Newcomers & Guests

My role at PF is at times ambiguous; aside from being PC’s wife, the answerer of questions, the last-minute detailer, etc., I serve as the overseer of newcomers. Having found this to be natural my whole life makes this an easy fit for me.

One of the first things we noticed about PF was the friendliness and warmth of the people. That has not changed! We hear time and time again about how much people feel welcomed and accepted when they walk through the doors. This is one thing that sets our church apart from others. Let me encourage you to continue to be that church! We see between 50-100 visitors walk through our doors every week; some for the first time, others returning. These are souls looking for what can fill the void in their lives, and we should do everything we can to make it easier for them to connect with God.

It may seem that we have an over-the-top attitude for our guests, but if we can all view it from the perspective of welcoming them into our “home,” you will realize that is exactly how it should be. When I’m expecting company in my home, I do my best to clean up, get out my best dishes and spend time fixing something special for them. We try to make them feel wanted and special…no different at church!

This is also why I’m so very excited for our Not Without You plan! It will allow us the space to really connect with people and make them feel welcomed. There will be at least 40 different spaces where people can sit and chat. Right now, we have one. Think about it! This is a great time not only for us to welcome visitors, but to connect with each other!

There is a church in Minneapolis that encourages the 30/30 principle: come 30 minutes early and stay 30 minutes after service just to connect with others. I would encourage you to think about this and if not 30, make it 10/10 or 20/20. We are exhorted in the scripture to “Spur one another one on…” I would like you to pick up this challenge and run with it! Be the church God has called us to be! Praise FELLOWSHIP!

Joy Apple

Sacrifice

Sacrifice -- what is it? Sacrifice ought to be a willing surrender of a part of us (at some cost to ourselves) for the greater good. At the heart of all sacrifice there must be an offering that originates in the heart of the redeemed. It is founded in gratitude in having received what we have not deserved or earned. It begins and ends for all of us at the cross.

George Sweeting, former president of Moody Bible Institute, once said, "When we come to the end of life, the question will be, 'How much have you given?' not 'How much have you gotten?'" Oswald Chambers once said, "The meaning of sacrifice is the deliberate giving of the best I have to God that He may make it His and mine forever: if I cling to it, I lose it, and so does God." Those thoughts give us all time to pause and reflect before the incredible opportunity God is bringing to this church family. It tells me that our motives need self-examination in regard to how much of the Master's love we possess.

As I thought about this in my own life, I had to pause and thank God for His unending love toward me. It reminded me of a piece of advice my own dad once told me: he used to say, "Son, there are more important things in life than me." It helps me today to be absolutely certain that we, as Christians, are called to sacrifice because we are recipients of His sacrifice. The people who will be among us in the future are from a long line of broken bodies and shed blood. They will join our living history in enacting the dream of God [which] is a people - a family of the redeemed - sustained and transformed by mutual love. Lets all do what God makes possible.

You are loved and important to God and to me,

Pastor Jon

Giving

Ever since walking through the doors of PF in December 2010, we have felt God's presence and have been witness to the wonderful things he is doing. You can feel the Holy Spirit working and it is one of the most exciting things we have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.

After hearing Pastor's Chucks sermon on tithes and offerings as well as the simulcast by Pastor Morris and when we heard of the exciting plans God has for this church, we were definitely prompted by the Holy Spirit to pledge bank stocks that we had been saving for retirement. We are so confident that God will provide for us exactly what we need that there really wasn't much to discuss about this decision, which may sound crazy but it was pretty automatic because we truly KNOW that our God has always and will always supply our needs. We are honored to serve such an awesome God and to be in fellowship with so many followers of Christ.

Bill and Cindy Fale

Prayer and Fasting

Prayer and Fasting

Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food, tv,or anything else that consumes your focus or time in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand, but this is not always the case. You can pray without fasting, and fast without prayer. It is when these two activities are combined and dedicated to God's glory that they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom you need.

What the Bible Says

The Old Testament law specifically required prayer and fasting for only one occasion, which was the Day of Atonement. This custom became known as "the day of fasting" (Jeremiah 36:6) or "the Fast" (Acts 27:9). Moses fasted during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God (Exodus 34:28). Prayer and fasting was often done in times of distress or trouble. David fasted when he learned that Saul and Jonathan had been killed (2 Samuel 1:12). Anna "worshipped night and day, fasting and praying" at the Temple (Luke 2:37). John the Baptist taught his disciples to fast (Mark 2:18). Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before His temptation by Satan (Matthew 4:2). The church of Antioch fasted (Acts 13:2) and sent Paul and Barnabas off on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:3). Paul and Barnabas spent time in prayer and fasting for the appointment of elders in the churches (Acts 14:23).

The purpose of Christian fasting should be to take our eyes off things of this world & focus our thoughts on God & to gain a deeper fellowship with God.

There is an appetite for God-And it can be awakened. We invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: "This much, O God, I want you."

Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives--whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God--and Him alone--is the only thing that will bring victory.

Do you have that hunger for Him? "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because we have drunk deeply and are satisfied, it is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great." If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God.

Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting... For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

Prayer and Fasting

Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food, tv,or anything else that consumes your focus or time in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand, but this is not always the case. You can pray without fasting, and fast without prayer. It is when these two activities are combined and dedicated to God's glory that they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom you need.

What the Bible Says

The Old Testament law specifically required prayer and fasting for only one occasion, which was the Day of Atonement. This custom became known as "the day of fasting" (Jeremiah 36:6) or "the Fast" (Acts 27:9). Moses fasted during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God (Exodus 34:28). Prayer and fasting was often done in times of distress or trouble. David fasted when he learned that Saul and Jonathan had been killed (2 Samuel 1:12). Anna "worshipped night and day, fasting and praying" at the Temple (Luke 2:37). John the Baptist taught his disciples to fast (Mark 2:18). Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before His temptation by Satan (Matthew 4:2). The church of Antioch fasted (Acts 13:2) and sent Paul and Barnabas off on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:3). Paul and Barnabas spent time in prayer and fasting for the appointment of elders in the churches (Acts 14:23).

The purpose of Christian fasting should be to take our eyes off things of this world & focus our thoughts on God & to gain a deeper fellowship with God.

There is an appetite for God-And it can be awakened. We invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: "This much, O God, I want you."

Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives--whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God--and Him alone--is the only thing that will bring victory.

Do you have that hunger for Him? "If we don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because we have drunk deeply and are satisfied, it is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great." If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul's appetite for God.

Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence is this path of pleasant pain called fasting... For when God is the supreme hunger of your heart, He will be supreme in everything. And when you are most satisfied in Him, He will be most glorified in you.

Pastor Chuck