Posts by Mark Lautenschlager (Page 12)

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…

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. …

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…

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…

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…