Here's some of what has been going on at PCC the last three months:
- One couple has saved their marriage by the power of Christ. I do not exaggerate when I say they were at the breaking point. IE, Drug abuse, police involvement, divorce lawyers, the works! Now they are in love again, active in church each Sunday and participating in a small group together!
- Another couple in our church had separated and divorced. Now they have remarried, are in love again, and sitting in church together! Oh yea, they are active in small groups.
- I attended a men’s group Wed. night. Our topic of discussion was on friendship (from the Sunday sermon). One of the men shared a personal story about a recent cancer surgery he faced. His eyes filled with tears as he recounted certain friends that were with him during that time.
- There is a man in our church who is a commercial airline pilot. His normal route-of-travel takes him to Rome Italy. Just this week, on Monday, he was sitting in St. Peters Square, the Vatican, in Rome Italy, reading his small group lesson in preparation for being in my wife’s small group this Wednesday night! Can you believe it? Here’s a guy sitting on a park bench in Rome Italy reading his small group lesson because he knows he’s going to be back in Santa Rosa County Florida on Wednesday. God has to be moving.
- One lady received an invitation card in the mail from our church back in December. She started coming to PCC. The Lord impressed her to invite her neighbor to come. She did. He started coming, then committed his life to Christ, got off drugs, and has landed a new job. God delivers and God prospers!
- Another gentleman, an elderly man, was recently widowed. He has been sad and lonely. But he started coming to PCC. Now he’s finding friendship, fellowship, and the love of Christ to be real. His heart is opening and is very responsive to the possibility of God.
- New volunteers are signing up each week for places of service. These are people who are happy, enthusiastic, and a joy to serve with. They are so gifted that I just know (deep down) they are going to do great things for PCC. God has sent us these people.
- One small group leader told me how much his heart is growing in fondness for his group members. Even more than the curriculum they are discussing, he enjoys the people in his group.
- Every single Sunday people commit their lives to Jesus Christ! Every single Sunday. It's not about me. It's about God and the people He is sending to this church - He sends lost people to those places where He knows they will find compassionate help.
- One lady was praying for her husband to find work. Within two weeks her prayers were answered. A mini-miracle in today's economy.
- One person wrote this in a letter to me - "I reached a place where I knew I needed to commit my life to Christ. I began reading the Bible and listening to the Word more. I found out the more I learned the more I wanted to know. I was going through a rough time in my life but began making changes. I started to 'clean house.' Eventually I committed my life to Christ. I could then sense my life turning around, and awesome changes were taking place. I realize now that these changes are from God's grace and mercy. I thank God for PCC being such an intricate link to my new life in Christ. I look forward to a long, fruitful journey."
Friends, this is only the tip of the ice-berg. What God is doing in our church right now is amazing. There are scores, I mean scores, of other people who have similar stories. I am now actively searching for these life-change stories and will tell you about as many of them as possible.
Life-change is the best advertisement a church has. Any church that has marriages being put back together, souls saved, drug addicts delivered, prayer answered, and lives changed is a church that will never hurt for growth. In fact, you'll have to close the doors to keep from growing!
Can you believe what God is going to do? My faith meter is pinging in the red zone right now.