Convicting truth

This is a letter sent by the coordinator of PCC's 72 hours of prayer:



We send you weekly prayer requests from the body of Christ at PCC for your prayer. Some involve physical, relationship, situational, emotional and spiritual needs. Many of those needs are visible and observable.

I'd like to enlist you to pray for the Body of Christ at PCC the way the Lord sees us. Ask the Lord to show you how He sees Us spiritually.

I think we see ourselves as fairly diverse, friendly, capable, family oriented, good with children and youth, fairly wealthy with a beautiful facilities, great staff, relevant programs, great worship, outreach oriented, and missions-minded.

With all these great things, there can be a potential problem.

If our priorities aren't what God's are, these great gifts can become idols leading us to be proud of ourselves and self-reliant with our strength in ourselves rather than in God. Then, Revelation 3:17-22 applies.

Then the Body of Christ at PCC can't function as a Body. The Body's role is to minister to the needs we see in other members of the Body and outside the Body.

We become like a heart patient who has arterial blockages in the blood supply (the life of the Spirit) getting to the heart (our affections, motivations and priorities).

The vitality of the life of Christ flowing through the Body is essential for us to be fruitful in 3 areas: 1. Becoming Christlike in our character; 2. Manifesting the fruit of the Spirit; and 3. producing fruit--new believers.

I mention these things as areas of focus in prayer. Some of the people who fellowship with us need a new heart through a new birth, a "heart transplant." They currently trust in God plus other things or don't believe that Jesus is the only way to God.

Please pray, using the metaphor of the heart patient that God will remove all blockages so that our hearts may be fully His and his life will effectively flow through us.
proud hearts: that we are self-confident and know how things work. We trust in our own opinions and assessments. (Psalm 108:12, 13.)

Pray for the blockages that are: seeds of doubt, unrest, disappointment in God and fear.

Pray for the Body to trust God when His will is a mystery, when they have and unclear or cloudy vision of Him.

Pray that God will expose hidden and secret sins, unspeakable sins. Pray that people will confess, repent and forsake them so obstructions will be removed.

Pray for God to remove blockages that come from sadness, grief or loneliness.

Please pray that our focus would be on Jesus, that we would keep our eyes on Him by faith in difficulties (Heb. 12:2).

Please also pray through the verses of Hebrews 12:1-17 as they could apply to those in the Body at PCC.

Thank you for your intercession for the Body at PCC.

God needs people to stand in the gap so He can make this Body what He designed it to be. Many at PCC have done all we can to help ourselves and the Word has been faithfully preached and often, all that can be done humanly has been done. So, we need to come before God in prayer so that His glory can become manifest in our midst, in our Body.

Russ Llewellyn
PCC and 72 Hour Prayer Coordinator

GOING DEEP TONIGHT 9/29

We are talking about God's love and our relationship with him as our Father tonight. I have realized we can never talk enough about God's love and how to know him more. That's what Paul prayed for the Ephesians..that our hearts would be open to know God more! And, I sometimes need a "re-introduction" to God..the real God..

Check out James 1:16-18 and Read Psalm 103.

Come to the Choir room tonight and worship from 8-10pm (basement of worship center)

Chris Gothold and Kirsten Grothe lead music.


also-
SATURDAY MAIN ST. CAFE 10:30 AM BRUNCH
150 ELM ST.
Redwood City, Ca 94061



and SUNDAY AFTER SUNDAY AT 6

To

Amelias and Young's Ice cream again

(possible prayer walk)

A real answer

A friend of mine emailed me and asked how I was doing on some specific areas that he knew were challenging for me. In an effort to be vulnerable here's my response:

My teeth on the other hand..Ug..It’s shaming at times for me.because I know to others it may not seem like a huge deal but all this dental work I have had to go through the past four years...it takes a toll.but let’s just say I am on my face crying out to God a lot.it’s weird and very humbling realizing the waiting process.
Some people deal with cancer or the death of friends and family, and for me..this is my thorn, my trial. That's where James 1 comes along and teaches me to be mature.

So keep praying. I have touched hopelessness and depression in a very real, yet not extreme way—which again causes me to reach toward God and struggle in his love and grace instead of running toward unhealthy escapes, which for me can be TV, magazines, movies, celebrity websites, etc.

Prayer and Driving

Many of us do "prayer walks." We pick a day/time and walk around praying. Then say AMEN and try to do it again another time. Rather than limit it to a church event, why not consider it a lifestyle worth adopting.

Pray everytime you are walking around. No matter where you are. Work, School, grocery store..AND then there is "Prayer Drives." OR "Prayer Biking."

In between and during putting the car into Drive, braking for pedestrians and dogs, hitting up the drive thrus...why not pray for everything and everyone you see. Simple.."Hey God, open the hearts of the taco bell people so that they can know you." Or "God, thank you for...the sky, the trees...this light that turned green, or red.." Seriously..find anything to thank God for. Bring the annoying people who can drive to God. And of course try doing some listening. God will speak to you through music, the silence, your thoughts, your radio...

This is a lifestyle.

Praying in whatever we do.

(1 Thess 5:24)

Goodbye Helen

Today Helen Craddock went home.
Helen lived for 98 amazing years. I knew her because she and my great grandmother Josephine were good friends. I only met her four years ago on her 94th birthday --which was April 12th of 2002, and I instantly fell in love with her. This little Chinese woman had the personality and the wit of a ninja. She lived in San Francisco and I would often visit her care facility. She lived with a very diverse popluation of senior citizens and would often introduce me to her neighbors. She made fun of how most of her time was spent listening to her friends talk about all their aches and pains--while she in her little apartment (which was barely a studio) would watch soap operas, talk shows, and game shows on her two TVs that usually were on at the same time--and of course super loud. She had a hilarious sense of humor and made me laugh every time I visited her. In a way, Helen was my Morrie-(Tuesdays with Morrie). God used her to grow my heart and value those aging people who can't get out and about. My unique relationship with Helen reminded me that God extends the borders of our "blood" to bless us with close relationships with people who become like family.

Every time I left her apartment building she would stand in the hallway and watch me out her window. She would always wave and say, "I love you." and I would tell her back the same.

Helen touched my life. She believed Jesus for who he was and what he did and I loved reading the Bible to her, talking and praying--always the Lord's prayer. As I reflect, we would often talk about the day she would go to heaven and be done with life here on Earth and now she finally has finished her life here. I treasure the memories I have with her immensely. Death is not the end. She lives on forever with God. What a gift she was to me.