Thursday, November 30, 2006

THE SECRETE TO VICTORY

All of us want to know the way to victory in our lives, we go to classes we read books we do all sorts of things to find out what the secret is to victory in our lives.

well I know what it is, I have it, and I want to share it with you.

Are you ready here it is

The secret to victory is

COMPLETE SURRENDER..... OF ALL YOU HAVE AND ALL THAT YOU ARE

TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Apply this to your life and you will never be the same.

I want to thank two very dear friends of mine for helping me come to this answer thank you Elmer S. And Joe M.

When the odds are against you!

As an ex pro boxer I can tell you of many times when all the odds and the kitchen sink were against me, and I am sure you can also think of many times when you felt the same way or maybe like me are feeling that way right now in your life.

I would like us to step back today and face what we are going through from the side of Gods grace. You see when we look at our lives and what we are facing through Gods eyes then their is no such thing as odds, you see when I fought in the ring I thought more to the effect of the best man will win, and in a sense we do need to put our best foot forward and be ready to work hard everyday.

But can the odds be for us or against us in life, I say to that no their is no such thing as chance or bad breaks, but their is without a doubt the sovereign hand of God that governs this world and our lives and our futures.

So what are we as believers to do when it is raining cats and dogs, and that rain cloud seems only to follow us.

We are to seek first the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the world
We are not to lean on what we think we should do to solve the problem or shift the odds

But we are to fully trust our Lord and Savior and He will make our way straight.

You see the odds in life are NEVER AGAINST YOU when you are doing what God has called you to do, and when you are going where He has told you to go.

Today I do not fight in a boxing ring any longer, but I do still fight everyday some things have changed I am no longer striving after the middle weight crown

But I am still striving after a crown of a much better value in fact it has an eternal value.

Today I no longer have the same corner man that I had during my carrier who always seemed to know just what to say.

But now I have God as my corner man, He not only knows what to say but He knows my beginning and my end, He is the same yesterday today and forever, He is my strength

One thing we must keep in mind about corner men is that they don't always give their fighter advice that is popular with the crowd around them.And it is the same with God as our corner man What He tells us to do according to His Word will not sit well with the world around us, but we are to be obedient in what we are told

and in the end when the final bell of life rings ALL THE GLORY WILL BE TO GOD ALONE.


and the fighter who fought the good fight and fought it as to win will then enter into his great reward.
And if He be in my corner who can be against me

WITH THE LORD ON OUR SIDE THE ODDS ARE ALWAYS FOR US.


Tuesday, November 28, 2006

THANK YOU

I want to say thank you to Joe and Dick and all of the members of COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. In Cape May, NJ. Your gift of love is greatly appreciated by all of your brothers and sisters here at PCC.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I want to thank all of the men and women of the Philadelphia Community Church for all of their hard work behind the scenes.

Thank You to my wife Mandy who has stood by my side through it all.
Joe
Brian
Benji
Dan
Sam
Sammie
Fabian
Elmer
Phil Ryken
Marion Clark
Aaron M.
Paul Jones
Fred
Amy
Stephanie
Lisa
Shannon
Judy
Norma
Leslie
Peg
Deb
Brenda
Jerry
Mark Rubin

And to the countless others who have stood with us over the years in reaching our city with Truth of the Word of God.

I would like to thank each of you from the bottom of my heart for all of your hard work and dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ.

But to the one we all owe all of our thanks to is JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD

TO YOU LORD AND TO YOU ALONE WE GIVE ALL THE PRAISE AND GLORY.

WOW WHAT A GREAT DAY

All of us know when it is going to rain
And all of us have been rained out and rained on in life.

But let us give thanks for the last two days of great weather and a time to refresh in the Lord.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

OUR COUNTRY GIVING THANKS

A National Thanksgiving
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey
His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and
Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the
people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging
with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an
opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th of November next, to be devoted
by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent
author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto
Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country
previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able
interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of
tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in
which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and
particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are
blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the
great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the
great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other
transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the
people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and
faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as
have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to
promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among
them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as
He alone knows to be best.
--Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd day of October,
A.D. 1789, G.Washington

Sunday, November 19, 2006

VISION SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19TH

I would like to thank everyone who took part in our Vision Sunday here at the Church.
I enjoyed seeing and speaking with you.
I also would like to thank you in advance for your continued prayers and support of the work that is taking place here in Philadelphia.

Please take advantage of our auto sermons by clicking on the link on the front page of our web site, you can hear today's message entitled THE CORE OF VISION.Thank you all once again for your support
Please feel free to visit us any time for ministry outreach or Worship Service.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving
May God Bless you and your Family

Saturday, November 18, 2006

LET US GIVE THANKS NOVEMBER 23,2006

I WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A GREAT THANKSGIVING AS WE TAKE TIME WITH OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES LET US KEEP CENTRAL TO OUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. FOR WHEN A PERSON IS SAVED BY OUR LORD THAT BECOMES THE GREATEST REASON OF ALL TO GIVE THANKS AND ALSO THEN SHARE THAT NEW LIFE 365 DAYS A YEAR.

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone. Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom. Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

A Litany of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.

We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,

We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,

We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,

We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,

We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,

We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,

We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;

To him be praise and glory alone, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

PRAYER REQUEST

Brian Bivens-- brother Jack he was in a motorcycle accident and is unable to walk.

Shannon Gentile-- We want to give praise for all of Shannons tests comming back negative so far, she is still having chest pain and trouble breathing, so as we give thanks lets also keep her in our prayers.

Jackie-- breast cancer, Jackie is visited weekly by church members, if you would like her address to visit please contact the church office @ 215-925-1110

Child care and Sunday School-- At PCC.

Debby Mitchell--- she has had injections in both hands and the pain is not as bad.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

GETTING READY FOR THE KIDS

It has been a long time coming, we are making are plans at the church to begin to provide care and classes for kids of all ages.

please pray with us as we are preparing first the room that will be used for ages 0-4 this will include carpeting and material suitable for the kids to have fun that is safe and stimulating for their growth. Also ages 5 & up will be in the fellowship hall with classes of Christian education suitable for each age group. All ages will meet during our 11am Sunday morning Service.

Our target start date will be some time in December. I will keep you updated as we move forward.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE POPCORN ?

I read an article in the November 8th edition of the News Gleaner, that I must say did not surprise me. It talks about a church that has been operating out of an old movie theater. But the location of the church is not my point for writing this. The theme of this church seems to be the norm of our culture today according to the pastor of this church " Churchgoers have been turned off by religion because the religious community has not adapted to the changing mediums."

Well I have never seen in all of the bible anyone who has ever had an encounter with the Holy God, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ ever TURNED OFF BY IT OR BORED BY IT. THE LAST TIME I LOOKED, THE BIBLE WAS THE EVERLASTING WORD OF GOD THAT CHANGES NOT ,HE IS STILL THE SAME YESTERDAY TODAY AND FOREVER..

The pastor also goes on to say that "we don't do church better just differently". Well again we must understand that it is not us that determines what church is, God does that for us in His Word. He tells us that we are to Worship Him in Truth and that Truth is based on nothing but His Holy and unchanging Word, not on how people feel or simply by entertaining them and calling it Worship. We have all heard the saying you can park a bike in a garage but that does not make it a car. The same principle applies to us, you can put a lot of people in a old movie theater but that does not make it a church.One of the most heart breaking things I see today are biblically illiterate people who are not being fed the Word of God.
As pastors we are to feed His sheep not entertain them

Hear my Heart when I say let's apply from scripture what it means to Praise the Lord

AND SAVE THE popcorn for the movies.

What A Great Night Of Music

The concert series at Tenth Church last night was Great.
Dr Paul Jones presented Music from around the World.
their was music from. Israel,Middle East, Korea, Kenya, Cuba, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, South America, Russia. With a wonderful ending from The Tenth Church Choir.
I would recommend this Concert series to everyone. Please check the upcoming dates of future concerts at www.tenth.org

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Chosen by God final class Thursday November 16th @7pm

Our final class for our 2006 semester will be held Thursday night @ 7pm.
our final lecture will be entitled THE DIVINE INITIATIVE.

This has a been a wonderful year of learning and I am looking forward to our 2007 semester which will start January 11, 2007. Class titles will be posted in mid December.

look forward to seeing you for class.
May God Bless this time.

A Time Of Vision Sunday November 19th @ 12noon.

I am looking forward to our Vision service on Sunday November 19,2006 @ 12noon.
I will be sharing a message from Ezekiel 37. I see this message as all of scripture truly is and that being right on time.

the focus of the message will be the context of the meaning of the dry bones the prophet was looking at. And what was the only hope possible in restoring those dry bones to any form of life. So before we can see a clear path for our lives and church today, we will look at this vision in Ezekiel in its context first and see together through Scripture how it will walk it self into our present day and time.

as I lay the vision for the Philadelphia Community Church we must keep in mind that before we can move forward we must all know and be sure of the hope that we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I pray that you will join us for this exciting time of Vision for our church and our lives.
Iam looking forward to talking with you following the service @ 1:30 pm for a time of fellowship and refreshments.

Angel food Ministry

Its been along time since I have seen a ministry that reaches out to the true need that many families and communities have.
this ministry gives people the opportunity to make ends meet and also gives many people in the church today a way of reaching out and helping a family or senior in need.

I urge everyone who is not already involved in a ministry to come out once a month and serve in a ministry that is truly meeting needs.

I also want to say that I am very impressed with the way Mandy and her volunteers do everything not only in a very orderly and loving way ,but that everything they do and say is done to the Glory of God Alone.

for more information please check out the Angel Food link on our web site.
www.phillycommunitychurch.org

Night of Music Friday Nov 10th @ 7:30pm FREE CONCERT

Music from around the world will be a good time for everyone to expose themselves to the rich beauty and depth that music has to offer.

7:30pm
Tenth Church
1701 delancy St Phila.
for more info about this free concert and others go to their web site www.tenth.org

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

The Word of God our All In All

You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the word which the Lord who receives sinners preaches to you. Martin Luther

Man Centered or God Centered

I believe that we are bombarded with thoughts and surrounded with ways for us to go that take us away from bringing glory to God Alone. I don't think we have to look very far to see that we live in a very Man Centered world, that we may in some cases bring a form of verbal worship to God for a small block of time on a Sunday morning, but we are further away from leading a God centered life then we think.

I say this not as a rebuke to people but as a point in which people can examine their form of worship and place it inline with Holy Scripture.

We can not live both a man centered and God centered life at the same time.
lets vow today that we will not just live a life to the glory of God.

But that we will live our lives to the GLORY OF GOD ALONE.

Thursday night class November 9th @ 7pm

Thursday night @ 7pm our series on chosen by God will continue.
our topic will discuss does God create unbelief.

What is Truth

I want to start with a thought, and that is What is Truth. We live in a world today that truth is something different to each person. But to the Christian there is a Truth that is ultimate in its make up and also in its value.

the Bible from cover to cover is ultimate Truth for our lives. The Word of God is not only the beginning of Life but it is also the only standard by which we are to live our lives.