Beech High School Homecoming

Some people who attend PCC are in their late twenties and early thirties. Some went to Beech High School in Hendersonville, TN. We even have a few teenagers who are seniors at Beech right now (like our drummer boy). So I thought it would be fun to post a little of my senior class video from "Homecoming" at Beech High School, Fall of 1994. Man I'm old! By the way, I'm on at the beginning of the video with my pajamas pulled up to my chest.

Heroes

The other day, a friend emailed me a great article by Priscilla Shirer called "No More Heroes." Here's the article's basic point:

The more visible the gift and the more celebrated the ministry, the more we subconsciously align a human with the Almighty. It is alarming how frequently the Church has glorified the ones for whom Christ died. We have begun to worship our "heroes."

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I think that's a good point. I have always had my heroes. When I was growing up, my heroes were my grandad, my dad, and Dale Murphy (baseball player for the Braves). Now my heroes are my grandad, my dad, and influential Christian leaders of the past and present like Charles Spurgeon, Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, and the thousands of missionaries around the world.

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Now I don't think there's anything wrong with having heroes. We can and should learn from them. If they're the right heroes, then they ought to inspire us to do more good for our great God. The big question is: Who do we trust? We should never put our ultimate trust in our heroes. If you're a parent, you are a hero to your kids. But who would you rather them trust? God or you? Who is more reliable? Who knows all their needs? Who can meet all their needs?

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So have your Christian, Bible-loving heroes. There's nothing wrong with that. Learn from them. Strive to be more committed to Christ like they are (or were). But whatever you do, don't put your ultimate trust in them. They all fall short of God's glory just like we do. In other words, don't trust your heroes, trust in the God of your heroes. As Psalm 20:7 reminds us: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

2 Exciting Opportunities

PCC's main mantra is "Ordinary people making a difference--together." When you look in the Bible at the people God used to make a difference, you don't just see professional ministers or educated pastors. You see ordinary people, ordinary people who have made themselves available to whatever God wanted them to do. In Acts 4, we read how the world was impressed by Peter and John, "for they could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training. They recognized them as men who had been with Jesus" (4:13, NLT).

PCC is a small church, but I believe we can make a big difference this Christmas. We are asking everybody (adults and children) to get involved with 2 exciting outreach efforts:

(1) Operation Christmas Child--Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God's love. This program of Samaritan's Purse provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands-on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ. For more info, you can check out their website: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC.asp.

(2) Making a Difference Christmas Offering--Over the holiday season, we are also encouraging people to give to a special offering that will help spread the Good News about Jesus Christ to a world in need. The greatest problem around the world is spiritual emptiness. Therefore, most of the money received for this special offering will go to support missionaries and their work around the world--especially in places where there are no churches.

I have no doubt that God will use our work and our giving to make a difference around the world. People of all ages, backgrounds, and professions can participate in these causes. Please don't let these God-given opportunities pass you by during this season of giving. And remember what our Savior said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35, ESV).