Sunday night we held a “Volunteer Appreciation Night“, and it was awesome. The staff team did an incredible job of putting together an unforgettable evening together. We had such a blast together, eating, laughing, singing, and just loving on the volunteers who make PVC happen. I loved that on the night the world was celebrating the grammys, which impact nobody’s life, we were celebrating volunteers who make a difference in the lives of othes on a weekly basis. Some highlights…
Here’s some fun videos you can watch from the evening….
“It’s fun to serve at Palm Valley Church” set to YMCA…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b46E6ge3TaA
Pastor Greg Satellite interview…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vbmVuM3Sjs
Rappin’ Pastors…
Holy cow, what an awesome weekend. I was wiped out Monday, so here’s Tuesday’s cliff-notes from the weekend…
More thoughts coming soon from other events this weekend…
15 years ago ago today I spent my first Valentine’s day with Lori. It was an incredible day, complete with a very creative date I planned to sweep her off her feet. It worked, and soon after we were engaged, then married.
Today, I’m amazed at how “lucky” (read blessed) I am to be married to Lori. Sweetheart…
I can’t believe you chose me, thank you!
You are my cheerleader. There have been many times you were the only one who believed in me, including myself, and your faith caused me to dream bigger than I ever would have without you. Thank you.
Your wisdom has always been right on. You are my greatest advisory. I trust your judgment, because you know me better than anybody, and you listen to the Lord.
You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, and you get more beautiful ever day. I’ll never forget the first moment I laid eyes on you at that prayer meeting.
You’re a blast to be with, you make life fun. I love that we can laugh our way through anything. Sure makes it hard to fight with you
We’ve been through some incredible ups and downs in life. No matter what life has thrown at us, you’ve stuck by me. Thank you.
Thank you for giving me 4 wonderful children, and raising them with such grace and joy.
Your love for the Lord has challenged me.
You’re darn witty
For those reading in on this personal note: I would not be nearly the man, father, or pastor I am today without Lori. There would be no Palm Valley Church without the faith and encouragement she has given. She allowed me to put everything on the line to start PVC, and believed wholeheartedly God was in this (even when I wondered).
To my best friend, Happy Valentine’s Day!
We wrapped up the teaching series Route66 today. It’s kind of an odd “series”, because we’re doing the route66 (Bible reading) all year. We’ll be coming back to the idea about once a month as we continue to “travel across America”. Anyways, here’s some thoughts from the weekend that was…
It’s 2:42 a.m., can’t sleep due to migraines. Could be a long day tomorrow
 That’s all for now. Have a blessed week!
I love Hawaii. Honestly, I do my most creative thinking when I’m staring at the ocean. There’s something about the colors, the waves, sea life, and sun that relax me, and allow me just to think creatively. I’m jealous of Wayne Cordeiro; that he gets to study on the beach. I believe I would write better messages if I spent more time near the ocean!
Here’s a picture of God’s creativity on display Thursday morning…
This closing session was full of worship, and Wayne shared from his heart about what he desires for New Hope Church. It was a great challenge to our team. Some quotes that stood out…
“we’re often more concerned with the absence of problems than we are with the presence of the Lord”.
“we must pray: ‘Lord, please bring your presence to the church.’”
“Lord, our answer is yes! Now, what’s the question”
“a ‘no-heart’ is revealed by a ‘no-face’. What does your face say? Remember, God can do anything!”
The whole DCAT conference was awesome, and very challenging to me both personally and as a pastor. here’s some general observations…
This session was taught by Dr. Paul Risser, former president of the FourSquare church. Dr. Risser and his wife were celebrating their 50th anniversary, how cool is that! He talked about disciple-making in the church. He said discipling is like parenting, you must maintain balance and keep your emotions under control.
Drawing on his vast ministry experience, he encouraged Pastors to disciple the church…
I loved the point about seeing the might and greatness of God. So often Christians substitute order and comfort for the greatness of God, which compels us to live beyond ourselves. I love that the people of Palm Valley are willing to trust God’s power for more that we could accomplish ourselves.
I believe a prostitute would be welcomed in our church, without judgment, but shown the love of Christ. We’re a hospital for sinners, not a resort for saints!
This evening’s service started off with incredible worship led by students (and children) of New Hope. It was off the hook. The talent and giftedness amongst young people at New Hope is unrivaled in any church I’ve ever seen. They had multiple bands, singers, dancers, and drama performers.
It’s obvious New Hope has an amazing commitment to develop the next generation. Every young person at New Hope knows they can use their giftedness in the church right now. This was very challenging to our whole team! It was a great reminder that children aren’t the future of the church, they’re part of the church right now.
Wayne talked in this session about the prophet Samuel annointing young David to be the future king of Israel (1 Samuel 15 & 16). He stated that God is annointing young people, and we need to mentor them.
In Psalm 78:70-72 it is stated that David had integrity of heart (character) and skill of hand (competence). We ought to be looking for these two qualities in young people today. David looked for these qualitites and determined his “30 mighty men” who were his closest friends.
Wayne added that we want people around us who hear from God. He stated that people whom God chooses are difficult to defeat!
In this main sessino, Wayne Cordeiro talked about the culture of a church. It was a great reminder that every church has a culture, and we need to be intentional about deciding what ours will be. A lot of churches try to please everybody, but they end up reaching nobody. It’s like a radio station that tries to play music for everybody, they’ll only end up making everyone angry, and nobody will listen.
Wayne challenged us to create churches that have a culture where people thrive in their life and faith, not die!
New Hope’s Culture:
 Pastors must be proactive to cultivate and protect the culture. When there’s tension, it’s a sign that something needs to be dealt with. Reminders for pastors…