Greg Peters Live

• This is an awesome time of year!
• At Parkview, the birth of Christ has been put under the microscope and we have had some incredible up close looks at the Messiah.
• The generosity of our people has been amazing: the wise men gift exchange helped over 160 families, one Life Group gave a single mom and her daughter over $500 in gift cards, another Life Group went to a children’s home and ministered and gave gifts, a family gave  $500 to help a family in need, we have received approx. $10,000 towards our Christmas offering and I could go on and on…. The generosity of our church family has brought tears to many eyes and joy to many hearts!
• I am also very thankful for the genrosity of our people that is shared with our staff this season. All of us are very thankful for the gifts large and small. Your generosity towards us does not hint of an economic recession. On behalf of all of us – Thanks!
• Church in the “square” this past weekend was tremendous – definitely will be a re-run of that.
• Our staff is extremely creative and have dug deep this season!
• Christmas Eve is going to be PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!
• The music, drama, video – it is all going to be off the chain!!!
• Bring a friend – Christmas Eve service times are 4, 5:30 and 7pm
• This coming weekend, Dec 26&27, we will not have Saturday night service and we will have our two normal service times this Sunday at 9:30 and 11am.
• Merry Christmas!!!!!

• Last night, Thursday, we had a phenomenal crowd.
• Much of the night we were backed up onto  Belle Terre Parkway
• Our volunteers are the best!!!
• Cars started lining up at 5:30 and we open at 6pm
• The line does flow smooth and keeps moving
• The self guided tour on CD is a home run.
• Weather was beautiful and it looks like we are going to dodge the rain bullet tonight!
• This is such an incredible way to celebrate and magnify the birth of Christ!
• Invite a friend and come out tonight!!
• Our weekend services are going to be really special this weekend!!!!

• Last night was a record opening night for the living nativity
• The wind died down and it was beautiful
• Praying for good weather tonight and tomorrow
• 92.7 The Beach did a live remote last night and that was a good opportunity
• The new CD’s we hand out, to play a self-guided tour as the cars drive through, are a big success!!
• Our volunteers are awesome!!!!!
• Invite a friend tonight!!!!!!!!!

Just a few quick things:

• The Palm Coast Living Nativity begins tonight at 6pm – bring a friend!
• Our volunteers have done an awesome job !
• There has been a change of plans. We will not be laying sod in the grass parking area this Sat. 
• We need all those with Trucks and SUVs to park on the dirt parking area for the next few weeks. Drop the wife and kids at the door and then park in the dirt parking area – PLEASE!
• The parking lot is actually running ahead of schedule!
• Heard a GREAT quote recently – “ego is amnesia to stupidity”

I have a question for you – what have you done lately? I have an answer for you as well – nothing.  If you were to ask me, what I have done lately? My answer is the same, nothing.  I base these answers on Isaiah 10:13-15,

 For he says:
      “ By the strength of my hand I have done it,
      And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
      Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
      And have robbed their treasuries;
      So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.
       ¹⁴ My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people,
      And as one gathers eggs that are left,
      I have gathered all the earth;
      And there was no one who moved his wing,
      Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”
       ¹⁵ Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
      Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
      As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
      Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! 

 This passage was just a good reminder to me that everything that is accomplished in my life, my family and our church is not because of me; in fact, it is in spite of me.  Everything that you accomplish is what the Lord does through you. You and I are a tool in the Carpenter’s hand. He bangs, He shakes, He saws, and then and only then does it get accomplished.

When we understand this principle, I believe it will result in a few different things:

•            We will walk in humility
•             We will be united in love
•             We will give God the glory that He is due
•             We will live life with a different attitude

Enjoy the privilege of God working through you today.

• In so many ways, our church family is enjoying the Christmas season.
• Band and choir led us in great worship!
• Last night was choir light and today it was choir packed. I guess tis the season.
• A great team was still working on setting up our nativity when I left just before 5 pm.
• People were cleaning and sorting many of the gifts that have already been given for the wise men gift exchange
• I am so thankful for the spirit of unity in our church
• I am so thankful for the environment of grace that exists at Parkview
• Really enjoyed our Christmas luncheon with our Timothy Group, the leadership mentoring program of our church. Had some sweet testimonies shared today!
• I had a new family to our church tell me how extremely friendly they have found Parkview – way to go church.
• Because of construction we lost about 30 parking spaces this weekend – thank you so much for your flexibility!
• We will have plenty of parking next weekend and that should not be a problem again!
• If you have not given to the Christmas offering, please pray about how God would have you to participate.
• Be sure to invite a friend to the Living Nativity this week, Wed – Fri, 6-8:30pm
• Loved preaching Isaiah 9:6 this weekend!
• This is a very busy season and I cannot overstate how grateful I am to our entire church that is stepping up to team up with us to promote and preach Jesus Christ!
• The Lord is blessing us in some amazing ways!

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! I know of no other way to describe the weeks ahead of us – I love Christmas at Parkview!! Here are a few of the things coming our way:

Palm Coast Living Nativity – Set up happens this Sunday after church. A ton of volunteers who will magnify the birth of Christ and share the true meaning of Christmas.  Everyone will experience multi-media, sets, actors, live animals, choir and for the first time, a guided cd tour. On opening night there will be a live radio remote from WNZF. This will be our best year ever! Dec 16 – 18 6:00-8:30 pm – be sure to invite a friend!

Wise Men Gift Exchange - We are gearing up for the 2nd annual Gift Exchange.  Our continued goal is to revive the Spirit of Giving to our community and neighbors in need.  We aim to present families the opportunity to select three gifts for each child to symbolize the three gifts given by the Wisemen in honor of the birth of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. Last year, Parkview was privileged to bless 98 families and 125 children through the Wiseman Gift Exchange.  Due to the ongoing economic struggles, the needs look to be even greater this Christmas than last. We are requesting the donation of new or gently used toys, games, books, puzzles, art supplies, sports equipment, etc. Items may be placed in the giant “Merry Christmas” box in the lobby.  A signigicant percentage of items are collected during the Living Nativity drive-thru Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights the 16th, 17th, and 18th. The actual Gift Exchange will be open to the public and goes from 8:00 am until 12:00 noon Saturday, December 19, 2009.

Christmas Eve Services – There is just something about gathering the family together and attending church on the eve of our Savior’s birth.  Our Christmas Eve services are some of our most well attended services all year.  This year, along with many other incredible elements there will be a band number and a live drama that you will not want to miss! Service times are 4:00, 5:30 and 7:00pm.

Parkview Christmas Offering - This year’s offering is focused on our mission, guiding people to life change in Jesus Christ. Our goal is $15,000, through which we will purchase and give away 100 Bibles; we will sponsor 70 students for summer camp; we will bring back by popular demand Trunk or Treat; and we will host a July 3rd tailgate party and fireworks show.  Thousands of people in our church and city will be impacted for Christ!! You can give your Christmas offering any time during the month of December. Please be prayerful as to how God would have you participate.

Dec 12 & 13 – This coming weekend we will be led in Christmas centered worship by our choir, we will continue in our series, Foretold, and our Flagler County school superintendent, Mr. Bill Delbruge, will be sharing a few words with our church family. Come find out what we have asked Bill to come and share with our Parkview family.

Dec 19 & 20 – Next weekend we will do church like we have never done it before!! All I can tell you is that from the moment you walk in the auditorium, everything will be different. You will be talking about it until Christmas of 2011!! I cannot tell you how excited I am about these 3 weekend services.

Dec 27 – Because of  having 3 Christmas Eve services, the weekend following Christmas we will only be having 2 Sunday services 9:30 and 11am.  We will conclude our Foretold series in dramatic fashion! Finish out 2009 by keeping Chirst the focus of your life even after Christmas is over!

One last thing – 25,000 post card mailers from our church will hit the mailboxes of our city in the next 48 hours. Please pray that God will use these invitations to bring hundreds of new people to our services and living nativity!

I will see you this weekend!!!

I have been thinking alot about how we as people really like the Fluff God. If you know me well, you know and have read how I have an appreciation for fluffunutter – the incredibly delicious marshmellowy cream that goes oh so well with peanut butter and two fresh slices of white bread (I can taste it now). Yesterday, when I was at the grocery store I saw a jar of fluff on sale and it just got me thinking again about Fluff God. It is so easy to like Fluff God, He is so sweet and delightful – He is loving, kind, gracious, merciful and even at times thought to be manipulatable and coerceable.  With a Fluff God focus, being all sweet and everything, there is never a mention of things like righteousness, holiness, sin, justice, wrath, condemnation, judgment or the such.

When your God is Fluff God you can:

1. Ignore Him for days on end
2. Read His Word whenever you feel like it and not whenever you don’t
3. Pray in crisis and ignore Him in the good times
4. See what is going on this weekend before you commit to His house
5. Be an undercover disciple – careful, don’t speak of Jesus it might blow your cover
6. Spend your money how you want and toss Him a couple crumbs from time to time and think He is oblivious while you do so
7. Treat your spouse worse than anybody you know and think God is ok with that – after all He knows what a jerk they are
8. Run your mouth about others and in doing so, beat up the bride of Christ
9. Let tv, culture, friends and whatever else raise your kids, while you promote spiritual illiteracy
10. Ignore your beam and focus on your neighbors splinter

I know that it is such a cliche’ but I really don’t know where to start. Every time I go on a missions trip I return with a different outlook on life.

Our group did an outstanding job, they all had a tremendous servant’s heart!  We had the opportunity to serve two different churches during our time in El Salvador, one was in Metapan (a city of about 60,000 people) and one was in Santa Ana (a city of about 500,000). The church in Metapan is about 1 1/2 years old and the church in Santa Ana is 1 year old. Both of these works are bringing life change to the people in their cities. Meeting Rodolpho and Roberto was a real blessing to my heart! Both men were alchoholics very far from God, both have beautiful families and both men have come to Christ this year and have never been the same. I could share a number of stories but will save them for our missions emphasis weekend that is coming in Feb.

Kyle and Jodi Charters serve in Metapan. I have been friends with Kyle and Jodi for about 20 years. They got married 3 weeks after Denise and me and we went to their wedding. Kyle and I went to college together. Kyle and Jodi have 4 beautiful children who are really great kids. Seth cried when we left yesterday, he really bonded with the Charters’ children. The Charters served in St. Petersburg, Russia, for almost 10 years and have been in El Salvador for just over 2 years. Kyle and Jodi have a tremendous heart to reach people and have a tremendous work that God has given them in a very short amount of time.

Steve and Christine Cerna serve in Santa Ana. Christine’s mother, Athena and her sister, Katie, both attend Parkview. Steve is from El Salvador and is thrilled to be back in his home country.  Steve and Christine have two precious and adorable children, Rosa and Caleb. Steve and Christine are very hard workers and have a passion for both evangelism and discipleship.

The two churches are about 1 1/2 hours apart and both came together to have their first ever teen camp. The camp was awesome! Our team absolutely loved having the opportunity to serve these ministries and their students. Our team served as interpreters (it was so incredible to have 3 of our team members fluently speak Spanish and all 3 were born in El Salvador), room counselors, game participants, food prep, cooks, clean up, score keepers,children’s workers, etc.

After 3 days at camp we went to the church in Santa Ana on Saturday night, that is when they do there “Sunday morning service”.  The little house was packed and people were sitting in two different rooms listening to me preach.  Through a little courtyard were two children’s rooms. The church has quickly outgrown that facility. The people were so friendly and so appreciative of our visit.

Sunday morning we were with the Charters in Metapan.  I spoke in both the Sunday School hour and the morning service. Our people served in a variety of roles – children’s church, nursery and Rafeal translated both my lesson and my sermon (up to that point Steve Cerna had served as my interpreter). We had a wonderful morning. The city shuts off all of the elctricity a few times a year for maintenance – Sunday was one of those days. It was so hot and it just added to our long list of experiences!

Seeing and being a very small part of the Life Change taking place in El Salvador was an absolute privilege!!!

This post does no justice for our trip or our experiences. All I can tell you is, if you have never been on a missions trip YOU HAVE GOT TO GO!!!

• Our team is doing a great job job serving the Lord and others
• Services last night and this morning went well
• We have played alot of games today and we just finished up swim time
• They actually grilled out steak for lunch – never had a piece that tuff!!!
• The students are having a blast
• For students who do not have much, the littlest things go a long way
• Steve Cerna, the missionary that Parkview supports here in El Salvador, did a great job translating for me last night.
• What a privilege to serve the Lord this way!