Lakeside Presbyterian Church – Ajijic Chapala, Mexico

On Sunday, March 27, Associate Pastor Carolyn Hansen will preach on “Judges: What Happens When You Have Faith in Yourself.” Many people commend trusting our own judgment. Believing in ourselves. Going with our gut. The book of Judges tells us, in detail, how doing that worked out for the Israelites after they entered and took control of the Promised Land. Several times in the book, we read, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” The King James Version says, “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” It didn’t go well. And the stories are more lurid than a true crime TV show.

The next book in our sermon series is Joshua. The Hebrew people had escaped from slavery in Egypt, wandered for 40 years in the desert, and we’re now ready to receive the land that God had promised. Standing on the western bank of the Jordan River, God instructed them to possess the land. All they had to do was cross a river at flood stage, defeat all the inhabitants of the land, and then walk in obedience to the Lord.  No problem, right? Join us on Sunday, March 20, at 9:30 a.m. for the rest of the story!

The book of Numbers in the Bible got its name because a census was taken, at least partly to see how many soldiers might be available to protect against enemies. God promised to provide safety and resources; the Hebrews were to obey and be faithful. This looks like a perfect contract. We’ll see how this worked out in Dr. Wayne Cook’s sermon on Sunday, March 6, at 9:30 a.m. Please join us!

The second sermon in our Bible Book series is Exodus. The book begins some 400 years earlier with Joseph, a great man of God who led his family to Egypt.  But after all those years there was a pharaoh who did not know Joseph, and the descendents were now enslaved. Often when looking at Exodus we focus on Moses, but the great Deliverer of Exodus is God.

We held our Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 30. We voted in two new Deacons: Phyllis Jensen for our Community Life and Events service group and Jodi Faulkner for Discipleship. We had great reports from Pastor Victoria about our literacy classes for children who can’t afford to go to school and from Martin Thorner about our Ministry Outreach programs.

You can view the PowerPoint presentation here.