Alot going on this Christmas Season at Parkview. Here are a few highlites:

• The drive thru Living Nativity is this Thurs – Sat nights from 6:30-9pm. Be sure to attend and INVITE A FRIEND!!
• Wise Men Gift Exchange is this Saturday morning from 8-Noon
• You can still drop off new or gently used gifts this week.
• One person dropped of a dozen new tool boxes as gifts today for teen boys.
• Our Christmas offering goal is 23,000.
• We have received almost $16,000. Amazing and we still have 2 weeks left. I would LOVE to see us exceed our goal!!
• This weekend we are only having 2 weekend services – Sunday 9:30 and 11am. Sat night we are doing Living Nativity and it is always our busiest night.
• The music is going to be phenomenal again this weekend!!! You DO NOT want to be late to the service!!!

This weekend we kick off Palm Coast’s most exciting Christmas party! In our new series we will look at the elements of every great Christmas bash. Whatever you do – get to church on time this weekend. You do not want to miss the opening song – everybody will be talking about it!!
Also, let me share with you a couple pieces of information around our special Christmas events:

• Wise men gift exchange is in full swing. We are now receiving new and gently used gifts.
• We have incredible opportunities to be a part of the living nativity cast. If you can wear a costume you qualify! Please email Derek@parkviewlife.com. We have a number of openings each night Dec 15-17. You can sign up for one or all three. The cast needed is both men and women – 12 & up will work! Please email Derek now so we can fill the opportunities and direct our energies toward accomplishing the vision!
• This is the best season of the year to invite someone to Parkview. Embrace the spirit of the season and bring someone to our new series, Christmas Party, this weekend!
• Giving to our Christmas offering begins this weekend – can’t wait to share what already happened this week!!

Can’t wait to party at Parkview!

I just wanted to share some things that are either rattling in my head or resting in my heart right now about Parkview:

• We have some extremely talented people who step up and make kingdom differences
• No matter how many volunteers we have we will never have enough
• Those who are not serving are the ones missing out
• You can come up with 100 excuses why not to serve – all of them are lame!
• People not serving and not in community are more lonely than they realize
• When a crisis comes the loneliness will be deafening
• I love leaders who love me enough to speak into my life
• Our staff has a “whatever it takes” attitude
• That attitude is one area where our staff has grown the most in the last year
• Our church family loves our staff and our staff love our church family
• For me the relationships just keep getting deeper
• The end of this month our church is 14 years old
• I was 27, I am now 41 – not quite sure what to think about that
• I have alot to learn
• Denise is an amazing Pastor’s wife – people will never know how loyal she is and how much she supports me. She is my biggest fan.
• Being a pastor’s wife is harder than being the pastor – I have known that for about 13 years. I don’t think that is her opinion but it is mine.
• I love our city and want to do whatever it takes to see people come to Christ and experience Life Change
• Looking forward to adopting a city and begin focusing strategically on taking the light to a dark area
• National missions
• I miss people when they move away
• I hate it when people in our church hurt
• I hate splintered marriages
• I hate busted bank accounts
• I hate rebellion in students
• God is in the miracle working business
• Looking forward to Trunk or Treat
• Looking forward to Living Nativity
• God is at work at Parkview

Last weekend I spoke to our congregation about designating October as a month of generosity. The reason for the call to generosity is in response to the Lord’s blessing and the addition of many new families to our congregation in the last few months. This season of ministry is our biggest opportunity and it calls for our best offerings. I am so grateful for how our church family has responded in these first couple weeks of October. We have been blessed with 2 of our best offerings in some time and I don’t remember the last time we had back to back offerings like this.

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has given generously! Also I wanted to encourage you with the results of generous giving:

• The giver is the one who is really blessed (Acts 20:35).
• Generosity has a guaranteed return on investment. Sometimes we are blessed financially, other times we are blessed in better ways. (Luke 6:38).
• Giving guarantees future blessings (I Timothy 6:17-19).
• If I learn generosity when I don’t have much, God is more likely to trust me with more (Matthew 25:21).
• A life of generosity proves that I am interested in others. Lack of generosity proves I am interested only in myself (Matthew 6:21).
• When I am generous I am most like God. He gave His most valuable possession – Jesus (John 3:16).

God is at work! He is to be the focus of our attention and He is to receive the honor for all that is happening! The emails I received today once again remind me of the Life Change that is occurring in the hearts of His people.

I wanted to just hit you with a few quick items:

• Stuff the truck was stuffed – THANKS! If you still want to participate you may bring your food this weekend.
• The movie Courageous is PHENOMENAL. If you want to participate in one of the men’s Courageous Bible studies (Tues 6:30am and Wed 6:45pm) there is room for you, just email john@parkviewlife.com.
• I am doing a book over breakfast every other Thursday at 7am at Bob Evans. We begin this week and will be doing Love and Respect – it is the best marriage book I have ever read! I still have a couple books. Email me at greg@parkviewlife.com if you want to join us!
• We are taking a construction team to Cambodia January 2-13, 2012. The deadline for signing up is this coming Sunday, Oct 9th. Give us your name and a $100 deposit to get registered. Click here to view a recent video from our missionary to Cambodia, Jason Powers.
• This past weekend before the offering I spoke of the incredible opportunities before us and I announced October as a month of generosity. Please prayerfully consider how the Lord would have you to participate financially as we reach our world for Christ and minister to the many people He is sending our way. If you would like to utilize the convenience of online giving please click here.

One of the leadership observations that I believe I am learning is that committed is good but adding connected makes it even better. Just because someone is committed does not necessarily mean that they are going to accomplish what they want to accomplish. Being highly committed and at the same time disconnected is probably a recipe for failure.  As I look around me and consider all the people that are getting things done and fulfilling the vision of their life it is not that they are just committed but that they are connected.

In the church arena I believe their are many people who are highly committed and yet they are not moving one inch, they are not experiencing life change. Here are a few ways people can be committed and yet not connected:

• Avid readers of the Word
• Devout in their prayer time
• Faithful in their church attendance
• On time for church worship
• Carry their Bible to church
• Sing at church
• Be nice to everyone at church

I have watched people do the above things for years and not necessarily grow. I believe the reason we can do the things mentioned above and yet not grow is because life change happens best in the context of community.

THAT IS WHY I AM THRILLED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE CONNECTING AT PARKVIEW! Our church is full of people that are moving beyond committed to connected. The primary areas that I am watching people connect right now is in the areas of small groups and volunteerism. Group life kicks off this week at Parkview and I am seeing a ton of people who have never been in a group beginning this new journey with others. Also, as new people continue to come to Parkview so many of them are Next Steps and going from Get Connected to Beginning Life Together (their 1st group experience). I know that this week many people are making a big leap and jumping into group life and I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you and I also want you to know that I am praying for you!!!

One of our core values is – CONNECTED WITH GOD’S PEOPLE -We believe that life change happens best in the context of community. We will actively pursue relationships in which we grow and serve together. To each of you that are connecting in group life thanks for helping us fulfill this value!!