Posts by Mark Lautenschlager (Page 12)
For the week of June 21
View Previous Weeks Welcome to the first week of our study of the Life of Peter. The Apostle Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends (of all his disciples, Jesus was closest to Peter, James, and John). Peter is a regular guy, who will genuinely remind us of ourselves in many instances, that God was able to use in an extraordinary manner to lead the first church more than…
Prepare for Worship (weekend of June 18)
This week’s Friday Prepare for Worship newsletter was written by Mark Lautenschlager, Director of Communications and one of Rio’s elders. My wife and I have been married for almost 36 years. We’ve known each other since we were probably 15 years old and in high school. We met through a Christian youth program called “Ranch” that originated with Florida Bible College in…
For the week of June 14
View Previous Weeks Welcome to Week 24 of Desiring the Kingdom and 2 Kings chapter 7. This will be our final week in this series, and what a journey it has been. Time after time, we’ve followed one human king after another down the path to failure. Despite seeing the power of God demonstrated plainly before them, these kings still chose to lead the people into wickedness.…
Prepare for Worship (weekend of June 11)
Hey Church! This week’s prepare-for-worship exercise is to watch all four of the videos below. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of it: Remove distractions, settle your heart and mind, and then give the videos your undivided attention. Use headphones, earbuds, or quality speakers and turn up the volume to replicate the “live” experience. …
For the week of June 7
View Previous Weeks Your study notes this week were authored by Will Buschmann, Co-Director of Student Ministries. Congratulations for making it to week 23 of Desiring the Kingdom! This week we find ourselves in 2 Kings 6. This chapter tracks along with the rest of the book where we read some wild and outlandish stories, but each being purposeful and transformative in our…
Prepare for Worship (weekend of June 4)
Hey Church! This Sunday, masks will be optional when you attend services. We may not have seen the last of the COVID-19 fallout yet but the latest advisories from the state of Florida do represent another step towards a return to “normal.” As I thought about it, I was reminded of the conditions in which many of us were living before March of 2020–namely, a sort of…
For the week of May 31
View Previous Weeks Welcome to Week 22 of Desiring the Kingdom and 2 Kings chapter 5. This week’s chapter is just one miracle (as opposed to last week, which contained stories of FIVE miracles), but there are five principle characters who play a part in the story. We’re going to consider each one of them in this week’s personal worship. Index to Days 2 through 5 Day 2 Day…
Prepare for Worship (weekend of May 28)
Hey Church! I thought I’d take a slightly different approach to this weekend’s prepare-for-worship newsletter by making it more of a prepare-for-summer-break word of encouragement. For those with school-aged kids still living at home, summer is likely a bit of a slower pace for you and you may find yourself with extra time to spend together as a family. For…
For the week of May 24
View Previous Weeks Welcome to Week 21 of Desiring the Kingdom and 2 Kings 4, a chapter in which we read about five miracles performed by God through his prophet Elisha. (Five days, five miracles? It’s like this chapter was tailor-made for study notes!) The complete arc of the five miracles (Creation, Birth, Resurrection, Cleansing, and Provision) is a road map to God’s…
Prepare for Worship (weekend of May 21)
Hey Church! I may have shared the song “Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” with you once before, but since it ties in especially well with the theme of this week’s message, I thought it was worth sharing again. First, take a few minutes to read the following two passages of Scripture. Then watch the video below to hear the song, as well as the story behind…