In my own time with the Lord each morning I just completed my walk through the Proverbs.  (All of you got the jump on me with that book this summer while I was writing.)  I decided to spend some time in the book of Isaiah and what is given above comes from Isaiah 2:3-5.  It is difficult to read those words, reflect on today’s situations, and not just yearn for a perfectly just God to take over.  Maybe even send him to Wall Street.

But that is actually possible and we have been talking about that for three weeks from Romans 12.  Imagining life the way it’s supposed to be is the first step to getting there.  This awesome God can speak directly to you.  He can work with you.  You can choose to allow him to.  And as we do that together, I begin to imagine where he will take us this year.

This weekend I will share God’s direction for our church with you. Imagine life at PAC in 2009… the way it’s supposed to be.  As I share this, it is so incredibly important to remember that the focus is not on what we do, but for whom we do it.  It is this incredible God of Isaiah 2 that we serve.

I hope you come to worship this weekend.  I will see you there.

We desire everyone to live life to the fullest.

This is why we exist.  And God is clear on how to do it.

We desire everyone to live life to the fullest by knowing God, developing community, and bringing hope to the world.

We believe we are not alone in this pursuit.

We desire everyone to live life to the fullest by knowing God, developing community, and bringing hope to the world; and we seek to partner with like-minded people in order to maximize results.

We know the core values God has instilled within us to equip us to accomplish the task.

We desire everyone to live life to the fullest by knowing God, developing community, and bringing hope to the world; and we seek to partner with like-minded people in order to maximize results.  In all we do, we promise to do it with authenticity, creativity, excellence, expectancy, and generosity.

One of the most exciting things that God has done is to bring the world through our doors – we have become a diverse congregation with a strong heart of compassion for our neighbors.

We are a multi-cultural, multi-generational community that believes in making a positive contribution in our neighborhoods, our country, and the world.  We desire everyone to live life to the fullest by knowing God, developing community, and bringing hope to the world; and we seek to partner with like-minded people in order to maximize results.  In all we do, we promise to do it with authenticity, creativity, excellence, expectancy, and generosity.

This is it. This is who we are.  See you twice this weekend – at the picnic and at the services.

Yep, I just sent all my kids off to school again.  It’s amazing how quickly the summer flies by…

Just as life in our communities kicks into high gear again, so we are kicking off a new season of ministry.  This weekend we start a new series, “Imagine – Life the way it’s supposed to be.” I will be taking five weeks to lay out the vision that God has for us during 2008 and 2009.  We will start with the foundation of who we are, and build upon this by looking where I believe God wants to take us.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back.  All the weekly youth programs resume this week, with new times for Pioneer Clubs and Revolution.  There are also four weekend services for you to choose between (but remember that 10:30am tends to be the most crowded).

This year, I know we will begin to see beyond ourselves more than we ever have.  We are part of a huge world that we can impact, and over the coming months I will be speaking more specifically about this.  From Trenton to Waveland, to Mexico and beyond, God has a plan for us to be part of.  What a privilege!

See you this weekend.