Sunday Mind Dump - November 14, 2010

• Great day. Solid day. Attendance was a little lower (we were off about 25 people), but still had a pretty full house. The music and worship was excellent – very easy to “enter into.” Giving was solid too – something we are very much in need of as the year comes to an end.
  
  
• Today was the last Sunday that Leaf & Crystal Ballast will be with us. They are moving to Louisiana for a new position at Louisiana State University. Aside from being good friends, they have been an important asset to Pace Community Church. Our loss will be another church’s gain.
  
  
• NEXT SUNDAY’S MESSAGE: WHAT IS GOD’S WILL CONCERNING QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES? Some things in the Bible are not clearly spelled out. Right? We all know that. They fall into a “grey area” or as a “matter of conscience.” So what do we do in these instances? Fortunately, we are not without answers. God’s Word gives us principles for guidance in every situation. You will not want to miss this one!
  
  
• POTLUCK THANKSGIVING DINNER after second service next Sunday. Bring a covered dish and join us. This is a great way to meet new people and get acquainted with others just like yourself.
  
  
• We must be going OLD SCHOOL to have dinner on the grounds. Now all we need is a toe-tapping quartette to complete the picture.
  
  
• In case you don’t realize it, we have some people at Pace Community Church who know how to THROW DOWN in the KITCHEN! Trust me, they do.
  
  
• COMMUNION SERVICE - The Sunday after Thanksgiving. This will be a very special time together. You’ll not want to miss it.
  
  
• I’m thinking about teaching a series after the first of the year entitled, “Doctrine – What Every Christian Should Know.”
  
  
• Next year I am planning teaching series from the books of Job and Esther (OT); a topical series entitled “Toxic” (Toxic Religion, Toxic People, Toxic Relationships, Toxic Words, Toxic Behavior, etc.), and a series from the book of Revelation - “Jesus’ Message to the Church.”
  
  
• We are going to be receiving a SPECIAL END-OF-YEAR CHRISTMAS OFFERING in the month of December. This will fund two things: (1) Enable us to end the year in the black and (2) Underwrite our essential ministries for 2011.
  
  
• I’ll be sharing more about this soon. I will begin by mailing a letter to our entire church family in two weeks that spells it out.
  
  
• In the month of December, we will be moving the offering time to the END of service.
  
  
• A lot of new people have recently plugged in with us. I’m very glad to see this happening. If God is indeed sending these people to our church family they will be a great help to us. This is very encouraging to me because it lets me know that God has not given up on PCC. I look forward to getting to know these people better and making new friends.
  
  
• I am still working on and rewriting Seminar 101 (Discovering the PCC Family). This is no small task. When I originally wrote the seminar (14 years ago) it took me about nine months to complete. That should give you an idea of how labor-intensive this project is. It won’t take that long to rewrite because all the material is not being changed. BUT I CAN’T WAIT until it is finished and we can offer it again.
  
  
• Here are some comments from Facebook about TODAY’S SERVICE:
  
  
• Brian says, “Great sermon. That's the bottom line.”
  
  
• Christy says, “CHURCH WAS AWESOME!!! If you were not at Pace Community Church this morning then you missed out. You should come next Sunday at 9:30 or 11! See You there!!!”
  
  
• Alyssa says, “Blessed and thankful for an AWESOME church, PCC, where I get "fed" by the word of God in a practical way every week. This series on God's will is FANTASTIC!”
  
  
• Kimberly says, “Church @ PCC was so awesome. Knowing God's Will and being in it is my absolute first priority!”
  
  
• Shelby says, “Church was great.”
  
  
• Cathryn says, “Church was great.”
  
  
• Lorraine says, “Preaching was powerful, worship Spirit filled, and fellowship uplifting! Thankful for God's blessings!!”
  
  
• Terri says, “That preaching was amazing. Pastor Ron's tells it like it is. No sugarcoating going on there. Love it.”
  
  
• Sherri O. says, “Today's service was a huge blessing in my life! The whole "Discovering God's Will" series has been awesome. I have the first two CD's if anyone wants to borrow them! Third and last in the series in next Sunday. Join me 9:30am Pace Community Church... I'll show up on time AND save you a seat!”
  
  
• Sherri W. says, “Great start to the week. Church was wonderful. God's Will for my life.”

• I had no idea that this message series would resonate with so many people in the way it has. Only God can do this.

• As a pastor I just love it when I see so many happy, fulfilled family members. There are so many churches that are filled with so much junk (conflict, power struggles, backroom conversations, politics, disunity, etc) that make it a pure grief to belong to. But PCC is much different – for this I am very grateful.
  
  
• There is no better feeling than seeing a vision God has given becoming a reality.
  
  
• Since Renae and took our vacation in mid-October I have felt better about PCC and myself than I have in a very long time. A certain “balance” has come back to me. Three years ago we had our ten year hiccup. This event was filled with a lot of junk that occupied an inordinate amount of my attention and energy. Yet, in spite of that unpleasant experience our church continued to grow...but without any additional staff. As a result I became overwhelmed by being spread too thin and often felt like I was drowning. Since our vacation, however, I have had the energy to dive head first into some matters that need to be addressed. There is still a lot that needs to be done but the important thing is the fact that it is BEING done… one step at a time. I’m not going to get ahead of myself, nor will I allow anyone to push me too quickly. GOD IS IN THIS WORK so I am confident that our best days are ahead of us.
  
  
• Aside from recovering my personal energy and focus, the other thing that is most encouraging to me is the cadre of leaders who are stepping up. A lot of people have risen to the challenge in the last couple of years. This too is very encouraging to me. I’ve got my eye on a handful of people who (I think) might make a big difference in the future of our church.
  
  
• There is a great vibe at PCC. You can just feel it. There is a certain momentum that is building.
  
  
• I enjoyed sitting with the teenagers on the front row today during music time.
  
  
• We have a changing church because we are growing in maturity. But in other ways we should NEVER change. Specifically, we should never lose our willingness to see unchurched and irreligious people come to Christ. The MISSION of PCC is to MAKE DISCIPLES and it BEGINS with REACHING the LOST.
  
  
• I love seeing our church family being faithful to God in their FINANCES. As with any church finances are usually tight. There are ministries to fund, building maintenance issues that need to be addressed, administrative supplies that need to be purchased, and congregational care that needs to be provided. I am thankful that some people at PCC understand this and really step up.
  
  
• Can I say something? The volunteers at PCC make this church happen. Without you we would go under. Plain and simple.
  
  
• Our hospitality team makes some of the best coffee in town.
  
  
• I have been to the movie theater in a long time. Any recommendations on a good movie to watch?
  
  
• Thanksgiving is getting close. I’m going to eat a ton of food. Looking forward to cooking the turkey this year. I’ve got some ideas.
  
  
• I’m a pretting decent cook. Don’t believe me? Ask my wife. But still, she is a better cook than I am. I don’t know how to bake anything. She does. But I do a pretty good job of grilling, smoking, and kettle-type dishes. I can make some pretty mean buffalo wings too.
  
  
• I’m looking forward to the holidays. In fact, I’m already getting into “holiday mode.” It feels good. I think we’ll have company over for a few holiday parties.