Fresh Start

Wow, what a year. All I can say is that this has been one wild and exciting ride over the past year. My life has been changed in so many ways that I don't even have the words to explain them all. You see the year started out just like the ones for the past few years, I was lost in a state of melancholy that was destroying me from the inside out. I had made a move near the end of 2007 that would prove this year to be one of the best moves I have ever made. My son and I had decided that we needed a fresh start and had moved to Palmetto Assembly. We were made to feel right at home from the very beginning. In April of 2008 Pastor Mark challenged the staff and all of the church to join in on a 40 day fast leading up to Pentecost Sunday. I attempted to join in but did not do a very good job with the fast, but I did find myself being more and more hungry for what God had in store for me. On Pentecost Sunday the break through began for me. It was a miracle of refreshing, for the first time in years I felt like living. The hunger continued to go over the course of the year and in October we had our missions convention. This was like no missions convention I have ever been a part of. I stepped into a freedom that I had never known before in my life. It was amazing. From that point until now things have just blown up around here. There is the possibility of a new building, Winterfest was a huge success, and peoples lives are being changed all around us every day. Like I said before, WOW!! What a year.

That is only the start. We are now at the place of "New Beginnings." You see, New Beginnings is not only the new name of the church but it is the direction of the church as well. We are at the cross roads of a new year with great anticipation of what God is going to do in this place. We have seen more salivations and re-dedications in the last year than had been seen here for a long time and those numbers are going to just grow from this point on. There is going to be healings and miracles in our midst like we have never seen before. You see I believe that God has just started a great work in this house and it is going to continue to grow as long as we stay in tune to what he is doing.

Pastor Mark and Pastor Judy need our prayers and our support each and every day. They need us to be the ones who stand along side them as we go through this journey. We can't just stand and watch though we have to be a part of what is taking place or we will be left on the outside looking in. That is not a place I want to be in. So I ask you to join me in standing with our Pastors and staff and we will see the great things God has in store for us today.

Paul

Christmas List

I find myself at a point where it is almost expected that we would write up a Christmas wish list. I really don't have anything that I would like for myself so I began to just try to find what would be of real value to me.

The first would be to have my relationship with Christ and my family be what it ought to be. This is one area that over the years I have struggled with. I find myself sometimes questioning if those relationships are right or if I am fooling myself. I know like everyone else I am not perfect but I also know that Christ died for my imperfections. Accepting this and applying it to my life makes my relationship with Him as it should be. My family situation is one that is not so uncommon these days. I am divorced and I have two kids. The part that makes this relationship a little different is that I still have a good working relationship with my ex-wife and we work together for the good of our children. The pride and joy of my life are the children and I feel as though we have a great relationship. I have truly been blessed in that area of my life.

The next area is that my family have a relationship with Christ. My children both know Christ and are living their lives the best they can to let that show. Once again I am surely a blessed man.

The only other thing that I really would like to have is a opportunity to minister to others. For the past six months I have had more opportunities than I could have ever imagine. Our church is on the move and there are new things opening up each and every day. This has been the biggest blessing I could ever hope for.

I guess my Christmas wish list is for new beginnings and those are already happening. I am more blessed than I could have ever believed for in the past. This makes it all easier for me to believe for great things in the future.

God bless and Merry Christmas

Thanks For All You Do

Thanksgiving has just past and Christmas is quickly on it's way, so I sat down to just think for a minute on what I have to be grateful for. You see so many times I am so busy running from one place to the next that I forget to stop along the way and just say thank you. This can be to other people, to good friends, family and even some times to God as well.

I guess this is as good a place as any. I have to thanks to God for all that has happened in my life over the past few months. It has been an awesome time for me. I have been made free for the first time in almost 5 years and it is a great feeling not to walk around depressed and lonely.

The next people I have to thank are my kids. They have been absolutely wonderful. They have loved me through times that I couldn't even love myself. They make me proud to be a dad every day. I believe it takes more to be a dad than just fathering children. It takes love and being responsible for your actions to be a dad. My kids make me want to be that man every day.

I also have to say a huge thank you to my Pastors. Pastor Mark and Pastor Judy have worked with me to see my place in the church and in the world as well. They have also opened opportunities for me to minister to people that had been closed off to me in the past. Pastors you will never know how much this has meant to me.

Lastly to my family and friends who have put up with me so much over the past few years. Thank you for your loving support and all of the help that you have extended my way in my time of trouble. You have surely been a blessing to me and my family. You have kept us from falling through the cracks and that means a great deal to me as well.

Thanks again to everyone for all that you have done and continue to do. May God bless you for you have blessed me.

Paul