I didn’t hear or see any mention of Myanmar or China in the news this last week, yet there were several stories about gas prices and energy alternatives. At PAC, we have different priorities from American news media. You won’t find anything on our website concerning the cost of fuel, but you will find how you can donate directly to the relief efforts following the floods in Myanmar and the earthquake in China. Thank you for caring. If you have not already done so, please pray and visit our website so that those suffering in these tragedies can be ministered to.
I was gone this last weekend but was thrilled to return and see the hundreds of responses written at the conclusion of the weekend services. Most of you actually penned in someone’s name — that is fantastic! If you had left a contact number, we will be staying in touch with you to encourage you to follow up with that person. Some of you let us know that you want to help out with children or youth here at PAC. If you gave us an address or number to reach you and you weren’t already called last week, you will be called this week.
So, who is next in your life? Do you see a face? Do you have a plan? This weekend will be our fifth of the series and I am excited to share some of my own dreams. If you want to get a jump on the weekend, start reading 2 Timothy… and take an extra five minutes to read the first chapter twice.
After this weekend will be our final week of the series during which we are looking to raise $60,000 to send 60 of our youth to Mexico in July. Have you prayed about your part? We receive your gifts with gratitude and expectancy. Please come prepared to sacrifice for both our youth and for the people of Mexico.
We have been doing a ton of reading this week. Some of you had much to say and there were some very cool letters written to the next generation. I am thrilled with how you are responding to this series. Stay tuned as we get those letters into accessible places for you.
This week I will be at a conference with twelve other churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. The theme of the conference is being externally focused — being engaged in our communities as a natural part of who we are — so I will be sharing some of our own ideas, but learning loads about others experiences as well. I am pretty pumped.
I won’t be here this week but I know you will be challenged by the weekend services as we look at some very practical experiences from those already investing heavily in the next generation.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and I will see you when I get back.
Last week 536 of you turned in “dreams.” They ranged from finding a job to ending poverty. The two most popular categories were ministry opportunities and family desires and there were almost an equal number of dreams in each.
Someone put in three dollars. And two-thirds of those who attended didn’t write anything.
We are very serious about listening and intend on doing some follow-up with these. In the next weeks we will be praying about groups to start, classes to teach, series to emphasize on the weekends, and groups to connect to one another so that these dreams don’t just stay as wishes on paper. Several of you dreamed of being able to share your faith more effectively. We will start the follow-up with you. That will be our next weekend series following the present series and it will start on June 14-15.
This was all connected to our current series entitled, “Who’s Next?” We are talking about reaching the next generation and Matt Murphy challenged us as a next-gen speaker to listen, pray and release. Well, we gave you an opportunity to dream so that we could listen and we gave the next gen our ear for a weekend. This weekend we will shift the stage. What if the next generation were to listen to us? What would we say to them?
We will stay in the Pastoral Letters of Paul to Timothy as we address that question. And as always, we want to start with the Scripture but then get personal in our response. Paul will lay out some principles for us but we each have to answer the question. What would I say to them?
You will have that chance this weekend. See you then.
This week we started a new, six-week series: Who’s Next. It a picture of all of us learning to live for the next generation. And it’s for all of us, because it involves standing with the next generation as they step up, and sliding over as they embark on their journey.
Look closely and you’ll see examples of this throughout Scripture: Abraham & Isaac, Moses & Joshua, and Paul & Timothy. It is clear that God wants to grow the gifts he has planted in the next generation, and asks us to work together to see that the whole world is awakened and transformed.
We will share new experiences during this series as we allow the Spirit of God to show us his dream for this community. I trust that by the end of these six weeks, each one of us will find very specific and individual ways to step up and slide over.
33 people were baptised during the weekend of April 19th – 20th. Were you also energized as you saw the Holy Spirit extend conviction and boldness for so many to come forward to declare their allegiance to Christ? Just consider that each of those baptisms represents a fascinating journey with God — some just beginning, some already spanning many years.
We were all pretty pumped around here that week. So why is it we are so amazed when God moves? We expected him to do something. We planned it by allowing lots of time at the end of the service. We made the challenge specific. We had extra clothes in the back. I think it is about God being God and us being human. Sometimes our faith just doesn’t catch up to his expectations. Other times we pray, but don’t want to come off as presumptuous. But most of the time I think it is the clear but simple fact that following and serving God is a mystery. He moves when he chooses. And he chose that weekend.
Don’t miss this opportunity to pray for those who boldly confessed their faith. Pray that they continue in their walk. Pray that Christ becomes even more real and more near to them.
Soccer is one of those sports where the coach makes his most significant contribution during practices. There is some input that can occur during the game, such as halftime adjustments, but for the most part the game is decided on the field by the players.
Soccer season in Hillsborough opened last week and for our first practice I worked on one drill only – corner kicks. I think the kids thought I was nuts. There was so much more important stuff to deal with as our first game was only 10 days away. Well, last Saturday we played that first game. We won 2-1. Both goals were scored on corner kicks. Now the kids are paying real close attention to their coach during practices.
You know me – as a pastor I can’t help but think about life lessons from stuff like that. I think our daily lives are like playing the soccer games. You have to think on the fly. You make decisions and move forward. Sometimes the odds seem to be stacked against you and other times it seems like everything is going your way. Regardless, I think the game is decided by what you are doing in your practice sessions.
Personally, I am experiencing some storms right now and so I have focused on some critical early morning practice sessions of prayer and Bible study. I take my time in those sessions. I am pretty sure they will come back to make the difference in the score. So what are you practicing?
Hey, we are going to celebrate this weekend! The final week of our Awaken series will include baptisms. So come prepared to enjoy the Lord. I will be speaking from Acts 8. Why not take a look at that chapter and try to guess what part I will use and what my main point will be? Then this weekend you can see if you guessed correctly. See you then.