Thoughts on life, leadership and the movement called the church by Brian C. Hughes, Senior Pastor
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The Clock Is Ticking...
Don't forget - there's still time! So far, almost 200 folks have taken 20 minutes to share their thoughts about spiritual growth and PCC through the REVEAL survey. However, we're only about halfway to our goal, and the window of opportunity closes on February 4th.
Nothing is more important to our church than your spiritual growth; but we need your imput!
Need help? Call the church office for assistance - we'll set up the survey for you on the office computer and help you navigate the process as necessary!
If you've already participated in the REVEAL survey - thanks! We appreciate your time and effort! If you haven't, please take the time to do so before February 4th. This is an undertaking that is most effective if we all share our thoughts!
Access the survey here; click on 'take survey now' or read the highlighted information in the text box on the front page of the website.
Thanks for doing your part to further God's work through PCC!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
PCCfit Update
It's not too late to get involved - but be sure to sign up on your own for the actual 10K! Check out www.sportsbackers.com for details. Registration closes SOON!
If you'd like to be part of PCCfit, we have several options available to you:
~SUNDAY RUN/WALK
Meet outside the Powhatan High School track 20 minutes after the second service is over (we'll run a course, not the track!)
~MONDAY RUN/WALK
Meet at the Powhatan Y parking lot, poolside, 4:30 pm
~TUESDAY FITNESS CLASS
Meet at the Powhatan Library in the large conference room, 4:30 pm
~SUNDAY KIDS TRAINING
Meet at the PHS track after second service
For a copy of the PCCfit training guide, email us (fitness@powhatancommunitychurch.org).
Our goal is to try to keep to the guideline of walking/running 3 times a week, cross training once a week, and resting 3 days a week.
Some folks want to get together at other times during the week - that is GREAT! The idea is to work toward this goal individually and together. We are coordinating information for everybody who is participating to stay connected and perhaps plan workouts together.
For more info, leave a comment here or email us.
Stay focused - and get strong!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Our Building, our Staff, and our Future...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
"Stick With Me, Friends!"
God wants us to think of physical fitness in spiritual terms. Living out a commitment to God includes honoring the bodies He has given us.
Part of our commitment to encourage people in their spiritual journey is a new endeavor called PCCfit. Our initial efforts are built around the upcoming Ukrops Monument 10K Race. Whether you’re a running or walking veteran or a first-timer, we want to help! Our focus is encouragement, accountability and a free T-shirt!“…didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy
Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what
God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of
property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So
let people see God in and through your body.” (1 Corinthians 6.19-20, The
Message)
PCCfit has designed a program to help and encourage you, to be used in conjunction with the Y training team (if you so desire) or simply to enhance your personal preparation for the race.
Here’s what we’ll do:
- Weekly training for the 1 Mile Kids’ Run, led by Tricia Tiller. The cost to register for
the First Market Mile is only $10. We will be using the Fit For Life Kids Challenge which is a program that encourages the kids to run 26 miles over the course of a 10-week period. You can pick up a running log at FMB or print one on-line. Kids receive incentive prizes at the 5, 10, 15, and 20 mile marks.
• Weekly training run/walk, led by Laura Koelzer and Shelly Milburn. Time and location will be announced the week of January 20th.
• Weekly Fitness Training Classes, led by Personal Fitness Trainer Roseanne Gutmann (call Roseanne to RSVP,405.3820). Classes will begin the week of January 27th.
PCCfit activities will not conflict with the Y Training Team activities, but can be an alternative or addition to your training if you choose to participate with the Y. Our hope is that by training together we can offer one another encouragement – not only to accomplish our physical goals,
but to incorporate a desire for good health into other areas of our lives. We can hold one another accountable – which always improves success rates! The best part will be the chance to run and walk together on race day, with our PCC friends and family cheering us on, knowing that we are
‘pressing on’ towards a goal that has great benefits for us personally and for our community!
Check out what Paul said in Philippians:
“I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am
well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for
me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all
of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to
Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it. Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this
same course, headed for this same goal.”
(Philippians 3.12-19, The Message)
Register for the race today at on the Sportsbackers website (click for a direct link)or through the YMCA training team. There is no charge for PCC training.
Plan to stay after the second service on January 27th to get final information about PCC training - and invite a friend!
Questions? Ready to sign up? Email fitness@powhatancommunitychurch.org or call 598.1174.
We’re off to the races!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
It is. And because I love it, because it's such an awesome vehicle for me to worship God, I get really into it! And, in doing so, I hurt myself.
It happens every time we play this song.
The photo above is of my fingers, the knuckles scraped raw from the six or seven glissandos that are peppered through out You Are Good. You know that moment, right before the chorus? People from every nation and tongue/from generation to generation...
Right before we tear into the next line - We worship You/hallelujah, hallelujah/we worship You/for who You are - I always go for the glissando. There are better, safer ways to execute this flashy piano move, but in my fervor, I usually just drag my hand across the keys.
I do so, knowing it's going to cost me. By the second service, it's hurting a little bit. By the time I get home, the flesh on my knuckles is raw and bloody, and it hurts. A lot. I can't wash dishes, because it's excruciating to stick my hands in the soapy water.
After a day or two, the new skin grows over the injury. It remains tender for about five days, but new growth replaces the old and I just keep on going.
Today, I couldn't help but think of the spiritual applications. There are a few for me, personally, but I guess the one that resonates the most is this: today, worship cost me something.
You see, because I get to make music - my skill - for God - my passion - with people I really love - my community - it's hard sometimes to see where Sunday morning worship costs me much of anything. I love every minute of it. It's the sweet spot of the week for me, every week. And what does it mean to worship God when it feels so good? When it's easy? When it just feels good for me? Is that really worship?
Worship is not about me. It's about God. We are called to worship him, and that requires setting aside our own needs to focus on Him. In His infinite mercy, He allows us the luxury of enjoying our worship. He's given us music and rhythm and bodies to use to praise Him. But, ultimately, the focus must be on God.
And it's not just about Sunday morning - not about showing up for church and singing or playing or listening and being friendly. It's about an entire life that's lived with God at the center. It's about Jesus infusing everything I am and everything I do and say.
I worshiped with a bit of wild abandon today, and it left a scar. It's nothing that won't heal - but while it's still raw, I pray that God will use this tiny bit of physical discomfort to remind me that He is worthy of all my worship - whether is comfortable or not. My relationships, my finances, my internal life - it all belongs to Him. And I pray that I can be as uninhibited in those areas as I am while pounding the piano.
Praying the same for you -
beth