, “maybe we need to bring this up.” For the sake of being a healthy and whole family, we need to talk about this. For the sake of being a healthy and whole community, we need to bring this up. That’s exactly what you’ll find in this week’s teaching from Mark 10:1-12 about divorce.
When we read scripture, this topic is kind of in our face. In the Old Testament and the New Testament, there are plenty of texts to consider. It’s messy. It feels unclear sometimes. It feels like a mismatch with our current reality.
But here we are. We need to talk about the topic of divorce. It is messy, unclear and hard to reconcile with reality. Pastor Brian went for it this week, and in the course of your apprenticeship to Jesus (also known as discipleship), you should probably give this a listen, a re-listen and some extra consideration.
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As we move forward in our marriage (and in our close relationships), there is a wake behind us. The longer you're in a relationship, the more weight builds, which in turn creates a bigger wake. But what happens when the boat slows down all of a sudden? The wake catches up to you! Depending on how heavy your boat is, that wake can really jostle you around!
This week, Brian and Melissa Hofmeister share a few personal stories about their marriage. The wake caught up to them, and they had to say, "we're not ok." Whether you're married or not, you will easily extract your own version of their stories and start the journey of self-evaluation in your relationships.
This is part 1 of a 2 part message on Marriages.
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How many books have been written about conflict resolution? Maybe a few...hundred...thousand. For all the tips and tricks that we can learn from books, we still have conflict. Is conflict a bad thing? If not, when does it become toxic.
This week, Pastor Cammie brings a timely message about judging, justifying, repenting & forgiving. Water & gasoline. Splinters & logs.
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For a religious movement that is supposed to be founded on the basis of unity through love, Christians tend to struggle with unity for some reason. Whether it's political or theological, we seem to always have something that we are "against."
This week, we'll talk about how Christianity can become toxic and how we can look to a "third way" to deal with this toxicity. Jesus clearly desired for his followers to be known for unity and love, and we have some very practical ideas for what that could look like in 2023 & beyond.
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You're toxic. I'm toxic. We're all a little toxic. Sounds like the lyrics to a depressing song or a melancholy poem. Yesterday, our not-so-melancholy pastor Ed Cook launched a new series, laying the foundation for the next 5 weeks. He defined toxicity and why our relationships all seem to have a tiny drop of gasoline in the water.
The recording (and the live stream) were cut short due to a technical difficulty, but we know that you'll find this sermon (linked above) to be challenging and helpful.
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Here are some helpful links to today's podcasts.
Events at Lakepoint - https://www.lakepointmuskego.org/events
Shape of the Circle Podcast - https://www.lakepointmuskego.org/messages
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A Messiah was promised to us so many times, but then they there were 400 years that people were left waiting in the silence with no word or progress from God. When Jesus came, few realized it, and even fewer were impressed by it. Finding hush for our souls often means becoming okay with the wait.
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We sing O Little Town of Bethlehem most of the time with this notion that everything was "still." The somehow the "deep and dreamless sleep" was the reality for the people there, when it was actually a local center for commerce. There was plenty of hustle. There was plenty of rush.
The beauty of revelation came to some men who were outcasts. They were "outside the rush." Why would angels declare the birth of the rescuer of Israel to outcasts?
This is week's sermon is extremely practical as we consider what it might look like to discover your personal moments outside of the rush of life.
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Another holiday season is upon us, and there's a lot of things that MUST be done! We've got this tight window of time to pull off many thing and if something is not done, that will ruin the holidays for everyone around us, right?
As many times as we've heard the phrase "Jesus is the reason for the season," maybe we need to take a different perspective on balancing our self-expectations with our God-given desire to be a people of love in a world of consumerism. What does it mean to keep our eyes on Jesus throughout the season?
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"From the gravest of all valleys
Come the pastures we call grace
A mighty river flowing upwards
From a deep but empty grave"
- Hillsong United
This is the final week of a 3 week series considering the stories in Mark 5. We've looked at how the stories of a 12 year old girl and a broken and rejected woman collided in a river of grace when they met Jesus.
This week, special guest Tyler Loomis, walked us through the passage along with his own testimony to see God's handiwork in the "valley of death." There is hope and healing in Tylers story just like there was hope and healing in this scripture passage, but it wasn't an easy road.
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This week, Pastor Cammie brought a new perspective on Mark 5:21-43. She talked about fear and anxiety. Sometimes fear and anxiety are not necessarily a bad thing. Fear can help us clearly see the need for God and some anxiety can keep us safe. Both can help lead us to faith.
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This Sunday Pastor Brian made the focus about one. Just one person that is special. Jesus cared about this person and they are special to us all. The one person who maybe doesn’t get the attention they deserve. This Sunday, it was about - YOU!
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Anxiety gets you restless enough to pray for something. Abiding brings you back to rest as you pray for it.
Back in April, we had a prayer initiative that was similar to what we are doing right now. Out of that week, we noticed that there were 7 themes in people's "heavy prayers." Each one of the 7 themes could be a sermon, but Pastor Brian and Pastor Cammie did their best to distill some scripture and insight into how these prayers could each lead us to a deeper place of abiding.
If you'd like to watch the video of this sermon, you can do so at lakepointmuskego.org or on Lakepoint's YouTube channel.
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It’s a defining shift in our discipleship when we learn that we can sit down with God and not get up until he gives you something that is from his voice and his heart. Talking with God not to God. The one thing anyone should always get from their prayers, is God as their gift, his presence.
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Name the problem. That's the beginning of finding a solution, right? You can't fix something when you haven't identified what's broken. When it comes to faith, how do we understand our own lack of belief? How do we diagnose our cynicism, our hesitancy or our flat out unbelief?
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Looking back, looking forward and soaking in the now. God is moving and shaking things up. He has a good plan in this world, and Lakepoint gets to be a small part of that. We don't know exactly what it looks like, but we've got enough direction to take the first step. This is a short and special sermon from pastor Brian as he teaches at the 10 Year Anniversary party on October 8th, 2022.
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The 21st century has not equipped humanity for the art of waiting. We have our groceries delivered, our food ready before we get to restaurants, our newspaper delivered to our pocket and our children magically transformed into perfect little humans immediately after attending public schools (insert eye-roll here). We just aren't equipped for the long, slow process of letting something grow under the surface. In the parable of the sower, Jesus points out the fact that the sower doesn't need to know the exact science of how the seed is growing. The farmer doesn't need to pull out his x-ray goggles to check on the seed's growth. He/she just needs to wait.
So, that begs the question, what does it look like to wait for a gospel seed to grow?
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Most of us have a place in our hearts that is "good ground," another part that's "weed infested" and others that are a matted, stony path. The core of the issue is obedience. When you obey, the ground of your heart becomes more ready for future seeds. If you're listening to this, you probably want for your heart to be "good ground."
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Weeds. What you let grow next to you outgrows you. Worry and Anxiety, deceitfulness of wealth, and everything else you 'want' are weeds growing next to you. These 'weeds' in its many forms are in us and in others and, like weeds, will choke out the gospel if we let it grow side by side. When mature, one will win. And we all know that weeds always grow faster and uglier, than the good stuff. Pull the weeds and focus on what we want to grow.
The links to the audio are above, and if you'd like to watch the video, you can do so at lakepointmuskego.org or on Lakepoint's YouTube channel.
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Seed comes from Harvest. Harvest comes from Growth. Growth comes from Roots. Roots come from Good Soil.
Jesus talked about "fruit" a lot. He wasn't known as a vegetarian, but maybe you'd think he was by reading his teachings. The funny thing is that Jesus never clearly defined what the metaphor of fruit, in his teachings, was referring to. He left it up to our imagination. What we do know is that fruit is positive (something that all of us would want in our life) and that it only grows in good soil. So, whatever fruit means in your life, this is a message that will help you pay attention, maybe even dream about what the harvest time might look like for you.
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Pastor Brian & Melissa explain a parable, teaching us that not everyone is ready to grow.
ROCKS. They can keep a good seed (gospel) from soil and creating strong roots (faith). Many of us have been given the seed and received it, but what is in our way to make space for it to grow?
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Pastor Ed called this week's sermon one of the most important of his career. He laid out scriptures that challenged our natural tendency to become insular and complaisant. Walking in the compassion of Jesus is not going to be our natural bent, but with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be world changers if we obey the Holy Spirit in moments where compassion is needed.
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When Jesus showed up, he really showed up! After he was baptized by his cousin John, Jesus seemed to just travel around and heal people. Everywhere he went, it seems, he healed people. How do we make sense of these stories? How do these stories affect life in the 21st century?
Pastor Aaron digs into multiple passages from the Gospel of Mark to start the conversation...why did Jesus heal, who did he heal and how did he choose to heal?
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Remember when your parents would stop you in your tracks and remind you to say "thank you"? They were trying to teach us to express our gratefulness when we received things. When scripture says, "In everything give thanks..." what does it mean? Are we seriously supposed to thank God for struggle, for death, for injustice?
Pastor Ed brings us a timely word about what it looks like to be a person who lives a life a gratefulness in every circumstance (not for every circumstance).
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In the 21st century, we tend to put God in a box. God does this. God doesn't do that. And so on. But, what if God can do ANYTHING? What if God rules over everything? And, add to that the possibility that God is the definition of love, where does that put us? So... God has complete control, He is completely love and somehow I think that I can say what God will/won't do?
Today, we dig into scripture passages where Jesus exerts complete control of nature. What can we learn from his power, his faith and his teaching that will lead us to a deeper understanding of who God is and more importantly, lead us to an experience of his power in our own lives.
Mark 4.36-41, Mark 6.45-52, Matthew 17.27, John 21.6, Mark 11.21, Mark 1.34a, Mark 4.41b, Mark 1.22, Mark 16.19-20 , Mark 6.5-6 , Mark 4.40 , Mark 6.51, Matthew 14.31, Romans 1.20
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Pastor Aaron gave us an honest reading into the stories of Jesus and we see Him quite perturbed. Often. What are those things that frustrated Jesus? And why do we always try to read those text with a smiley face emoji that isn’t there?
Pastor Aaron read passages relating to Jesus being upset at Religious Leaders, His Own People, those who don't produce 'fruit' and those who build walls, instead of opening doors to God the Father.
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Scripture is full of people who surrendered everything to God, but oftentimes, we neglect to look at the circumstances that led to our hero's "big faith." If we look closely, we see patterns of a process. The process of faith is that of continual growth. Just when you think you've arrived, God calls you to reach higher.
This week, we have a special guest, Jerod, who has been on a journey of faith-building since he was a little kid. Jerod is vulnerable in his account of how God is still stretching him to be a more generous person. Every time that he thought that he was living a generous life, God called him to more.
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Throughout history, children have been seen as either a means to an end or an inconvenience. When Jesus showed up on the scene, children were seen as a liability in first century Rome. They were just in the way of the power hungry political religious systems.
When Jesus showed up on the scene, he spoke to women, healed the sick and celebrated the poor. After all of that, he says, 'you guys really don't get it yet. My Kingdom looks more life these little people than it does a powerful system. So, if you want to be a part of my Kingdom, you need to become more like this....' Why would he say that? Why would he pick up and bless little kids? What do they have to offer?
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Keep praying for a miracle, and expect God to give you one. However, praying for a miracle is like praying for patience. We want patience. But the gift of patience is only developed in the crucible of waiting. Do we want to go through the process that it takes to receive the miracle, or do we just want the miracle microwaved?
As we consider the messiness of miracles, we are reminded that God can bring beauty out of chaos as long as we are willing to step out of the comfort of normal.
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What does Jesus mean when he tells his students to "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod"? This comment in Mark 8 is a passing comment in a bigger story, but it is very important. 3 of the 4 people who documented the life and ministry of Jesus mention this conversation with their own angle.
In 2022, there are plenty of distractions for us to follow. Plenty of things to pull us from the life-giving way of Jesus. But Jesus has a way of turning our heads to the heart of our Father God. Jesus gives an invitation to look inward. To recognize a nasty, seemingly out of control chemical agent, and to apply heat against it.
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What on earth motivates God to do miracles?
What is God up to when he chooses to say "no" or "here's a better option?"
This week, we extract some important truths from scripture. So many of us are praying for a miracle, and yet, do we understand why God would answer our prayers? Does it even matter to us that other people are praying for miracles too?
If you are praying for God to move in a big way, give this sermon a listen. Hopefully, you'll walk away with a new perspective and a new hunger to see God perform a miracle in your life.
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When we press God to do something new right now, He pushes us into remembering what we saw him do before. Remember the miracles you've already seen. Notice the miracles around you. Then use that to inform how you beg for your miracle.
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The call of Jesus is not an easy one to carry out. Similar to Abraham in Genesis 12, Jesus calls us to leave everything behind to follow him. He has a promised land at the end and he even offers a blessing along the journey, but most of the time, God takes us down a path that we wouldn't have chosen ourselves. Something that's way outside of our comfort zone.
This message is the summary of the Breaking All the Rules series and the Introduction to the Where's My Miracle series. If you have questions.or need resources in your spiritual journey, we are here for you. We hope to hear stories of God breaking through in your life as you seek to follow the path of Jesus!
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Religion and Mercy are two words that don't go together (for many people who have experienced different forms of religion). The way of Jesus is a path of caring for yourself, for God and for others.
God has good things for you. He wants you to discover a life of Mercy. Thanks for listening to this week, and if we can support you in your spiritual journey, please drop us a line at info@lakepointmuskego.org
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“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
- Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)
This week, Pastor Cammie led us through scripture to see our deep need for rest and for community. This wasn't just a Mother's Day message, this was a message for every week of our lives. God created us to thrive in rhythms, and He invites us "to live freely and lightly" by following his invitation of rest (Sabbath). This is not our natural bent, to slow down, but when we accept God's invitation together, we find that the slower life is a better life.
"I'm not perfect. I'm actually in a season where I'm in that place. I'm burnt out. I'm exhausted. I'm running on fumes. And, I think this was more for me today than anyone else. I really do. I think that God asked me to scrap the message on Friday night...because I needed it. So, if this is you today too, let's do this together. Let's walk through this together. Let's encourage each other while it's still called 'today.'"
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Religion & Rules have been tied together for a long time. Tradition is important, but it can also be distracting from the relationship that God wants us to have with him.
So, should we break rules? Should we stray from tradition? Do we follow the letter of the law or the spirit of the law?
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We all need rules. Guard rails against our stupidity. Whether we make the rules or someone else makes them for us, we need them. Followers of Jesus have the privilege to follow a master that says, "my burden is light." But, does that mean that we don't have any rules to live by?
This is the first message of the series "Break All the Rules." Today, we run through the big ones. This message is foundational to understanding what it means to follow a master who both kept the rules, broke the rules and made the rules.
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"Earth matters to Jesus, as much as heaven matters." Easter and heaven are the topics today. Jesus died and came back. He didn't have to. It almost seems odd that he wanted to, but he did.
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From deafening noise to deafening silence, the story of Jesus' death and burial give us a break in the action. Between death and resurrection, there was silence. Deafening silence. This message is meant to be an experience, to draw your heart toward Jesus through quiet and then quiet prayer. Give yourself a full 30 minutes to go through this experience and you just might walk away with something special.
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Is Jesus Savior & Lord - the Son of God? That is the question That’s the one answer he’s on trial for THEN, and still TODAY.
It’s a question that matters to everyone.
There’s stuff in our world that we know to be true. Good leaders make a difference. Better systems make a difference. Elected representatives change things. Money moves the world - if you could just get the right allocation of budgets and taxes and food distribution and so forth - you might conceivably be able to fix the whole world.
But Jesus?
A crucified Savior, an ancient story, whose church has delivered mixed results today?
If you’re seeking for your first-time answer on whether Jesus is Lord, the “leap of faith” so to speak, might seem pretty big. And you might not think that you can make that leap. Maybe you’re better off doubling down on the stuff in this world that actually works.
Is Jesus the Son of God. Does he really save? That's our question today.
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There is so much by which we can know Jesus just by sitting with him in the story of his final 24 hours. There is drama and irony, antagonist voices and protagonist, this world meets another world, intrigue strains against confusion.
We’ll try to give voice to all the internal thoughts that meet the historical and theological thoughts of the story. Can’t say we’ll always tie a bow on what to make of it. But we’ll definitely make a reflective space to take it all in.
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Like Adam and Eve in the garden, when your nakedness is exposed you grab for the fig leaf closest by. But much like we spoke of in our last series, it’s better to see ourselves as we are and open ourselves to repairs.
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We’ve all “rebuked Jesus” with the thought that our plan would be better, if only he’d stick to it!
Peter just nailed the best answer to the big question: who is Jesus? But he so erroneously worked in the expectations and thought process of what everyone else thought the Christ should be (and what his heart wanted too), that he ended up sounding more like Satan. He was on a roll. Then he was off his rail.
We’ll hold up a big list of everyday life situations and scenarios where you can be on a roll and then off your rail - ranging from faith, to personal morality, to social responsibility, and loving your neighbor.
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Two things are certain in repairing relationship with Jesus as observed from Peter’s story: 1) Jesus will wholeheartedly point you to a second chance to do what you should have done in the first place, 2) he’ll smother you with repeated love until you’re restored in who you know yourself to be. It’ll never be a push back into doing the right thing without a push back into who you are in Christ.
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Church Relationships are messy, but meaningful. TABLE QUESTIONS
Tell me a little about your church background.
What's your favorite (or most important) thing about church?
What does "discipleship" (growing with Jesus) mean to you?
When was the last time you remember God really putting something on your heart?
What do you think it would look like to have open/meaningful/honest relationships that help you toward Jesus?
Name a win and challenge (or High and Low) right now in life, for you.
How can we pray for you?
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It’s been two years since George Floyd’s death and the spotlight that was put on racial tension in our nation. Where are we at? How far have we come? Where must we still keep moving forward?
It’s really really odd to note Peter’s racial tension in Acts a couple/few years after Jesus. A clear comission to go to all nations, Jerusalem/Judea/Samaria/Earth, and several first hand stories of Jesus breaking the Jewish mold and into a Gentile world. But still he’s pointing fingers at “unclean” people and making them jump through hoops to be more like him (Jewish) before he’d accept them. Did he just feel helpless, or inept, on apply the gospel to so big of a social issue like race relations? Was there personal issues of race he hadn’t applied the gospel to himself? There’s certainly also the confrontation between he and Paul that he just kept to his same-race bubble on purpose. At any rate, repairing the relationship with Jesus, always brings a repair in loving our neighbor as ourselves (especially Samaritan neighbors).
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Pete just said “I’ll die for you Jesus,” and now Jesus is like, “Couldn’t you even cut a few hours of sleep to pray for me - that’s what I really need from you.” One simple thing he’s asked to do! Pete had the best intentions and lacked follow-through.
Not sure if this talk will try to revive better follow-through, or just empathize with the fact that there will be times of bad follow-through. The big point that will definitely be made: is that Jesus expects us to get back into conversation with God, back into prayer, that it’s not your bold promises that repair your relationship with him -- it’s prayer.
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Join the long line of Christians that talk a big game without living it. Maybe it will happen on a day Satan asks to sift us like wheat and God lets him, or maybe it will help when God nails you down with bold face conviction, but either way we will have moments where Jesus takes us out of denial and into the reality - that not all is well between us and him as we think it is.
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Unity reflects God to the world. The world will know me by the way you love. Unity reflects Trinity (character of God is unity, glory, love). Love makes the invisible visible. John 17
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“The church is a people are who called by God, who are living as a family and sent on a mission to live as one for the sake of the world.”
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**“The church is a people are who called by God, who are living as a family and sent on a mission to live as one for the sake of the world.”
Guest Speaker from Ethos Church - Elie Hasbani, Lead Pastor**
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What’s New in the New Year at Lakepoint, Annual Poll/Health Check, and cast the need for this series answering: What is a Church?
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Bringing all creation under one head - Christ. All are called. The ones who have responded, are the church. This sermon will kind of be the overview talk of what’s a church: local/global/people of God called first to God (universal), then to one another (particular), and ultimately to the world (purpose).
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Three key women surface repeatedly in Jesus’ story. I’m guessing all three were at the last supper. Mary - who was all heart all the time. Martha - all head all the time. These two give us the spectrum of personhood… maybe womanhood more specifically. Ordinary Janes for Jesus can do so with the sweet sensitive caring hearts, as well as the definitive forethought and plans. Perhaps what stands out the most, is that Jesus’ most faithful follower had to be his mother. What a great picture of being so ordinary and so called - from start to finish, the faithfulness of this mother is a picture we can all strive for.
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Zealous & Doubting. Thomas needed Scientific analytic observation. Simon (the zealot) was looking for political upheaval, social reform, systemic change. Both were hard core liberals. Both hit disappointment and disillusionment in Jesus. Eagerness withered on one hot day. Doubt seeded and grew like like weeds. (very safe to assume this for Simon’s background even though not told as such)
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Greedy and Disloyal. Judas and Matthew both represent betrayal. One stabbed in the back. The other turned his back. A surprise attack and a surprise disappearance. Both forgot who they were. Both did it for money. Betrayal pretty much always comes from greed - reckless collection for self that ignored what others relied on being given.
So why did Jesus give them a seat at his table? Because we've got a God who forgives and restores.
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Angry & Opportunistic… and Loved. James and John were known as the “Sons of Thunder.” Something went wrong, they get fed up quickly, they’d get angry easily, and then swing big on making it right. Kind of ironic when we keep using our anger to make the world a better place. Equally ironic that these two sought a higher seat selfishly - a seat reserved for the greatest servant of all (says Jesus). For as often as these two were stuck doing the exact opposite of God’s plan - Jesus still called these ordinary Joes, and used one of them to write abundantly on love.
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Worshiping together makes your worship better. How do we learn to worship God with all our heart, mind, soul, & strength? By rehearsing those acts of worship together.
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Brian and Melissa will share their personal stories of different ways their adoration gets poured out when Jesus has gotten a hold of their heart within. Tangible acts like: scripture, solitude, fasting, song, serving. The goal is to give them a list of ideas to freshen up their own worship.
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Greed and Practicality in the room cost this woman scoffing and rebuke, not just a jar of perfume. And let’s be honest, the relational exposure incurred by our unbridled adoration feels more costly to most of us than does the actual cost of time/talents/treasures. This talk will be around getting around the greed in your environment, and pausing practicality of the voices around you, to let yourself stay wild and costly in your adoration of Jesus.
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When Jesus is worth the most, adoration pours out at greatest expense. This talk will help people flesh out just how much they love/value/adore Jesus, and inspire them to go find their own wildly unpredictable expression for that.
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It's not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. Don't lose touch with the friends that need you more than ever.
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Jesus partied hard with the sinners and rejects of the day - but he makes another invitation to all of us today.
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Money comes up twice in Mark 12. Once as a kind of smokescreen around taxes, and the other about shows that people put on compared to the widow with two coins. There are just times when something is so important you want it to cost you something. We might not be putting on a show of generosity, but there are plenty of other shows we run with our money.
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Bold faith is the result of praying bold prayers. Listen to a special message from Mike Francisco, pastor of the 11|28 Community in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
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Jesus invites you and a friend, to be the two who make the arrangements, for someone to start praising their savior Jesus. Loose End: What if no one setup the moment to meet and praise Jesus?
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For more info about Lakepoint Church, visit us online at www.lakepointmuskego.org.
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Figuring out if our Scriptures are from God, or men, and what difference does it make in what we think about it? We need to keep our ideas about God (loose ends) tied to Jesus himself.
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The Time and Place for prayer and worship are loose and open ends right now for most of us - we’re just not making the time and place for it. It’s time time to let those crowd the rest out, instead of allowing the rest to be what keeps crowding worship out. You are invited to clear the space that is meant for God - time prayer, worship, and church for your family this season.
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Work is good, but you were meant for more than the grind. Sabbath is a long misunderstood part of God's plan for every person's life. In this sermon we will unpack the why's and what's of Sabbath and help you make a plan to make it happen.
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The calling of Jesus is not one of half measures - rather a call to a line-in-the-sand moment and declaration of making him your lord. For those who want to publicly declare the Lordship of Jesus, baptism is the right next step for you.
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Paul and Timothy's dynamic relationship was just one of many examples of discipleship in the Bible. The reality is that whether you're aware of it or not, you're a disciple of something: culture, politics, sports, or something else. As a follower of Jesus, one distinct call on your life is to form it after the life of Jesus and to ask yourself the questions, "What am I disciple of?" and "Who am I discipling others to?"
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No matter how broken or worn or cut down you might feel, you can be confident knowing that if you're still breathing God is not done with you. Be sure to listen to this encouraging message from one of our favorite guests, Jerod Walker.
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How do you know you're aiming at the right target in life? How do you know you're growing in the right direction? God's word is a resource he gives to keep our aim on the bullseye and off the many distractions life throws at us all. Psalm 1 gives a great framework for two options to choose from.
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When life gets in the way or when things feel chaotic, maybe it's better to determine to lean into the interruptions. You may learn that God's going to provide even greater in the midst of it all.
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It's easy to look at the big heroes of the Bible and assume that they were entirely unlike us; borderline infallible. But the story of Thomas at the end of the gospel of John shows a complicated character who wrestles with doubt and insecurity. By looking at this story and why John chooses to end his gospel with it, we'll see why it's okay to doubt like Thomas because that's where Jesus may be waiting to meet you.
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The Declaration of Independence boldly states that "all men are created equal." While that's not always been the reality of America, Pastor Brian shows us how Jesus gets it right even when America doesn't. In the Kingdom of Heaven, all men and women are truly made equal in the grace of God.
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In the conclusion of our 40 Week Journey of disciplemaking, Pastor Brian shows us why Baptism is for every Disciple, so doing baptisms is for every Disciple-Maker.
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Jesus doesn’t expect us to change careers. He invites us to shift our perspective.Check out the last sermon in our series on being Co-Missioned as we cap off our 40 WK Journey of discipleship together.
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Part three of our 4-part series to bring the 40 Week Journey to a close. Learn about what it means to be commissioned for causes that change eternities.
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Part two of our 4-part series to bring the 40 Week Journey to a close. Learn about what it means to be comissioned into your neighborhoods and professional networks.
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Part one of our 4-part series to bring the 40 Week Journey to a close. Brian and Cammie discuss the various ways that they have seen God work in their families and students.
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Luke 15 and the story of the Prodigal Son might actually be more accurately titled the Compassionate Father.
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As we complete the second-to-last series in the 40 Week Disciplemaker journey, we’re getting people ready for a commitment. Not just a move to do something, but to do something over and over again until it sticks with you. Disciple-Making.
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It’s easy to get caught up in the tasks and lose the heart. It’s easy to be so driven to do things for Jesus that you’ve crowded out the space to just be with Jesus. Sometimes you’ve got to be the version of Jesus that left the sick and hurting for the mountain side of prayer.
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Gospel for you never stops with you. As you’ve followed Jesus in “making disciples of your friends,” you’re not done until you help them be a disciple-maker of their friends. It should be refreshingly natural, as your friend was likely quite exuberant about sharing what they got from Jesus with anyone they could
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Jesus narrowed discipleship down to two essentials: Belief and Love. There is an endless amount of growth available in these two essentials. Even more than that, there is NO growth, on ANY other issue, without addressing the Belief and Love issue at the core of it.
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The unexpected process of sanctification is that our multiple failures/sins/seemingly-set-backs, actually propel us forward into greater sanctification/righteousness/sin-less-ness.
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Anyone can disciple a friend. Jesus’ discipleship didn’t involve as many miracles and blockbuster teachings as you think. He mostly 1) opened the Bible, and 2) asked questions.
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From Easter Sunday 2021, listen to a new message from Pastor Brian Hofmeister on why no tears in heaven means no fears on earth.
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Jesus invites people to start a new story with him - “come and follow” “come and see” “come and leave behind the rest.” We are the ones today, that speak his invitation to begin a new story.
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Sometimes it hard to tell how Jesus wants the gospel told because he changed it for whoever he was talking too. But that’s just it. The gospel isn’t a one-size-fits all presentation. Telling the gospel only happens in learning, listening, and “sizing-up” who’s in front of you for their fit.
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We’ll help you craft your life story, and this months story, with Jesus as the central hero, all in 4 "F Words" (Fall, Forgiveness, Faith, Freedom), and then challenge you to tell someone (maybe the one you’ve most prayed for) this week.
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The story of heaven hitting earth is called Gospel. It’s both timeless and timely, and we’ve got to get fluent in it. We’ll give you four words that tell God’s story, which can also tell your story with Jesus and your friend’s soon-to-be story with Jesus.
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In a haunting conclusion to Jonah's story, what happens when the compassion & mercy of God are downright uncomfortable? How can we allow God to shake up our comfort, even if we don't like it, so that he can use us?
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Making the choice to love a friend, co-worker, neighbor or someone else in your life is the right decision, but that doesn't make it easy. In this message from our February 2021 sermon series, Pastor Brian shows the 5 Thresholds that most people need to work through before beginning a relationship with Jesus.
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Love is the hardest thing you’ll ever do (and your calling will never work without it). It’s going to take you to some of the least likely places. It’s going to make you do some of the least likely things.
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Perhaps you have a good sense of calling and purpose, and now you've found the unique place for which you are positioned to create impact for the kingdom of God. But now is the time to turn from knowing to doing, and today is a good day to start.
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A sense of identity and calling must first come from an understanding of who Jesus is. When you ask Jesus the question, "Who do you say I am?" you may just find something far deeper than you could find on your own.
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Everything happens for a reason? Maybe. It could. If you trace the theme of what your experience has prepared you for, and use it.
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You were born just the way God wanted you. There may be a you that you thought you should be, were told you needed to be, or tried to be -- but all there is is the you God made you. You don’t have to go looking for it -- it’s already there. You do have to let God call it out of you again. Following your heart, noticing what you’re good at, and embracing your unique personality is all part of the way you come to know how you’ve been shaped in Christ Jesus.
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Jason Eeten kicks off a new series for the month of January examining just exactly the unique ways we are each created by God.
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Hear from our resident church planter on the heart behind his upcoming church and how to Do Life Differently.
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Pastor Brian continues in our Down to Earth sermon series as we explore what it means to have God With Us.
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What would it be like if God became one of us? Listen to this message from Brian Hofmeister exploring just that.
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God loves us. He really loves. It’s hard to imagine why, he doesn’t get much out of the deal, but he does. He loved us enough to send his Son. His Son loved us enough to die for us.
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Brian and Melissa Hofmeister have teamed up to give the four-part overview of our Christmas sermon series – God for us, with us, one of us, in us. The ramifications of the incarnation are personal and life changing – so an invitation to faith will be given; but we’ll mainly talk about how to pass that gift to others in your everyday circles – living complete and comprehensive incarnation in Everyday Life
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Are you willing to remain in the difficult places and spaces? What if God is calling you to stay planted, to stay steadfast, and to remain in the gap between what you feel God has for you and what your reality is.
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We’re told well the teaching and miracles of Jesus, but now of day we kind of skip over the seemingly hundreds of times he drove out demons – because it’s weird! It shouldn’t be. We’re still in the business of driving out evil.
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Getting in the middle of God’s plan, and people’s lives, with real power, begins with a specific type of prayer that intercedes. Intercessory prayer is the pulling God’s side and people’s side together until they meet. It’s greater intensity and ownership than many of us are used to praying. Even still, every spiritual revival begins with people who get in the middle with their prayers.
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What does it mean to be an intercessor? In this next sermon series in our 40 Week Journey, Pastor Brian explores how we can "stand in the gap" for the people in our lives.
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In the final installment of our "This is a God Dream" sermon series, Pastor Jason shows us why it is vital to find your identity first and foremost in Jesus.
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How does a crowd become a community? How do you turn the church you attend into the community that you call family? Brian Hofmeister gives us his pro tips in this sermon in our 40 week journey.
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In the second installment of our 40 Week Journey, Matt Timmons shares about what it means to be a step or two away from a miracle.
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Our church is beginning a 40 week journey as we unpack what it means to be disciples of Jesus who make disciples. Join us for week 1!
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The conclusion of our "At the Well Again" sermon series.
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What if you replaced the old wells in your life with a spring of living water? Jesus offers an alternative to the normal you may have tried to sustain for so long.
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What does Jesus' unlikely meeting with an anonymous woman have to say about our race relationships today? Jesus calls us to walk through our own Samaria's today.
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In the concluding message of our Sacred Rhythms series, Matt Timmons explains why you might need a sabbath in your SOUL.
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Listen in on week 7 of our Sacred Rhythms sermon series.
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Check out this powerful sermon on what it means to live out the Sacred Rhythm of Self-Examination from Brian Hofmeister.
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Guest speaker Jerod Walker continues our Sacred Rhythms series,
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Check out this message from the vault as we continue on in our "Sacred Rhythms" sermon series.
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Pastor of students, Jason Eeten, continues in our Sacred Rhythms sermon series.
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Part one of our summer teaching series, Sacred Rhythms. Sacred Rhythms explores a few of the holy habits that can change the way you relate to God.
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What is baptism and why is it important for every follower of Jesus? Brian Hofmeister unpacks all things baptism in our annual baptism celebration Sunday.
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What does it mean to be a dad that does justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly before God? Listen to this special Father's Day message from Pastor Brian Hofmeister.
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5 minutes of FIRE from 5 guest speakers!
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Join us for the final week of our House to House sermon series with Pastor Brian Hofmeister.
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Part 3 of our House to House sermon series.
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Part 2 of our sermon series, House to House, by Brian Hofmeister
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Listen in as our lead pastor, Brian Hofmeister, brings us a new collection of talks on the power of the Church expressed House to House
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Listen to a special Mother's Day message from Brian and Melissa Hofmeister
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Week three of our Questions sermon series, featuring a panel of Missional Community leaders.
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Part two of our Questions sermon series.
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Part one of our "Questions." series of talks built around YOUR questions for God.
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The Easter message from our online Church at Home experience.
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The Palm Sunday message from our online Church at Home experience.
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Creative Pastor, Matt Timmons, brings our Between Two Lands sermon series to a close.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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Jason Eeten, our Pastor of Students, brings the next-to-last message in our series titled, "Between Two Lands."
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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A short pastoral thought, prayer, or encouragement from a member of Lakepoint's teaching team.
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Sometimes you need more than a map - you need to hear from God. Pastor Brian walks us through an easy and effective method for how you can hear from God for yourself!
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Daily Bread - Some seasons are just about getting by. Simple rations for your soul to make it through another day. But instead of taking our daily bread with thanks and a cup that’s half full, in the space between two lands we’re liable to see the cup half empty.
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Listening and praying are essential, but so is action! No sooner had Moses reminded everyone to be still, it was time to move after God responded. Check out this week's sermon from our lead pastor, Brian Hofmeister.
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Sometimes we say, “Yes!” to God’s plan with enthusiasm only to realize quickly this is dangerous, hard, and we wonder if we ever should have ventured out in the first place. Moments of wondering if God is working break way into seeing just how mighty his work really is. This is where trust is formed. And we learn to quiet our soul before him more quickly in the times that follow.
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In week one of our new sermon series, Creative Pastor Matt Timmons shares about bread, yeast, and why we should take inventory before the journey.
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Lead Pastor, Brian Hofmeister, shares his heart for Lakepoint and it's future in his introduction to our annual report and poll. If you call Lakepoint home, be sure to fill out the poll by clicking here.
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Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most. What habits are you creating in 2020 to achieve what you want most?
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We often neglect to fully consider the power of our words! Do your words bring life or take life?
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The way you think impacts the way you live, so how can we take our thoughts captive and be more in control of the small things that make a big difference?
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Lead Pastor, Brian Hofmeister, brings the first in a new series of talks titled, “Small Things Big Difference."
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Part three of our series titled "A Tale of Two Christmases." This sermon was originally from December 15, 2019.
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Part two of our "Tale of Two Christmases" series. This sermon is originally from December 8, 2019.
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Week 1 of our series, "A Tale of Two Christmases." Originally from December 1, 2019.
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