This Weekend WAS aweseome!

Man, I woke up Saturday sick as a dog (more on that later).

We concluded our series on Forgiveness this weekend, and God showed up in a big way.  The message was “Livin’ Forgiven”, and the crux was that we should apply the forgiveness Christ has given us to every area of our life, and that we should live differently in this world. 

I came out wearing a bathing suit and t-shirt, fully drenched.  As the message unfolded i talked about what it meant to be baptized: to affirm our decision for Christ, to identify with Him, and to declare to the world that we are living “on mission” for Him.

At the end of the message I invited anyone who has received Christ as Savior, but not been baptized, to follow me to the patio and we would baptize them.  It was so awesome to watch as 79 people followed me out and got baptized.  It was so cool to do baptism on the patio right after services, because everyone in the church family got to stay and celebrate!

The Holy Spirit was really moving, and the response from our body was awesome!  I really sense God is up to something big at PVC.

 

Thankful for our church family

As you’ll see in the post below, yesterday after church, my son (and other pastors kids) were involved in a car accident.  As Lori and I got the call we were pretty freaked out.  As we drove the scene, we saw fire trucks and ambulances.  Our hearts sank.

We were so relieved to find that everyone was safe. I was so thankful that the 3 cars behind Julie were all families from Palm Valley.  Huge thanks to Mike and Nancy, John and Jamie, and Carlos, who all stopped and cared for our children.

It meant so much to me that in my son’s fear, he found comfort and love from familiar faces. That means alot to me, and I know Dave and Mark feel the same way. 

I love being a part of such an awesome church family!!

This Weekend Will Be Awesome

I’m so pumped for this weekend at Palm Valley.  We’re wrapping up the Forgiveness series with what i think will be an extremely meaningful service.  We’ll be closing each service with baptism on the patio.  If you have not been baptized as a follower of Christ, i encourage you to make this YOUR WEEKEND!

Also, just a heads up. I told you Easter weekend i would be wearing something you’ve never seen me in, and i broke out the sportscoat.  I’m warning you: this weekend i’ll be wearing something i guarantee you’ve never seen a preacher wear, let alone me. 

Make sure you get there early, we’re starting this weekend out differently, and it’s going to be very cool!  See you this weekend as we talk about “living wet”.

Keep It Simple

One of my core beliefs is to keep Palm Valley Church focused on the main thing.  We keep our calendar simple.  I believe this allows people to focus on the main things in their life, and not running them ragged with events.

As I study Scripture, I see that God wants us to spend time with Him daily for Bible study and prayer, worship with our Church family weekly, and meet together in homes regularly for support, growth, praying for each other and encouragement.  This is what we do at PVC.  

Too many Christians, and churches, fill up their calendars with superfluous stuff (often good) that crowds out the essentials that God wants us to do.  Before we know it, we’re too busy for our daily quiet time, weekly worship with our church family, or regularly gathering with our Home Team.

I get emails/calls/questions every week about retreats/conferences/gatherings that people want our church to advertise.  Let me tell you, we could easily advertise 20-25 big conferences per year.  A lot of churches do this, and they forfeit the momentum of their church for these events. It has also created a culture of Christians who are looking for the “next spiritual high” to carry them through.

I know this is controversial, but hear my heart.  We don’t need to send 100 of our people to a conference to grow in their faith.  We do 52 big events a year, we call them our weekend services. 

When people want to go to a conference, I say feel free.  But we won’t advertise an event that competes with our weekend service.  I believe if we as Christians will focus on daily time with God, weekly worship with the body, and regularly meeting in Home Teams, we will see maturity developed in our walk.

There’s a ton of good things out there, but i think we ought to focus on the great!  God is doing a great work at Palm Valley, let’s not sell it out for the good.  Spend time alone with Christ today.  Gather with your Home Team.  Make sure you’re there this weekend as we worship together and celebrate baptism with a ton of new believers!

I can’t wait to see you this weekend!  I love being your pastor!

Forgiveness — Livin’ Forgiven

This series has been so incredible. I’m amazed at how every one of us is touched by unforgiveness.  It’s been so cool for me to see God at work in this teaching.

This weekend we’ll be wrapping up the series with a message titled “Livin’ Forgiven”.  I’ll be talking about how we can live in the forgiveness Christ has given us, and continue to unleash forgiveness in our relationships with others.

Believe me, you don’t want to miss this weekend at Palm Valley, it’s going to be historic.  At the end of each service, we’ll be doing baptism on the patio.  If you’ve invited Christ into your life, but haven’t yet been baptized as a believer, I encourage you not to wait any longer. Plan now to get baptized this weekend. Bring your swimsuit and towel and get dunked.

This is also the first time in two years that I will be doing all of the baptisms. I’m hoping to baptize over 100 people this weekend.  Baptism is the first test of obedience for a new Christian, it identifies us with Christ. Do not wait any longer to take this incredible step.  This is your weekend.  See you in the water!!!

 

PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR

As a pastor, I covet the prayers of the people at Palm Valley.  As I’ve said, we’re in this together. A guy I dig in ministry, Perry Noble from NewSpring Church in Andersen, South Carolina, did a great post on how to pray for your pastor.

I encourage you to read it.  You can find it here

Thanks in advance for praying for me!

Work hard, have fun

Being on the praise team is tough. These guys and gals put in a ton of hours preparing each week, and are there from from 3:00 pm Saturday until 1:00 pm Sunday. They’re in the spotlight, leading our church in worship, and I know they feel the pressure sometimes.  Especially when it’s not all coming together as they hoped.  The cool thing is, God always takes their best efforts and uses them! That’s why it’s all about Him, not about us.

Sunday night we had a party for the praise team. Lori and I were so glad to join them for the evening, and it was a blast!  It was fun to just hang out and laugh together.  The wiffle ball game was a blast, thanks for throwing 7,000 pitches to my boys; they had a great time and fell asleep on the way home.  It’s obvious you all love the Lord, and love each other, it’s infectious!

Thanks to Jan Lane (volunteer coordinator) for putting the party together, and thanks to Pablo and Karen for opening your home and hosting. Joshie cried the whole way home, he wanted to stay and live at “miss K’s” house!

Forgiveness works

It’s been so cool to watch people unleash forgiveness in their lives during this series. So many have let go of the baggage; the guilt, shame, anger, and bitterness that keeps us living in the past.  I’ve seen the Holy Spirit changing hearts the last 3 weeks, moving people from the bondage of unforgiveness into the freedom that Christ purchased for us.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  Romans 12:18

 

I firmly believe one of the toughest applications of the Christian faith is forgiveness. We’ve all blown it, and we’ve all been hurt by others.  When we receive God’s forgiveness, release those who have hurt us, and make amends with those whom we’ve injured, it truly shows that Christ lives in us.  Let’s be people who make peace, who lift up the name of Christ, and show that we are Christians by our love.

Weekend Reflections

This weekend was incredible!  It’s hard to pin down just one thing that made the weekend; it was really a total team effort.  Palm Valley Church has been hitting on all cylinders the last few weeks, and God’s blessing big time.  Here’s some things I noticed this weekend…

The safety team has really stepped up.  This weekend I saw yellow shirts everywhere.  The safety team ensures that everything happening on campus is above board, and they’re doing a great job.  It’s cool to see couples serving together!

The greeting team and worship hosts.  All I can say is, red shirts and smiling faces all over the place.  There’s no way anybody can come to PVC and say they weren’t warmly greeted.

Praise Team. You guys rocked this weekend, all 3 services!  You came prepared and had your hearts ready to lead the body into the presence of God.  THANK YOU.

Fresh Start Team.  People are coming to the table after every service, and you’re helping them with that next step in their journey with Christ.  Thanks for caring for them and connecting them into discipleship.

There’s so many more I could mention, and I will in coming blogs.  Please know that if you serve in any capacity at Palm Valley, you’re making a difference in people’s lives! God is using you to impact the west valley.  I’m proud of you, and love serving alongside you!