- I saw alot of volunteers serving the Lord with excellence and ministering to the hearts of people.
- If you serve faithfully at Parkview, I want to personally thank you for all you do.
- Last Sunday night I gave great appreciation to my wife and staff team that are such a vital part of all the successes at Parkview. Please know that our staff looks good because of the faithful, effective service of our volunteers.
- On any given weekend just take a minute and look around and notice the huge number of people that it takes to minister to our church family.
- This weekend I observed our lawn team, cafe crew, sound personel, greeter team, ushers, nursery workers, son zone workers, band, praise team, LIFE group leaders, teen small group leaders, set up helpers, hospitality team, check-in helpers, and cleaning crew – those groups include a VERY LARGE NUMBER of people! THANKS!
- Our very first Discovery Point luncheon went very well – it was a privilege to get to meet some new friends in a relaxed environment.
- At the noon service I gave some “bonus material” that I did not share at any other service.
- Had a blast at the Fireproof marriage conference in Daytona!!!
- The teaching was excellent!
- Ted Cunningham was hilarious and hit the nail on the head.
- He is Dr. Gary Smalley’s pastor – I bet that would give you an interesting feeling.
- Denise and I have a special day planned tomorrow and I hope to have some photos to share soon.
- We will begin the day at 5:00 am. That feels like it will be here real soon.
- Had a Wal Mart fresh pizza for dinner tonight – the sausage and mushroom one was pretty good.
- We have a tremendous Palm Sunday weekend planned for next weekend!!!
- I met several new friends this weekend. I thank the Lord for the guests He continues to send our way!
- Parkview family – Let us go out of our way and welcome all those who visit!
- I am very tired and it is going to be an early morning.
- Have a God honoring week!
Sunday Night
Fish Story
Been a little busy, but I have a few minutes between appointments and wanted to throw out a quick post.
Saturday around lunch time Seth came running inside asking for a hot dog and saying that he needed it for bait in order to be able to fish. I asked him who he was fishing with and he told me a couple boys he had met. I gave him the hot dogs and a few minutes later I decided I would go outside and see just who these boys were and what they were up to. One of the boys had his pocket knife out and was cutting some fishing string and tying it to a 4 or 5 foot stick. I asked where they had gotten the fishing string. Seth told me they had gotten both the string and fishing hooks out of my tackle box. They seemed to be so excited I skipped the speech about asking first next time. I had to leave shortly thereafter and when I returned home after church Seth about tackled me telling me that he had caught 6 fish and 1 snapping turtle on the homemade fishing pole. Then again yesterday after school he pulled out the same pole and probably caught another half dozen! Fishing made easy! Who needs a $25,000 bass boat and $500 rod and reel.
Fast forward – last night I was putting him to bed and asked him what Bible story he wanted me to read out of his childrens Bible. He said he wanted me to read John 3:16-18. In his little childrens Bible it has a little insert that explains just how is easy it is to apply John 3:16. It uses the verse and inserts some blanks and instructs the child to fill his name in the blanks – which Seth did. So it reads like this – For God so loved Seth that He gave His only Son, that if Seth believes in Him, Seth will have eternal life. We then talked about how easy it is to believe in Jesus. It is just that simple!
Here is the connection- in order to get saved a person doesn’t need a family Bible, a 10 million dollar church building, a preacher quoting Scripture or the worship pastor playing a hymn. Let us not make fishing for men any harder than it needs to be!! Go pull out your homemade fishing rod, share your faith and catch men and women for Christ!
Opportunity
Today was a good day. It seems like the time just flies and there are not enough hours, yet I know God has given me all the time I need to accomplish what He wants me to accomplish. It is good to finish a day and know that not everything got done and that is just fine.
I would like to pass along an opportunity, but first let me share the story. There is a young family in our church who has been attending for about a year. They have 3 children and the oldest is 6 years old. I met with the husband today. He has been out of work for about a month, the bills are stacking up and he is daily trusting the Lord. They have been selling everything possible on craigslist just to generate some cash. He waited to the last minute to come see me because he is not looking for a handout. He told me today that their water has been shut off since last Thursday – yes you just read that right! As a result of the Parkview Celebrate offering, we will be getting the families water turned back on tomorrow – PTL. Thanks to the generosity of our church we loaded him up with groceries! Here is what I want to give you an opportunity to do – hire him. He is not looking for a handout but is willing to work to earn some money. He does carpentry, dry wall, tile, carpet and a few other handyman type construction. He has volunteered work at the church in the past and done great work. He is willing to do anything. I have hired him to do some yard work for me – trimming trees, mulching etc. I have got him on Thursday and after that his calendar is wide open. Email me and I will put you in touch and get you his number. If you have anything he can do shoot me an email right now – greg@parkviewlife.com.
I just felt like the Lord would have me throw this out there – let’s see how we can help this family through a very difficult season of their life.
Sunday Wrap
- It is just before 11pm and it feels like 3am.
- Long day, great day, fun day, God’s day!
- Worship was tremendous this weekend. Thx to Derek and his great team! To God be the glory.
- Drama team nailed another one.
- Easter drama is going to be off the chain!!
- I know it probably sounds crazy but I book appointments on Sunday afternoon. My adreniline is going so strong that I just keep going. What would I do if I came home, it certainly would be no fun for my family to see me curled up in a ball on the couch for the afternoon. So I sleep it off in the evening. It just works for us.
- Today I had a lunch appointment and then 2 very important meetings. It was a wonderful afternoon!
- Seth was so well behaved at our lunch appointment that after my last meeting was over at 7:30 we went to DQ for ice cream as a reward for Seth. He wanted his cousin to go but settled for Grammy and Pop-Pop joining us. After we got home he went straight to bed.
- Denise and he are sleeping sound. Denise substitute taught 4 days last week and has already been called in for tomorrow.
- All the phenomenal things that are happening at Parkivew would not be possible without the loving support of my wife!! She is absolutely phenomenal, not to mention beautiful!
- Second to that, all that is happening at Parkview would not be possible without a great staff team. They do their jobs well and that frees me to do my job.
- Alot of times, as the pastor, I get the credit but my family and my team deserve most of it and in that order!
- I received two super nice emails tonight. One from a church member and another from a first time guest – very encouraging!
- For some reason I have had a nagging cramp it the right side of my right calf for about the last two hours – just thought you might want to know:-).
- Seth asked me if I would be bringing him on stage today because I had not done that in a while! He makes me laugh out loud!
- The mint oreo blizzard is not as good as the butterfinger in my opinion.
- Loved the new song, I am Counting on God!!
- 10:30 was very crowded again today! Almost 300 in that service alone. Can a preacher get a little help – how about 9am or noon!!!
- This week we are doing some creative planning for the series that starts the week after Easter.
- We will also be tweeking and drilling down on the details for Easter.
- Easter weekend we will be doing our four normal service times and be adding Easter sunrise at Princess Place Preserve.
- Palm Sunday we will be doing something we have never done before. It is kind of a creative element and yet a responsive element at the same time. Can’t wait!
- I love what I do, it is as simple as that!
- Have a blessed week.
- Be sure to tell someone about God and tell someone about Parkview.
Random Friday
First, just let me say that we had a tremendous Parkview Celebrate. We had 4 families dedicate their children, we had 13 baptized and had a couple teens trust Christ as their personal Savior! Communion was a real sweet time. It was also a wonderful night of our church really lifting their voices to the Lord in worship.
Also, Steve Beiderman had a good comment on Craig Groschel’s post about small groups. Read Steve’s comment and then go below and click the link for Craig’s post about small groups.
I loved Craig’s blog about small groups. We have been in many small groups over the years and, yes, some have been more successful than others. Small groups are such a key ministry for Parkview — one that becomes even more critical as we grow.
What made some of our past small groups really great were: (1) leadership, and (2) applying the learning by serving together. Being in a disorganized group can be a frustrating experience that can drive away even the most committed. Leaders need to lead the group, direct the meetings, and keep the group on course, without grabbing “too much personal airtime” during meetings.
Leaders also show up “big” when they cause the group to focus outward. Serving the Lord is a natural outgrowth of small group study, and it can be life-changing. About a year ago, our small group leaders encouraged us to commit part of a weekend to help another family load its truck as they prepared to move all their household possessions to a new state. Another time, we were encouraged to help a new church family move into their new Palm Coast home after a relocation from up north. It was tough, sweaty work that reminded us who it is we serve!
I can recommend Craig’s blog on small groups to anyone in Parkview currently in or thinking about joining a small group.
We are going to have a PHENOMENAL weekend – whatever you do get there and bring a friend!
Tomorrow is Coming
The day is drawing to a close and I hope to be in bed in just a few minutes.
Tomorrow is the first Book Over Breakfast as our guys begin the journey through Love Dare. We have about 20 guys going through the book. I really believe this will help our marriages!
Tomorrow night is Parkview Celebrate. In fact a couple of the guys in book over breakfast are getting baptised. If you have not purchased your tickets for the spagghetti dinner at 5:45 you can still get tickets at the door. The service starts at 7pm. I hope to see you there as we celebrate the goodness of God in song, rejoice with those following Christ in baptism and reflect on Christ’s sacrificial death through communion.
I will be closing the service by sharing a recent mistake that I made.
Favorite Reads
I enjoy reading after other leaders who blog. Below are a few posts that I have enjoyed recently:
This one is really good about small groups.
Bill Hybels is an incredible leader and this is a good review of Hybel’s latest book.
I thought this one was a classic for all pastors.
Give and Get
A very large part of what I do focuses on the communication of the weekend message. My job description in its simplest form is: preach, pray and cast the vision. I both enjoy and take very seriously all three of those components.
For a moment I would like to focus on the element of preaching. I love to preach. There are 52 big Sundays a year and every weekend that I preach I desire to flat bring it. Not only do I enjoy the process of communicating the message but I also enjoy the process of preparing the message. I have a way that I study that is a basic framework but it also varies quite a bit from week to week. My study habits and times are pretty set, but I use a wide variety of resources. Part of the reason I think that I enjoy the preparation is because I enjoy learning and taking what I learn and making it applicable to daily living so that our people are empowered to experience life change. Every time I step in the pulpit it is my desire to give absolutely everything I have – I leave it all on the field. I want to give everything!
But I want to challenge you for a moment. Are you getting anything? No, I am not talking about are you getting anything from the weekend worship service you attend – that is another subject. I am asking are you getting anything for yourself? When was the last time you discovered a new truth, a deep principle, a powerful passage? When was the last time you got anything for yourself? I am not talking about when was the last time you went through the motion of Scripture reading. I mean when was the last time the passage leaped of the page, the verse beat you over the head or the principle cut deep into your spirit. When you go into the Word do you desire to flat get it. I mean, you dive down searching for treasure and are not willing to return without gold.
The best way to experience life change is to utilize both elements – You come to church and I give it and then you go home and you get it. It requires both Give and Get! Oh yea, one more thing – information without application will never bring life change. So it actually needs to be Give, Get and Live! Now let’s go do all three!
Sunday Wrap Up
- No man could leave church and say they were not called out this weekend. We communicated the following statements:
- I have never seen a passive man ever accomplish anything significant for God.
- Many church worship services feel like a hyper estrogenized Mary Kay party – not so at Parkview.
- We don’t want our men driving pink cadillacs.
- An authentic man is one who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously and looks for the greater reward – God’s reward.
- Real men accept responsibility and no that is not always easy.
- It easier to blame your lousy marriage on your lousy spouse.
- Yes we are in a series on the economy and the whole point was it is time for men to own up to their part of the mess.
- Nobody on the 6 o’clock news is accepting responsibility but we will.
- Enough on some of the things I said in the sermon.
- The 3 guys who shared their stories on our panel did a GREAT job!! Thanks John, Kenny and Mark!!
- Our ride out of this mess rides on two parallel tracks. The one track has God as our source of hope and the other track is our accepting personal responsibility.
- Had several guests who returned again this weekend.
- Our Fireproof Bible studies are going very well. One class had 44 sign up and last week had 44 show up. That is pretty incredible. Thankfully they were able to train some good discussion leaders.
- We ate 99 cent tacos for lunch at our new favorite hole in the wall. Enjoyed our food and the company of some friends.
- I had 3 appointments after lunch, then we left and went to visit Davis for about 5 minutes. When we got home Denise and Seth went straight to bed and now I am heading to the same place.
- REALLY looking forward to Parkview Celebrate this Thrusday. Hope to see you there!
What I Am Reading
