Great Lakes Church

<p>Life's trials can come at us from all directions, often at the same time. When you start feeling the pressure, having the right perspective and proper tools will help you keep going!</p>

<p>For many, the notion of being blessed means we’ve reached a desired outcome, or experiencing a season of comfort in life. But what if being blessed has more to do with the posture of our heart, rather than the position of our lifestyle? We might very well discover God’s blessing to mean the experience of deep joy and contentment in all of life’s seasons and circumstances.</p>

<p>Every blessing in your life is intended to be shared and to help others flourish. The opportunities you have to bless people is a blessing, in and of itself, for reasons you’ve probably never thought of.</p>

<p>Blessings aren't just sheer luck or the highlight reels we share on social media. Often the biggest blessings of life are found in the darkest moments and most challenging seasons.</p>

<p>Cleaning up messes, getting in heated arguments, and consoling heartaches can leave us feeling like we're making zero progress. A big part of parenting begins with understanding our kids' wiring, and learning how to communicate with them effectively!</p>

<p>Most times the deep discontentment in our relationships won't be satisfied by winning an argument or being "right." The real way to reconciliation & effective communication comes with pause, curiosity, and a willingness to surrender.</p>

<p>We're speaking more than ever before, and thinking less about our words than ever before. This should set off alarms in us, because the words we speak which are intended to be helpful, can end up being harmful if spoken in careless ways.</p>

<p>satisfaction they were looking for. Our happiness hinges on an habit that is almost always overlooked, but has the potential to impact every area of our life.<br><br>Want to better understand the four temperaments? Download the app to get started.<br>For iOS: <a href="https://apple.co/3IfXNKz" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3IfXNKz</a><br>For Google: <a href="https://bit.ly/3FmggmJ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3FmggmJ</a></p>

<p>Grab your friends and family, some hot cocoa, and a warm blanket as we celebrate the birth of King Jesus.<br><br>Merry Christmas from Great Lakes Church!</p>

<p>The anticipation of Christmas often comes with the excitement of what we'll receive under the tree. However, true joy is found in something else.</p>

<p>Moments of peace are incredibly valuable. When we find them, we hold on tight and pray they last. But there's a peace that goes beyond our understanding—beyond the pain and fear we face today. Discover what it looks like and how to find it.</p>

<p>Swallowing a watermelon seed will make a watermelon grow in your stomach! The sliding automatic door at Wal-Mart only opened because you used The Force! You know, when we're kids, we tend to believe some pretty ridiculous things. As we grow up, we're given context to understand the truth of some of those misconceptions.<br>The same is true of our journey with Jesus. As we grow in following Him, He'll begin to help us better understand the truth of who He is. Join us as pastor Rex shares five things he no longer believes about Jesus...</p>

<p>For many people, the stories surrounding Jesus' birth are so familiar that it's easy to miss the subtle messages they convey. When we zoom out for context, we start to understand why even the parts that feel boring or irrelevant, like Jesus' lineage, are wildly important.</p>

<p>Life is filled with challenging moments and seasons that leave us feeling scattered, confused, and disoriented. Creating healthy routines can grow us exponentially and strengthen us for the storms we encounter.</p>

<p>Most of us know that following Jesus is all about loving Him and loving the people He's made. But because we're all broken, it can be extremely difficult to know how to love well, especially when having hard conversations. Together we'll explore some practical ways the bible teaches us to integrate skills & grow in our emotional maturity.</p>

<p>It's easy to become a victim of a jam-packed schedule. Between work, parenthood, social obligations, side hustles, exercise, and the many other forms of chaos, we can find ourselves burned out and stressed out. Establishing healthy rhythms in our lives is vital for our emotional and spiritual health!</p>

<p>Broken dreams, shattered expectations, and the losses of life need to be grieved. If we process our grief appropriately, we’ll grow in our emotional health and spiritual maturity, too.</p>

<p>In our journey of being human, we're inevitably going to experience moments and/or seasons of intense pain and difficulty. When we run into the walls of life we have three options of how to respond. The choice we make determines who we become.</p>

<p>Though it may seem counterintuitive, in order to move forward, we must first go backwards. With awareness and intention, we can break patterns and change the trajectory of our family legacy forever!</p>

<p>People who are self-aware and know themselves are confident, focused, and have a greater ability to resist temptation!</p>

<p>There’s so much more to our story than what people can see. Like icebergs, most of who we are lives under the surface (joys, griefs, losses, dreams, etc.). Slowing down to consider our stories is a big step towards spiritual health and maturity.</p>

<p>There’s a lot of uncertainty everywhere you look, but the future of the church has never been in question! Join us as we cast vision for the next season and take action in building a community we're all proud to be a part of.</p>

<p>The Church has been rocked with scandal, betrayal, disagreements, and fighting for 2,000 years. It’s filled with hypocrites and individuals struggling to live out their faith. And yet, when flawed people are empowered by the Holy Spirit, anything is possible!</p>

<p>When Great Lakes Church launched in 2009, there were already a couple-hundred churches in southeast Wisconsin. With all the time, energy, and resources that go into starting a church, it doesn’t make sense to start another <a href="http://one...or" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">one...or</a> does it?!</p>

<p>Thinking about all the complexities of prayer can be intimidating. What should I say to God? How long should I pray for? How can I pray a prayer that actually gets a response? The answers to these questions can be found in Jesus' model for prayer.</p>

<p>On average, we speak roughly 16,000 words per day! When we choose to be generous with words of encouragement, hope, and positivity, we are shaping the future of people's lives.</p>

<p>Bankruptcy… foreclosures… scams… and never-ending appeals for money can lead to PTSD on the topic of finances. But financially successful people aren’t driven by guilt, manipulation, or past mistakes. They’ve learned a better way to WIN with finances and live outrageously generous lives.</p>

<p>We truly believe it's okay to not be okay. Whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, keeping ourselves mentally healthy is vital, and we can do so by preparing for these battles ahead of time!</p>

<p>It's hard to know what to say when someone undergoes a substantial loss. We grapple for words to make a loved one's pain vanish instantaneously, but often end up feeling helpless. Thankfully, we can turn to the bible for some principles on how to respond effectively in others' seasons of grief.</p>

<p>"Cancel Culture" can feel inescapable. You know the pattern: Someone does or says something offensive. There's a public backlash. Then the pressure grows to "destroy" the person. In this talk, we're addressing what it means to be Christ's ambassadors whenever we personally are offended by someone.</p>

<p>In our culture, we are bombarded with too much of everything. The result is stress and exhaustion. Join us as we look at what followers of Jesus have done throughout history, whenever they realized they were in over their heads.</p>

<p>Our cultural climate and social norms are always changing, which can make it hard to know how to practically follow Jesus as Americans. This week, we’ll unpack how followers of Jesus should approach their freedoms to make a lasting difference in this world!</p>

<p>We've all experienced the death of a dream, and the grief often leaves devastation in the wake. Whether waving goodbye to that promotion, parenthood, or perfect relationship, our disheartenment can often make us cynical or skeptical of what's ahead. This week, we'll unpack why dreams matter and how we can reengage them.</p>

<p>We’ve all experienced tension or disunity in our relationships; it’s inevitable! But instead of avoiding conflict because of discomfort, it can actually be a tool for relationship growth!</p>

<p>Raising another human being is the most challenging assignment a parent has. So what's the secret to great parenting?</p>

<p>As humans, we find ourselves on a never-ending quest for happiness– but it always seems to elude us. Believe it or not, it's possible to find lasting happiness, but we have to start by looking in the right places.</p>

<p>There's over 400 references to doors in the Bible: open doors, closed doors, gateways to opportunity, and more. As we follow the Jesus way, it's important we get acquainted with doors and understand how God uses them to speak to us!</p>

<p>God speaks to us through Scripture, prayer, music, open/closed doors, and even through people.<br><br>Today we’re looking at an often misunderstood, abused, and complicated word: “prophecy.”<br><br>When someone prophesies, it means they felt prompted by God to say something to someone, and their words end up bringing strength, encouragement, or comfort at just the right time (1 Corinthians 14:3).</p>

<p>Prayer is more than wishful thinking or hoping that things will work out. This week, we're looking at why prayer should become a first priority and not a last resort!</p>

<p>Throughout history, many people have claimed that God spoke to them through the Scriptures. What does that mean? What does the voice of God sound like? Does God speak through every verse or just a select few? We've got some tools to help make sense of the Bible!</p>

<p>If it’s hard for you to hear, recognize, or decipher the voice of God, you are not alone! We all wish it was a lot easier. So why is it so challenging, and what are some practical tools for filtering our voice and/or the voice of others from God's voice?</p>

<p>God is good. But is He, really? If He is, why do people get cancer, lose their jobs, or go through divorce? If God is good, how do we make sense of everything that seems so wrong? Join us today as we search for the answer.</p>

<p>You probably know the storybook version of Easter: Jesus was crucified on a cross, He was buried in a tomb, and He rose from the dead. This year we're asking why Jesus' death on a cross and the plot twist that followed actually gave credibility to this radical movement He'd started.</p>

<p>The Cross has become a dominant representation of Christian culture. You can find cross necklaces, tattoos, and paintings in so many parts of our world. Why does the cross matter so much? Did Jesus really have to die?</p>

<p>Wherever you find yourself on the journey of following Jesus, it's probably safe to say you've been discouraged at some point. When prayers go unanswered, hope seems far away, and growth is happening slowly, it can seem like the easiest option would be to throw in the towel. Join us today as we explore some practical ways to persevere in the midst.</p>

<p>We're all drawn to the idea of freedom: eating what we want, spending time with who we want, and living how we want. However, often when we live for ourselves, we find all of the things that once brought us joy end up leaving us empty, lonely, and addicted. So how do we find TRUE freedom that doesn't leave us burned out?</p>

<p>In our world, it can be a challenge to know how to see ourselves. We're constantly comparing ourselves to those around us, unsure of where we rank in the social lineup. But when we surrender our self-perception to Jesus, there's more freedom than we could ever imagine.</p>

<p>Many of us live under the illusion that surrender is a bad thing, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes giving something up is necessary to experience something better. That’s what following Jesus is all about.</p>

<p>With the ongoing tension and heartache in our world, it's almost human nature to fall into patterns of negative or toxic thinking. But instead of settling for pessimism, we can find hope through a few simple truths!</p>

<p>When it comes to responding to life’s circumstances, our attitude matters. This week, we’ll explore how finding freedom, hope, and healing often starts with a simple shift in perspective.</p>