The Aftermath

Last week we enjoyed a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School, and now I am tired.  Not tired like most of the leaders and workers, but still tired.  Last week was an amazing time shared together as we experienced God’s blessings of meeting and making new friends, renewing acquaintances, and encouraging others to follow Christ.  I had a great time serving as a team leader, that is, I moved a group of children from one room to another.  Well more accurately, Ronnie and Ryan (shout out to you both!) moved them while I talked, took pictures, and took video.  I was able to observe that we are blessed with MANY talented members here.  From Bible teachers, to crafts, to recreation, to music, to snack, and then back again…we are super blessed with great workers!  And all of this occurred with intense heat index that would have melted candles or fried eggs on the pavement.  They were all troopers! 

I just want to express my sincere and heart felt thanks and appreciation for those workers.  Many people were needed and many responded…thank you each and everyone.  Without you, there would be no VBS.  No children’s ministry.  No results to be seen.  No parents.  No children.  So please remember that we do this to share the story of Christ with children and parents, and you are valuable to the team at PGBC.  Now, get some rest, but get ready to stay active and busy in helping children know about the love of Christ.

Sharing Your Story

We have a story worth sharing.  A story that speaks to the basic need of all humans.  A story that tells how God provided a lamb in the person of Jesus Christ.  The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is good news to a fallen world. Christ's miraculous birth into the world, His crucifixion, and His resurrection from the dead has changed the world forever. All people must either deny Him or embrace Him as the only Savior of the world. Either we look away from his death or we look on it in repentance. Either we reject the belief that Christ rose from the dead or we believe it. These events are not neutral. Neither is our response to them.

From a grammatical point of view, there is only one command in Jesus’ Great Commission—and it is not, “Go” (Matthew 28:19–20).  Out of the four key verbs in these two verses—go, make disciples, baptize, and teach—only one of them is given as an imperative verb: “make disciples.”  That is the Great Commission: make disciples.  The other three verbs are given in participle form, suggesting that they are corollary activities to the imperative command to make disciples.  In fact, “go” is a passive participle, literally, “having gone.”  Therefore, there are three activities required to fulfill the command to make disciples: going, baptizing, and teaching.

So now let's share the story that has changed lives for thousands of years.  Start today.  No regrets.  No retreats.

Vacation Bible School

Yeah!  One of my most favorite times of the church year is upon us: VBS!  The theme this year is "Big Apple Adventure" and it uses NYC as a great image.  Several of the team leaders have been VERY busy decorating and setting up for a successful week.  Last night was our first night, and everyone seemed to be excited and thrilled to see a "little" NYC in our family life center.  A HUGE shout out to those who sacrificed hours and hours to ensure a successful week!  You all rock!!

Bluegrass Music

Last night at church, the Pleasant Grove Singers gave a concert that featured several Bluegrass songs.  I was in hog heaven!  I LOVE Bluegrass music, always have and always will.  The night started with a hot dog / hamburger cook out (shout out to Stephen Upchurch and Robert Brooks for cooking in that awful heat), and there was a great crowd on hand for the festivities.  Several delicious desserts were on hand for the sampling, and I did my best to taste several.  All I can say, "Yum!"  We have some great cooks here, and they were willing to share!  Without any doubt, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church is blessed with some great families.  Thank you to all who come out last night!

Holy Cow!

I can still hear the words echo in my mind as Harry Cary would comment about the topsy-turvy Chicago Cubs.  This came to surface last Friday when the Lee family donned cow costumes to pay tribute to Chick-fil-a’s iconic mascot.  Not bad since we received a free meal out of this tribute, and we were not alone.  Several people got mooovvvving and donned the cowtastic costumes.  It was a fun day, and Mary enjoyed the atmosphere of the large crowd, plus she loved spending time with the cow mascot as he made his rounds through the restaurant and play ground area.  Truly, this was a marketing success for all involved.  Thank you Chick-fil-a for having great food, and giving a great memory! 

Little Things in Life...

Recently we enjoyed two nights of fireworks, and I LOVE fireworks (Lisa more than I do) but I also want my little girl to have the same joy, but we are not on the same page.  The first night, Sunday, the town of Fuquay-Varina treated all to a good show, but about half-way through, Mary spotted two lightning bugs (fire flies for some), and then everything changed.  She was so excited to see the lightning bugs she completely forgot everything else.  Not that I am critical of her joyous discovery, but we see them quite regularly.  However, for this four year old, time seemed to stand still as she enjoyed seeing them close up AND chasing them in hopes of catching them in her tiny, precious hands.  With the help of mom, she was able to hold them and watch them light up in her excited hands.  Meanwhile, the clash, bang, boom of fireworks were for naught.  She was celebrating in her own style...Mary-style.  The second night of fireworks, Monday, the Adcock family hosted a celebration that was grand on any scale.  Mary did not know what to do: sit on daddy's lap, sit on mommy's lap, sit in her monkey chair, move her monkey chair, eat dessert, drink, and then repeat the process.  She did manage to observe the fireworks more closely this night, but her thoughts were on another joy...tire swing.  The Adcock's have the old-fashioned tire swing that beckoned Mary's attention all evening.  As soon as the fireworks ceased, Mary made the petition to go to the swing.  We were one of the last ones to leave the Adcock plantation in the now pitch dark, but one could clearly see the large smile etched across Mary's face.  A grand night for all.  So no matter how you celebrate, just remember to celebrate.  My way may not be your preference, but that is alright, just celebrate.  This also applies to our worship in church.  We have different styles and methods, but what matters in the end is that we worship God...we exist for His pleasure, not ours.  Have a great day!