Would you be interested in a 10,000% return?

Matthew 19:29

²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

The bible says that anything we try to hang onto here in this life will be lost but anything we put into Gods hands will be ours forever.  It is that delayed gratification thing. But there is actually great joy in giving to God's work. "Present Joy can come from anticipated future Joy!"

• You will never see a hearse pulling a U-Hall. 

You are not going to take it with you but you can send it ahead. All the investments, money, and property you have right now will become worthless when Christ returns or when you die which ever comes first. But time, money, and gifts given to God's cause now will be stored up for you in your eternal life.

This last Sunday I used my experience with the financial services business to help explain the bible. One of the things I talked about was the rule of 72. Take any given interest rate into the number 72 and it will tell you how long it takes for your money to double. Thus a 6% return would take your money 12 years to double.

Imagine the compounding affect that eternity would have on your money that you send ahead by investing in Gods work. Yes I remember what I preached on this past Sunday. I told a story of how I, at one time, got caught up in the prosperity gospel. I'm not talking about worldly prosperity here. I am talking about eternal prosperity.

Matthew 6:19-21

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Some of the thoughts were inspired by a book I am reading by Randy Alcorn called, "The Treasure Principle."

The Praise Choir kicked off last night with a fun rehearsal. If you have ever wanted to sing in a great choir consider joining us on Monday nights at 7:00pm.

We are learning some new songs that will get your blood flowing.

This next Sunday will be a communion Sunday and we will have the Praise choir leading worship.  Hope to see you then.   Love, Pastor Kent

Crazy Question of the Day

This morning when I got into my car I heard the very ending of a talk show where the question was, "What is the minimum requirement for a person to receive salvation?"

Think about that one.  Unfortunately I did not hear the rest of the broadcast so I don't know where the commentators took this question. But I do find it an intriguing yet somewhat disturbing question.

Disturbing in the fact that it seems like in the Christian community we often are being onslaught with how far short we all fall. It seems as if the mainline Christian message too often is,  "It is only through immense sacrifice and struggle and suffering that eternal life can be obtained!"

Was that Jesus' message? Is it next to impossible to qualify for salvation?  Are most of us doomed to hell even though we go to church and try to be good? Is that what Christ meant in 

Matthew 7:13

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

I will attempt to answer these interesting questions this next Sunday. In the mean time draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

The path you are on right now may or may not be Gods will for your life. But the good news is, He knows exactly where you are and if you tune in to His Holy Spirit, He will tell you exactly how to get to the the road He wants you to be on. When you choose to accept God as your GPS you will never be lost!

See you soon, Love Pastor Kent

It's in the Prospectus!

Tonight we will be worshipping God through good old gospel music and taking a look at what the investment world has taught me about getting to know God.

I hope you will consider joining our joyful Praise Community Fellowship Family.  Come as you are, invite a friend that may need to hear the gospel message presented in a new but very relatable way.

Do you know of anyone struggling with their faith? Anyone going through some real tough times?  Tonight would be an excellent service for them to hear.

We are a multi-denominational fellowship that seeks to know the real God and all that He has for us. It is a journey.

There will be nursery services available tonight during the sermon for those of you with small children.

See you this evening at 6:30.    Love, Pastor Kent

Let the Children Come!

Matthew 19:14

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

To all young couples with children, this Sunday we will have child care available in the nursery as an option. Here is how we are going to handle this. We have asked for parents of children to volunteer on a rotating basis and Sidra Miller has volunteered this coming Sunday.

Sidra will be in the nursery right after the opening music finishes because her daughter loves the music. She will also rejoin the congregation for the closing songs.

So, if you prefer to have your child go to the nursery to play the with other children during the sermon, that will be an option starting this Sunday.  However all children are welcome to remain in the service as well.

This Sunday's music provided by Gary Grandidier's Southern Gospel Quartet. 

We will be looking at how the investment world and insurance taught me more about presenting the gospel of Jesus.   God has a plan for your life and it begins with submission.

See you this Sunday at 6:30 PM.      Love, Pastor Kent

God and Insurance

This Sunday we will be looking at the insurance and investment industry, which is my back ground, and what it has taught me about peoples beliefs and God.  So bring your calculators and your portfolios and lets have church!  OK I'm just kidding, no calculators or portfolios just come with an open mind and an open heart.

It never ceases to amaze me how God can and will use all of our experiences to move His agenda forward. God has a master plan and all of us are in this plan. I think we all fit into one of four categories within this great plan.

1.) Some are cooperating with Him and playing their roles the best they know how.
2.) Some are still trying to get with the program and figure out what the plan is about and their role in it.
3.) Some are not even aware that there is a master plan.
4.) Some are doing whatever they can to mess up the plan. (which is futile)

When it comes down to it and you look at these categories there is only one place that makes sense if you are a Christian and that is to move up to the first spot. To cooperate with God and play our role to the best of our ability.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone after a week off and am also looking forward to hearing the Gospel quartet lead our worship.

If you have struggled with your faith especially in light of the the Boston Bombing and other tragedies recently, I think this Sunday is going to be very helpful. Each of us has developed an idea of who God is. I am going to show you how the investment and insurance world helped me get a better understanding of my beliefs about God.

Hope you will join us Sunday at 6:30.  Love, Pastor Kent

Back Home!

Bonni and I are back home after a nice vacation break. Time to get back at it!

• We will resume prayer meeting tonight at 6:30pm in the sanctuary.
• Tomorrow night bible study with Bob and Judi Bertels, also at 6:30.

This Sunday April 28th special music surprise. Our service will be blessed with some true southern Gospel singing. Gary Grandidier, a member of our RTP choir, will be bringing his gospel quartet along with several other singers to provide our worship music this Sunday.

On my vacation I had time to read and think about many topics that I want to talk on. There is so much that God wants us to understand and all of it points to trusting Him in all things. He wants us to understand that this life is temporary and that the best is yet to come for those who trust Him and accept His son Jesus. God wants us to know without a doubt that Jesus was a real person in history who was sent here to give us hope and understanding of His purpose for our life.

There is a great line in a great book I have been reading called "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn.
Randy says, "The only true sacrifice in life is to live outside the will of God!"

God has a plan for your life.

I hope to see you all soon.  Love, pastor Kent

How Big of a Blessing Do You Want to Become In This World?

A couple of months ago I shared with you four Big Prayers for our little church.  They were:

1. That PCF will become recognized as the most Loving, Caring, Compassionate congregation in the US.
2. That the RTP choir would raise over 1 million dollars for our chosen charities in the next five years. 
3. That the PCF congregation will touch over 100,000 lives world wide for Christ in the next 15 years....or sooner!
4. That we will become known in the greater St. Louis area as the miracle working church because we are a powerful praying church.

So what is happening with these big, "Only With God's Help" prayers?

• Steve Klingel, our bass player will be delivering ball equipment to the children in Columbia South America in about a week.  Equipment we have collected here in Edwardsville.

• We have started a weekly prayer service on Wednesday nights.

And, look at this picture Judy Bertels just sent to me. This is an 8th grade classroom in Chongwe Zambia, and is being completed from the funds from the Raise The Praise Concert.

Our little but mighty Praise Community Fellowship Church is already touching lives world wide. We have people from China, Russia, and Germany visiting our website and listening to the sermons.

We are impacting lives of children and adults in Zambia and soon in Columbia South America. Some of our members have made a huge impact in the lives of a local family who lost everything in a fire.

Another group of our members have been closely involved in a young persons life who is seriously ill.

To me this is what church is all about. I love when we come together to sing and worship and play music. But when I see the impact we are having on the hurting, the suffering, the widows, and the children, I then know we are doing what Jesus called us to do.

Matthew 25:35-40

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

The question I have for all of you involved in PCF is this, "How big of a blessing do you want to become in this world?"  Because we are the only ones setting the limits!

God has a wonderful plan for you life, it is our job to say yes and fulfill it!

See you soon.  Love, Pastor Kent

Happily Ever After

Tomorrow we will take a look at the scripture:
Romans 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

If you are like me, that scripture can have you wondering, "God, are you sure you mean "all" things?

That is why I have titled tomorrows sermon, "Happily Ever After!"

Come and fellowship with us and join us as we come before God and seek His grace and presence. I don't have all the answers but I know someone who does and He will be with us tomorrow night at 6:30. We are informal so come with shorts since it's supposed to be near 80!  I love it.  Who knows maybe God will speak to you. That is my prayer for all who show up. 

See you tomorrow...I know, you might be bar-b-qing or doing yard work.  It is going to be beautiful out and you will probably have friends over. I get it. But if the spirit leads you, I will see you tomorrow  at 6:30 along with Anna, Liz, Kristie and Bill.  We are going to have a good time even if you decide it's too nice.  Just remember who made the beautiful day for your enjoyment!

Love, Pastor Kent

This Sunday Hear Anna, Liz, and Kristie Hurst

There is something about music that opens the soul to worship. PCF is blessed with all the musical talent available to us. This Sunday Anna Harris, Liz Ahrens, and Kristie Hurst will be leading worship.

Coming soon! There is new talent in the wings getting ready to debut. Randy and Christine Bellings daughter Loren brought a new song to practice Monday evening. What is exciting about this is, she wrote the song. I will let you know when the song is going to debut.

Still haven't decided on the topic for Sunday but I will keep you posted.


Hope to see you all Sunday evening.  Love, Pastor Kent

Bible Study Tonight

Tonight at 6:30 "not a fan" Bible study continues with Bob and Judi Bertels. Come and join us.

How is the church and the Hell's Angels motorcycle club alike?
"You have to profess to be bad to join either one!"

The author Adrian Rogers says, " The church is comprised of people who have finally realized that they are sinners and banded themselves together to do something about it."

What are you facing in your life right now? Do you feel discouraged or fearful?

Then listen to this amazing promise:

Romans 8:38-39

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For those of you in the RTP choir you will recognize these words in "I'm Not Afraid"

What can separate you from the love of God?    NOT:

• Death
• Life
• Angels
• Principalities
• Powers
• Things Present
• Things to Come
• Height
• Depth
• Any Other Creature

Hope to see you Sunday.  Love, Pastor Kent

Prayer Meeting Tonight at 6:30

Yes I am still having weekly prayer time Wednesdays at 6:30 till about 7:30.

What happens?   You go before God and pray. Talk with Him and seek Him. Sometimes people ask for others to pray for them. The last several weeks I have just had silent time with God. There are no agendas or rules, just prayer.

Do I pray out loud? If you want to. There have been a couple of times when it got quite noisy.

How long does it last? That is up to you and God. You can come for 10 minutes or stay all night if you wish. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide.

How many people show up? You never know. Last week it was me and one other person.

One of my favorite times of the week.    Love, Pastor Kent

Thoughts of Heaven from my sister-in-law

Some of you know my sister-in-law Robin. She is a character for sure but she and I have had many, usually funny conversations on many topics. One of the topics was on heaven.

Here is what Robin had to say,"All I'm saying is, If Heaven is about Pearly Gates, Golden Streets and a bunch of Angels singing all the time, I don't think it's going to do it for me!"

It's a funny way to put it but it is true, I don't think that would do it for me either. To me that sounds more like a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.

So what is Heaven going to be like? The fact is, no one really knows for sure. The bible gives us a glimpse here and there but there is still a lot left to the imagination. Personally I think the best description of heaven is probably found in the life of Jesus both before and after His resurrection.  Jesus came to this earth as a perfect man. He came as the second Adam.

1 Corinthians 15:48-49

⁴⁸ As was the earthly man (Adam), so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man (Jesus), so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

"So we shall bear the image of the Heavenly man"  When will we bear the image of the heavenly man? I would imagine after we have died and are resurrected just as Jesus was into our perfect life.

Jesus came to this earth as a perfect man with amazing powers. Can you imagine what this fallen world would be like if God gave all of us the powers of Jesus here and now?  You think we have problems now?

Jesus was given all power because he was in perfect relationship with God the Father. The bible tells us that Jesus did nothing except what God directed Him to do.

John 5:19-30

¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.

Now imagine having all the power Jesus did but being in perfect relationship with God. Then and only then would having this kind of power be a constant source blessing. There would be no more want, no more illness, no more hunger, no more tears.  Kind of sounds like heaven to me.  What are your thoughts?

Love, Pastor Kent    It's going to be amazing!

Monday thoughts on Sundays Sermon

Every Sunday evening after the service I come home and think about my message. And it seems every Sunday evening, usually well into the night and sometimes early hours of the morning I think of all the things I should have added or said or clarified.

As I have said many times I believe the best way to discover God and all that He has for you is for you to go directly to Him by reading the scriptures and in prayer asking for the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. All preachers give their interpretation of what they are teaching on.  Well,  some preachers give what they have been taught which is someone else's interpretation of the scriptures.

I do believe that some are called to teach and preach and God has given them wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that I am one of those. But even if this is the case, all preaching is done to stimulate you to get into a personal relationship with Jesus. Listening to a sermon, even a good one, is only one part of growing into Faith and building a close personal relationship with our Lord.

The scriptures I used last night are Matthew 28:16-17   Mark 16:9-11   Luke 24:13-43   John 21:1-14

• Jesus is who we were meant to be before the fall. A perfect man with unbroken fellowship with God. The second Adam.
• Nature brings us peace because it has not been corrupted. The sun, the moon, the ocean, the mountains, the flowers, the birds, the mountain streams have not deviated from their purpose. Only man has deviated and lost his original purpose.
• Inside each of us is a remnant of what God originally created. It is that faint, often undistinguishable spirit voice within that leaves us searching for meaning in life. That faint call is to bring us back to our original purpose.
• Our purpose is to worship God and remain in close fellowship with Him all our life just as Adam and Eve had before the fall and as Jesus had during His life here on this earth.

Seek God with all your heart, all your strength and all your mind. That is the call within each of us even if we don't recognize yet what that longing is.

Oh there is so much to learn!      Love, Pastor Kent

Tonights sermon, "But What's My Purpose?"

Trying to figure life out?  You are in good company. Come and join us tonight as we explore this question thru music and scripture and thoughts.

Praise Community Fellowship comes together as a people seeking the truth of the message of Jesus and the scriptures. What is it we need to understand in this life?  What is it God is trying to communicate to us through the bible?

Come kick these questions around with us.  Hope to see you tonight at 6:30.  Love Pastor Kent

But What's My Purpose?

Easter has come and gone and here we are still wondering, now what?  This Sunday we will look at what is probably mans most ongoing cry since his fall in the Garden of Eden, "What is My Purpose?"

Come join us as Eden Band plays the Gospel story through four original songs and we open our hearts to God's call on our lives as we enter the season of new birth.

We will look a this very interesting and ongoing question that so many have, "Why am I Here and What is My Purpose?"

You are here aren't you? Then there must be a purpose. God has a plan for your life!  Come and explore this question with your PCF family.

See you Sunday at 6:30.   Love, Pastor Kent

Bible Study Begins Tonight

We will begin our six week bible study tonight based on the book "not a fan" by kyle idleman. Bob and Judi Bertels will be leading this study. Each class will be approx. one hour. Classes begin at 6:30.


PCF will begin an interesting journey between now and Pentecost. When Jesus ascended into heaven the angels asked the disciples, "Why are you gazing at the sky, or heavens?"   That is an interesting question. We will begin tackling such questions in the coming weeks.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, the gift Jesus promised, we will be able to discover our Kingdom purpose here on this earth.

God has a a plan for your life. See you soon. Love, pastor Kent

This Week's Schedule at PCF

Prayer meeting tonight at 6:30 in the sanctuary.

Bible Study kicks off tomorrow night at 6:30 with Bob and Judi Bertels leading "not a fan" for six weeks.

After Jesus was crucified there was still much confusion amongst the disciples about what had taken place. Some of he disciples went back to work fishing. Even when Jesus had shown himself, there was lack of belief. 

This Sunday Eden Band will be providing music for worship and we will be looking at the resurrected Jesus and His interactions with the disciples and what that can mean to us today.

Hope you can join us.   Love, pastor Kent