20 years ago today

5 months earlier, Ronald Reagan stood in front of that wall and said this:

Read a great post by Al Mohler about this event here.

BLC

Join us this week at Providence for breakfast before our 8:30 service at Outback Crab Shack and/or lunch after our 11:00 service at Wards Creek Elementary School.

Both meals are old-fashioned covered dish, so get grandma's cookbook down and whip up something yummy to share!

If it's chilly Sunday morning, we'll eat and have service inside with the heaters at the Crab Shack.

Proverbs 27 and a Volcano

Last week, Mikey was reading Proverbs 27 along with some other folks from Providence. We're reading a Proverb a day, that coincides with the date - so today was Proverbs 5.
We looked up and saw this:

We saw lava all night, but when the sun came out, all you could see was the smoke trail from the lava flowing down the side.

TXT MSG

We're in the midst of a series called TXT MSG at Providence right now.

If God sent you a text message, would you read it? Read it?1 You'd probably memorize it, make a t-shirt with the 140characters on it and hang it in a plaque on a wall in your house!

Here's one of my favorite preachers, John Piper, talking about memorizing scripture:

"P"umpkin

Don't just carve a Jack-O-Lantern.

Carve a "P"umpkin this year and invite all the little Phineases and Ferbs that come to your door to Providence. Give 'em some good candy a couple P tattoos, and some invite cards that we'll give you this Sunday at Providence.

Download a template here.

OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES!

Mill Creek Elementary is hosting a Fall Festival this Saturday.

We're providing, popcorn, a bounce house and sno-cones.

Come on out and wear your "P" Shirts!

We need more volunteers!

You can volunteer for as many as 5hours or as little as 1 hour.

Email here if you're able to come out and help between 10:00 and 3:00 Saturday.

From the Fall Fesitval Coordinator:

Pre-sales have begun for tickets and pumpkins the order forms can be printed off the PTA website in case anyone would like to purchase tickets ahead of time. They are 5/1.00 online, on 4/1.00 on the day of the festival. Pumkins are 7.00

We are also providing a bounce-house at the Heritage Landing Fall Festival after church on Sunday. Email if you can help manage this and invite people to Providence Bible Church.

Baptism Amnesty Day This Sunday

Because baptism is a public profession of faith in Christ, we usually require that every person baptized at Providence share their story of faith before being baptized.

This Sunday we're waiving that requirement! We'll still make sure you understand what you're doing, but you won't have to tell your story before getting baptized this week! The pastor will simply ask you if you have surrendered to Jesus as your Lord and Savior and then baptize you! It's never been easier to take this step of faith. You can learn more about believer's baptism here.

So, step up, email or call Mike and go public with your faith this weekend.

Compassion @ Catalyst

I hear this was the best moment from Catalyst 09. I was eating biscuits and gravy when it happened. I can see Kevin Connell with his Bulldog cap on backwards standing on the front row where I would've been in one of the shots. It's worth 18 minutes of your time.(just skip some of DWTS or Sportscenter WARNING... it's a pretty good commercial and you're going to want to sponsor a kid or two at the end... that's a good thing.

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

This has already been called one of THE most powerful moments in Catalyst history; there wasn't a dry eye in the arena after Jimmy Wambua met Mark, his sponsor, for the 1st time. It was an unbelievable moment...



Will you sponsor a child through Compassion International?

Catalyst

Sean and I are at at a leadership conference called Catalyst up in GA
It's been an amazing trip so far.

We brought a bunch of relief supplies that Providence people donated to Convoy of Hope.

Our first night up we stayed with one of Sean's good friends who scored us tickets to the Hawks/Hornets pre-season game .. they were pretty good seats... except these tall guys kept blocking our view!! -- THANKS JOE! that was amazing! Those were the best basketball seats I've ever had.

Now we're staying with the Condrey family. They have SEVEN kids and they all have a heart for the Lord... One is a missionary to INDONESIA, and one leads worship at this little church. One son is in Costa Rica right now with the minsitry that Johnny leads called Gap-year International. They are an amazing ministry and I'm super-thankful for their hospitality.

The conference and time with Sean has been great too - I haven't agreed with everything I've heard, here are some of the best things I've learned so far.

- "Don't wast time worrying about who is for you or against you but be concerned with who you're for." - Andy Stanley

-"God takes full responsilibity for the life wholly devoted to Him." _Charles Stanley

- Living to make my mark is too small a thing to give my life to, but living to make God's mark is big enough.

- "Humility at its cor is the ability to listen to others." In times of crisis we need humble leaders, not over-confident ones - Malcom Gladwell

- People need a good leader when times are tough more than when times are good - Tony Dungy

- "Sometimes it's easy to get so consumed with what you're building that you forget what you're becoming." - Reggie Joiner

- Every bit of hesitancy in obedience is God beckoning you to deeper waters . - Matt Chandler

The most powerful experience was Francis Chan leading us all to observe communion. I can't even explain it. My favorite part was when He was reading this...

I Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Really looking forward to today.... I'll tell you about it all tomorrow.. and maybe some Sunday.