I have been sick for a full seven days now. It has not been pleasant. That’s why there has been a slow-down on my blog. I’ve been too weak to think of anything to write.
Man, am I sick.
Yesterday took a lot out of me. Preaching two services each week is physically exhausting, but it especially took its toll yesterday. Not a good thing to do when I’m already weak. I got home yesterday and was wasted. I felt like a zombie all day.
Church was good yesterday… about 450-something in attendance. We were a little lower than the previous week – probably due to the raining weather, sickness, and the holiday weekend.
The message yesterday was different, but good. i.e., “No Longer Enslaved to Sin” based on Romans 6. I could tell people were thinking hard about some of the statements I was making. That’s always a good thing.
We learned about positional truth and experiential truth. We also learned the difference between legal obedience and loving obedience.
Apparently the message was a big hit – given that (about) fourteen people told me so, and given the number of CDs we sold. One lady came up to me after service (looked to be in her 30s), tugged on my arm and said, “I’ve got to tell you. Something got hold of my husband today. He never cries, but he cried all through the sermon.” I looked over at him (we were in the atrium now) and his eyes were still red and swollen. FYI, this man is in the military - special forces commando type – a real hard-charger – yet his heart is being soften by the Holy Spirit and Word of God. This never gets old.
I had another conversation in the atrium after the second service….. with a crack pot.
Some quotes from the message:
- For sin shall NOT have dominion over you. Either that statement is true, or either it is not true. If it is true, then it means exactly what it says.
- You don’t have to sin every day. If you do, sin dominates you.
- There are some things God wants me to know. And there are some things God wants me to do.
- God wants me to “consider” myself dead to sin. This requires faith.
- The same faith you used to believe John 3:16 is the same faith you use to believe Romans 6:11 and Romans 6:14 – that’s how these positional truths become a reality in your life.
- Loving obedience, though often defective, is nevertheless the kind of obedience God accepts.
- God is looking for the constant flow of my heart. That’s what He measures me by.
The Signs of Life special offering has gone very well. We have one more Sunday and I will be making a final appeal to close the gap. Up to this point it has been a huge success. We are now in a much better position to plan our ministry initiatives knowing that the funds are there. Wow!
We have some great ideas planned for this year.
Small groups begin Feb.15. We have a couple of new groups and group leaders this time around. Another good thing.
I’m thinking of leading a group myself.
We are thinking of having a choir on Sunday mornings – for about four weeks. This choir would not sing special choir numbers, rather would be like a large backup worship team. We are now looking for choir risers to put on the platform against the back wall - something big enough to hold about twenty-five people. This choir would simply sing with the worship team the songs we already know. This would be a win-win for everyone. The “fun factor” would be off the chart for those who got to be in the choir. The “visual element” would inject some newness and freshness into the Sunday services. Plus, it would include a lot more people into a “participation role” which is always a good thing. I think this would ROCK.
If this happens, it will happen before Easter. If it works successfully, we can do it two-three times a year. Oh yea.
The DNA of PCC runs deep... Consider the following:
A family that has recently started attending PCC (about 3 weeks now) is so excited about our church that the wife in this family told Renae that she is inviting everyone she knows to come check us out. She said she has literally invited every person she knows or comes into contact with. I think her exact words were, “I wish I had known about this church before; it is the best thing going in the area.” I would not be surprised if five or six new families started attending with us because of this enthusiastic evangelist. It's not about us - it's what God is doing among us that makes the difference.
A phone call out of the blue. Last Thursday we received a phone call out of nowhere. The man on the other end of the line said he was going through a terrible divorce and he recognized he needed to get in church and find a church family. Question: Why would God lead him to call us of all churches? This is God at work. BTW, he was at church yesterday. I met and talked with him.
Check back every day. I'm back in the game. Besides, I feel a creative burst coming on.