Fresh Oil, New Wine

Good Friday to everyone!

This will be my last entry for a few days. Next week I will be enjoying worship and preaching at the "Fresh Oil, New Wine" Conference in TN. I was able to go for a couple of days last year and thoroughly enjoyed my time with these believers. This year I decided that I was staying for the whole thing.

It's been an interesting month for our church family. We have been able to celebrate the birth of 4 babies of the last 4 weeks. The last one was born this morning. What an exciting time for these families. Some of these are 1st timers while for others this child is their second. We actually have a couple of more women expecting. You really have to be leery of the water fountain!!!

God is good...as always. He has blessed our church with a strong community of believers who care for and love one another. For me and Jenn this church body has become our family. Both of us are away from home here (although not too far), so we have sought fellowship among the believers of PBC. The unity here is unbelievable. I'm so thankful to be the pastor of this church.

God brought us to Pioneer at the right time in our lives. Disgruntled in ministry I had seen so many things that I didn't want to be a part of in church life. I still loved the Lord but was unsure of my place in the Kingdom. Even though I was seeking the position of pastor, I never expected this church to support me and my family the way they have. God, in turn, has blessed us immensely together.

This church is great because we serve a great God. We don't think of ourselves as better than anyone - we simply want to love God and love others. We let God take care of the rest. Our worship of Him is out of sincerity and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We attempt to share the Gospel unadulterated with a strong emphasis on the grace of God. It has worked and God is moving.

Our motto here is: "Where Relationships Matter". It's important for people to understand this. We strongly emphasize a relationship with God 1st and then relationship with others. It's even more important that those who come into this church understand this mentality when they see and hear about the ministries we do. Case in point is the Recovery Ministry that I mentioned yesterday. If we have pre-judged people who enter these doors we will never be able to reach them for Christ. It's amazing to me how so many people in churches across the land expect lost people to live like Christians. It's never that way.

As I close today I pray that each of you will experience a fresh outpouring of God's Spirit in your life. May you be blessed with peace, joy, and love as He works in your heart. Thank you for your time. I appreciate your willingness in allowing me to share.