Blog entries

Adventure Camp Adventures!

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0100

We just got back from a week of summer camp with our 8-12 year olds, and it was a blast!

From hunting for wild animals like elephants and rhinos during our Safari game to hikRead More...

Stress, Part IV

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Here are a few ways you can handle stress: 1. Meditate – just 10 or 20 minutes of quiet reflection may bring relief from chronic stress as well as increase your tolerance to it. Use the time to listen to music (check out God’s ipod on iTunes), read a devotion or Scripture, pray, etc. 2. Take one thing at a time – for people under stress, an ordinary work load can sometimes be unbearable. The best way to cope with this feeling of being overwhelmed is to take one taskRead More...

Lessons from My Refrigerator

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0100

I bought a new Amana refrigerator and to my horror when I went to get a glass of water out of it…it was room temperature. I called the manufacturer and after two different visits from the Amana repair guy it was determined that the water is not supposed to be chilled.

Let me ask you…why do I need to get water out of my fridge if it is not chilled? I can just throw a filter on my faucet and have nice-clean-warm water from there if that is all I want in liRead More...

Lessons From My Ridiculous Lawn

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0100

During the summer, I travel a lot. As in, I have been home exactly 11 days in the last 2 months. And since it’s been 105 degrees most days, and I am not blessed to have a sprinkler system, you might naturally think, like I did, that my lawn would die, and I would not have to mow every time I am home during those precious 11 days of home time. But no, it seems to grow MORE when I am gone. And not only that – while the lawn grows, the plants in the flowerbeds diRead More...

A Lesson on Aisle 14

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0100

I went grocery shopping with my oldest daughter the other day. We went to a popular grocery chain in the dfw area. There were an interesting couple that were shopping at thRead More...

Name Change

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Our high school youth group made a big decision recently. They spent weeks talking about what is important to them as a group, and decided to name themselves, and come up with a mission statement. They are still working on their mission statement, but have voted to call our high school youth group SWAGG from now on. It stands for Salvation, Worship, Altruism, and Glory to God – all things that they feel are what their youth group should be about!

Stress, Part III

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0100

As we continue to talk about stress, keep in mind that as weird as it sounds, some people are addicted to stress. For these individuals, it is possible for their past experiences to be so traumatic, disorganized, or chaotic that they find themselves being able to function in only highly stressful situations. So it is likely that these individuals, although they do not like the symptoms and distress of stress, they unintentionally find ways to have it around often times in very creatiRead More...

Deep Thoughts... Baseball Edition!

Andrew.Manthei@bnsf.com — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

What if God and Church were like a baseball game. Would we stand up and sing after the sermon? (Sung to the tune of Take me out to the Ball Game) Take me out to your ChurchTake me out to Bible StudyBuy me some coffee and donutsI don’t care if I ever get fatSo lets sing, sing, sing to the LordSo he will hear our praiseFor it God, the Son and the Holy GhostAt the Light of the World!

Live Long and Prosper

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Ok I will grant you that "trekkies" can be a little nerdy, but I am proud to admit...I am a long time Star Trek fan.

I went last Sunday to see the new Star Trek movie and I give it 2 bibles up. (Actually no bibles up as they look the Lord's name in vain several times. Normally that gets me to stop watching a movie...but this was Star Trek and I was there with a member from church...so I kept watching.)

And as a pure story line the moRead More...

Welcome

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Thank you for visiting the LOTW blog! This is the first post to our blog, but you should find posts to this blog being updated at least once a week. The contributors to the blog will be the entire staff here at LOTW along with some of our “volunteer ministers”. We do ask that you remember this is a church blog and ask that you keep your responses mindful of that. We hope you enjoy our blog and be sure to check back often! Pastor Greg

Stressed? Part II

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Now I would like to turn our attention to some ways to manage stress. As I go through these suggestions, remember that success will not come from a half-hearted effort, nor will it come overnight. It will take determination, persistence, and time. Also keep in mind that stress is normal and can even be helpful. So it is not a realistic goal to eliminate it altogether. You will need to learn how to live with meanwhile attempting to minimize it. The first one I wRead More...

Kids Camp is Coming

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

If you live in Texas, you have probably had the experience of looking out at the horizon on a summer afternoon and seeing giant thunderheads building. Texas thunderstorms are notorious, and bring a mix of emotions to those whose homes they overtake - some people are scared of them, some people like to sit on the porch (covered, and screened, of course!) to watch them and feel their power, some rejoice in the free water from heaven, and some barely take the time to notice them. At the end of MaRead More...

Stressed? Part 1

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Jesus offers the invitation of peace and rest to all who come to Him in faith. Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The Message says it like this: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recRead More...

Deep Thoughts from Uncle Andy

Andrew.Manthei@bnsf.com — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Hi. I'm Andy, and I help lead the Men's Ministry here at Light of the World. Chances are, you've seen me running around on Sunday morning...probably trying to recruit some guys for our Tuesday Morning Bible Study. If you see me on Sunday, feel free to come up and say hi. In the mean time, enjoy a few random thoughts from a random guy. I'll probably have several of these over the next few weeks...enjoy!

Non-Deep Thought from Uncle Andy: For thoRead More...

Lessons from a Foster Dog

Wed, 27 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

I must have had a moment of temporary insanity a few months ago. I decided to become a foster for the Dallas Fort Worth Labrador Retriever Rescue Club. My first foster dog arrived at the beginning of February- he was an emaciated, stinky, beaten down shell of a dog. He lived with me, and my lab, Grace, for about three months. In that time, he put on 30 pounds, reveled in the simple joy of squeaky toys, and became one of the most playful and loving creatures I have ever beRead More...

Upgrade

Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Over the weekend of May 15-17, about a dozen men from LOTW assisted in
upgrading the sound and lighting in our Sanctuary. As you can see from the
photos, it involved A LOT of work on 2 2-man scissor lifts to get new
speakers hung, steel installed to attach new lighting for the platform area
as well as hundreds of feet of new cabling! And if you have ever wondered
what it likes like UNDERNEATH our platform, well... see Trey's legs!!!

These upgrades arRead More...

Angels and Demons

Wed, 20 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

On Sunday, a middle school youth named Brandi asked me if I thought she was mature enough to read Angels and Demons, the Dan Brown book that is the basis for the controversial new sequel to The Da Vinci Code movie, starring Tom Hanks. My first thought was “Is anyone mature enough to read that?” But then, I’ve read it, and I actually enjoyed it a lot-just like I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code. Between the media interviews and the blogs surrounding the release of the movie, everyonRead More...

Fear of the Lord

Mon, 18 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” It used to be that children were taught to “respect” and “fear” their parents. Today, society frowns upon parents who discipline their children and teach them to be submissive and obedient to their will. As a result, many children do not want to do what their parents tell them to do. Is it possible for us to even know how to “fear God” if we have never learned how to &ldquRead More...