Great Stuff This Weekend

Well, first of all, I must say CONGRATULATIONS to the Cubs on winning the division. I am first and foremost a Chicago fan so even though I’m not a Cub fan, I will be pulling for the Northsider’s during the playoffs. I will be true to my Parkview Cub fans as a good pastor should be.

This weekend is significant for more ways than just to find out who the Cubs play. We are going to address the “Why” question of “Why is the world so messed up?” We’ve got a “choir” of young people from Jamaica and the Caribbean Christian Children’s home for the deaf called Hands In Praise who will be signing and doing a special presentation for us in the service. Also we’re having a testimony by Nick Vijucic, President and CEO of Life Without Limbs. They are a part of a Disability Summit put on by Joni Eareckson Tada at Trinity College this weekend and we are fortunate to have them share in our services.

And I will also be preaching (a bit shorter) message about the problem of pain. I hope you are coming and I hope you are bringing some people with you – and it would really be cool if you were coming on Saturday night. We have a big Saturday night party happening after the service tonight with food and inflatable’s and Ryne Sandburg (just kidding). It’s going to be fun and we’re trying to bribe people into coming on Saturday night so we have room to grow on Sunday.

I was reading in the Psalms this week and this one really struck me in the way it dealt with pain and suffering.

Psalm 77

1 I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. 2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.

Then notice the transition – “but I started thinking about the good you have done”

5 I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; 6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired: 7 “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? 8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” 10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. 13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? 14 You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. 15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

I don’t have time to get to this in my sermon – so you can have it here. It seems like spend most of our time griping to the Lord about the bad stuff. But when we look at the sum total of our lives, or the total of life on the earth and God’s blessings on his people – it doesn’t take us long to see how much good we take for granted.

I’m not minimizing it, some of you are going through hell, but one of the ways we might want to deal with the pain in our lives is by dwelling on the blessings that we do have. If your “eyes are kept from closing,” and you are faint and full of groaning, maybe it would help to think about all the things God HAS done.

Man, you can tell I live in a house of females because a song from White Christmas just popped into my head.

“When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”

Wow, Cubs and Irving Berlin in one blog post. You must be so disappointed in me.

I’ll do better.

Tim

Comments

[Denise Grein]

Well, its great to see that you actually posted a Congratulations on the Cubs win!!!
Thanks! That means alot to us die-hard Cub fans. Maybe you could even crack a joke about the White Sox to make it fair!! LOL!

[Dawn Marie]

i miss parkview!!! :)

[Jim]

Our Lord said before He returns there would be rumors of wars, and signs in the heavens. Along with nations against nations and kingdom against kingdom. Three years ago it was the Boston Red Sox that won The World Series. Two years ago it was the Chicago White Sox that won. If and I strongly say If, the Chicago Cubs win then that is a monumental sign that the return of Our Lord is imminent. Everyone needs to reserve their spot on Rapture Airways. Now!

[herman]

positive feedback: just an awesome service!
anyone hitting this site must go to PCC website and download sermon. you feed my soul, bro!

[Bill Carey]

Sandberg, as in Hall of Fame secondbaseman, not Sandburg, as in poet.

[Nicky]

Hi there. I don't go to your church. Actually, I live in Central Illinois (Decatur), but my family lives in Orland and they go to your church so I've been to Parkview a number of times. I'll be honest, I am very skeptical of big churches. They kinda make me crazy. I remember coming to Parkview once and the video of the worship band was behind the song lyrics - it bothered me so much I don't think I heard a word of the rest of the service.

All that to say, every time I came to Parkview I was ready to pick a fight in my head over why big churches are feel-good, performance driven phonies. And every time I came, I'd get something good out of the service. This annoyed me at first, but the more I came, the more I was able to let my gripes go and experience the Holy Spirit at work. The last few times I've come to Parkview, I have sensed God's heart for the (lots and lots of) people who come and I have so appreciated your honest and challenging sermons. I can tell that you are genuine, that you care about the souls of the people who come. They need to hear the truth, and you speak it. I'm sure lots of people come to Parkview for a feel-good, entertaining, shallow experience, but if that's all they get, it's their own fault. God is at work in your church. And I felt God wanted me to encourage you, Pastor Tim, to keep preaching truth and let the Holy Spirit work on the hearts of all those people who come to listen to you.