Identity Theft

Did you know that approximately 15 million people in the United States have their identity stolen each year.

There are people out there who want to be you!

Seems ironic considering we spend so much of our time and energy trying to be someone else ... or maybe a few somebody elses.

We see all the molds out there of people we would like to be that we try to shape ourselves in their image.  We buy clothes to shape our image, we change our personalities to be like others.  We devote ourselves to becoming who we think others want us to be.

The problem I see with this is that when we are doing this - trying to shape ourselves into some other image, some other group, some other niche - what we are really doing is throwing away our identity.

Scripture teaches, that God created us - and we were made in His image. (Genesis 1:27).  Our identities and our personalities at their best are a reflection of who He is.

This month some of our Jr. High students are going to be digging in deeper to the issue of "Identity" - they are going to be looking at and asking questions about "Who did God made me to be?"  I'm excited for them, and my greatest prayer is that they wouldn't throw their God given identity away - or allow someone to steal it.

 

My hope is that they will discover how God has made them and shaped them - so that they can make a difference in this world, and the Kingdom of God.  I pray that we can all do the same.

You Were Never Meant to Live Alone

Contrary to what our culture might tell us ...

you were never meant to live alone.
 

At PCC we believe that God created each and everyone of us for relationships.  The most important of those relationships, being our relationship with Him.

But we were also made for relationships with one another, and at times it can be hard to navigate the ups and downs of sharing life with other human beings who at times can be just as broken as we are.

Next month our High School students will start to dig into what the Bible says about friendships, in a series called:  "Friends Don't Let Friends".

As I have been preparing for this I stumbled across a great list of Top 10 Qualities of a Good Friend, check these out:

1.  Honesty
2.  Loyalty
3.  Supportiveness
4.  Good Listener
5.  Reliability
6.  Humorous
7.  Forgiving
8.  Caring
9.  Acceptance
10. Respectable

Proverbs 12:26 says, "The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray" (NLT).  So what advice would you give for being a good friend.  What are the "Top Qualities" you look for in your closest friends?

What is ONE80 ?

I'm very excited about something new that will be happening here at PCC - and it starts TONIGHT!

 

We call it ONE80 - and it is the ministry to our 6th, 7th & 8th grade students.

 

You might think I'm crazy to be excited to spend my Wednesday nights with Jr. High students. But I'm not crazy - I can't think of a better way to spend my time.

 

The awesome thing is - I'm not the only one who feels this way - so do a large group of other adults (check them out here).  So I am really excited to start working with them and hanging out with students each week, as we all journey together, digging deeper into God's Word - figuring out what it means to truly follow Jesus.

 

So what is ONE80 ?

 

ONE80, comes from the concept in the Bible called repentance. In Acts 3:19, we are instructed to “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

 

True repentance is best described by this turning idea. It’s not just about stopping the wrong thought, attitude, or behavior, but it’s about where we turn. ONE80 is about making that turn, it’s about moving the opposite direction, toward right thought, attitude, or behavior. Ultimately this 180 degree turn is about making a decision not to live for ourselves but to live for the ONE who loves us and created us. 

Everything we do at ONE80 is geared towards helping students understand how to actively pursue the right things. Our teaching is relevant and timely, addressing any issues or questions that students have about life. 

I hope and pray that you will come and check us out (especially if you are a 6th, 7th or 8th grader / but even if you are an adult looking for a place to serve) and experience for yourself just what goes on at ONE80!

 

We hope to see you each Wednesday from 6:30-8:30pm @ PCC!

 

 

Need a Check Up?

I hope you are feeling well.

I hope you are not coughing or sneezing.

I hope you can breathe deep enough so you can sleep through the night.

I hope you don't have shooting pain behind your eyes and ears.

I hope as you are reading this you feel perfectly well and whole .... because I don't.


I have been feeling "under the weather" for over 2 weeks, and it's incredible to believe that I am still functioning.  I have been stubbornly confident that I could beat this virus ... but the rumors are true - I have failed.

And after much advice from my mother, my wife, my co-workers, my friends, and yes even my dog - I went to the doctor yesterday.  I spent about 30 minutes talking with my physician, explaining my symptoms and letting her run some tests.

I was grateful when she knew quickly what was wrong with me and sent a prescription to the local pharmacy.  While I was waiting to get my prescription filled it got me thinking about how important it is for us to spend time with a physician when we aren't feeling well.  They are able to assess the situation and have the authority to give us what we need in order to feel better.

I guess that's why we are supposed to get regular check ups -  to make sure that everything is going well.  My problem is that sometimes I'm stubborn and think I can do it on my own.  But in reality I need someone else's advice, expertise, and support. 

The same is true about our spiritual lives.  We need regular heart check ups.  We need the advice, expertise, and support of others.  I love what the author of Hebrew says in his letter (10:25), "Let us not give up on meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another..."

It's easy to drift off into our own thing.  There are plenty of distractions, plenty of other things to take our time, our energy and our focus.  But let's not give up on meeting together - let's get together and encourage one another.  Let's dig into God and His word and find the prescriptions for how to live the abundant life He created for us.

That's why I love that we continue to "get together" in the Student Ministry each week.  It truly is encouraging.

I hope we will see you in the coming weeks, for High School Students (9th-12th) we meet from 6-8pm on Sunday nights, and for Jr. High Students (6th-8th) we meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30pm.  We hope to see each of you feeling healthy and ready to share life together!