Solid Rock or Sinking Sand?

Contributed by:
Becky Johnson
women's life director

On a sunny, warm day in December twenty-six years ago, my husband and I said our wedding vows. We couldn’t wait for the day to arrive and to begin our married life together! Like many young couples, we thought our life would be filled with joy and happiness. And it has! However, it hasn’t been all joy and happiness; we’ve encountered a few of life’s storms along the way! What we’ve come to realize in our twenty-six years is that no one escapes life’s storms. John 6:33 says that “in this life we will have trouble”. Whether married or single, young or old, you most likely understand this and have experienced a few storms as well! So the question becomes, how do we weather them?

Heaven on Earth...REALLY?!

Contributed by:
Ron Klopfenstein
men's life director

People often make statements about their favorite things being like heaven on earth. Perhaps it’s being the day she said yes to you, or that amazing vacation or a visit to Yankee Stadium (a picture of the “new” heaven!)

Why Would a Loving God Send Someone to Hell

Contributed by:
Tyler Ward
spiritual formation pastor

This past weekend, Pastor Ron continued the Heaven or Hell series by addressing the question, “Why would a loving God send someone to hell?” This is no doubt one of the most challenging questions regarding our beliefs about life after death.

The Heartbreaking Reality of Hell

Contributed by:
Natalie Ward
care ministries director

Conversations, opinions and perspectives vary in our world on what Hell will be like - it’s existence and who will end up there. In the Christian circles these same questions are being asked and opinions and perspectives are being given, thereby creating interest and exploration amongst churches and Christian communities into the topic of Hell. Pathway has been hosting a series on Heaven or Hell over the last few weeks, that will continue over the next few weeks.

Because of Heaven

Contributed by:
Staci Overbeck
ministry assistant

I love to write. There is just something in me that gets excited about turning thoughts into words and seeing them come to life on a page. In high school I took every English class offered, but my favorite, by far, was creative writing. In college, after trying my hand at a couple of different majors, I returned to what I knew and loved, English, with the hopes of someday using my degree to write. Lately my writing has been more in the form of e-mail, blogs and homework help, but I am a journalist at heart.

Imagine

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

Last summer I was given the opportunity to lead a team of eight people from PCC on a missions trip to northern Serbia. Everything about the experience was amazing...right up until the morning we arrived at the airport to begin our journey home and discovered that our flight out of Belgrade had been canceled.

105*15+10,000,000,000,000+2032-4,000,000=(computation error...unable to comprehend)

Contributed by:
Ron Klopfenstein
men's life director

This past weekend we had the privilege of having Dr. Richard Swenson speak to us regarding Science and the Sovereignty of God.

The Fingerprints of God

Contributed by:
Tyler Ward
spiritual formation pastor

This past weekend we continued our Q series by exploring a variety of evidences for the existence of God.

Dr. Chad Meister talked with us about God as the creator and the grand designer of the universe. He pointed out that our faith in God should not be a belief in something irrational. Rather it is a belief that is bolstered by evidences and good reasons. He explained that the biblical word for faith is the Greek word – pistis. It implies a trust and confidence that is based on the evidence.

A Stone In the Shoe

Contributed by:
Natalie Ward
care ministries director

“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”- Author Unknown

Be bold. Stand up. Be fearless. Be passionate. Speak truth. These are often terms that are taught as foundational when sharing the gospel with a non believer. Unfortunately, terms like aggressive, argumentative, pushy and persistent, though, are also associated with these kind of interactions. Many times Christians will engage in what ends up being a debate of theological positions, and then after silencing the non believer with a “blow to their position,” will wave the flag of victory after perceived or assumed defeat of their “opponent.” On the contrary, there has been no victory. Few, if any, individuals come to recognize the Lord as their Savior through an aggressive exchange of terminology and heated debate.

"W" #7: Branching Out

Contributed by:
Eric Dunaway
small groups pastor

The previous post in this series was all about the exponential benefits of leaders who reproduce themselves. The reality is that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of groups just waiting to be formed. All we need are leaders who are willing to step up and take the lead. In fact, I have a theory that many of our groups are full of would-be-leaders who just need a word of affirmation, or a gentle kick in the pants, to stand up and take a step toward leading a group of their own. Leaders reproducing leaders, therefore, is a win that leads to another win, and that’s when these new leaders branch out to form a group of their own.