Green Light!

IT IS A GO!
Do whatever you must to get to church.
Cancel your vacation, Bum a ride from Pam in her new car. Let Seth give you a ride on his stick horse. Get your gludious maximus out of the rack. Fish some other day. Shorten 18 to 9. Pretend Jesus is preaching.
This is going to be off the chain. I promise you will remember this weekend for years to come and yes I just said years.
Our leaders are sworn to secrecy so don't ask them.
EVERYBODY will be blessed!
This will change our church and our city.
This is personal.
God will be glorified.

Excited!

Every once in a great while I will have trouble sleeping. All other nights under a strobe light on an active runway would be a fine place to get a sound nights sleep.  Last night was one of those not so good sleeping nights.  At 1:32 am, tired of not being tired, I got up, took a christian narcotic (tylenol pm for those who would freak out if I didn't explain), got the laptop, went into the family room, grabbed a blanket, turned on the tv and fell asleep on the floor somewhere around 2:30. Seth made sure I was up promptly at 7am!  Here is the deal - I know why I couldn't sleep - my mind was travelling at the speed of light!  Over what you ask? A BHAG - BHAG is a big hairy audacious goal. Today, I had several more conversations around this BHAG and unless God throws it in reverse we are about to majorly embrace one of our core values - Always Push the Envelope (FAITH). I love doing things that are destined for failure without divine intervention!!

Last week I ran 3.5 miles and thought I was going to die. Today I ran 9 miles, the time flew by and ten minutes after the run I felt like a milllion dollars. Why you ask? Today while I was running I spent the 1hour 25minutes mostly thinking about the BHAG! BHAG's will keep you up at night and simultaneously cause you to feel like an Olympic Runner.

I will perhaps give a little insight into the BHAG throughout the week. Tomorrow our staff will drill down on the specifics. ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS IT LOOKS LIKE YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS WEEKEND!!!

I really appreciate the faith, service and leadership of our Elders and Finance Team!

First Day Mind Dump

  • Seeing people get saved never gets old!
  • A number of people trusted Christ this weekend - some great stories attached to each of those lives!
  • I have LOVED this series on the names of God!
  • Sensing tremendous momentum - God is clearly at work.
  • Attendance was tremendous!
  • Had 62 kids in 1st thru 6th at the 10:30 service alone!
  • If you go to 10:30 PLEASE consider the noon service!!!
  • Our volunteers are amazing - tremendous to see so many people serving!
  • This coming weekend is going to be off the chain!!!!
  • I will go ahead and tell you now what we are going to do.  I will be speaking on God our Healer and two men in our church who are surgeons will be joining me in a dialogue on stage. Steve and Darren both love the Lord and are very involved in our church.  We have been preparing for this weekend for a couple weeks - YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!!!
  • If you ever wanted to bring a friend this coming weekend is the time to do it.
  • This afternoon I had the opportunity to teach our Timothy Program.
  • Denise and I then went to eat with the Kidder's.
  • Rick and Robin are phenomenal leaders in our children's ministry. I appreciate what they do for our children and especially what they have done for Seth. 
  • If you have a child(ren) in our children's ministry you are very fortunate! All of our workers are phenomenal and they really love our kids!
  • Our Elder Team is talking about doing something unprecedented in the history of our church and it would involve everybody. What we are talking about is so mammoth that I don't even know what to really say. I am praying and we will see what happens.
  • Cowboys won, I'm tired, have a good week!

Good Quote

I read a blog post by Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church in North Carolina, thought it was very good so here it is:

You can measure the value that you place on a relationship by the level of discomfort you are willing to engage to make that relationship the best it can possibly be.

The absence of tension and conflict is not the mark of a healthy relationship any more than the absence of heavy breathing and muscle fatigue is the mark of an effective exercise program.
The most fulfilling and productive relationships in my life all have one thing in common:
I have initiated or endured very difficult conversations and adjustments along the way to make the relationship what it is.
And the relationship is what it is-not in spite of the hard things-but because of the hard things.

Jesus modeled this when he asked Peter-not once…not twice-three times:
“Do you love me?”
If Peter was going to be the starting pitcher on opening day (Pentecost), he had to be weighed and measured first.  Jesus valued Peter enough to speak acutely to his pain and disappointment.  Peter leaned into the discomfort.  As a result, he was able to lead the charge to change the world.  Well worth the pain, I bet.

Do you value the key relationships in your life enough to engage extreme discomfort to keep correct alignment?

Sunday is Coming

Looking forward to another weekend.  We will be looking at another passage where God revealed a little more about Himself to Abraham. If you want to get ahead and try to figure out a little bit about what I might share then read Genesis 22. We will also be communicating the names of God in a way yet to be seen at Parkview.  Our children's ministry kicks off a brand new series and the set design is awesome!  This will be a great weekend to bring a friend.

Today's Agenda:

  • Meet with my assistant, Pam
  • Clean off my desk
  • Meeting with those in benevolence and food pantry
  • Eat leftover chineese dish my wife made
  • LIFE group leader meeting tonight
  • Some sermon planning for January
  • My weekly long run - had my bannana and oatmeal to prepare
  • Return a couple phone calls
  • A little administrative work

Have a God-filled day!

Real Men....

The single greatest thing that has made a difference at Parkview in recent days is the emphasis we have placed on leading, challenging, developing, guiding and mentoring men.  I have often said that the church never rises above the level of the families that make up the church. I still believe that, now more than ever and I am realizing how to raise the levels of the families -- MEN! As we take men to new levels there are many obstacles to overcome - to name a few, men are.....:
  • Hard headed
  • Control freaks
  • Spiritually shallow
  • Genitalia driven
  • Work focused
  • Conversationally absent
  • Undeveloped boys
  • Role model-less
  • Emotionally challenged
  • just to name a few
That is what men are often like when a passionate relationship with Christ is absent.  But when they are ignited about following Christ and loving their families, all of the above mentioned struggles can be overcome. They discover Philippians 4:13! The definition of an authentic man, according to Men's Fraternity is - reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously and look for the greater reward, God's reward.  Many men at Parkview are embracing this challenge!  In fact, some men have spent 3 years pursuing the man who God wants them to be - men, I am PROUD OF YOU - GOD HAS GREAT PLANS FOR YOU!!!
I appreciate the fact that our elder team is more committed than ever to continue seeing that we invest strategically in men. As I mentioned briefly in yesterday's post, we are looking at adding one more way to raise up warriors for Christ.
We have some ideas but need your input. Please help me think through this! We are thinking about getting around 10 mentors (+/-) to partner with 1 or 2 mentorees each. The men would then journey together for a set time and in that time go through a book or two - Point Man, Man in the Mirror, etc....... Help me
  • Would you want to be the mentor/coach?
  • Would you want to be the mentoree/player?
  • How often would you want to meet?
  • What would your expectations be?
  • How long would you want to stay connected - 6 months, 12 months, etc..
  • What are the challenges we would face?
Be a part of helping us develop our strategy - please!

The Secret Service, CIA and Elders

I heard Karl Rove on the radio this morning talking about transitioning the White House from one President to another.  He said it was President Bush who changed the law that now allows for 100 members of the Pesident-elect's transition team to get security clearance immediately upon winning the election. Rove said this allows the team to hit the ground running and totally up to speed come inauguration day, as opposed to begin the process on January 20th.  One of the things Rove said was that the "100" learn "the White House secrets". Man- would I ever love to learn those secrets-  they really do exist! Denise's cousin Todd is a secret service agent and has been so for probably 10 years. Todd worked at the White House for a number of years and is now at the ranch in Crawford, TX and will stay with Bush after his presidency ends.  From talking to Todd, I know there are secrets and the are still that, secrets.

When I was a kid I equated the church deacons (for us elders) as the ones who carried all the secrets.  Maybe you have felt that way about church leaders in the past.  Obviously there are some things that we discuss privately and for good reason, but there really aren't any "secrets".

Last night our elder team met for almost 5 hours and here are some of the things we talked about:
  • Updating our purchasing policies and procedures - our new financial assistant, Diane Tweet, is doing a super job and this will simply enhance her ability to manage under the direction of our finance team and elders.  I am also thankful for the good stewardship of our staff!
  • We approved a sale of a $6,000 lot we own out in Daytona North.  It was donated to us and we are tired of paying taxes on it!
  • We developed a plan that will make prayer counselors available after each service. These counselors will be available at the front of the worship center to pray with those who would request prayer.
  • We spoke briefly about the proposals we are receiving in connection to our site development and building construction. We are trying to develop a plan for '09 in light of our priorities and the economy - the whole time recognizing God is in control.
  • We evaluated and celebrated the success of our mentoring process, The Timothy Program.
  • We discussed and agreed on a new way to mentor men in 2009.
  • We made some final updates to the bylaws before we send them to our accountant and attorney. We want to get the ammended bylaws to our congregation as soon as possible. These bylaws needed updating simply because they were written before our church ever existed.
  • We talked about how we are doing as a team. We have been on an incredible journey as a team now for about 2 years.  How are we doing based on definition and expectation.  In other words, Scripture defines the elder role - how are we doing and how are we doing in light of our own expectations.  We had a good talk about this and will discuss it more next time.
I won't be giving you our agenda every time but I simply wanted you to understand just a little bit about what we do.
You computer will self destruct upon the closing of this TOP SECRET document!

Misc. Mind Dump

  • I am a blessed man
  • Had a phenomenal weekend at church!
  • We were not planning on giving an invitation - glad we did!
  • Victories were won as people lifted the banner of Jehovah Nissi
  • So enjoyed preaching Exodus 17
  • Loved talking about our President elect Obama and our responsibilities as Christians!
  • The 10:30 service was jammed - will some of you please try one of our other 3 services?.
  • Met several new friends
  • Our people are so bringing people to church with them!! Modern missionaries.
  • God is building his church.
  • Great worship - video reading and sax solo were tremendous!
  • Had leftovers for lunch and they weren't worth writing home about. Craving something, not sure what.
  • Seth and I went to a hunter's bbq in west volusia county on Friday night. It was at a community center and it was delicious. Wish I had a piece of that yellow cake I bought at the bake sale table.
  • Have an all staff 1/2 day training session on Tuesday. Good time for team building!
  • Have an elder meeting on Monday night. Really appreciate the ministry and service of these men.
  • Trying to decide what I want to do tonight.
  • Ran 4 miles last night and am looking forward to my next half-marathon on Thanksgiving.
  • Dolphins just beat the Seahawks, can't say I really care. The Jags game was a blow out - not much on worth watching right now.
  • A couple of our people were blessed occupationally this week - ptl.
  • Let's have a good week of quiet time with God. It will guide us daily and bring us back to celebrate next weekend.
  • Talked to 2 families who were really ministered to this week by our Pastoral Care team.
  • Have a great night.
  • Going to raid the halloween candy - not sure who, but somebody has eaten most of the good stuff!

7 Days Later

It was this time last week that a family in our church was blessed full tilt!  I put out the need to save a family from eviction and so many of you were blessed to the point of being able to step forward.  We raised more than the needed amount and already others have been helped also.  Below is the thank you note from the family that was able to stay in their home.

  Dear Pastor Greg and The Parkview Family,

     Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for you.  We thank God for you always.  This past week we have been truly amazed by your generosity.  God is faithful and we knew He would prove once again to be El Shaddai (The all-sufficient source of our blessings) and Jehovah Jireh (Our Provider).  He did that through you and we feel so loved and are so thankful to be part of this family.

     Just as God has blessed us through you, we look forward to being a blessing to others.  We pray that this will be an encouragement to others who are struggling.  God will provide at just the right time.  He will do it differently for all of us but He is faithful so stand firm in your faith and trust Him.  For those of you who have been so generous I pray that God will bless each of you in a special way.

     Thank you again for your amazing gift and to God be the glory!

A Thankful Parkview Family

To our church family I would like to add how very thankful I am for your generosity. To God be the Glory!!!!

Severino!

I must make the next trivia much harder or is it simply my readers are much more intelligent than I?!
  • First Place - Sev Tamayo - Let me just say that Sev is a beautiful man and highly intelligent.  He has an amazing wife and the most gorgeous kids a man could ever want. Sev is multi-talented and multi-faceted.  He has much experience in the food industry but just for kicks he became a bank manager about a year ago.  When it comes to head ushers, he is the finest - reliable, dependable, helpful, perceptive and compassionate. Sev also looks very cool on his motorcycle! These are blogging accolades and Sev I will look for my Washington.
  • Honorable Mention - Bill Edwards - nice man. LOL! Sorry Bill, it was second place.
I will be posting something later today or this evening that you will DEFINITELY want to read!!!!!!!

Get ahead and get a hint


Two Things
  • This weekend I will be speaking from the latter part of Exodus 17. I want to encourage you to read the entire chapter and "get ahead" for the weekend. It is a great read and we will unpack it and apply it this weekend.  After reading - what is the name of God we will be studying?? The music is going to be awesome, there will be a powerful reading and I will be __________.
  • Here is a little blog trivia for you today.  The first one to get the answer correctly will receive all kinds of blog accolades.  Here it is: she, shy, shade, sheep, brush, fresh, this, that, then, of, do.  One hint: weekly. No correct answer and there will be another hint midday. This is an I.Q. test for my readers.

O.D.ing

I waited to turn the news on until 8:30. Right now I have on FOX News and at the same time I am listening to Flagler County's radio station - 1550am.  In fact, on the radio Andy Dance just gave an acceptance talk. He won a seat on the school board and I understand that he attends Palm Coast Community Church. I wiIl keep all of my political thoughts to myself, we have all heard enough - I am ready for a post-presidential race America tomorrow. I do not know much about this new radio station but I have heard good things. The station approached us about airing our weekend service on Sunday morning in a time slot around 9:00am.
I am tired and am going to call it a night!

Annual Pilgrimage

Tonight Denise, Seth and I made our annual trek to the Volusia County Fair.  It was $12 wristband night and good weather - the only two reasons we needed to have to encourage us to travel to Deland.  On the way through the gate I asked the security guard if they had any fried food for sale.  The fair is heart sludge heaven, I won't even bother to share what we devoured.  It seemed to help my conscience that I ran 8 miles this morning.
We ran into several friends.  Your favorite worship pastor and his family were in attendance. We hung out together towards the end of the evening.  Earlier in the evening we ran into the Proctor family. Dan pastor's Crossroads Baptist in Daytona Beach.  We laughed our heads off for about 30 minutes!!!  His oldest boy, Clint, 19 years old, took Seth and their two younger boys on the Starship 4000 - it is a UFO that spins in circles at a high rate of speed and the whole time you are enclosed inside the UFO.  Clint got off the ride and immediately ran to find a place to throw up. For about 5 minutes it wasn't very funny, then we laughed our heads off some more!
It was a great night out with the family. Seth and Denise are now sound asleep and I am not far behind them.
Has anybody ever been to the state fair that is held in Tampa?

Sunday PM Mind Dump

This weekend I shared the stories behind the amazing victory behind saving a family from eviction.  Let me retell this - when the family gave the landlord the check from the church the landlord was blown away!  The landlord was so moved by the generosity of our church family that she herself was moved to generosity. The landlord took all the late fees from the past year and credited them towards Nov. rent.  When those fees were credited the balance remaining for Nov was $10.00!!  Not only was our church family generous but it also moved a landlord to generosity as well.  In all the services I mentioned that there are still needs out there - in one service I said that I had a final notice of an electric bill for a single mom sitting in my office mailbox.  Somebody saw me immediately after that service and cut a check for that electric bill in its entirety - then gave me another check for $100 to help someone else.  That is the church being the church!!!!

Now let me give you my Sunday night mind dump - let me use some key words to help me communicate:
  • Awesome - when you begin to speak of God as He disclosed his heart, character and love in His many names, you immediately see His awesomeness!!
  • Ultra-creative - the students live canvas painting during the song, Your Name, was very moving - our church really responded. I didn't realize in advance how powerful that would be!
  • RIDICULOUS - Having preached my first sermon 25 years ago - I have never seen so many distractions during a single service. Our 10:30 service was ridiculous.  It was a conspiracy - once one person would return and sit down then another person would get up and leave. I am sure we ran out of toilet paper in the bathrooms!  Just imagine if during one of my sermons I said, "excuse me I need to go pee - I will be back in a few minutes".  I am not saying there aren't emergencies, there just shouldn't be 100 in a single service. And the babies - let's just say I could not out preach them! One lady was finally asked to move the side show to the lobby - I heard she was very upset.  I promise you she was not nearly as upset as I was preaching through that circus! Now there is a dose of ticked off honesty.
  • Powerful - God is Almighty and He can use a distraction filled service and speak to hearts and bring life change.
  • Talented - I so appreciate our band using their talents to bring ultimate praise to El Shaddai. Darren, great electric stuff this weekend!
  • High - Our attendance was very good this weekend - don't have any final numbers but we were UP!
  • Spent - A guy who must have been 70 asked me how in the world I preach four weekend services. I love leaving it all on the field for HIM! I have tweaked my schedule so I feel I can even give more!
  • Pumped - So looking forward to the next four weeks in our series, HELLO, My Name is God!!!!
  • Touched - God spoke to hearts and in every service people responded to the public response time that we offered.
  • Encouraged - We have some new families in our church that really have the gift of encouragement - THANKS!
  • Love - It seems as if every week I love pastorig Parkview more then I did the week before!
  • Be Blessed and have a great week!

God Answers Prayer

Just a quick post and a whole lot of praise to God!

It is just before the noon deadline for the help that was needed - see posts below.

As of this moment - Friday 10:20am - God's people have generously responded by teaming together to contribute $2,490.00 - that is $670.00 more than was needed to help save this one family from eviction.  That $670 will be used to help others in crisis.  I have a few really awesome stories to share with this whole event and I will post again probably late tonight when I get a few more minutes.

Parkview family, I am so proud of you and God will honor your generosity!!!!!

Update

I saw a few people tonight who read yesterday's blog.  Each one was so grateful to me for sharing my previous post.  I honestly just felt that was what the Lord would have me to share. I saw my assistant, Pam, tonight and she said that people have started turning in "their investments". I truly believe that our church will rise to the opportunity and meet the need of this dear family.  What I sense about this situation is that this is not as much about the family as it is about our church.  I believe that God wants to bless this family but more than that I believe that the Lord wants to do something bigger in the life of our church.  I sense that God is about to break loose on Parkview! I really want to thank everyone for praying - please don't stop!!!!
Remember the family that I took groceries to - the wife came to see me today.  Weeping, she told me that when they got home and saw the bags of groceries, it felt like Christmas. I told Seth the families response and he said it was kind of like we were Santa.
I will keep you posted over the next couple days about how things go.  If you would like to donate you can stop by the office during business hours and just see Pam. 
We are stoked about the launch of our new series this weekend, HELLO my Name is God.
Time change - set your clocks back an hour this Saturday night.
I love pastoring Parkview!!!

alms

Tonight was both an opportunity to minister and teach at the same time.  I was able to do this with my son, Seth. I was aware of a family in our church who has been going through a difficult time. The husband lost his job some time ago and hence things have been hard financially.  Seth, Denise and I gathered a couple plastic bags of groceries out of our pantry and then Seth and I went to the church food pantry and got another 6 bags of groceries and delivered them to the family. Nobody was home at the moment, so we left the bags at the front door. When we got back in our car I told Seth we should pray for the family - he prayed first.  I loved his opening sentence in the prayer, "God thank you that this family is fixing to be rich like our family".  I am still trying to download just how precious and God-honoring that statement was!! You have to know that the opportunity to bless a family with groceries is such a privilege - the joy was so great for us!

As I was driving home I got to thinking about another situation I encountered at the end of my day. It was my final appointment of the day and it was with a family who is also having a tough time. In this family, the bread winner has not lost their job but their income has been drastically reduced as a result of the economy. In fact, they are two months behind on their rent and if they don't pay those two months in full they will be evicted on Friday. This family has been a part of our church for a few years and their spiritual maturity has led them to still totally trust in the Lord. They know He is good and has a plan for their life.

As I continued to think, I sensed the Lord saying to me - let the church be the church. Very profound, right - well not really. But what a privilege it is when the church functions as the church - when we serve, grow, reach, worship etc.. but also when we give.  As your pastor, I want to give the church an opportunity be what God has called us to be. I really think this could be a blogging moment of spiritual growth for us - let's take a step together. Here is my plan for us:
  • I would simply like to say to this family "blank number of families from blog world are giving you blank dollars to help so that your family does not get evicted". 
  • The families check book balance is in the negative. So it is not LIKE it is up to us IT IS up to us.
  • I am asking every reader to do two things 1) PRAY 2)Consider giving.
  • If you do not have it to give and help then please replace 2) with more prayer.
  • Many hands make light work.
  • If you only give $5, I believe God will so honor that!!!
  • Give only as God leads!!
  • Drop your check or money off to the church
  • Make the check out to Parkview - all giving will be tax deductible
  • Put "rent help" in the memo area
  • You can stop by any time and ask one of the secretaries to put it in my office mailbox.
  • Friday at noon would be the deadline so that we have time to pay the rent before close of business
  • I think the challenge and opportunity is clear.
  • Let's partner together and make a difference.
Proverbs 14:21
He that despises his neighbor sins: but he that has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Long vs. Short

Yesterday was a long post. In an effort to offer a balanced blog, today's post will be short.  I have two posts working themselves out in my mind and they will be a little longer - be grateful for this shorter one.
Little things tend to be big things! Have you ever noticed how little things can really change your attitude, perspective or day?  A couple little things that made a big deal for me today:
  • Some nice conversations with the people I work with.
  • A very encouraging card
  • Dinner and more great conversation with friends
  • A wife who loves a slightly imperfect husband
  • Lower gas prices
  • My time with God

Sunday Night Mind Dump

  • Thank you Lord, I appreciate everything you have done over the last 11 years.
  • AMAZING the number of hands that were raised in all 4 services by those who said they were either saved or baptized at Parkview!
  • I would rather catch fish than swap sheep any day!! I went on to the next bullet and just decided to come back and explain that preacherese. What I mean is I would rather reach people who don't go to church than have somebody come from another church. This would actually be a good post - I think I will talk about it in more detail later this week.
  • I loved drilling down on our mission measures this weekend. I think it was very encouraging for our people to see exactly how to quantify and qualify whether they are growing or not. In case you missed it - from 30,000 feet up here are our mission measures:
Growing Spiritually
   Salvation, Baptism, Assurance, Intimacy with God
Using Spiritual Gifts
   Discovered and using my gift
Involved in Biblical Community
   Faithfully attend worship and connected in a small group
Dedicated to Reaching Others
   Connecting with others outside the church, sharing what God has done in my life and inviting them to church
Exercising Generosity
   Practicing grace giving, unloading debt and increasing my investment in the kingdom
  • In order for us to be involved in our mission, guiding people to life change in Christ, we first must measure our own spiritual maturity.  It is one thing for the church to have a mission, it is another thing for God to be doing a work in my life!
  • Our attendance this weekend was fair but nothing extravagant - I think I will teach on sex next week.(talked about it alot last week and attendance was WAY up)
  • Seriously, I am really looking forward to our new series, HELLO my Name is God. I have already written the message, have done alot of reading and planning for the whole series. Believe God is going to do a great work in our lives. Do you really want to know the heart and character of God? See you this coming weekend!!
  • Asked two of our people to join me on the platform in a couple of weeks - I think they are already looking forward to the possible opportunity.
  • Wonder what the devil thought about our 11th anniversary.
  • Wonder if it makes him madder that I just typed that!?
  • Wonder what things will look like at Parkview in 11 years?
  • I would probably get scared if I knew.
  • The Phillies pitcher just hit a home run! Sorry Jim!
  • Loving the cool weather.
  • Chicken enchilladas for lunch were delicious
  • Bowl of shredded wheat for dinner was good- yes, there was milk in the bowl! (had to be in church this weekend to get that)
  • Need to write an article tonight for the local magazine, Life on the Coast.
  • I have redone my Monday schedule and have really enjoyed it. I call it my sharpen the ax day.
  • Love being your pastor or friend! ( I assume if you read my blog you fit in one of those two categories)

Surprise Post

I normally post Monday (Sunday night) through Thursday, but I am throwing in an extra post today, Friday.  I wanted to leave my previous post at the top in order to get maximum viewership.  This is kind of ironic, as I am typing this there is a false amendment 2 commercial espousing untruth.  I really am tired of all the political ads - I never thought I would look forward to the normal trashy commercials.

  • I have been chilling on my day off
  • I am stoked about the weekend
  • The walk for life is a great way to make a difference and help a great organization in our community
  • The rain was nice today
  • Watched the newest Indiana Jones movie on dvd - not bad
  • Denise made a killer home made pizza for lunch
  • Glad I don't work in the auto industry
  • We have so many new friends at church
  • Our people are really inviting new people
  • I believe we could be growing to places we have never been
  • God is doing exceeding abundantly
  • Hard to believe this weekend is our church's 11th birthday
  • Our attendance is up and our giving is down - who'd of thunk it
  • God has so provided and our people are faithful and generous!
  • Can't wait for our new series, HELLO, My Name is God
  • Still thrilled about how well our Home Connects went
  • Growing spiritually is hard work - are you up to it?

you tube

I just threw up the Matt Staver interview links this morning real quick. Because I was in such a hurry, I did not have time to share a full post. Let me just share a couple quick thoughts.  We had our largest non-Easter attendance of the year and we dealt with a very sensitive topic.  You can read my previous post to get more clarity on the topic.  Also we will have last weekends message available on cd and you can pick up a copy for $1.00 in our resource center.  Once you get the cd you can feel free to copy it and give it to others and you can also share the links below with as many people as you want.

I would say that this past weekends servie ranks in the top 11 services (in honor of our 11th anniversary this coming weekend) in our churches history.

For those of you who were present in the service, please share your comments and thoughts on this past weekend.

Below are the links:

Matt Staver interview part one

Matt Staver interview part two

Mind Dump

  • The boys have been just chillin' around the house this afternoon.
  • Currently we are watching the PBR - for you less sophisticates - bull riding.
  • Seth just asked me why I am typing and not watching.
  • Had awesome lasagna leftovers, thanks to Sandra Petrin.
  • The Home Connects were phenomenal, but I don't want an appetizer any time soon!
  • After lunch we put Zingers in the freezer and then ate them with a little milk - pretty good.
  • Absolutely loved our weekend services!!!
  • We worked and prayed very hard leading into the weekend.
  • Loved dealing with a very controversial subject - should homosexuals be allowed to marry.
  • We gave the biblical definition of marriage.
  • We hit the topic head on and did not skirt the issue!
  • The service was not a homophobic, gay bashing session! We are a church of grace and truth.
  • God designed, defined and described marriage.
  • God is a creative genius and He is the one that created sex - inside marriage it is awesome!
  • We said every man owes God a big thank you for creating sex.
  • Outside of marriage, sex defiles.
  • We even mentioned pornography and masturbation in 3 out of 4 of the services - after Sat. night really felt God lead me to deal with that. You can't talk about sexual purity and not go there!
  • So many people thanked me for the message.
  • Our panel did a phenomenal job - thanks guys and gals!!!
  • We will post the Matt Staver interview on You Tube tomorrow and I will get the link to you.
  • I thought Lonestar's video, Front Porch Looking In, was a real good service opener.
  • Gary built a great set and Cracker Barrel loaned us the rockers.
  • Attendance was way up!! Probably about 100 up over the same Sunday last year!!
  • I think I will speak on more controversial subjects - love the people it brings out.
  • Had a ton of guests again - so many of our people are inviting friends.

Countdown to the weekend

The weekend is coming and you don't want to miss it!  We have worked, strategized, discussed, debated, tweaked, changed and prayed - in just a few days it will be game time.  Every weekend is a big weekend, but this weekend we won't back down, shy away or ignore - we will speak truth and most importantly we will do it with love.  We will answer some of the questions that you are asking and raise some of the questions that perhaps you have not thought about.  We will cause you to think and there may be some things that you have a different opinion about.  I don't want you to think like me and I am not trying to create Parkobots. I do want you to look hard at the Word and I want to continue to shape in your heart a Biblical world view.
I promise you that you don't want to be late this weekend.  In fact, if I were you I would get to church 5 minutes early.  The pre-service video is an absolute must see - in fact you won't get the stage set if you miss that first video.
I am really looking forward to the weekend and I hope you will do everything you can to be there!!

The Other Side of the Line

In honor of my southern bell and her red-neck wonderful family - it is only fair that we talk about southern food.  Based on my Texas connection, I have discovered what southerners consider to be their specialties.  I am sure I will leave some out, hence your voice can be heard in the comment section.  My stab from a distance: home made from scratch chocolate pie, homemade biscuits and gravy, black eyed peas, pinto beans and cabbage, corn bread dressing, homemade chicken noodle soup, chicken fried steak, fried okra, sweet tea, chicken and dumplings.
The way I see it, Mamma didn't raise no dummy. I got the best of both worlds. I was raised in the north and married a girl who was raised in the south.  The "icing on the cake" is that Denise is an absolutely phenomenal cook. Yes, we should both weigh 300 pounds. Thank the Lord for good genes and an active lifestyle.
On a side note, our home connects have been awesome!!! Tonight was supposed to be our lightest night and it ended up being our heaviest night.  If you are not scheduled to come, call the church now. There are three more nights left and I don't want you to miss out!!

The City of Brotherly Love

While surfing my usual websites, I am watching the Philadaelphia Phillies play the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Growing up in Deleware, I have been to a number of Phillies games and it is causing some memory flashbacks. I went to Veterans Stadium and watched more Phillies games than I could count. Also, went to the Spectrum and watched more Sixers games than I can count - never did see an Eagles or Flyers game. Although I have been to alot of professional sporting events, I have never been to a professional hockey game.  I would like to go watch one of their boxing matches hockey games.  Not only is Philly pretty well known for its sporting teams but I also greatly appreciate  some of their food delights - the philadelphia cheese steak and the philadelphia soft pretzel.  You can copy all you want but those items simply cannot be reproduced outside the city of brotherly love.  I thought I would also share some other northern food favorites: scrapple, amish shoe fly pie, cream chipped beef, tomato gravy, italian water ice, maryland crabs, sicilian pizza and it is too late for me to think of many others. If you are one of my many northern friends, what is your favorite northern food?  I also love southern food, but if I were from the south I would be ashamed to claim grits!

Unsorted thoughts

  • No matter how much you love your job, I love mine more!
  • Feeling spent and it is the good kind
  • The distraction thing worked really well in all the services, each audience responded differently but all were definitely distracted.
  • Really liked the father/son/Abraham video - thanks Derek.
  • The closing video really proved a point and I don't think anyone saw the moonwalking bear.
  • I enjoy preaching an expository sermon - enjoyed Genesis 22!
  • Our congregation really listens and I love preaching at Parkview.
  • Our home connect exceeded my expectations
  • Can't give any of the details on the home connects - you have got to come and experience it.
  • Call Pam 445-5440 and get to a home connect one night this week!
  • Got all the projects done around my house - that was an accomplishment in itself.
  • Seth is at my parents but we forgot to send his uniform for school - looks like a late night run.
  • I love meeting guests each weekend
  • Many in our church have been inviting friends, neighbors and co-workers.
  • Next week - The Biblical Definition of Marriage
  • Two weeks - 11th anniversary of our church
  • Three weeks - new series, Hello My Name is God
  • Really looking forward to the upcoming series!!!
  • Denise is a great hostess and did a fabulous job this evening!
  • Many of our people serve so faithfully and with a spirit of excellence
  • Bruce did a great job with the sax this weekend
  • A ton of women are pregnant in our church
  • God's goodness amazes me
  • The Lord has some phenomenal things in store for Parkview!

Chipless cookies

Our home connects are coming up and we are very excited - we are near 300 adults coming to our house next week for one of the home connects.  I feel like I ought to go ahead and tell you that the chocolate chip cookies will be chocolate chipless. Why, you ask? I came home this evening and found a bag of semi-sweet morsels on the floor and it was almost totally empty.  The bag had been shredded to a large degree. The only one home and wearing a sheepish look - Lucy, our weener dog.  Since that time (please stop reading right now if you gross out easily) we have had 4 brief gag sessions followed by 4 chocolatey smooth, wet and creamy barfs. Anyone in the mood for some cookies.
One of the real benefits of this blog is that you just never know what I might share!
Smile and have a great day!

Being your very best average!

If you know me very well or have ever played any game with me you know that I am pretty competitive - it is part of my personality and the way God wired me. I am certain that many of you are competitive. Let me share a couple random things and then tie all this together.

  • As you probably know I ran in a half-marathon last week.
  • What you may not know is that I really don't, and never have, liked running.
  • I was determined not to start too strong and burn out, so I held back pretty hard to ensure that I could finish.
  • The day before the race began I determined I would run again in another half-marathon on Thanksgiving Day.  While running, I further committed myself.
  • While I do not enjoy running, I found the race to be euphoric - I really don't think I can describe it so I won't even try.
  • The winner's pace was a 5:27 mile - my pace was a 10:09 mile.
  • I finished 511th out of 700 runners.
  • In my age division 35-39, I finished 83 out of 111.

The weird thing about the whole race, was my being ecstatic about finishing 511th - I am still so thrilled. I would have never imagined that I could actually be so below average in something and still be absolutely thrilled.  But here is what I am discovering - it was my first race, I trained very well and ran my best. Can I do better? Yes, next time I think I can, but for my first time it was my best.  Interestingly though, is that I hope to run more half-marathons - but I have no intentions of winning.  I will never finish first and I will never run a pace of 5:27.  Yet, I can't wait for the next race and I will once again give my best.

All this thinking translated over for me to this - I am not the greatest pastor in the world.  I train hard and give my best but there are "510" pastors that are better than me.  You may even be nice and be thinking "That is not true Greg, you are the best pastor" - but the truth is you are only being nice. I can confirm that there are many better pastors out there - and that is no false humility trip, it is simple truth.

What I am committed to is being the best Greg Peters I can be, being the best pastor to the people of Parkview that I can be, etc.  What I love is - serving alongside people with a similar mentality.  Are there better musicians, vocalists, ushers, greeters, student volunteers, lawn care servants, nursery workers, LIFE group leaders, etc? Sorry to answer this way, but absolutely YES!  But what that doesn't mean is that we never race again. We just face reality and run our personal best. We train hard and run hard! I have told a couple people that I felt like the fat, old guy in comparison to other runners and maybe you feel like that sometimes as you run the race(IITim4:7).  But I believe that when you give your best and your best is average at best, there is still a euphoric feeling of I gave my best and left all I had on the course. At Parkview there are no super heros or super stars, we are a very average group of people giving our very best and when we do leave it all on the course for His glory, it is a euphoric feeling.

Here is the gem: My son thinks I am an Olympic athlete(he really does) and God thinks you are too(He really does)!

Who they are

This evening our pastoral staff, elders and our wives had dinner and spent a couple hours together.  Here are some things I believe to be true about this group:
  • They love the Lord and desire to serve Him with their lives
  • They seek to honor God in all that they do
  • They have each others backs
  • They have my back
  • They are not perfect
  • They don't pretend to be perfect
  • They enjoy serving together
  • They are all aware of God's call on their life
  • They have a real heart to serve our church family
  • They have a desire to see lost people come to faith in Christ
  • They are open and honest
  • They are willing to ask the hard questions
  • They are creative
  • They desire to lead people to life change in Christ
  • They work hard
  • They sometimes have bad days
  • They try to learn from the past but they don't live there
  • They love the Lord and desire to serve Him with their lives

Mind Dump

  • Ate lunch at Golden Corral - they make money off of me, I can't eat $12 of food.
  • Really looking forward to the home connects that start a week from today. Seems like we had alot of people continuing to sign up. If you have not signed up yet be sure to do so!!!
  • I have not yet completed my Honey Do List - 7 days and counting.  Thank the Lord for reinforcements.
  • Met several new friends at church this weekend. Always love meeting friends and co-workers of our people!
  • Ran my first ever race this weekend. On Saturday I participated in the Marine Corp 1/2 marathon in Jacksonville. I loved the experience and have already committed to run my next one - Thanksgiving Day. Ran this one in 2:12:07 which was a 10:09 mile average - didn't quite hit my goal of a sub 10 minute mile average. There were about 700 runners and I finished 511th - no records broken there!!
  • As a result of the weekend services and race, I will not be up late tonight.
  • I have enjoyed what God is teaching me in our PG series.  This weekend we talked about the sacrifice that is required in parenting. No parent has sacrificed for his children like our Heavenly Father has sacrificed for us!!!
  • Attendance has been up for us over the same month a year ago, but this weekend was down a little. As a pastor, you really hate to see people miss church when you know all the work that has gone into creatively communicating truth. I am not really speaking of my work but that of the band, praise team, children's workers, etc. So many people are required to effectively communicate truth!!
  • For the many of you who are so faithful, could I just take a moment and say thank you for your commitment to Christ and your dedication at Parkview.  I am blessed to be able to minister to such a wonderful church family.
  • Looking forward to a new series that will begin in a few weeks. Next week we finish our parenting series - then we have a special message for the weekend of Oct 18 and 19 -on the 25 and 26 we celebrate our 11th anniversary as a church - the next week we launch a series that I have actually contemplated doing for a couple years. Looking forward to the next couple weeks.
  • Be blessed, walk with God and enjoy a great week!