I wasn't really on vacation. A few of you got on my case for working so much after I told you that I would be on vacation this week. That meant a lot to me. I need people to hold me accountable. I am quite capable of being a workaholic. The work I do is like a dream job. Not that it doesn't have it's challenges, downside or bad days - it does. Being the Senior Pastor of a large and new church has more than it's fair share of discouragement and hardships. But for the most part I love doing what I get to do. Really. So, I'm grateful for friends who get on me for working when I should be playing, being a dad, being a husband, relaxing, etc.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Pseudo-Vacation
I wasn't really on vacation. A few of you got on my case for working so much after I told you that I would be on vacation this week. That meant a lot to me. I need people to hold me accountable. I am quite capable of being a workaholic. The work I do is like a dream job. Not that it doesn't have it's challenges, downside or bad days - it does. Being the Senior Pastor of a large and new church has more than it's fair share of discouragement and hardships. But for the most part I love doing what I get to do. Really. So, I'm grateful for friends who get on me for working when I should be playing, being a dad, being a husband, relaxing, etc.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thank You
Just a quick note to thank all of you to have gone out of your way to express your thanks to me and what I mean to you through your cards, messages and posts these past few weeks. You have no idea how much your affirming words mean to me. I save them in a file and read them when I have hard days. They sustain me and they remind me why I do what I do. They remind me that what I do actually makes a difference. So, thank you for taking the time to write. If it weren't for people writing me words of affirmation like yours, I wouldn't still be in ministry today. You sustain me. God is literally using you to partner with me in this way. That's incredible. We literally require each other - we are equally important to the end result - and God gets all of the credit for every good thing that happens!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know that I matter in your lives. I love being the Senior Pastor of Powhatan Community Church!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Criteria I Use to Select Someone to Speak at PCC
Understanding The Bible
You can get your complete copy today from christianbook.com for $1.69.
So … maybe it’s not as valuable as it once was. And, despite how easy it may be to acquire a copy (we’ll give you one for free at PCC by the way), it doesn’t always seem that easy for people to read. For many it comes across as cryptic, old, irrelevant, boring, and (depending on the translation) difficult to read. Most folks tend to think of it as more like spinach than honey: good for you, but not all that tasteful. How, then, can a book that tells the story of God, the best selling book of all time, have come to this? How could the most important document in world history not be enjoyed?
In part, the answer lies not in its age or how exciting it seems, but in how we read it, in how we understand it. Like all communication, the Bible has to be interpreted, and interpretation can be a difficult thing to do. So, starting the evening of Sunday, January 11, let’s talk about how to interpret scripture. Let’s look at the Bible and wipe away the confusion. Let’s regain the excitement that the ancients felt whenever they encountered this beautiful, powerful book. Let’s learn and exercise some methods of interpretation together that will bring forth meaning from the Bible that we’ve never encountered. Come and join me for “Understanding the Bible”, an 8 week iD course on Sunday nights from 5:00 to 7:00 in the Art Room at Powhatan Elementary.
Perhaps, though, the Bible isn’t a strong point of connection to God for you or you don’t have much difficulty with it. Part of what PCC endeavors to accomplish in our community is to guide people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. PCC’s iD program seeks to accomplish just this. If the Bible course doesn’t do it for you, try looking at some of our other course offerings that will help you along your journey of growing to become more and more like Jesus. Perhaps Chauncey Starkey's “Experiencing God” class, Bob Pino’s “The Tabernacle”, or Kevin Salyer's “S.H.A.P.E.” class can help you further your knowledge and love of Jesus. Check out all of our course offerings here.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Beth Brawley's Debut to the Stage
Saturday, December 27, 2008
What Does it Mean to be a Christ Follower: Part 2
Friday, December 26, 2008
For Men Only and For Women Only
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
History Will Be Made Today
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Imagine....
Exactly Thirty-Two hours from now...that's when we will start our first of two Christmas Eve services! I've never been this excited about Christmas Eve before. At the risk of sounding prideful (and I don't mean to) I don't think Powhatan has ever experienced anything like what we are going to do tomorrow night. I was at the rehearsal last night, and I have to tell you it is the most mesmerizing thing I've ever seen. You have never experienced Christmas Eve like this before...and you will not want to miss it!!!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Help Is on the Way!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
More thoughts from today...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Conformed Or Transformed
In the New Testament Paul writes to the Romans to prepare the way for a visit he plans to make to the church at Rome. His plan was to work among the Christians there for a while and then head to Spain. He wrote to explain his understanding of the Christian faith and its practical implications for the lives of Christians.
I am challenged by Paul when he writes these words:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12.1-2
Before Christ I was being conformed by the world. I would see things and hear things that were mans’ ideas, desires and opinions. I could agree with them, make up some of my own, and - by the world’s standards, as long as I wasn’t hurting anyone - I could pretty much do , say, or believe what I wanted. When I accepted Christ in my life on September 20, 1979, everything went crazy. It took over 10 years for me to realize that without pursuing a relationship with Christ through transformation, I was just another person that went to church on Sunday and did what I wanted to the rest of the week. I realized that in order to know Him and to be transformed by Him, I would have to study His Word. It was then that Christ began to go from my head to my heart. This is a daily process in the life of anyone who wants to be a Christ-follower.
The Bible says in John 1 vs. 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. “ If I believed that, then studying the Word was to study Christ! How awesome! My life started to change because Christ started to change my life. My outlook, my thought process, and my attitude began to be different and the cool thing was that people - even my own kids - would ask,“What’s different about you?” It was my mind being transformed by the washing of the Word.
I am happy to tell you that the staff at PCC believes in the study of God’s Word. For my wife and me it’s the main reason we attend PCC. This January, through the iD program, we will have at our disposal several classes to choose from that will help us to be transformed by the study of God’s Word. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the journey or you’ve been following Christ for years. We never get to the point where we know it all or where we have arrived. Even our pastor, who has his PhD, is in the Word learning, seeking, understanding, and growing as he leads us.
Registration is now open and you can choose to grow and be transformed, or you can be conformed to the world around you and miss the rich blessing of our Lord who will get you through life with strength, peace in the midst of storms, joy beyond measure, and the ability to love and serve the One who gave His life for you! Come to the registration table on Sunday, or go online and register today! It will change your life!
For more information, check out the PCC website, where you can read more about specific courses, or call the church office (804.598.1174)
What does it mean to be a 'Christ Follower'?: Part 1
Yesterday, I had several conversations with people who are responding to God's movement in their lives. With some folks, they have taken their time and asked questions and researched and come to faith over a long process. With others, God used a particular moment to really speak to them.
Interestingly, I found that the same question happened repeatedly yesterday, and I found myself giving responding with the same words, the same Scripture. This is very unusual for such a thing to occur multiple times in the same day, and I wonder if God is trying to get my attention. So, perhaps it's worthwhile to write about it.
The question came in several forms, but looked basically like this: "What, exactly, does it mean to be a 'Christ Follower'?"
Part 1: What it is NOT.
Being a Christ Follower is NOT:
- Keeping the 10 Commandments
- Being a good person
- Going to church
- Tithing
- Giving to the poor
- Helping little old ladies across the street
- Praying outloud in impressive ways
- Being a great dad, mom, husband, wife, son, daughter, friend, employee, employer, etc.
In other words, we often confuse being a Christ Follower with a focus on moral action. Jesus was exceedingly clear about this. In Matthew 5:20, He said, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (NIV) Well, from a strictly moral standpoint, you couldn't exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. So, they met most of the criteria on the list above. They never missed church, they tithed, they gave to the poor, the prayed. They had a long and impressive list of do's and don't's and they abided by every single one of them. But they still missed the mark.
Is that what you think being a Christ Follower is about? Is your focus on being a good person?
In Part 2, I'll share more.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Leaving For China
Following is a reprint of a post from a few months ago, but it's worth repeating. Wednesday morning, four of the five guys above, along with their chaperone David Samuel, are leaving their friends and families to spend their Christmas break in China. Focused on their call and their mission, these guys have raised over $10,000 to invest their time and resources in a foreign country.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Imagine Christmas from Mary's Perspective
Thanks to all of you for your kinds words. God gets all of the credit for the incredible movement of this day. We equally share the privilege of standing in His grace and serving the people who long to draw closer to Jesus. It is incredibly humbling for me to lead this incredible movement we call Powhatan Community Church.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Christmas Offerings
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
iD
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Other Bald Guy
And then you'll want to check this out.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The Meeting of a Lifetime
This particular invitation was for a state dinner with President and Mrs. Bush and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. I didn't get an invitation to that dinner. Mine must have gotten misplaced. Come to think of it, I haven't gotten any invitations to the White House for a state dinner....or lunch...or for any reason at all. But I sure would love to. It wouldn't matter to me who the President was - Democrat or Republican - if I got the invitation I can tell you, in advance, that my answer would be yes. I'd miss my anniversary, my kid's birthday, church, Christmas, whatever. If I got the summons, I'd make the meeting.
Perhaps an invitation to the White House doesn't really matter to you. Maybe it's a superstar - Brad Pit or Oprah or some country singer or a sports star or a really successful business person like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. Perhaps you'd respond to an invitation to meet the Pope, the Queen of England, Billy Graham, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, or the cast of CSI Miami. You can say that there is nobody you'd really like to meet, but I'd argue with you. Most of us can name at least some famous person that we would drop everything for. If we got the invitation, we'd make the meeting.
Don't you know that you do have the invitation? The most important person on the planet...in the universe - the One who created all things - who holds it all together - He requests the honor of your presence, not just at dinner...and you don't have to dress up...but in your pajamas and over a cup of coffee. You don't have to study which fork to use and you don't have to practice eating your soup without slurping it or dripping it down your chin. He honestly wants you to know Him. He wants to coach you, to encourage you, to give you some instruction, to give you a little correction here and there. You have the invitation.
Beth Brawley had a meeting with someone we all consider a very important person this past week. It was a phone meeting, but it was still a one-on-one conversation. It was very exciting. The office was buzzing for days before about it, anticipating it. We closed her door. We wanted to know how it went. What was said. How'd it go.
Why don't we approach meeting with God that way? He's far more important than the President or the Queen or the Pope. He's more talented than any musician and richer than the most successful businessperson. He's more powerful than any politician. What's more, He's interested in you...they're not. He sent you the invitation - He nudges you with one every day. But we tend to shrug Him off. I'm determined to change this about myself. Want to join me?
Sorry, I gotta run. I received a personal invitation from the most powerful Person in the world and there is no way I'm missing this opportunity!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Am I Unavailable?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Something I Did Because of 30 Days...
Dad,
We’re doing this series at church called ’30 Days to Live’ and it’s based on Psalm 39, especially verses 4-5:
"Show me, O Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.”
We’re exploring the question “What would you do differently if you knew you only had 30 days left to live? And since you don’t know, shouldn't’t you do those things now?” As David put it in Psalm 39, basically, Life is Short! He plead with God to remind him that life is short so that he would not take a day for granted.
This series has been profound for me. There are some things I need to do differently.
I feel compelled to just ask you to think about something. I know it’s hard, and I know it creates complications and I know it’s short notice. But when was the last time your 3 boys were all in the same place together, with your other 3 grandchildren and the one Jeremy [my brother] now has on the way? This is a unique chance to spend time with us in a way that happens very rarely, if ever. Jeremy and Jason and I would be so glad to see you, to eat with you and to enjoy Thanksgiving with you. We have plenty of food and plenty of room if you want to stay the night.
I wish you would think about it. We’re planning to eat at 2:00, but if we knew you were coming, we would change the time.
Love,
Brian
My parents divorced 30 years ago and, to the best of my knowledge, have never eaten Thanksgiving dinner together at the same table since. But this series, and this scripture, has affected me. So, we didn't hear from Dad and we didn't set a place for him, but at about ten minutes to 2, I looked up from the game of pool that my daughter and my brother and I were shooting, and there was my Dad, pulling into my driveway. I couldn't believe it. None of us could.
As we sat down to eat, we talked about how this was the first time in more than 10 years that all three of us brothers had shared Thanksgiving with our Dad. And I quietly pondered the significance my Mom and Dad both sharing that meal for the first time in three decades.
As my Dad left, he thanked my Mom for the meal and told her that the food was good. I can't help but feel that slowly, (painfully slowly) time has healed old wounds and God has softened hardened hearts. Psalm 39 is a profound teaching that should affect us all...if we would only listen. I'm glad I did.
Posted by Brian C. Hughes, Senior Pastor
Monday, November 24, 2008
More Thoughts on Resurrection...
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures... But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a human being. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Cor 15, excerpts, TNIV, emphasis mine)
I believe this with all my heart. Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. He is alive today. He is seeking out every person - not just a few. The bad ones, the good ones. Those who help thousands with good deeds and those who commit heinous crimes. People who share your political views and those who are on the opposing side. Every single human being is someone God created, someone Jesus died for, and someone we're chasing down to bring into the Kingdom! Every Single One.
He's Alive! And because of that truth, we're alive, too!
More thoughts are coming....
Brian
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Do You Believe This?
Friday, November 21, 2008
New PCC Ad
Special thanks to Jeanette for designing it – Great Job!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Building Update
We also hope the quality will improve, but - hey, we're just learning how to do this!
Powhatan Community Church Building Update November 2008 from Beth Brawley on Vimeo.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Message Series Idea - Need Input
- Is God Green? This is where I would talk about the environmental responsibility of Christ followers. The Bible does give some direction on this. The earth was given to humans to use. It's here for our benefit. it's here to serve us. But God didn't intend for us to tear the place up, needlessly wreck its beauty, etc. I'm not advocating that we stop progress or that people be homeless so that we can save a tree. But Christians have long been known as anti-environmentalists and I think this is contrary to what Scripture teaches.
- Is God Homophobic? The passage of California's proposition 8 (constitutionally banning gay marriage in the state) has sparked new levels of tension between the church, Christians, and more socially liberally minded people, gay people, etc. Can someone believe a lifestyle is wrong and still love the person. We give lip service to 'hate the sin but love the sinner.' the question is, can it really be done? And more importantly, how does God see the homosexual? This is a question that is always around us, even when it's not being talked about publicly.
- Is God Racist? I know that this is a settled matter for many people. But with the election of Barak Obama, there is a fresh conversation regarding stereotypes, upbringings, experiences, etc. regarding people of other races. Does God see any differences in people based on the color of their skin? Should we?
There is more and I would really like to hear from you. What are the stereotypes? What would be meaningful to discuss and helpful for people? What questions do people really have about God regarding social issues?
Thanks for your help.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
PCC Ski Trip!!
Hold the date! We are working now on the details for a red-eye on January 24th. We will leave early in the morning and come back very late. We'll be going to West Virginia. More details to follow...but if your parents or grandparents are wondering what to get you for Christmas, helping you go can be a nice gift. Snow tubing is also available for non-skiers.
Monday, November 10, 2008
And Now For Something Completely Different
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Sunday, November 9, 2008
How's Your Prayer Life?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Praying For Children
Angie Smith has a wonderful blog where she shares stories about her family and her faith. I came across this excellent post today, and knew that it would be valuable to other parents who are striving to do the best they can with their kids. For those who do not have children, perhaps this guide who help you pray specifically for kids that you love and care about in your immediate family or your church community.
It struck me that I need reminders during the day to be praying over my girls, and I decided to choose 7 events in a day that would remind me to do so. Then, I chose verses that had to do with that time of the day (for example: as my kids are getting dressed in the morning) and then I put them on notecards.
Here are the events and verses I chose:
1. When they wake up: "Let the morning bring (child's name) word of your unfailing love, for she has put her trust in You. Show (her/him) the way (she/he) should go, for to you (he/she) lifts up her soul." (Adapted from Psalm 143:8)
2. When they are getting dressed: "Therefore, as God's chosen child, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Lord, help (him/her) bear with others and forgive whatever grievances (he/she) has against others. Help (him/her) forgive as the Lord forgave (him/her). And over all these virtues, help (him/her) put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Adapted from Colossians 3:12-14)
3. While they are eating: "Teach (child's name) the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Teach (him/her) that (he/she) can do everything through him who gives (him/her) strength." (Adapted from Philippians 4:12-13)
4. When they go out of the house: "(Name of child), do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Adapted from Romans 12:2)
5. While they are taking a bath: Lord, give (name of child) clean hands and a pure heart, and let (him/her) not lift (his/her) soul to an idol or swear by what is false. Let (him/her) receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God (his/her) Savior. Let (him/her) be part of the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. (Adapted from Psalm 24:4-6)
6. When they are going to bed: "The Lord Your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, be will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)
7. While they are sleeping: "I pray that (name of child) will do everything without complaining or arguing, so that he/she may become blameless and pure, a child of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which he/she shines like a star in the universe as he/she holds out the word of life-in order that he/she may boast on the day of Christ that he/she did not run or labor for nothing." (Adapted from Philippians 2:14-16)
You can read Angie's blog here; check it out!