I’m THANKFUL for YOU!

Tomorrow our Nation celebrates Thanksgiving Day. While I believe gratitude should be a regular part of our life, I do appreciate setting aside a day for this.

While I’m thankful for many things, I am especially thankful for our church family at Community…and all of you who follow my blog.

Let me encourage you to take some time to tell those you care about how much you truly love and appreciate them. Let our THANKSGIVING pour out all over our friends and family these next few days!

I’m taking a few days to be “present” with my family, so there won’t be a blog or 60 Seconds with PJ the rest of the week. I’ll be back ready to go next Monday.

Love you all!

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:3-6 NIV)

Now…are you READY!?!

We did it…21 Days of Prayer! I’ve been hoping and praying this experience would create a new habit or rhythm for you. Perhaps you already prayed regularly, but our “prayer prompts” gave you some new language, new ways to express your desires to God.

We received great feedback from so many of you. I’m praying these past 3 weeks have prepared us for something really special.

Stay in God’s Word! Keep Praying!

May our prayers be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving, this week in particular!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

21 Days of Prayer…Day 21

Being ALL IN isn’t primarily about our money or our relationships or our time…it’s about Jesus! When Jesus is Lord of ALL…then we’re on the right track. Everything else will fall into place as we respond to His leading with love and obedience.

Jesus said something about the necessity of our connection to Him in John 15. Notice carefully the last phrase.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5 NIV)

Before your prayer prompt for the day, let me say THANK YOU for going on this journey with me. Whether you’re a part of our church called Community, or you’re from some other place…plugged into your own church family…I know God has been moving and working in our lives. Let me say it again: THANK YOU!!

Prayer Prompt: Dear Father, this may be the last of these 21 days, but I want to be ALL IN for my entire life. I know in order to be close to you, I need to stay connected to you through your Word and your Family. I can’t do this on my own. Thank you for lovingly guiding me. I want to honor you with my life by being ALL IN!

See you TONIGHT at our ALL IN WORSHIP NIGHT at 6pm!

21 Days of Prayer…Day 20

Don’t forget…our ALL IN WORSHIP NIGHT is Sunday Night at 6pm. This is going to be real special!!

Jesus talked a lot about money. Seriously. But there are two verses that go straight to the core of why He does.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. … No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (Matthew 6:21, 24 NLT)

Go back and read those verses again.

Why do you think our money and our heart are so connected? Ever thought about it?? How do we “serve money” if we’re not careful? How does my love for money make me despise God? Wow…Jesus hits hard right here.

So now, how are you and I going to respond. Are we going to continue to get sucked into the same priorities born from materialism in our culture…or are we going to break free and truly go ALL IN with Jesus?

Prayer Prompt: Dear Father, I know money can do a lot of good things, but I also know it can grab ahold of my heart. I want YOU in charge. I want to serve YOU. Help me see the areas in my own life where money creeps in to take ahold of my affection and attention. I know one of the reasons you want me to give to YOU first is so I remember who’s really in charge. Thank you!

21 Days of Prayer…Day 19

First of all, if you haven’t already, please hit the “SUBSCRIBE” button below. I typically do 3 blogs a week, and will continue that pattern once our 21 Days of Prayer is over.

At Community, we started praying this prayer from Ephesians 3:20 back in January. We’ve actually seen God do “immeasurably more” in so many different areas.

Read through that verse…that prayer:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us, …”  (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)

Did you notice the last phrase? His power is at work WITHIN US! You and me

Prayer Prompt: Father, today I need to say thank you. Thank you for so much in my life. As I think through all the things I’m thankful for, I want to lean in even more to your purpose for my life. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of what you’re doing!