Are you a GOOD Samaritan!

Those of you who were at yesterday's service know what it's like to be confronted with the same question Jesus asked His disciples. "Follow me!" Drop whatever it is you think is important and follow me.

God has not called everyone to relocate just like He has not called everyone to preach, or play in a worship band, or sing, or teach, or cook, or….. but He has called each and everyone of us to Love our Neighbor as much as we love ourselves which will require sacrifice and change!

The biggest problem for us Christians, I'm talking to me, is that we want a Christianity that requires no sacrifice or discomfort to our life. And that is not possible! I don't care what you may think, the simple truth is this, "To follow Jesus,  is going to require interruption and sacrifice in your life and lifestyle! There is no other path and we have to stop kidding ourselves if we think there is.

For those of you who were challenged by yesterday's service by Steve St. Pierre, director of Restore Saint Louis, let me give you a wonderful parable to pray about. Go to your bibles and read the parable of the Good Samaritan. You can find it in Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan

The way to start following Jesus is to become aware of what God has placed in your path. You begin right within your own family, then your next door neighbors, then the people you work with. Become aware and tune in to God's voice as He will direct your steps.

Much more on this over the next couple of weeks.

Todays scripture to ponder:

James 1:27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

50 families before Christmas! That is our goal. We are seeking 50 families who are currently not associated with a church. That is a whole bunch of people to love! We can do it!

See you soon, love, pastor kent

Yes I know, I Cringed too!

What I meant to say on the last post was come Here, 800 North main Edwardsville,  to HEAR Steve's story!

Luv, pastor kent :)

When God Speaks to Your Heart

Tomorrow we will be welcoming Steve St. Pierre former owner of Once Upon A Toy here in Edwardsville. Steve is now the director of Restore St. Louis, an inner city ministry which has many programs and facets. See more here RESTORE Saint Louis

Come join us tomorrow at 12:00 noon and hear Steve's amazing story. We will have a special offering for Steve's ministry.

Come hear what happens when someone says YES to God's prompting!

See you there! Love pastor kent

If This Is True!

If what you are about to watch is true, then you have some serious decisions to make! We think we understand and know. But do we really? You will need 5 minutes of uninterrupted time for this. You will need the rest of your life to live what you really believe!

Watch here. A Miracle!

This Sunday we welcome Steve St. Pierre, former owner and developer of "Once Upon A Toy" here in Edwardsville. Steve has an amazing story that you won't want to miss. We will be collecting a special offering for Steve's ministry. See you Sunday at 12:00 noon.

love, pastor kent

What's Your Agenda?

When I was part of Eden Band and got on the church council back in the day, I had an agenda. That agenda was to get a new sound system for the church. When you have an agenda, it affects the way you make decisions, and the way you hear information, and the way you vote for things. Agenda's are not all bad. Sometimes that's what makes things happen. I know several very successful business people who's agenda was and is to be the absolute best at serving their clients needs. Because of that their business has been greatly rewarded!

Luckily, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart very clearly while I was on the council and I dropped my agenda of buying a sound system which would have cost a lot of money. Very simply the Holy Spirit made me realize that the amount of money that I was looking for could be used to feed a lot of hungry children. I also realized how much my focus changed once I dropped "MY" agenda! I became much more effective as a council person because my decisions were now focused on the good of the church as a whole, the whole community. I was set free from my own focus.

Too often people have personal agenda's that have nothing to do with helping others, their agenda's are for self. Do you have an agenda? Is your agenda for the good of others?  Self promoting agenda's come in many forms. If you want to follow Jesus you must drop "self" agenda's!

Philippians 2:3-43 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

1 John 4:1212 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Love God!
Love your neighbor as mush as you love yourself!
Treat others like you would want to be treated!

Let's make the agenda of our church this: To love others as much as we love ourselves! As much as we love ourselves! Can you imagine if we become successful with this agenda? There have been many churches torn apart because of personal agenda's. Let's be unique and make Love our only agenda!

Announcements:   Last week chili cook off winners
First place              Brad Joiner
Second place         Leah Kaburick
Third Place            Jamie Stunkel     Thank you for all the chili participants it was a fun afternoon!

This coming Sunday: Steve St. Pierre, the founder and original owner of "Once Upon A Toy" a very successful store here in Edwardsville, will be joining us to tell us his story of how he listened to God. Steve has started an inner city ministry in St. Louis.  If you haven't heard about Steve and his journey you won't want to miss his story. We will have a special offering for Steve and is ministry.

See you Sunday! 12:00 noon 800 North Main Edwardsville in the Immanuel Methodist Church.
Love, pastor kent

Allow Love to Trump Your Schedule and Logic!

Who can you bless today?  Let that be the question that remains at the top of your list every minute of every day and watch how God will prompt you to impact someones life. I know you are too busy, too stressed, too tired, too broke, too …(?)  But remember that when the Holy Spirit prompts you to engage with someone, nothing is more important than you obeying that prompting.

Start living your life as a God adventure and watch Him come alive to you! Watch your life transform into something beautiful!

John 14:21-24

21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Obey Jesus' Teachings! Do what He showed us to do! Remember this, when you get the prompting from the Holy Spirit to help someone and they then say something like, "You don't have to do this or Why are you doing this for me?" The answer is is simple, Yes I have to do this for you because God told me to! I am a follower of Jesus and I must obey Him!  Think of the possibilities. Can you imagine that if all people who sit in the pews in Sunday would just start doing this how powerful a testimony this would be to the world! 

Recommended reading: The 10 Second Rule by Clare De Graaf

I want everyone to know and experience Jesus!  

Here is what it might look like!  Be Jesus!

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

Tomorrow's Service "Being Jesus!"

I am convinced that people don't care what the name of our church is, what our Logo looks like, where we meet, when we meet, or what kind of music we play! I don't think they care if we have a book store or a coffee bar, or serve ham and cheese sandwiches. Oh,  some of those things may get someone to come once just to look things over, but none of those things are going to change anyone.

The world wants to Experience God!

If you want to get the worlds attention, give them a real but simple way to experience God. We experience God by knowing His son Jesus and the world desperately needs to experience Jesus' love. And that is where you and I come in!

Let's show the world who Jesus is!  Join us tomorrow for this simple way to change your life and the lives around you. I'll show you how to become an effective disciple for Jesus in a fun, life changing way that will simplify your Christian walk! Let God become a real adventure everyday of your life!

Come join us at 12:00 noon tomorrow at 800 North Main Street, Immanuel Methodist Church Edwardsville. Lunch will be provided right after the service!

Come and enjoy the fellowship of your Praise Community Fellowship family!
See you tomorrow! Love, pastor kent

What Did You Say?

Have you ever had someone give you an unexpected compliment? You know, someone sends you a note, an email, a letter, or maybe just comes up to you and compliments you on something that you have done?  Do you recall how wonderful that feels? Genuine compliments change your day, your blood pressure, your self worth, your attitude. 

There is tremendous power in words of encouragement and love! 

No sense in allowing this power to go to waste. Start changing someones life today! 

To walk with God is a choice! But I have found that it is not a one time choice. I choose to be a follower of Jesus. But I must choose that path minute by minute of every day because I am easily sidetracked by my own selfishness, agenda's, needs, wants, and desires. When we are lost in our own agenda's want's needs and desires we will miss the opportunities that God is putting in front of us each and every day to be Jesus to the world! We will miss the opportunities to participate with Him in changing someones day and possibly even their life!

Announcements:

This Sunday is our annual congregational meeting. We will meet after a shortened service and then…..enjoy the chili cook off!  Please plan on joining us this Sunday! It is a good time to get to know the people you worship with!  There will be words full of power spoken!  

See you Sunday at 12:00 noon! 800 North Main St. 

Love, pastor kent

Wrong Focus!

This past Sunday I began our new series of sermons on "The One Main Thing!"
The one main thing being love! Love is of God and Love is God! Therefore if we live our lives with love as our focus our life journey will become a love story.

Let me reinforce a very important lesson I have learned since becoming a pastor. For too long my focus has been on results. If "I" was not getting the results that "I"  thought "I" should be getting…notice all the "I's" then what I was doing is failing.  So I react with typical human emotions of "So why am I doing this?"  Frustration, depression, confusion all enter the picture and before you know it, life has become a stressful mess! Sound familiar to anyone else?

So I go to God and pray asking for help and clarification. Here is my answer:

Kent, your job is to "obey" me, my promptings and my teaching!  That is your one and only responsibility with me. Obey! Follow my lead, and let the results up to me!  Got it? Love, God.

That is your same message. OBEY me, listen to me, follow me!  That is what is required of you! Leave the results to me!

So how does that apply to you?  What are you getting stressed out about? What in your life needs repair? What ever that is, obey God! Trust God! Pray to God! Follow God! Do what He is prompting you to do, now! Don't let the other voice stop you from being obedient!

The one thing then becomes, following and obeying love! Because God is love. If your life isn't a daily love story, stop and tune into God!

Hope to see you this Sunday for the chili cook off! If you have a great chili make up a batch and enter it. We will also have our annual meeting.  By the way this meeting will be short and petite. It is something we must do to fulfill our tax free status. So here is the plan. Church service at 12:00 noon as usual. But it will be a shorter service. A quick annual meeting and then we have a chili lunch and all are invited.

See you soon! Love pastor kent

Keep it Simple, but Effective!

What a great service yesterday!  New people! God's spirit was tangible! Become aware of God's prompting and act!  Don't let the "other" voice talk you out of loving someone as the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do so.  Here is a follow up scripture to think about!

1 John 3:17 

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Let's cut the bull out of Religiousness and get real! 

Why? Because that is God's plan.  Are you in?

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

This Sunday! "The One Main Thing!

I hope you will put aside all things to join us tomorrow at 12:00 noon 800 North main Edwardsville.

The new sermon series begins tomorrow!

Who should come? YOU! for starters. Especially if you have been frustrated, angry, questioning, "Whats the use?" I don't really care anymore! I'm worn out! I'm upset! I've got my feelings hurt! and on and on.

What if I'm feeling happy and blessed?  Oh yes please come, we are going to need your smiling face and I promise you are going to enjoy this service too!  HOOLA HOOPS and ALL! You will walk away blessed with a game plan for turning your life into something magnificent! And, the game plan will continue over the next few weeks.

See you Tomorrow. Love, pastor Kent

Announcements:

Please lift up the Virgil Heepke family in prayer. Virgil is now healed and with God in paradise! He left this earth early this morning. Arrangements being made.

Please pray for Cynthia Bastholm she has been re-admitted back into the hospital at Alton Memorial.

From Brad Joiner: 

Immediately following our annual congregational meeting on April 19th, there will be a chili cook off in the lower level of the church. Anyone interested in entering their wares should bring the conviction in a crock pot or container that can keep it warm. There will be a hand selected committee of judges with very discerning palates that will decide whose entry takes home the ribbons.
All additional fixins to enjoy chili will be provided as well as soft drinks, iced tea and coffee. Anyone wishing to bring a dessert is encouraged to do so.

Also anyone wishing to help with the logistics of setting up and helping serve should send an email to Brad Joiner at bradleyjoiner1@gmail.com to be assigned to the different stations.
It will be a good time with great chili and everyone is encouraged to bring a guest to the cook off or church or both. 

One Thing!

If you want to participate in Christianity you need to focus on only ONE THING, being Jesus to others!

You will not be able to do that until you allow the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes, ears, and heart so that you will be able to recognize the who, when, and how He wants you to be Jesus.
Do this one thing and watch your whole life change into something amazing!

This Sunday! I pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out such a mighty change of heart and blessing on all of you that you will never have doubt again that Jesus is alive, well, and seeking the surrendered heart so that He may live through you every minute of every day! Do you know someone that thinks Christianity is a mess? A waist of time? Has doubts? Struggling with life?  Bring them this one time and let God do the rest!

See You Sunday. 12:00 noon 800 North Main Edwardsville at Immanuel Methodist Church.
Come and be changed!

Sermon Series begins on "How can I be part of God's plan?" The One Thing!

Love, pastor kent

Being the Church

Here is the latest update on the promise!

I read the following article this morning. God can use us in so many wonderful ways!

Loving Through Laundry: Freedom Church

By Joy Thompson • April 7, 2015

“If I had clean clothes people might treat me as a human being”—a simple statement from a homeless gentleman living in Ventura, Calif., was the spark that started Laundry Love, a nationwide movement of groups—some church-based—that commit to washing loads of clothes for neighbors at a local Laundromat. This “modern-day foot washing,” as it has been called, is a ministry any church can do to create lasting relationships with people in the community.

Justice Coleman, lead pastor of Freedom Church in Chatsworth, Calif., reversed the process—instead of starting the ministry within the church, he planted a church out of his Laundry Love ministry. Once a month, the group of non-Christian friends he was leading in a Bible study hung out at a local Laundromat, paying for loads and making friends. After eight months, the Laundry Love patrons were asking Coleman and his wife when they would start a church. When they launched Freedom Church on Easter Sunday, they already had enough friends from the community to fill the service.
The most important thing to remember, Coleman says to churches starting their own Laundry Love ministry, is to “go into it with a no-strings-attached attitude.” He says, “You have to decide to do this whether or not people come to church, because if you come in with an agenda, it’s a huge turnoff.”
Want to start your own Laundry Love in your church’s community? Here are a few more tips from Coleman and the Laundry Love Guide:
Look for a laundry location near an apartment complex, shelter or motel. Coleman suggests passing out flyers (without the church logo, but with all other necessary info) advertising free laundry to residents.
When you pitch your idea to a Laundromat owner, explain to them the benefits of Laundry Love. Your monthly session should be during a slow time, thus bringing in extra income; also, it will elevate their business’s reputation in the community. “I wish I would have known [when I started] how important the relationship with the Laundromat owner was … it’s vital,” says Coleman.
Recruit volunteers. A group of four to 10 volunteers is recommended for a Laundry Love location.
Be prepared. Your group will need pens and paper to keep a log of how many loads done, guests served and money spent; detergent and dryer sheets; lots of quarters!
A session at the Laundromat typically lasts two to three hours. Be sure to start and end on time out of respect for the Laundromat owner and staff.
Respect privacy. Let participants load their own laundry into machines, but have your team administer quarters as necessary.
Consistency is key. Go at the same time every month in order to build relationships with patrons. “Just showing up and putting quarters in machines,” says Coleman, “is just a handout.”
Make it a party. Offer coffee, cookies, water, coloring books for the kids and play upbeat music.
Be creative in raising funds for Laundry Love. Some churches purchase gumball machines and get permission to place them in local businesses; the upfront investment pays off with consistent funding.
For more ideas, tips and answers to frequently asked questions, download the Laundry Love Guide at LaundryLove.org or watch Freedom Church’s training video here.
FREEDOM CHURCH
Chatsworth, Calif.
Senior Pastor: Justice Coleman
Twitter: @JusticeColeman
Website: Freedom.Church
Founded: 2011
Affiliation: The Foursquare Church
Attendance: 500

See you Sunday!  Love, pastor kent

This Coming Sunday!

As promised, I will be starting a new sermon series. I am going to look into a term that I have had trouble with for a long time, "Religion!"

The sermon series is going to be on, "How can I be part of God's Plan?" Many of you have heard me say, "I'm not a fan of religion!" and that is still true. I guess what I am not a fan of is empty religion. Church for church sake. There is something wrong when one feels obligated to go to church! Do you feel obligated to be nice to your wife or husband? Think about that. If I'm being nice to you because I feel obligated to do so, something is amiss in the relationship. Love is something that flows out of desire, not obligation. Love is an action that lifts, promotes, and provides the environment that allows the object of our affection to blossom! Love always seeks to bless the object of its affection!

We are looking to "adopt 50 families yet this year! IMPOSSIBLE you say! Of course it's impossible BUT with God all things are possible. Last week I saw a half a dozen new faces. What did you do to welcome them and make them feel at home. Were any of the new faces sitting alone? I can answer that because of where I stand. Become very aware of new faces. These are the very people God is sending to us! It is up to each and everyone of you to love them! Welcome them! Make them feel comfortable!

We are moving into a mode of adoption which means we are looking to love people as they need to be loved. The people I'm praying for God to send to us are people with a need, just like you and me. We ALL have a need!  But the needs will vary greatly. Get their names. Talk with them. Ask them where they are from and how they found out about us. Ask them if they have any questions or concerns or immediate needs. Do they need to talk with the pastor?

How can you become part of Gods plan? Come and find out starting this coming Sunday. 12:00 noon. 800 North main Street Edwardsville, IL. Praise Community Fellowship the adopting church.
Do you need a friend?
Do you need love?
Do you need to find out if God is Real?
Are you at your wits end and don't know where to turn?
Do you need someone to just listen to you?
Come join our family. We are far from perfect, but we are willing and open to making you a part of our family.

God we thank you for trusting us to be able to love and adopt the 50 families you are sending to us! Amen!

I'm looking forward to this new series. I have a lot to learn!
See you soon! Love, pastor kent

The Big Three

I have had several people tell me they like what I call the Big Three.
1.) Love God.
2.) Love your Neighbor.
3.) Treat others like you want to be treated.

I have heard comments that this simplifies the bible for them. Wonderful. But let me talk about the Big Three in another way.

Order is Very Important
The Big Three is how Jesus lived. He put God first, others next, Himself last. That is what we are called to do. But when we look at our lives we can usually discover real fast that we put our selves first,  the people who are the closest to us next and God last!

We have reversed the order! What happens when you do things in the wrong order?

Put the box of cake mix in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes.
Take it out and pour it in a bowl.
Add the other other ingredients, an egg, oil.
Mix.
Put on a plate and smear icing on it.
Enjoy.

The Big Three, very important but the order is also very important!

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

New Sermon Series starts this Sunday

1 Corinthians 1:27

27 But God chose the "foolish" things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

When I read this this morning, I think it explains why I am your pastor!

I want to thank many of you for inviting your friends and family to our Easter service yesterday. We are in the process of adopting 50 families into our family. Yesterday I saw several new faces I hope you all got a chance to welcome these new people. 

I hope you will all continue to pray with me about expanding God's love into the unreached people of this area. I have been talking with several of you about some very interesting ideas of how we can be more focused on getting "out" of the church and into the community. 

Jesus went to the people! Let's not forget that. The religious institutionalist want to keep people "in" the church. To me, the need seems to be greatest "outside" the church! 

PCF is a unique bulb that is waiting to bloom. Into what?  That is the question. I know we have been dug up a few times and been replanted  and I am very aware as a landscaper that that is not the best way to be efficient. However, just like when I am landscaping, I have a general vision and then modify it as I work. Look at the video I took of the waterfall and pond I built in my back yard. That beautiful feature evolved over a whole summer as I built, took it part and rebuilt it several times until it looked right to me. It took a whole bunch more effort and work to get it right, but now I have a place of beauty and peace!

I am doing the same thing with this church. It isn't what it's suppose to be yet. I, along with the board are stepping back and are going to be making adjustments, some of them probably major. 

Why? To become a powerful example of Jesus' love to our neighbors!

Why? Because I believe we need to do the very best we can at the big three:

1.) Love God with all our heart.   2.) Love our neighbor as much as we love ourself.  3.) Treat others as we want to be treated!

If you are willing to step out into the unknown, into a grand experiment of love, then I think Praise Community Fellowship may be a good choice for you.  

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

Tomorrow, "Experiencing the Resurrection"

Easter will be celebrated at 12:00 noon 800 North Main Edwardsville, Immanuel Methodist Church.

Experiencing the Resurrection!

Notice: We are seeking people who have lost their faith, question their faith, or don't have any faith. If you fit any of these descriptions you can apply at our facility tomorrow at 12:00 noon. It will be a friendly, informal gathering, no suit required but you can dress up if you choose.  We are looking to adopt the first 50 families that apply.

Requirements to be adopted:
1.) Must be willing to be loved!
2.) Some form of brokenness will help. It could be loneliness, sadness, anger, frustration, or other.
3.) A willingness to become part of an unconventional group of people who are seeking to be Jesus to others.
4.) A willingness to live life differently.

If you feel you may fit any of these requirements we hope to see you tomorrow at 800 North Main Street. We call ourselves Praise Community Fellowship.
We have a code to get in. It's kind of like a secret handshake. It's a smile!

Hope to see you tomorrow! We are expecting you and so is Jesus! Love, pastor kent

Good Friday

Mark 15:33-39

The Death of Jesus

33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

"It is finished!"

And the Truth shall set you Free!

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak…

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply. 

"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. 

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time" "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?" 

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them." 

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't  even pretty!" 

"How much?" the pastor asked again. 

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" 

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. 

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story. 

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" 

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. 

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teachthem how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" 

"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked 

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!" 

"How much?" He asked again. 

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life." 

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price. 

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and walked out of church!

See you Sunday! Love, pastor kent