Even though there were more than three hundred people in the first service, it felt like everyone was asleep compared to the energy in the second service.
The message today was from Nehemiah chapter 12, entitled: “Holiness, Happiness, and Worship.” It worked, was timely, and was hard hitting.
A couple of quotes: Holiness always precedes true happiness……The best way to have a happy face is to have a clean heart.
Another quote: The church is made up of people, not territory.
My favorite quote: If you call PCC your church home, then ask yourself this question; Does this church and its programs minister to me and my family and do I have confidence in its leaders? If the answer is yes, then get in, get behind the leadership, and support it with your contributions! And if this church DOESN’T minister to you and your family, and if you don’t have confidence in its leaders, then find yourself a church that does minister to you and whose leaders you can trust, and then do the same thing there that God expects you to do anywhere you attend – get in, get behind the leaders, and support it with your contributions!
This quote stemmed from Nehemiah 12:44b “….. for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.” The people gave – not only because it was a form of worship and because they were commanded by God to do so – but also because they loved their priests and had confidence in their temple ministry.
Next Sunday is the final message to the series. It’s part 10 and we are going to go out with a BANG!
The following Sunday (Oct 17) – before we launch into a new series – I am thinking of sharing a stand-alone message on the topic of Sanctification. The working title right now is, “Justification, Sanctification, and Sex.”
I’ve got a SLAMMED WEEK ahead of me already. I will be involved in a wedding, a jail visit, relationship reconciliation, sermon preparation, building maintenance issues, etc. Emotionally, this yanks me from one extreme to the other.
The sound system was PERFECT today! Monitors were on the floor, fewer singers, good tech team. Awesome.
It looks like we are going to be compelled to buy a new keyboard. Our current keyboard is about to GIVE UP THE GHOST! We might be taking up a special offering for this.
Renae and I have settled into a new rhythm in our relationship. We have established Friday as “date night” for us (sometimes Thursday night). While it sounds clinical, it is important that we have put it into our schedule and have committed to it. By being intentional about our time together, we have discovered that our feelings “follow” our commitment. This is a very important discovery for us.
We found out the hard way that if we wait until we have time to be together, something else will always fill the void. It’s like a vacuum. We are very busy people (by virtue of being in the ministry) and something or someone always needs our attention. If we are not careful, we find ourselves reacting or responding to the latest crisis. So we have wised up and said, “Friday is date night for us. It is a sanctified day, and it is our sanctuary. No one is allowed to intrude. We turn off the phones, go dark on the computer, and spend the evening together. It’s been great. The thing I enjoy most? Being here at the house with her (with the doors locked and the phones off) and spending time in the kitchen together. We’ll get out our chefs knives, cut up vegetables on the cutting board, grill meat on the grill, and spend the time talking as we go all evening long. It’s a great way to connect. Then we’ll light candles, sit at the table and share the meal we have prepared together. It doesn’t get any better than that.
When husbands and wives are together alone in the beauty of holiness, well, that’s as good as it gets.
Changing the subject: I have NO PATIENCE for people who don’t show up at their post of duty on Sunday morning without even so much as a phone call to let someone know. I get it; sometimes mitigating circumstances prevent you from being present and accounted for. But how about a phone call? Your failure to show up (no matter the reason) should not create a crisis for everyone else. You can be removed from the schedule, and that’s just the way it is.
Let me quickly add: 95% of people who serve at PCC are very responsible in this regard and ALWAYS let someone know when they are going to be away. This does NOT go un-noticed on my part and it means a lot to me… and I will remember it at “volunteer appreciation” time.
Some Facebook comments:
Christy Kline says: PCC Kidz was AWESOME today. We learned about temptation and it was fun!! Tempting kids is so fun!! Then service was GREAT!! Pastor Ronnie was on FIRE!!! Pace Community Church is the place to be!!!
Christa Collins says: Home from church.. Ron's message, once again, exactly on point what we needed to hear!!! The music was fantastic and the girls that did the singing were beautiful!!! I love the way God reveals himself to me through others!!!! She also said: I have not needed Church the way I do today, In a long time!!! I need my heart and mind renewed!!! Thank you Jesus for your Mercy and Grace!! I can't wait til 9:30!!!!
Cathy Hall says: Great message this morning Bro. Ron. It blessed my Heart Holiness, Happiness, and Worship. I Love my Church. Great People!
Richelle White says: So after serving one (had a great morning with PCC Lil' Kidz) I had to head to the Airport. Had Church in the car - the CD sermon was amazing! I never expected to do Church the way We Do Church alone. I was truly NOT alone. Our God is an awesome God and PCC rocks!
Denise Yates says: I love that my Father is the God of SECOND CHANCES and DO OVERS. I am so glad that he pours out abundant GRACE and MERCY. I am so thankful that he hears me and responds. I am so thankful that he has blessed me with an amazing church family at Pace Community Church.
Alyssa Schepper says: Missed church today because we were out of town camping. Oddly enough, at 9:30am I was longing to be at PCC worshipping. This week, more than ever, I needed to be surrounded by our church family. Somehow though, I felt comfort knowing that there were people there who were "missing" me too. I am so thankful to have PCC. Thanks Ron and Renae!
Shelby Perry says: I'm so proud of my signers :) Good job this morning ladies. I enjoyed church more today than I have in a LONG time.
I think Shelby Perry absolutely outdid herself today. Not only was she the person in charge of practicing with the team of girls who signed during the song service, but she also stood out as a singing member of the worship team. Not only did she look good by singing confidently and strongly, but she sounded good singing a high tenor harmony part.
Ella McDonald says: This was so great! The youth group is really talented - may they always have a blessed life.
Here’s a thought for a BUMPER STICKER: “If you love Jesus, TITHE! Any fool can honk!”
How about this: Why should God give you a financial miracle if you haven’t stopped making poor choices that will create another crisis of debt?
I overheard a conversation in the hallway today…. a conversation that needs my involvement.
IT SHOULD BE APPARENT that we are making changes in our Sunday morning services. While we have not hit our full stride yet, we are close.
Pace Community Church is a great church. Why? Because it is made of great people and an even greater God.
ed, lifted their hands, and were very demonstrative during the message. There was ENERGY IN THE HOUSE! I don’t know what it is about the people in the second service…. but they’ve got it going on! There is a completely different dynamic in the second service from the first service. It is refreshing to say the least. Attendance is only one third the size of the first service, but you’d never know it. (Click these pictures for an enlarged view, then backspace to return here).
1 comment:
Thank you so much Pastor Ron, I'm blessed to be part of the ministry at PCC. I was so proud of the girls, it really was a project touched by the Lord. Also, the second service WAS off the charts, I may just convert from first to second. It was really that much fun!
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