Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• Finished the vision series today with the sermon titled, "How the Family Functions" 
• Remember the local church functions properly when we as believers function properly.
• Today's video really drove home the point we are making a difference in our community.
• BTW the accompanying song on the video was "My Own Little World" by Matthew West.
• I was reminded today how many hurting people are in our worship every Sunday morning.
• "Who am I" is becoming one of my favorite worship songs. 
• Watching John Craig present the communion meditation today reminded me to be thankful for my home church giving me opportunities to speak in public.  
• I hope we make it a point to function as a family in 2011.
• Our vision are simply words until we decide to act on the vision.
• We passed out 95 bags of blessings Tuesday - great job food pantry ministry - you guys really met many needs on Tuesday. Special thank you to the church family for filling bags last week as well.
• Thursday was a great day in my family we had 22 people at my parent's house for thanksgiving dinner.
• Children's Christmas program is this week at PBCC - I am looking forward to seeing and hearing the results of their hard work (as well as the hard work their leaders have put in for the last 4 months). 

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• We served over 90 families this week through our food pantry ministry.
• I am thankful for all who participated in the "bags of blessings" ministry. We will be distributing the bags Tuesday, if you want to help show up at PBCC at 10:00 a.m.
• Preached on gratitude this morning - it is good to have a thankful spirit in November, but it is God honoring to always be thankful.
• I cannot get over the fact we have a received an unshakable kingdom.
• This morning as people answered the invitation I could not help but think how God is pleased with brokenness.
• In fact, I am reminded of the statement God can heal broken pieces as long as he has all the pieces - let's not hold back from God.
• If we really focus on what is happening at the Lord's Supper, how can taking it weekly ever become routine?
• Brianne did a WONDERFUL job this morning with her solo!
• I hope we continue to "Take Inventory" everyday - I believe it will call all of us to live a life of gratitude.
• In light of taking inventory remember these facts I share this morning... 
• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness… you are more blessed than the one million people who will not survive this week.
• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of isolation, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation… you are ahead of 500 million people in this world.
• If you attend a church service without fear of harassment, arrest torture or death… you are more fortunate than 3 million people around the world today.
• If your family owns more than one Bible, you are ahead of 78% of the world.
• If you can read your Bible, you are more blessed than 2 billion in the world who cannot read at all.
• If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, a place to sleep and lose change in your pocket or home… you are richer than 75% of the world.
• I am really looking forward to Thursday!

Sunday Night Reflections

A Few Thoughts From an Amazing Day...

• Continued thinking about our vision and direction today with a  focus on family. 
• I honestly believe a fractured family can become a faithful family if we take on the family traits of 1 John 3.
• How do you deliver love? With a  bucket or an eyedropper? Clue: How does God deliver love to us?
• Accepting one another's quirks is one of the keys to becoming a forever family.
• There is no truth to the rumor that I am a "squirrel whisper".
• Listening to others is another key to becoming a forever family.   
• I think one of the most difficult things to accomplish regarding vision is to keep it in front of us and not get sidetracked by the "stuff of life".
• We recognized 6 students today, 5 are currently involved in higher Christian Education and one is planning to attend a Christian college in the next two years. I am looking forward to hearing the impact their lives will have in kingdom work.
• I am thankful for the vision of a group of people who planned the Chip 'n' Chew as a way to raise scholarship funds.   

Thank you veterans

Today is Veteran's Day. For some it means a day out of school, the banks are closed and there is no mail delivery. On Veteran's Day our daily routines are interrupted. What we count as routine or what we take for granted is not the norm. Maybe that thought will help us remember how important it is to remember and thank our Veterans today. After all, the truth be told Veteran's Day celebrates the men and women who chose to break up their daily routines and serve our country through military service. Some veterans did more than break up their daily routine, some veterans have had their lives be anything but routine; they wear visible signs of their service; a missing limb, a permanent scar, or a painful memory that haunts them to this day. Others have no visible marks of their service, except the fact that they stand a little taller when they hear the national anthem or they get a little misty eyed when they see the flag flying. 

Today I hope you will take some time to thank the men and women who chose to break up their routine to serve this country. The freedoms we have today are because of the men and women who served yesterday and let us never forget the future veterans, men and women in uniform today serving abroad or here at home. I personally have two men in my family who are veterans; my dad and my brother Robert. I salute these two men for allowing me to enjoy the freedoms I have today. I thank both of them for disrupting their routines and serving our country. 

Now comes the hard part

This past Sunday, the leaders of our church introduced a new vision to our church family. The vision simply states; "[PBCC] Exists to introduce people to God’s grace by growing together as a family and developing our gifts to share the love of Jesus" Our leaders spent a great deal of time crafting and discussing the vision. While we spent time and energy on our vision statement; we all realize now comes the hard part. Fulfilling the vision is where the real work takes place. For it will take work...

• To keep us focused on the vision.
• To keep us from becoming sidetracked.
• To keep us moving forward.
• To keep us pressing on long after the newness wears off.
• To keep us committed to vision when other things call for our attention.
• To keep us from being distracted by the stuff of life.
• To keep us strong when we are weak in the flesh.
• To keep us being the leaders God needs us to be to fulfill the vision.
• To keep us trusting in God when we want to walk by sight rather than walk by faith.

Why are we willing to to go through the hard part of fulfilling the vision - simple; we have a desire to share the love of Jesus with the world. With that goal as our passion, we as leaders know it is worth all the hard work ahead of us. 

Sunday Night Reflections

A few thoughts from an amazing day...

• Presented a new vision this morning for the future of PBCC. Our new vision is "[PBCC] Exists to introduce people to God’s grace by growing together as a family and developing our gifts to share the love of Jesus".
• While we stated a new vision today, I know it will take time for us to fulfill the vision, yet once it is fulfilled I believe we will have a God honoring church.
• What does sharing the love of Jesus mean to you?
• Being a church of grace and family will allow us to share the love of Jesus.
• Relationships are always a priority in God's kingdom.
• Do you ever think of yourself as a bride waiting for the bridegroom - it will really change your perspective on this life
• I am still thinking about Sir Francis Drake's prayer I read this morning - "Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true; because we have dreamed too little, When we arrived safely; because we sailed too close to the shore".
• I was thrilled to hear about one of member's praise report today, God is really doing some good things in her life.
• Heaven gained a saint this week as Palmer Young, former President of Kentucky Christian University passed away. He was truly a gentlemen among preachers.
• Spent some time with some good friends at Florida Christian College Saturday. Some of these friends I have known for over 40 years, they are truly treasures.
• Celebrated my oldest son's 30th birthday today, how can it be that I have a 30 year old son?