Thursday, August 05, 2010

It's Good to be Back!

Transitioning back into the communal life of PCC has been a thrill. Being away and focusing my leadership through the ministries of intercession, seeking God's direction for our future and translating dreams into a ministry plan for our coming year was so rewarding, but there is nothing like having feet on the ground and "skin in the game".

While you'll hear about those dreams and plans in September, allow me to make two obvious observations that were blaring to me in my time away.

1. PCC is a church filled with amazing followers of Jesus! In July, I found myself in two different West Coast ministry settings, and in both, on numerous occasions, people I didn't know came up to me and told me their PCC story! It was with Godly gratitude that I listened and basked in God's goodness and favor over our body. We surely aren't the biggest or flawless (I of all people am well aware of our corporate brokenness!), but we are humble, dependant and Christ-centered, and God is using that in many supernatural ways. Both within the body with the trauma we have experienced in the physical brokenness some of our members are going through and without our body with the brokenness of our culture, we are supernaturally, exponentially being the hands, heart and feet of Jesus. I say this all the time: if I wasn't employed at PCC, this would be the church I would choose to gather with! Whatever the depth of your pain and brokenness, the Body of Christ is powerful enough to absorb it and walk the road towards healing with you.

2. PCC is a church led by amazing shepherds, both paid and unpaid! While away, I was connected to a degree through podcasts, texts, emails and even the live video stream. (This is an amazing tool!) So many times I shook my head at the way our paid and unpaid staff stepped up and into the leadership roles God called them into. Thank God with me for the gifted men and women, the Romans 12:8 type of leaders that God has entrusted to this body! Our future is filled with hope because Jesus has already been there and comes to us from the future offering to guide us through His Spirit every step of the way. The verse I believe God is bringing to us is 1 Corinthians 2:9: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." Pray that for PCC would you?